By Steven Debaere @ IESEG School of Management.
Go home with a fresh view on your Future! This was BAQMaR’s promise of the 9th edition of its yearly conference in Belgium. This idea was supported by the different conference tracks. Two afternoon tracks shared ideas about “Consumer understanding” and “Data science”, whereas in the evening the subject of “future expectations” was tackled. A quite busy schedule, but nicely alternated with the right refreshments, networking breaks and technology workshops. BAQMaR 15… Futures Festival… I was ready to get inspired by the newest trends and ideas in the market research and data science industry!
Ray Poynter (The Future Place & Vision Critical) started strong by pointing out that current market research projects may not be as adapted to consumers’ needs as what we think it really is. A “Mobile First” strategy must be used, prioritizing user friendliness, to improve consumer experience. We have to listen to what consumers really want instead of telling them what to do.