Note: A version of this article was first published in January 2021. We update this every year with fresh market research trends and predictions.
As we roll into 2025, the market research and insights industry has hit a staggering milestone: it’s now worth a cool $150 billion, according to ESOMAR’s Global Market Research (GMR) report.
It’s a thrilling time to be in the insights space—but also one of the toughest.
To help you stay ahead, we release our Market Research Trends report every year. For 2025, we’ve stepped it up. Alongside expert commentary and industry insights, we ran a study on our conversational research platform. Thanks to 116 researchers who took our survey, we were able to incorporate qual, and video feedback into this year’s report.
The standout trend? AI, of course. Bill Trovinger, Customer Insights Director Albertsons Companies, nailed it: “AI is going to level the playing field in terms of speed and efficiency. Whoever can dig deeper—whether using AI or not—will be the winner in 2025.”
But even as AI soars, researchers are doubling down on real human connection. Maybe it’s the AI boom, but the hunger for qual methods and meaningful conversations with people is bigger than ever.
"2025 will be a transformational year in market research as brands will continue their drive to get closer to consumers and agencies will increasingly leverage new technologies to enable more organic, natural and authentic human understanding.”
—Matt Kleinschmit, CEO and Founder, Reach3 Insights
Whether you’re a seasoned expert or just curious about insights, this report is your roadmap to what’s next. Download the full 2025 Market Research Trends report—or keep reading for the highlights.
Surprise! AI is the biggest market research trend of 2025.
In our study, AI popped up constantly, no matter the question. Researchers are leveraging it for everything: writing surveys, analyzing open-ends, creating visual reports, and speeding up timelines. Unsurprisingly, 67% of respondents said AI capabilities are either critical or a key factor when choosing a research vendor.
That said, many researchers proceeding with caution. As Michael Wehrman, Senior Manager, Growth Insights, at Comcast puts it, “AI may yet shift paradigms, but open discussion about tradeoffs as well as upsides is where we need to focus.”
While AI is the dominant market research trend of 2025, we're really just scratching its potential. We asked insight leaders about game-changing applications they're exploring, and they delivered some ideas that touch on every aspect of the research process:
“I’ve been hearing a lot about insights teams using AI to put together bite-sized video and audio clips that summarize learnings, to share with stakeholders. Switching to more digestible deliverables helps free up time for more strategic thinking.”
— Sofia Gomez Garcia, Executive Director in Innovation, Special Projects & Global Community Management, Warner Bros. Discovery
“The quality and latency of voice-enabled conversational AI will dramatically change the way that researchers collect data and participants give feedback. It's already beginning to blur the boundaries between qual and quant research... extending what people are describing as 'qual at scale.'”
— Mike Stevens, Founder, Insight Platforms
“I'm really excited about how AI can transform the analysis phase of qualitative research. A big part of qualitative work involves quantifying insights so you can actually work with them. AI can handle the heavy lifting of coding and organizing data quickly and accurately (as long as you guide it correctly).”
— Hannah Shamji, Customer Researcher, Hannah Shamji Research Inc.
“Before AI, it was sometimes challenging to justify the time investment involved in running qual studies... AI tools are not only able to moderate qualitative interviews at scale, but also help with the data analysis, making me hopeful that I will be able to do many more qual research projects in the future!”
— Maxwell Iskiev, Senior Market Research Analyst, HubSpot
"AI innovations have largely centered around qualitative research. I am excited (and cautious!) to see how AI will support quantitative analysis in the future."
— Karine Pepin, Co-Founder, The Research Heads
“The next stage will be enabling easier analysis of quantitative survey data, ideally melded with other data sources. However, survey data is notoriously ‘messy,’ often with inconsistent labeling and complicated routing. Firms need to ensure they’re gathering and annotating the data correctly to unlock future value.”
— Henry Piney, Host of the FutureView podcast and Chief Research Advisor at MX8 Labs
“I’m genuinely excited about the potential of synthetic data and personas to revolutionize market research. These AI-generated profiles go beyond averages and stereotypes, simulating real behaviors, preferences, and decision-making processes. They offer a powerful way to uncover deep insights without risking customer relationships or privacy.”
— Graeme Ford, MRX Innovation Consultant, PunkMRX
“I’m most excited about the application of AI in the front-end and middle stages of project execution. Naturally, our industry raced to leverage AI first for back-end data analysis—primarily unstructured data—but moving forward, I’m interested to see its applications move upstream in the process.”
— Jonathan Dore, EVP & Founding Partner, Reach3 Insights
Our survey as well as our panel of insight leaders were pretty clear: Human oversight in the age of AI is non-negotiable.
As AI becomes more than just a 2025 market research trend, the role of insight practitioners is actually becoming even more vital. Creativity, empathy, and the ability to interpret nuances—these are things only humans bring to the table.
Human oversight in the age of AI is non-negotiable.
The All Things Insights: Future of Insights Report echoes this sentiment. Many interviewees emphasized that now is not the time to let AI run unchecked. Issues like contextual accuracy and data authenticity remain challenges. As Anu Sundaram, Vice President of Business Analytics at Rue Gilt Groupe, explains, “Humans with the eye for detail and experience can help balance this challenge... a seasoned market researcher or business lead can discern what is truly being generated from real customers.”
“2025 should lead to a renaissance of ethnographic research. If executives truly want to know what consumers think, why and how they use products and services, and critical context around timing and circumstance, eyes-wide-open qualitative work should always be on the menu.”
—Michael Wehrman, Senior Manager, Growth Insights, Comcast
Thanks to AI, qual research is having a major moment—and it’s long overdue. What once took weeks, like analyzing open-ends or video transcripts, now happens in a click. No wonder 78% of our survey respondents are thrilled about these AI market research capabilities.
Qualitative data has never been more accessible or scalable. Tools like automated transcription, sentiment analysis, and real-time translation are helping researchers gather insights from global audiences. Even video feedback and virtual reality are turning traditional qual into immersive, interactive experiences. Over 66% of participants in our conversational survey are excited about these advancements.
But this market research trend is not just about speed. AI market research tools are helping researchers deliver better results. Maxwell Iskiev from HubSpot puts it simply: “AI tools can moderate qualitative interviews at scale and assist with analysis, making me hopeful I’ll be able to do more qual projects in the future.”
“I’m most excited about the ability to field qualitative studies at the speed and scale of quant research. With AI, research professionals have a unique opportunity to apply insights best practices in exciting new ways and emphasize the value of the especially human side of insights: intuition, curiosity, relevance, and quality control.”
—Brian Fowler, Executive Director and Co-Founder, Insights Career Network, and Business Strategy Consultant at Brain Flower Services
“In 2025, I believe we’ll see a clear shift away from some traditional market research methods, driven not only by the demand for agility, precision, and richer understanding but also by the rise of a DIY research culture. With the democratisation of data, research is no longer the preserve of agencies or brands with deep pockets. The explosion of accessible, user-friendly research technologies is empowering businesses of all sizes to take matters into their own hands.”
—Graeme Ford, MRX Innovation Consultant, PunkMRX
DIY insight platforms are shaking up the market research industry. These technologies (like the Rival platform! 😜) make it easier than ever for different departments to take charge of their own research—whether it’s running a quick survey, running an insight community, capturing video feedback, or managing a global study.
Self-serve research platforms have exploded in popularity. “Starting from a small historical base, self-serve research platforms have now surpassed the USD $3.5 billion mark after stupendous growth over the years and do not seem to show signs of saturation,” according to ESOMAR’s 2024 GMR report. With AI-powered templates and intuitive interfaces, these tools give teams more flexibility and control, while disrupting traditional research models.
This market research trend brings new opportunities—but also some challenges. Without proper training or strategy, non-researchers can struggle to extract meaningful insights. DIY tools are fantastic for quick answers, but high-stakes projects may still require professional expertise. It’s crucial to ensure data from these platforms is used thoughtfully.
"Viewership measurement will keep evolving in the coming year, moving away from just focusing on linear viewership and shifting toward a more cross-platform approach. This shift reflects how much more fluid audience behavior has become in recent years. But it’s also interesting that streamers are starting to adapt to the traditional linear TV measurement model. As streaming platforms like Netflix and Peacock continue to expand their sports offerings, this approach is likely to become more prevalent."
—Michelle Auguste, Vice President of Global Media Insights, NBA
Look, it's not a secret that we're huge proponents of improving the participant experience at Rival Technologies and Reach3 Insights. This is the very foundation of our conversational research approach.
By the way, this market research trend also made an appearance in the 2024 edition of our report. And it was the focus of many of our free webinars, including one we ran with Jason Jacobson, Senior Director of Consumer Insights at Sekisui House, on The Great Respondent Revolt.
So, what's new as we head to 2025?
For one, in our own survey, we found that more than 50% of people are excited for mobile-first surveys, and 64% are excited for new emerging trends like AI probing. These market research trends can definitely help us reduce long, boring surveys.
But more importantly, organizations like influential industry associations are actively championing participant experience, with resources like ESOMAR’s participant guide and the Insights Association’s Participant Bill of Rights released this year.
As Jorge Calvachi, Director of Insights at La-Z-Boy, points out, “Surveys with dozens of questions are losing favor as consumer attention spans shorten. Agile, mobile-friendly micro-surveys and passive data collection methods are emerging as replacements, delivering quicker, more reliable insights.”
The bottom line? A better participant experience means better data. It’s a transformation that benefits everyone, from respondents to researchers.
“Data quality serves as the bedrock upon which the edifice of meaningful analysis and informed decision-making stands tall.”
— Melanie Courtright, Insights Association (Research Live)
Data quality has been a headline issue in market research for years, refusing to step out of the spotlight. Despite the buzz, progress has been slow as the industry battles AI-driven fraud, technological shifts, and evolving data collection methods.
But there’s hope. The Global Data Quality Initiative is a major step forward. This cross-functional coalition, led by top industry associations, is pooling global expertise to tackle data quality risks, share resources, and build actionable frameworks to strengthen trust and integrity in research.
Data quality is also tied closely to participant experience. Long, irrelevant surveys lead to disengagement, straight-lining, or dropouts. On the flip side, engaging, conversational surveys —especially when done through an insight community—respect participants’ time and deliver higher-quality data.
Emerging tech is making clean, accurate data more attainable. Fraud detection tools, adaptive surveys that reduce fatigue, and conversational research designs that encourage thoughtful feedback are helping researchers foster honest responses.
“In-survey behavior tracking is the future of data quality,” predicts Karine Pepin, Co-Founder of The Research Heads. “By monitoring participant behavior during the survey, we can identify and mitigate issues like inattention and fraud. While the technology could involve AI, it’s not strictly necessary.”
By focusing on both participant experience and data integrity, the industry is moving closer to a future of trustworthy insights.
These 2025 market research trends show that the insights industry is brimming with opportunities. AI is transforming how we work, DIY platforms are empowering more people to uncover insights, and a renewed focus on data quality is laying the foundation for more trustworthy research.
But amidst all this innovation, one thing remains clear: the human element—our creativity, empathy, and critical thinking—will always be at the heart of great insights.
As we embrace these changes, it’s important to reflect on where we’ve been and where we’re headed. The challenges we face are real, but so is the potential for a smarter, more agile, and inclusive industry.
For a deeper dive into these trends and actionable strategies for 2025, download the full Market Research Trends 2025 report. It’s your roadmap to navigating the future with confidence and clarity. Let’s shape what’s next, together.
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