VIEW ARTICLES FROM AUTHOR

As Curious as the Dark Side of the Individual

  • January 07 2016
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Segmentations can be an incredibly powerful tool for businesses, providing strong platforms for innovation and a targeted approach to customer relations. However the strength of segmentation hinges on the level of similarity between the...Read More

Purchasing Power: All-rounder Among Market Indicators

  • December 16 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

There’s no limit these days to the volume and type of data that companies use to improve their competitiveness. Much of this data is unique to the industry in question, but some market indicators such as purchasing power have nearly...Read More

But What About the “Lurkers”?

  • December 04 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

With access to quality data, a flexible tool and a dedicated team, millions of conversations happening on social media can be turned into insights for brands. Businesses see the value and are getting involved, but social media monitoring is not...Read More

Luxury Shopping 2015: Only Bloggers Show Signs of Weakness

  • November 24 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

The internet is both market place and exchange platform – also for luxury buyers. Mobile devices keep paving new ways online for them when it comes to information about their favorite brands and online shopping. The good news for stationary...Read More

Young Shopper: How India’s Youths Wants to Shop!

  • November 13 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

The youths of India remain loyal to shopping in person. 78% of young people surveyed said they will continue to shop in-store at least to the same extent as now or more, compared to 69% of older shoppers. In fact, 51% of youths said they will...Read More

Consumers’ Lives and Societies Are Evolving at a Rapid Pace, Are You Keeping Up?

  • November 06 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Understanding today’s market and where it’s going is increasingly problematic. Getting blindsided by consumers’ constantly-evolving preferences and evolving consumer culture is a very vivid reality for many business managers.Did...Read More

Your Brand’s Edge on Social Media: Customer-Centric Social Listening

  • November 03 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Brands have found that a lot can be learned from monitoring what is being said online about their products, services, employees, campaigns and competitors. Those a bit more advanced in social listening have found that broadening searches to cover...Read More

Putting the Me in Tomorrow’s Media Experience: Using Data Differently

  • October 22 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Today’s media companies are not using data as effectively as they could be. This is what was argued during the first half of this presentation. The role of data in media companies has created ‘unhappy sandpits’, and trying to...Read More

Evaluating the Impact of Print Advertising

  • October 21 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

A few weeks ago we had the pleasure of presenting alongside our client, Times Media, in South Africa at their roadshow, The Future is Now. The General Manager of Group Sales and Marketing, Trevor Ormerod, discussed some of the company’s key...Read More

Android Pay and ISIS: The Road to Mobile Payments Ubiquity

  • October 16 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

At the Mobile Payments Conference in Chicago last month, Jack Connors, Google’s head of commerce partnerships, told attendees that Android Pay would launch “very soon.” A week later, Google announced a soft rollout of...Read More

2014’s Record Breaking Black Friday Sales

  • October 09 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

The retail landscape has changed dramatically in the UK over the last few years with the recession seeing the closure of many well-known retailers, often leaving high streets vacant and desolate. But last year, Black Friday saw many flood to the...Read More

Customer Loyalty – Time to Kick Out the Leaky Bucket….

  • October 07 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Customer loyalty is a divisive topic – for many brands it is their stated aim, while some commentators have said that loyalty doesn’t even exist. But perhaps the real point about customer loyalty is that it’s complex, and it...Read More

ROI and UX: The ‘Piñata Effect’

  • October 01 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Let’s start by stating the obvious: no organization sets out to create a bad user experience (UX). Yet, poor user experiences frequently happen. Enter the Piñata Effect.As many of us know about piñatas, they are filled with...Read More

Best Practices For Using Digital Ethnographic Tool

  • September 24 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

As experience experts, ethnographic projects are some of our favorite opportunities to explore everything from the American mediascape to journey mapping patient experiences. For many of these projects, we have leveraged traditional in-home...Read More

The Internet of Things – Why Doesn’t Corporate Investment Match Optimism?

  • September 22 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

In my last article, I briefly introduced the Internet of Things (IoT) and how it has the potential to revolutionize how a number of industries conduct business. Recent estimates from McKinsey suggest that by 2025, the IoT could have an economic...Read More

The Currency Exchange Market for Audience Measurement

  • September 20 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

As PAMCo, the Publishers Audience Measurement Company, announces its replacement for the National Readership Survey, it is worth pausing to reflect on the key issues that all media audience measurement currencies have in maintaining their...Read More

Could Enterprise Be the Spark the Wearables Market Needs to Ignite Consumer Sales?

  • September 19 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

While the consumer wearables market fizzles rather than explodes, with suspicions that sales of the Apple Watch haven’t met expectations fueled by Apples reluctance to release this data, there’s growing buzz about the use of wearable...Read More

How Online is Paving the Path to Purchase

  • September 17 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Regardless of whether consumers are clicking “buy” at the virtual checkout, online remains a major sales channel and an irrefutable part of today’s purchase journey. Fact: from cosmetics to TVs, online is where brands and...Read More

Reverse Engineering Habit Structures in Applied Innovation Testing

  • September 16 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Habits are a fundamental part of human behaviors and have a huge, often understated control over the decisions we make every day. Anyone who has tried to break a habit will understand just how difficult that can be and understand that willpower is...Read More

Wearables and Payment – What’s the Deal?

  • September 13 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Modern shoppers have an array of payment options available to them, with the recent addition of Apple Pay users are offered the option to pay for goods and services via the use of an Apple iPhone 6 or smartwatch. Along with other wearable...Read More

Why Mobile is the New Web

  • September 12 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

The mobile revolution: it’s one of the most talked about phenomena in consumer technology. Yet advertising spend on mobile is still far behind use and the number of eyeballs that might see it – and we all know that advertising needs to...Read More

Emerging Payment Channel Winners

  • September 11 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

The evolution and revolution of payments continues to unfold before our eyes. Everyday there are more announcements of new products, partnerships and services that move us closer to the inevitable ubiquity of paying for nearly everything using new...Read More

Content Everywhere and Always On

  • September 09 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

On September 12, 2015, at this year’s IBC, I have the pleasure of moderating a panel called “Future Consumer, Content Everywhere and Always On!” which investigates the implications of video being everywhere for consumers and the...Read More

Marketing the Cloud

  • September 07 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Only 13% of 27,000 people, across 22 countries agree completely that it is essential to store or access their created content in the cloud. Only? Really? I’m surprised the figure is so high! Remember, this is the percentage of people that...Read More

What Did You Eat Last Night for Dinner? Understanding Behaviors

  • September 06 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Without accuracy an answer is meaningless, but when designing research are you really focused on how accurate the answers could possibly be? Here are four key factors to consider in order to ensure insights are based on a solid foundation of...Read More

The IAB Believes…Digital Ad Measurement Needs Standardization

  • September 02 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Last week, the IAB posted the second of their 5 “IAB Believes…” blog pieces, focusing on viewability of digital ads. Their focus in this post is the inconsistency of digital ad measurement definitions when it comes to the...Read More

Amazon Prime Deal with Clarkson and Crew – A Move Into the Fast Lane, or an Expensive Car Crash?

  • August 31 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Amazon Prime’s acquisition of the yet to be re-titled “Son of Top Gear” looks set to be one of the defining moments in recent TV history. It may not be the first original series that the video service has commissioned but it is...Read More

The IAB Believes…Brand Safety Scepticism

  • August 29 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Last week, the IAB posted the first of their 5 “IAB Believes…” blog pieces, focusing on brand safety. In this first piece, they focus on the bad PR when an ad is delivered in inappropriate places and there is a passing reference...Read More

Tech Forward with Teens: Stepping Outside the New Media Bubble

  • August 25 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Sitting at a recent media conference, I once again heard someone tell how their family – and especially their teen – is the example of how the media market is being disrupted, or even dying. These “my family” anecdotes are...Read More

Future of Retail: How Can I Be Easy To Do Business With?

  • August 13 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

The meteoric rise of digital combined with economic uncertainty has changed the path to purchase forever, creating a whole new raft of challenges for anyone selling through retail channels. We have addressed these challenges in a series of four...Read More

Focus on Trends: Under the Microscope

  • August 12 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

When developing visions for Future Fashion Retail, as we have been doing in a creative and complex process over the past few months, it is essential to examine the consumer of the future. What characterizes these consumers, whose attention and...Read More

The Value Chain and Mobile Payment: Evolution or Revolution?

  • August 11 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

There has been much talk about mobile payments revolutionizing payment. But what does this mean for the payments value chain?From four parties to fiveApple Pay gained 1 million downloads within 72 hours of launch in the US. As we have come to...Read More

It’s Research Science, Not Rocket Science

  • August 10 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

I came across a job advert the other day from an advertising agency for a ‘Research Scientist’. Just to be clear, I was not looking for a new job having just acquired one! But it was the job title that caught my eye. They were looking...Read More

What’s the Future for Mobile Payment?

  • August 07 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

So you’re in the department store. Your basket is nearly full. There’s just one last pair of pants to look at. And what’s that? A discount for it pops up on your phone.Bargain!The trousers are coming with you. And it’s time...Read More

Future of Retail: How Do I Pin Shoppers Down?

  • August 05 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

The meteoric rise of digital combined with economic uncertainty has changed the path to purchase forever, creating a whole new raft of challenges for anyone selling through retail channels. We address these challenges in a series of four blogs...Read More

Four Things You Need to Know About Human Factors Validation for Your Mobile App

  • August 03 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Whether it’s breathing new life into aging patents or capitalizing on the quantified self craze, pharmaceutical companies are finding ways to expand the reach and utility of their drug brands by developing digital companion applications that...Read More

What is TV “Viewing” Now, Anyway?

  • July 31 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Take a moment to recall “Back to the Future (Part 2)”. Now picture Marty McFly’s surprise if he’d hopped in his time-traveling DeLorean in 1985, emerged in 2015 and discovered that he can watch TV on a mobile phone.In his...Read More

Focus on Textiles: Reduced Frequency, Reduced Sales

  • July 30 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Another season to write off. Farmers lamented the shortage of water, while fashion retailers bemoaned the shortage of customers. Very few could report an increase in sales over the spring months from March to May. For most high street fashion...Read More

What Customers Actually Buy, and Why It’s Not Your Product

  • July 26 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Yes, the title of this post refers to your product. That isn’t to say your product isn’t selling. Indeed, customers are out there purchasing your product—but it’s not what they’re buying. What customers actually buy...Read More

Are You Going Tone Deaf to Car Audio Cues?

  • July 23 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

I notice from my own life how over-stimulated I am sometimes. Whether I’m bombarded with video messages on screens on a commuter train, or am subjected to ambient noise while in the city center, I’m constantly receiving messages about...Read More

Love at First Sight? Conversations with Consumers Predict Product Success

  • July 21 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

In today’s experience economy, consumers are bombarded with new experiences every day – proposals for new products, new services, and new consumption models – to improve their lives. In a world that promises compelling...Read More

Hey, Good Looking…

  • July 21 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

The pressure to look good surrounds us. TV programmes, advertisements on the high street and in magazines, newspaper stories on celebrities, even the endless selfies on social media – there are really very few major communication channels...Read More

Future of Retail: Can We Be Friends?

  • July 17 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

The meteoric rise of digital combined with economic uncertainty has changed the path to purchase forever, creating a whole new raft of challenges for anyone selling through retail channels. We address these in a series of four blogs entitled...Read More

Who Would Watch Live Aid Today?

  • July 15 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Thirty years ago today (July 13, 1985), the nation was gripped to its television screens to watch Live Aid. It was a dual-venue charity concert in Wembley and Philadelphia, watched by around 170,000 in the two stadia and by a further 2 billion...Read More

Decoding the German fashion Social Network

  • July 15 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Big brands, glossy magazines, celebrities and lavish advertising campaigns have traditionally set the agenda in the fashion industry. But with the rise of social media, a medium that is by its nature democratic, the rules about what defines a...Read More

Branding – For Value Addition on Value Assurance?

  • July 14 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Research has often indicated that consumers in markets like China, like consumers in other emerging Asian countries, place a lot of importance on brands. Brands are surrogates of quality and brands imply trust. That is why more Chinese ...Read More

How Generation Z Shops for Fashion

  • July 12 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

How do today’s 16-21 year olds (aka Generation Z) shop for fashion compared with other consumer age groups? The answer is that their purchase journey differs according to the country they live in – as it does for other age groups. So...Read More

Understanding the Influencers in Social Media

  • July 09 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Social media monitoring is an essential reputation management activity for brands around the world. “Listening” to consumers via social media is now standard practice for brands seeking to understand what is said about them online. But...Read More

The Cashless Society – Mobilizing Everyday Payments

  • July 08 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

5% – this is the percentage of all payments made globally, in a store, using a mobile device last year. So, why should anyone care? Put simply, in-store mobile payments are the future. Yes, there are barriers – logistics and security...Read More

Future of Retail: Where do I find them?

  • July 05 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

The meteoric rise of digital combined with economic uncertainty has changed the path to purchase forever, creating a whole new raft of challenges for anyone selling through retail channels. We will address these challenges in a series of four...Read More

Reading Emotional Response to Advertising: How One Automaker Used It

  • July 04 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

You’ve been test driving cars and researching the vehicle you want to buy. Now it’s down to decision time.How exactly will you choose the brand, the features and the color you want?Most of us imagine that our choice will be completely...Read More

Shopper Convenience: The Top Driver of Retail Development

  • July 03 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

The availability of more information and choice has changed consumers’ expectations about how, where and when they shop. Consumers are less willing to settle for a ‘one size fits all’ shopping experience. When we asked a panel of...Read More

Key Trends in the Global Smartphone Market: Part 1

  • July 01 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

1.2 billion smartphones were sold globally in 2014, and in the first quarter of 2015, smartphone unit demand was up +7% on the same period of last year. So what is driving this continuing success story? We’ve identified four key trends...Read More

FinTech and Financial Services Innovation at a Crossroads

  • June 29 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

While attending this year’s Emerge Conference in Austin last week, it became apparent to me that the financial services industry and the tens of millions of Americans hoping to successfully manage their financial affairs, are at a critical...Read More

Configuring and Buying Cars Online: Still a Dream, or Approaching Reality?

  • June 28 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

I found a great new yoga outfit when I was doing some online shopping the other day. First I zoomed in to see the fabric up close. This helps to see if the quality is good and stretchable and feels soft – so needed as you cannot “touch...Read More

User Experience Essential to Healthcare Product Development

  • June 26 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

In our latest video blog, Korey Johnson (SVP, User Experience, GfK) discusses the importance of integrating User Experience research into the innovation process of healthcare-related products. Johnson advises product developers to consider real...Read More

ASEAN on My Mind: Where Are the Tire Tracks Leading Us To?

  • June 24 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Car tire makers are keen to position themselves in hot new markets, and signs point to Indonesia as an interesting market for replacement car tires. Sales in Indonesia rose by 11% in 2014, compared to 2013.Which ASEAN markets will follow Indonesia...Read More

The Shopper of the Future: 4 Key Trends to Attract Young Shoppers to New Products

  • June 24 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

With so many options for today’s consumers, how do brands succeed in understanding and influencing their shopping choices? Our research shows that when it comes to where shoppers aged 16-21 go to discover new grocery and personal care...Read More

What Innovations Should Car Manufacturers Be Focusing On?

  • June 20 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Why security, well-being, gratification and freedom are the cornerstones of consumer needsAs developments in technology stretch the boundaries of what is possible, how can the automotive industry understand what it is that consumers actually need...Read More

Facebook Ads Deliver a Great Return on Investment – But How? Clients Should Build on Our Award Winning Insights to Get It Right

  • June 19 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

In our recent IAB Europe award-winning study with Facebook we proved that Facebook ads deliver a strong return when used in conjunction with TV, even if TV still has the edge on reach (but at what comparative cost I hear you ask).The content we...Read More

3 Ways to Boost ad Impact for TV and Facebook

  • June 18 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

GfK and Facebook joined forces to make a direct comparison of the impact produced by advertising delivered via both TV and Facebook.Traditionally, research on digital ad effectiveness has used tags to identify panel members exposed to a digital ad...Read More

Security is Not Just an Expensive Add-on

  • June 17 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

The internet has undeniably revolutionized how businesses operate, engage with their customers and bring their products to market. From sole traders to large multinationals, IT is at the heart of every business function, raising the question of...Read More

Will the Emerging Personal Data Agenda Unlock Current Account Switching?

  • June 14 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

The case for Relevance driving further Switching ActivityA further piece was added to the ‘enabling switching puzzle’ at the end of March in the form of comparison site GoCompare’s Current Account Comparison tool. This allows...Read More

Making the Second-best Solution Shine

  • June 11 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

“So Jim, what’s the household chore you hate the most?” I queried my office mate. “Cleaning toilets” was his prompt reply.“And what would make it better?” He thought a moment, then, laughing, he said...Read More

Change on the Horizon – The Market for Car Tires and Spare Parts in Russia

  • June 10 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Turbulent economic times in Russia are making their mark on sales of car tires and spare parts in Russia. Not only are currency fluctuations skewing prices and sales volumes, but consumers are adjusting their behavior.For car tire sales, I expect...Read More

Being Green Wins You Customers

  • June 09 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Based on our study findings, being green attracts consumers. But, before brands leap for their strategy plans, let’s analyze what really motivates consumers in this area. Here are the facts.Three quarters of consumers internationally say...Read More

Making the Smart Home a Reality

  • June 06 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Imagine a home managed from the owner’s smartphone or tablet, with multiple devices linked via an intelligent network or “hub”. The owners could view status reports, access information and manage functions wherever and whenever...Read More

British Drivers Give Muted Response to the Connected Car

  • June 03 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

The connected car will be a reality within a few years, as enhanced safety, economy and entertainment become standard features of most new vehicles. So how do the British feel about the car of the future?In this extensive global project carried...Read More

TV Network Brands: Taking a Hit From Streaming?

  • June 03 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

For stakeholders in the television ecosystem, the impact of streaming viewing is the mystery of the year – probably the decade. Of course, their biggest concern is streaming’s effect on so-called “regular” TV viewing and TV...Read More

The Cashless Society: Who Will Lead the Foray?

  • May 29 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Mobile payment is being adopted all over the world in different ways, whether it is via SMS transactional payments, direct mobile billing, mobile web payments (WAP), mobile banking apps or contactless NFC. In developing countries mobile payment...Read More

The Shopper of the Future: Why Young Shoppers Won’t Turn Their Back on Physical Stores

  • May 21 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Despite their love of and ease within the online world, today’s young people are not exclusively virtual shoppers, glued to their screens throughout the purchase journey. This new generation of digital natives loves the environment of the...Read More

The Value of Time: Understanding Your SMB Customers

  • May 17 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

What is an SMB? Having spent a decade conducting business-to-business (B2B) market research across a variety of industries, I’ve learned that if you asked ten clients to define a small and medium-sized business (SMB), you’re very...Read More

What do American Drivers Want from Tomorrow’s Car Infotainment Systems?

  • March 26 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

In a competitive global marketplace, one key way for auto manufacturers to keep customers satisfied is to anticipate and meet their future wants and desires. We asked drivers what multimedia and entertainment features they might want in tomorrow...Read More

How Social Media Can Give Power Blender Manufacturers a Bigger Cut of the Market

  • March 24 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

How seriously should manufacturers of small appliances take social media as a channel for communicating with consumers? According to our Social Media Intelligence (SMI) analysis focusing on power blenders, German consumers are very willing to...Read More

Understanding the Indonesian Smartphone User

  • March 23 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Indonesia often falls into the long shadow cast by other developing markets – Brazil, Russia, India and China – also known as the BRIC countries. But with the fourth largest population in the world, Indonesia is growing rapidly, as...Read More

Pricing Research For Orphan Drugs: Time For a Methodology Change

  • March 21 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

In 2013 Vertex Pharmaceuticals introduced Kalydeco® (ivacaftor), the first orphan drug to successfully treat the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis in a well-defined patient subgroup, into the Irish market. The annual cost was €234,804...Read More

The Power of “Where”: Better Insights Through Location-Enhanced Business Intelligence

  • March 20 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Business intelligence (BI) systems and solutions have long been a valuable tool used by companies to organize and analyze information related to their markets and operations. The amount of data available to companies has grown exponentially in the...Read More

Handset Developments: Premium Design for Minimal Cost

  • March 19 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

At the recent Mobile World Congress 2015, despite the onslaught of new devices (e.g. smartwatches) and technologies (e.g. connected car), handsets still dominated media headlines and buzz. So what new innovations and offers have manufacturers of...Read More

Young Men’s Grooming is Booming: the How, What and Where of the Growth of the Personal Care Category

  • March 18 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Men are increasingly engaged in the personal care and male grooming category – good news for companies targeting these important consumers. So just how are young men choosing personal care products? Where are they shopping and what...Read More

Money Talk: Listening in to Social Media Conversations About Financial Services

  • March 17 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Who’s talking most about financial technology? Consumers are – on social media. Of all the content relating to financial technology online, 60% is generated by consumers. Consumers are talking about financial technology on social media...Read More

Will Privacy Fears Affect Data?

  • March 15 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

In 2015, the promise of market research—and marketing, in general—is bound up in our ability to build healthy and vibrant information ecosystems. Rivers of data feed campaign streams across the media and marketing landscape, shifting...Read More

Gripping Stuff – Insights on the German Automobile Accessories Market

  • March 13 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Do Germans love their cars? They sure do. Do they spend a lot on outfitting and tuning them up? Well, it depends…Surprisingly, it not only depends on the social group and individual consumption preferences, but also on consumers&rsquo...Read More

Consumers Worldwide Embrace Healthy Living Strategies

  • March 12 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

In a global survey, we asked 28,000 consumers in 23 countries about the measures they take to maintain their physical health. The results show that people are taking their health seriously and investing time in their physical well-being. Against...Read More

Customer Centricity: What it Means For Your Business and Your Customers

  • March 10 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

There has been a seismic shift in the way some brands operate in recent years. The traditional “push” approach is being replaced by a more customer-centric model that uses the full range of customer / brand experiences to strengthen...Read More

The F-word and Mobile Payments 2.0

  • March 09 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

When I discuss my excitement over the rapidly changing Mobile Payments industry with family and friends they just don’t get it. Sure, they are familiar with Apple Pay and yes, they understand that if they had the new iPhone or Samsung 6 that...Read More

Top 5 Ways People Maintain Their Physical Health

  • March 08 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

We asked consumers around the world what activities they regularly engage in to maintain their physical health – and getting enough sleep topped eating healthy food, exercising or taking vitamins1.Globally, two-thirds of consumers (66...Read More

Two Breeds of Millennials: Making Fashion Magic for Marketers

  • March 07 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

 In our latest video blog, Cathy Saraniti (VP, New Product Sales Development at GfK MRI) discusses differing fashion attitudes between two distinct age groups of female Millennials. A new analysis from our Survey of the American Consumer...Read More

When Will Belgians Embrace Mobile Payment?

  • March 06 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

The use of mobile payment is in its infancy in Belgium, yet awareness is relatively high. Our latest research highlights some of the obstacles to widespread adoption, and suggests how the market might develop in the future.Our FutureBuy study of...Read More

Paying With Wearables: The Journey from Skepticism to Use

  • March 04 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

With the launch of Apple Watch looming, wearable devices are garnering more attention than ever. We conducted a survey (Wearables: Geek Chic Or The Latest “Must Have” Consumer Tech?) to understand users’ attitudes towards...Read More

User Experience is Disrupting the Financial Industry

  • March 03 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

New services are focusing on impeccable design in web, mobile, and broader support services to allow them to engage consumers in new ways. On the one hand, we are seeing services overcome the hurdles of expensive financial advice by promoting...Read More

Will Wearable Watches Drive the Cars of the Future?

  • February 28 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

First it was central locking, then the transponder key. Will wearable watches be driving the cars of the future? As yet, the wearables market overall remains significantly untapped. Both industry leaders and smaller players have launched products...Read More

Singaporeans Take a Considered Approach to Tablet Purchase

  • February 26 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

We recently undertook a study to understand how consumers in Singapore buy tablets. While tablets may attract highly discerning, online savvy consumers, the vast majority (87%) of consumers browse both virtually and in person for these high ticket...Read More

EMV and The Impact on User Experience

  • February 24 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

The only constant is change and this is particularly true for the payments industry. Very big changes are coming to the industry later this year and it’s going to have a ripple effect across the entire purchasing experience in the US.On...Read More

How Was It For Your Customer? Building Loyalty Through Positive and Memorable Experiences

  • February 22 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Loyalty: “a deeply held commitment to rebuy or repatronize a preferred product/service consistently in the future, thereby causing repetitive same-brand or same brand-set purchasing, despite situational influences and marketing efforts...Read More

Branch Real Estate Strategies in the Time of Zombies

  • February 17 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

As blatant homage from Gabriel García Márquez’ “Love in the Time of Cholera”, it seemed fitting given the media blasts about Ebola, the measles and the flu in the past few months.After watching a couple of...Read More

A Perfect Data Paradox in the Digital Age

  • February 14 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Pretty much most things generate data these days. You get up in the morning and your Fitbit records your first step. You walk down the road and your footfall is measured in at least two ways (most likely by CCTV if you live in the UK, and by your...Read More

Technology Market 2015: Major Trends For Strategic Decisions

  • February 13 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Which technology trends will be big this year? Where will we see the strongest growth of tech device ownership? How can businesses stay on top of this fast-changing environment? We interviewed GfK technology and media expert, Tilman Rotberg, to...Read More

Spice Is Nice: Snacking In India

  • February 11 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

With its soft-blue label and taupe package, the Relax 100% natural health bar looks like the type of good-for-you product you’d expect in an upscale food chain like the U.S.A.’s Whole Foods. But its provenance is India. And that says a...Read More

Hunting the Health Food Shopper

  • February 09 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

A growing number of Americans are hungry for good health. They try to eat right – and, in many cases, exercise environmental responsibility at the same time. To satisfy these customers, food stores are adding organic, fresh and local fare...Read More

Tackling the Barriers to Mobile Payment

  • February 04 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

With nearly three out of four consumers globally (71%) having access to the internet via a smartphone, retailers would be justified in thinking that the time is finally right for people to pay for goods and services via their mobile phone. However...Read More

What do Japanese Drivers Want From Tomorrow’s Car Infotainment Systems?

  • January 31 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

In a competitive global marketplace, one key way for auto manufacturers to keep customers satisfied is to anticipate and meet their future wants and desires. We asked drivers what multi-media and entertainment features they might want in tomorrow...Read More

Safety First: The Road to Self-Drive

  • January 27 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Not so long ago it was a concept associated with science fiction. Now the dream of the self-driving car is on its way to becoming reality.Obviously there are legal and regulatory hurdles still to overcome, but self-drive technology has been...Read More

How Brands Can Make Friends and Influence People

  • January 23 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

“A brand is a living entity—and it is enriched or undermined cumulatively over time, the product of a thousand small gestures.” Michael Eisner (former CEO of Disney)It’s 2015 and our relationships with brands are...Read More

The Corporate IoT and Security

  • January 16 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

The “Internet of Things” (IoT) is one of the most revolutionary trends in technology today. It is often referenced in relation to the ‘smart home’, where household appliances, meters and devices autonomously communicate...Read More

The Power of Ethnograpic Immersions

  • January 14 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

“I want to understand the world from your point of view. I want to know what you know in the way you know it. I want to understand the meaning of your experience, to walk in your shoes, to feel things as you feel them, to explain things as...Read More

What Do Italian Drivers Want From Tomorrow’s Car Infotainment Systems?

  • January 13 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

In a competitive global marketplace, one key way for auto manufacturers to keep customers satisfied is to anticipate and meet their future wants and desires. We asked drivers what multi-media and entertainment features they might want in tomorrow...Read More

Show Me an App That Can Sell…

  • January 11 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Despite the fact that we all know better, at times we eat food we shouldn’t, we don’t get enough exercise, and we don’t get enough sleep. In short, we put off things that cause us short term pain even though there are...Read More

Retail Parks: Sustainable Investment or Hype?

  • January 07 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Retail parks are currently a hot topic of conversation: This retail format is increasingly the first choice among retailers and consumers, and investors are now following suit. GfK retail expert Manuel Jahn explores why retail parks constitute a...Read More

Monetizing Mobile Instant Messaging: The Future Requires Scale Innovation

  • January 03 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

The mobile instant messaging (IM) market has been a phenomenon of the past 4 years. The growth of IM has been staggering with players such as Japan’s LINE and China’s WeChat acquiring over 500 million users within 2 years of launch. A...Read More

Harnessing the Power of Social Media Insights for Marketing Strategy

  • January 02 2015
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

While marketers tend to focus on what people are sayingabout their brands in social media, they sometimes overlook the people who are driving these conversations.In our latest video blog, Cathy Buena (Research Director, GfK Digital...Read More

7 Ways to Monetize Mobile Instant Messaging

  • December 29 2014
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Recent valuations of major mobile instant messaging (IM) players on the market suggest that the larger the user-base the more valuable each user becomes. This premise may be based on advertising revenues alone so monetizing more features is likely...Read More

India Looks Set To Be the Next Big Market for Tire Brands

  • December 28 2014
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

GfK conducted a seven-month study of India’s tire retailers to find out more about the country’s market. So – what have we discovered?Over 50,000 tire shops exists in India’s smaller cities and rural area; more than half of...Read More

Beauty and the Buzz: How Beauty Buyers are Driving Product Sales on Social Media

  • December 27 2014
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

The words beauty and buzz are almost synonymous in social media. If there’s one category where consumers have pushed the “social” in social media to the max, this is it. From blogs to forums to videos, beauty buyers want to share...Read More

Intelligent Analyses Through Connected Thinking

  • December 26 2014
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

“Only connect!” wrote the English novelist, E. M. Forster. “Live in fragments no longer.” This famous injunction could serve as an information-management strategy for the modern-day reinsurance industry and any other...Read More

Should Luxury Brands Be Playing Games?

  • December 24 2014
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

I used to associate gaming with spotty teenagers sat in their bedrooms killing aliens at four in the morning. But, I have since come to realize that gaming is much more than just that. Gamification is a technique that marketers are using to...Read More

What Consumers Really Think About Sophisticated Smartwatch Functionality

  • December 23 2014
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Ever since the days of comic book detective Dick Tracy and his two-way wrist watch, wearable technology has held a fascination for consumers. So the potential of the next generation of smartwatch technology, which is set to go well beyond...Read More

What We Want in Tomorrow’s Car: In-Car Internet, Entertainment and Active Aafety Features

  • December 22 2014
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

GfK and AutoScout24 surveyed around 8,800 people for the report ‘The Cars We Want Tomorrow’. Drivers aged 18-65 in seven European countries (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain), were surveyed on a wide...Read More

The Rise of the Influential Vloggers

  • December 20 2014
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Have you heard of Michalle Phan, Zoella, Tanya Burr or Pixiwoo? No, neither had I until I recently ventured into the world of the beauty video logger or “vlogger”. These are some of the most influential people in the cosmetics industry...Read More

The Spread of Non-cash Payments: a Shift Change in the Way We Pay for Goods and Services

  • December 15 2014
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

While coins and paper money have remained the predominant means of conducting everyday transactions, technological advances in the 20th Century heralded the advent of increasingly sophisticated electronic transactions. The majority of...Read More

Smartphone Shoppers: 10 Facts Retailers Can’t Afford to Ignore

  • December 01 2014
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

According to our latest Mobile Insights data, more than half (55%) of UK smartphone users visited retail sites or apps from their device in July 2014. They spent almost 21 minutes and visited on average 4 retail sites, with fashion most...Read More

What Consumers Really Think About Smart Home Technology

  • November 30 2014
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Companies eager to profit from the growing market for smart home products and services should feel encouraged by our latest research from the UK. It shows an overwhelmingly positive response from consumers to the idea of a fully-connected, smart...Read More

Epic Marketing Failures – Make Your Campaign Unforgettable, For All the Right Reasons

  • November 29 2014
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Every brand wants their marketing to be memorable. But no one wants to have it remembered for the wrong reasons. However, learning from mistakes is important. We took the chance to highlight a few unfortunate marketing “happenings” at...Read More

Learning from Leading Edge Consumers

  • November 20 2014
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

The constant changes in today’s digital world are revolutionizing the retail experience, for both consumers and retailers. Consumers can now shop virtually any time, anywhere and for anything. But with new possibilities and new technologies...Read More

What Next for the Shopping Mall? The Blended Shopping Experience

  • November 16 2014
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

The advent of digital has changed – and continues to change – the way we shop for everything, from clothes to cars.Our latest research shows that rather than seeing digital as a one stop shop, consumers are enjoying an...Read More

The Japanese Tire Market: Different Generations, Different Preferences

  • November 11 2014
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

The automotive aftermarket in Japan consists of four main sales channels, and who uses which one to buy tires depends on the driver’s age.Our research shows the main sales channels are: car accessories specialists, tire specialists, car...Read More

Where (or Wear) Next for Wearable Tech?

  • November 08 2014
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Unlike the rapid uptake of tablets, the wearables market remains significantly untapped. Industry leaders and underdogs alike have launched products onto the market in an attempt to capture consumer imagination, but, according to our latest...Read More

The Art of the Future: When Nail Art Meets Wearable Technology

  • November 07 2014
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

The growth of wearable technologies has been a true revolution in the technology market, generating excitement for a variety of reasons. Wearable technology addresses a number of consumer needs, such as the need for the latest innovations and the...Read More

Gaining Traction: Truck Tire Sales in Europe

  • October 31 2014
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Some of the most perplexing questions in marketing are indeed some of the most intellectually interesting ones. There’s so many ways to approach a research question. Which is the right approach? Is my model the best-suited? What about the...Read More

FMCG market planners: where’s the beef?

  • October 27 2014
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

The amount of spending potential for retail expenditures differs widely among European consumers. Manufacturers and retailers who plan new locations need to be aware of these differences to make realistic turnover and growth plans for their...Read More

Is there another black swan coming for the media world?

  • October 26 2014
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

There are lots of clichés in the development of mass media over time.  We talk about the ‘fragmentation of the media landscape’ and ‘device proliferation’.  These are now predictable changes occurring...Read More

Engine Oil in Nigeria: an Opportunity for Large Engine Oil Brands

  • October 22 2014
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

GfK has mapped the market for engine oil in Nigeria and found that large engine oil brands have an opportunity to gain share in Africa’s most populous country.A majority of engine oil in Nigeria is sold at gas stations – roughly 70% of...Read More

Rewards: the litmus test for the future of mobile payments

  • October 14 2014
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

If you are wondering what mobile payments look like in the future, look no further than your current travel rewards programs.Personally, I’m a loyal airline flier and credit card user – and due to my loyalty, my behavior is easily...Read More

Understanding the “Whys” Behind Your Brand’s Health

  • October 08 2014
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

As new brands gain approval and brand teams begin to manage in-line business imperatives, they are starting to ask their ATU trackers to move beyond the “what” of measuring awareness, trial and usage. With valuable brands at stake...Read More

Putting It All Together: How Data Science, Technology and Retail Banking Can Delight Customers

  • October 03 2014
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Who hasn’t had poor experiences with their bank branches? The mere thought of waiting in lines to transact with a teller, sitting with a customer service rep who started work the week before and has no idea who you are, what you need or...Read More

Millennial Shoppers Are Old News: Looking Ahead to Gen Z

  • September 28 2014
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

As financial institutions continue to struggle to attract younger customers and companies compete to capture a share of the ever elusive millennial wallet, we may want to step back and take a closer look at the way their grandparents use their...Read More

Interactive Dining Tables – the Family Meal of the Future?

  • September 24 2014
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Picture the scene: It is the 1990s, and a family is gathered around the dinner table to discuss the events of the day. The landline rings and the teenage girl leaps up to answer it, to which her father responds ‘leave it! We are eating&rsquo...Read More

5 Steps That Will Make Smart TV Apps Smarter

  • September 23 2014
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

As a mind-boggling array of new devices provide a constant supply of information and social connection, consumers are demanding that their TVs keep pace. At this year’s CES and SXSW, smart TVs were at the forefront of the discussion about...Read More

Will Apple Make Payments and, for that Matter, Wearables Cool?

  • September 16 2014
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Sure, we’ve made huge strides in technology in the last decade – but adoption is not only a pragmatic decision, but also one of style. Tesla made electric cars the thing of middle-aged mens’ dreams, with its incredible...Read More

Technology, Sport, or Fashion Brands – Where do Consumers Turn to for Their Wearables?

  • September 10 2014
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

From activity trackers to data glasses to smart watches, wearable technology is heralded by many as the next big thing. As a result the market is not only becoming crowded but extremely competitive as brands from a range of sectors fight it out...Read More

Prepaid Cards: A Changing Consumer Profile

  • September 09 2014
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

The verdict is unanimous: Prepaid cards are the fastest growing segment of the card industry.However, despite the time and devotion spent by card companies on innovation, product design, awareness, and usage, there remains a cloud of negative...Read More

Magazine Ads: Digital, Print Score Similar Engagement Levels

  • September 03 2014
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Marketers are always looking for new ways to bring their brands to life for their high-value target audiences. And, according to a GfK analysis, tablet magazine advertising shouldn’t be overlooked as an effective addition to print and other...Read More

Insights from the New GfK French Truck Tire Panel

  • August 31 2014
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

I have been working with retail panels for 14 years, but something I experienced recently marks a “first” in my career.GfK is now tracking truck tire sales in southwest Europe. We started in the UK in 2012 and then with France and...Read More

Customer Interaction through Mobile Devices

  • August 24 2014
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

The shift to mobile devices is big news for retailers. Now, half of UK mobile internet users visit a retail site at least once a month, spending on average 25 minutes shopping.By combining big data usage metrics from a global mobile network...Read More

The Internet of Things: Fresh Potential for Businesses but with Familiar Pitfalls

  • August 22 2014
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

The Internet of Things (IoT) is coming, and will transform the way businesses function forever. Many organizations are still unsure exactly what the IoT is, how they’re going to take advantage of its huge apparent potential, and vitally...Read More

Are SVOD Services Leaving Over $45 Million on the Table This Month?

  • August 20 2014
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

We all know that streaming video is at the forefront of entertainment, though perhaps it has been undersold. Data from our recently released report, How People Use® Media: Comparing Streaming Services, indicate that streaming video...Read More

Tracking the Purchase Journey for Smartphones and Tablets in the UK, Romania, Belgium and Russia

  • August 18 2014
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

How do shoppers in different markets research a major purchase like a smartphone or tablet? How does their behaviour differ by country? That was the question we set out to answer in this cross-country study where investigating smartphone and...Read More

The Doctor Will Text You Now

  • August 11 2014
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Technology will continue to play a powerful role in the future of medicine, not just in the direct delivery of care, but also in communication within the care system. This includes doctor/patient interactions, which are diversifying away from...Read More

Think Differently about Mobile Research

  • August 07 2014
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Smartphones and tablets are becoming involved in almost everything that we do. This societal shift to a mobile lifestyle presents challenges as well as opportunities to market research. And being proactive is essential for researchers. In our...Read More

The Brand Divorce

  • August 06 2014
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

In 2013, 3.5 million Chinese couples filed for a divorce – an increase of 12.3% over the previous year. With more and more Chinese choosing to part ways with their partners and live on their own, the Chinese marriage is in crisis. In...Read More

Why one Price Doesn’t Fit all Markets

  • August 03 2014
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Getting the price right for their models in each market is vital for car manufacturers to achieve that all-important market share with target audiences. But it’s a challenging part of any global sales strategy. Here we look at how Volvo met...Read More

Mobile Retailing: It’s not Just for Technology and Books

  • July 31 2014
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

M-commerce is well established in a number of sectors, but retailers in other categories have been slower to adopt it. As more people turn to smartphones to research and buy, what should retailers do to catch up? One upcoming category is DIY where...Read More

Achievers in Africa: The Rise of Sophisticated Consumers Who Know What They Want

  • July 30 2014
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Our latest Roper Need to Know report covers four key markets in Sub-Saharan Africa. In this first of three posts covering some of the major findings from the research we look at the Achiever mindset. From Ghana to Kenya, Nigeria to South...Read More

Smart Value in the Smartphone Market: the Highs and Lows

  • July 28 2014
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

Within as little as three years, 69% of the planet’s population will own a smartphone. That’s 5.2 billion people with a smartphone by 2017, from Abuja to London, Mumbai to Zagreb. As the market continues to expand it gets closer to...Read More

The (Social) Science of Complaining

  • July 24 2014
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

It is becoming clear that technology is affecting how disgruntled consumers complain about poor products and services and, as a result, how companies must respond. We asked UK consumers which channels they had used to make complaints to a company...Read More

For Love or Money: Where Next for Customer Incentives in Financial Services?

  • July 22 2014
  • Resource: Loyalty Today

It looks like we’re coming out of the worst days of the recession, and research from GfK shows that UK consumers are starting to return to brands they trust. But when times were tight, people learned to look for value and they now expect...Read More