Call for Papers EN German Market Research Congress, 26 June 2025, Berlin

When it comes to market research, versatility and innovation have long been watchwords. Nowadays, qualities like these have never been more sought-after and the challenges around them could not be greater: More data, everything around the topic of quality, more automation and more disciplines under the market research umbrella - all of which compellingly combined with the powerful AI tool: the future looks exciting.

Let’s break down the challenges one by one:

• Ever new data sources and the challenges of integrating and merging data they bring alongside.
• A greater understanding and more use of IT in day-to-day market research.
• A change in cooperation and division of labour between companies and institutes alongside new interfaces that apply to specialist departments and market research.
• The emergence of newer disciplines that demand their role very independently, such as EX, UX, CX or social media monitoring.
• Market research departments reinventing themselves, with job titles that include terms like Insights, Intelligence, Data Analyst or Data Scientist.
• The theme of data quality, increasingly on the radar in recent years amid increased digitalisation and mechanisation. Click farms and bots compound the challenge for panel operators and market researchers alike.
• Finally, a near-ubiquitous use of AI as the tipping point, drawn on in all value-added stages of the market research process.
• Equally unavoidable topics are the ethical dimensions and discussion in market research, not least due to the use of AI.

AI is changing everything

Though some of the challenges are long familiar, it's the scale and scope of the changes that stand out. Artificial intelligence is the potentially disruptive spark that could transform all of the above. After all, it creates new data sources (particularly synthetic), can transform collaboration between research partners, impacts on the quality of data and how it is integrated and ultimately creates a new discipline.

Reassessing the market research profession

The (perhaps) obvious consequences: Market researchers now find their job scope turned on its head and upskilling is a must. Some 70 years since the BVM was first founded, this is certainly one of the key hurdles. In other words, we have to re-examine the market research profession from a whole new perspective!

However, a point worth reiterating: Over the last seven decades, market research has had to repeatedly tackle new areas of technical potential and implement them in its own workflow successfully. Market research is malleable and will remain that way! With this in mind, the BVM will also review the historical hurdles it has already overcome.