For high-performing brands today, agile research capabilities are a must.
That's because it's easier than ever to fail in business. Marketing campaigns flop, messages miss, products underperform. The reason for failure is simple: too often, decisions are made on assumptions instead of real customer feedback. In some cases, customer insights come late and aren't used by decision-makers at all.
Agile research gives you a better way forward. It puts consumers at the center of your business strategy by enabling real-time, iterative feedback throughout any project. It helps teams across functions—from marketing and UX to brand and innovation—quickly validate ideas, adapt to shifting behaviors, and make smarter decisions rooted in authentic human insight.
Agile research applies the principles of agile development—like iteration, real-time feedback, and continuous learning—to the research and insights-gathering process. It prioritizes speed, flexibility, and authentic consumer engagement through methods like conversational surveys, mobile-first insight communities, and video feedback.
Unlike traditional research, which can take weeks (if not months), agile research methods deliver insights in real-time. And it doesn’t just speed things up—it improves data quality, depth, and relevance by meeting consumers in-the-moment on platforms they already use, like SMS and mobile chat.
Today, AI tools, including agents, are helping agile research deliver on its promise of helping brands get closer to consumers and make customer-centric decisions.
Agile research applies the principles of agile development—like iteration, real-time feedback, and continuous learning—to the research and insights-gathering process.
Agile research de-risks decision-making by helping brands:
Test and iterate faster — Speed up product development and campaign optimization with real-time customer input.
Capture authentic, emotional feedback — Use video feedback and chat-based formats to uncover the “why” behind the data.
Reach the right audience, right now — Mobile-first, SMS-based methods increase response rates and engage hard-to-reach demographics.
Scale without sacrificing quality — Get deeper insights across the entire product lifecycle without relying on expensive, one-off studies.
Here’s a full breakdown of how agile research stacks up to traditional market research methodologies:
Traditional Research |
Agile Research |
|---|---|
|
Weeks in field |
Days in field |
|
8–10 in-person participants |
Hundreds to thousands via mobile |
|
High cost per iteration |
Low cost per activity enables iteration |
|
Lab environments |
Real-time, mobile feedback |
|
Siloed knowledge |
Searchable databases & reusable benchmarks |
Agile research doesn’t just compress timelines—it changes the who, how, and why of research entirely.
Now let's look at the most popular agile research methods.
Using a market research platform, you can now capture real-time, contextual feedback through diary-style check-ins. Participants can record video selfies or upload images that reflect their routines and behaviors.
For example, Tyson Foods used SMS surveys for mobile diaries to uncover new breakfast habits during the pandemic. This important research informed both product development and marketing strategy in a single sprint.
Want to test a new digital experience or prototype? Agile usability studies combine screen-sharing tech, chat-based surveys, and video feedback to pinpoint UX and UI pain points. Kimberly-Clark used this approach to identify conversion barriers in their e-commerce funnel. Findings from this shopper insights study led to a 20% increase in online sales.
Standard surveys are a slog. But agile research uses conversational surveys—deployed via SMS or email—that mimic real messaging apps. They’re more intuitive, more fun, and more effective.
While a conversational approach vastly improves the participant experience, the benefits don't stop there. Because conversational surveys are mobile-first, they tend to capture more authentic, unfiltered feedback. A study from Wharton School found that people are more forthcoming when they respond via mobile instead of a laptop.
Conversational surveys can capture both quant and qual data, including video feedback. And because the respondent experience is better, completion rates are higher—making it easy for you to capture high-quality insights faster.
When done right, insight communities can help support agile research initiatives. These research panels or communities offer a continuous stream of feedback, supporting a wide range of use cases like product development, message testing, segmentation, and more.
Today, companies like Warner Bros. Discovery, Oura Ring, Time Out, McCormick and John Deere use insights communities to capture agile insights.
Top Agile Research Platform in 2025
As agile research becomes the gold standard for modern insights teams, a number of platforms have emerged to support this fast, iterative, and human-centric approach. When choosing a solution, look for agile research software that enable real-time engagement, mobile-first delivery, and integrated qualitative and quantitative data collection.
Rival Technologies stands out as the leading conversational research platform purpose-built for agile, mobile-first research. What makes it unique:
Conversational surveys: Chat-like, engaging formats drive 60%+ response rates and reach hard-to-engage audiences.
Unlimited video feedback: Capture emotional depth and authentic stories with unlimited video responses.
Insight communities: Build long-term research communities to support iterative testing and always-on research.
AI-powered insights: Use AI market research tools and agents to automate summaries, generate video highlight reels, and get topline data in real-time.
Flexible service models: Choose from DIY, assisted, or full-service based on your team’s needs and capacity.
Mobile-first SMS delivery: Bypass cluttered inboxes and meet consumers where they actually are—in the moment.
Backed by a world-class customer success team, Rival empowers researchers to go from data collection to decision-making in hours—not weeks.
In 2025, the best agile research tools don’t just collect data—they create conversations. Rival Technologies leads the way by turning traditional research into rich, human dialogue—so your insights go deeper, your timelines get shorter, and your decisions get smarter.
Depending on your research goals, you’ll likely be using a combination of the above agile research methods. But remember: you can always pivot and iterate with the right agile research program. Equally important, this research can inform your brand’s entire product lifecycle.
If you'd like to learn more about using the Rival platform to make your research more agile, reach out to our team for more info or watch demos of our capabilities.
Got questions about insight communities and mobile research?Chat with one of our experts
No Comments Yet
Let us know what you think