Latest news with #consumerinsights
Forbes
3 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Cultural Intelligence: Building Trust And Unlocking Insights In The Global Village
Real insights are gained through authentic connection and understanding. They come from learning how to listen to the consumer markets and communities you are trying to reach. getty If you're leading a company in North America, you're likely grappling with how to effectively connect with the diverse world around us. Whether expanding into international markets or engaging with your hometown's vibrant and culturally rich diaspora communities. The traditional 'Western' way of doing business, while valuable, isn't the only perspective, and often, it's not the one that truly resonates when trying to reach non-Western audiences. To succeed today, you need more than just a good product or service; you need cultural intelligence, defined by Sternberg et al. as 'one's ability to adapt when confronted with problems arising in interactions with people or artifacts of cultures other than one's own.' At its heart, it is the ability to live, work, and collaborate across cultures. However, cultural intelligence is more than that; it is a powerful competitive advantage. It's about resisting the impulse to simply push Western notions and, instead, finding spaces where different perspectives and cultures are respected and seen. It's the key to finding genuine insights and, crucially, building authentic trust with the communities you want to serve. Real insights are gained through authentic connection and understanding. They come from learning how to listen to the consumer markets and communities you are trying to reach. This act of listening requires the ability to appreciate and celebrate diversity and cultural differences. So, how do you practically find these crucial insights and build that vital trust? It starts with a framework I've developed over years of navigating diverse markets, the EIA method (Embed, Interpret, Act). This is where you connect with the environment and its people. For an organization, it involves creating a structure where you seek to learn and become part of that community. You open yourself up to learning traditions, styles of conversation, and customs. This grassroots approach is essential for gaining consumer insights from the ground up. When you embed yourself, you embrace new experiences as opportunities to grow and see the world with a fresh perspective. This is where you begin to gather the raw information that will lead to insights. If you're the type of person who lands in a new city and decides not to take a tour but to walk the neighborhoods, ask the local people the best spots to eat, and engage with the citizens of this new-to-you place, you already possess that cultural intelligence instinct! Once you've embedded and gathered information, you must make sense of it. This step involves understanding the cultural nuances that shape behavior, preferences, and values. You combine the new information you've gathered with your existing knowledge to create a richer, more textured perspective. Cultural misunderstandings are a major risk if you skip or rush this step, potentially impeding communication and relationships. Interpreting is how you turn observations into meaningful insights that can inform your strategy. This is where you put the insights you've gained through embedding and interpreting into practice. It requires adapting your strategies and changing your behavior to connect better with others. Acting on insights is not just about developing new products or services; it's also fundamentally about building relationships. This is where the trust you've started to build during the first two steps allows your actions to resonate and succeed. As Vern Vipul, a serial entrepreneur and one of my oldest friends, noted, 'Leaders must be willing to go into that place themselves; you can't delegate the process of learning and adapting to figure out a market.' Let me share a story of how the EIA method guided a transformation in my career. I acquired Computek College on September 5, 2014. At the time, it was a struggling institution primarily focused on the Sri Lankan Tamil community. It aimed to educate newcomers for Canadian employment. I saw it as an opportunity to bridge a gap: Highly educated and skilled immigrants weren't getting the jobs they deserved, while Canadian companies were looking for talent. I knew both worlds well and believed I could help this valuable population get established. In terms of Embed, I was determined to understand the immigrant population we served. I realized success wouldn't come from boardroom strategy but from the streets of the Greater Toronto Area, where our students lived and worked. I took a hands-on approach, notably by teaching communication classes to our students. This allowed me to gain firsthand insights from right inside the classroom as students shared their perspectives, aspirations, and challenges as newcomers to Canada. My team and I also made a concerted effort to hire faculty and staff who reflected the diversity of our student body, seeking individuals with firsthand experience of the immigrant journey. As I embedded myself, I began Interpreting the information gathered. I understood the varying attitudes and expectations around education and career development among students; for some, it was tied to family honor, for others, a major stressor alongside cultural adaptation. I interpreted how cultural backgrounds impacted learning styles, seeing preferences for collaborative or independent approaches. Armed with these insights, I began to Act. My first priority was to diversify the student body. We actively recruited students and staff from different communities and worked with grassroots businesses. The shift in demographics was dramatic, growing from 50 Tamil students a year to 2,000 students from many countries and cultures by 2024. Along with other initiatives, we have created a thriving college. For North American companies and institutions, the takeaway is clear: Cultural intelligence is not optional; it's essential to find genuine insights and build the trust needed for success. Whether your sights are set globally or on connecting with the diverse communities in Western nations, embracing different perspectives, embedding yourself in the community you seek to serve, interpreting the nuances, and acting on those insights with cultural sensitivity will unlock powerful opportunities. It's about creating win-win situations where everyone benefits. As Rumi said, 'Yesterday, I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today, I am wise, so I am changing myself.' This willingness to adapt and grow based on understanding others is the heart of cultural intelligence. It's how you build trust and find the insights that lead to meaningful, lasting success.
Khaleej Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Khaleej Times
Brand apathy on the rise among UAE consumers, especially Gen Z, study shows
Almost two-thirds (65 per cent) of UAE's consumers and 61 per cent of the UAE's Gen Z population don't pay attention to the brands they're buying — as long as the product meets their needs, a study showed. New research by SAP Emarsys in association with Deloitte has revealed increasing brand apathy among UAE consumers. According to the study, 67 per cent of all consumers in the UAE have switched to own-label alternatives because they are more affordable. Interestingly, despite this heightened indifference to brands in general, a significant proportion of UAE consumers (68 per cent) still actively advocate for their favourite brands in public. These insights are based on a survey of more than 2,000 UAE consumers and 100 senior marketers at multinational enterprises, which examined shifting attitudes towards consumer products. According to The Global Consumer Products Engagement Report by SAP Emarsys, we have entered the 'Engagement Era,' in which brands must establish a robust data foundation across their entire business in order to thrive. Embracing AI-driven, omnichannel strategies is no longer optional; it is critical for transforming fragmented data into actionable insights, building long-term relationships, and achieving true customer loyalty and lifetime value, experts say. This message resonates in the UAE, where 72 per cent of consumer product marketers say it is becoming harder to engage meaningfully with customers, indicating that the majority are at risk of falling behind in this new engagement-driven landscape. Success in the Engagement Era depends on delivering a personalised omnichannel experience across the entire customer lifecycle, and leading brands in real-time engagement are already putting these strategies into action. 'Today's consumer landscape is shifting faster than ever, and brands must navigate this terrain with agility and insight,' said Marwan Zeineddine, Managing Director of SAP UAE. 'The research highlights a clear opportunity: while brand apathy is increasing, so too is the demand for personalised, emotionally resonant experiences. Leveraging technologies such as SAP business AI, brands can go beyond transactional relationships and deliver the kind of real-time, meaningful engagement that cuts through consumer indifference and earns lasting loyalty. This is where marketers can lead the charge; by bridging data and strategy to stay relevant and drive long-term success.' 'Consumers globally aren't just becoming less loyal to brands — they're ignoring them entirely,' said Sara Richter, CMO at SAP Emarsys. 'That's a wake-up call for marketers. Without a strong data foundation, it's impossible to deliver the real-time, personalised experiences needed to achieve that all-important 'true' loyalty.' When asked about barriers to effective customer engagement, UAE consumer product marketers cited internal complexity as the biggest challenge, with 31 per cent identifying this as a key issue. Additionally, data continues to pose significant hurdles: 53 per cent of marketers say they are unable to access or use data in real time, and 69 per cent report their organisation's data is too unstructured to use effectively. Similarly, when it comes to predicting future behaviors, only 28 per cent of marketers feel confident in their ability to predict future consumer behavior, and just 30 per cent believe they can effectively segment and analyse their audiences. As global consumer apathy toward brands increases, marketers in the UAE recognise the need to improve fragmented engagement approaches and outdated technologies. According to the report, 65 per cent of UAE marketers say they will need to overhaul their engagement strategies in 2025. Meanwhile, 69 per cent believe personalisation will be a key differentiator in the year ahead, especially important considering that 77 per cent of UAE consumers say they value highly personalised content. Where do brands stand in the Engagement Era? The report also introduces the Customer Engagement Maturity (CEM) score, which ranks consumer product brands on the strength of their customer engagement strategies. This research builds on earlier findings from Bain & Company, which point to a major industry shift toward ERP and SAP S/4HANA. This shift underscores the urgent need for consumer product brands to break down silos, accelerate operations, and engage customers more meaningfully. The CEM Index categorises brands into three maturity levels: Reactive: Still reliant on batch-and-blast marketing, sending the same message to all audiences. Proactive: Using mobile and messaging channels, but still dependent on manual processes. Predictive: Leveraging AI to anticipate needs, deliver real-time, personalised offers, and build long-term relationships. Brands in the 'Predictive' category demonstrate that to truly succeed in the Engagement Era, a robust business AI-infused ERP foundation, supported by a customer engagement platform, is essential. However, many brands still lag behind, with only 34 per cent of consumer product marketers in the UAE currently sharing customer engagement data with a dedicated ERP system. 'For those clinging to outdated strategies, investing in AI-driven, real-time engagement is no longer a luxury. This investment could be the deciding factor in whether a brand achieves its revenue targets in the Engagement Era,' a statement said.
Al Bawaba
5 days ago
- Business
- Al Bawaba
Consumers buy the product, not the brand: 65% of UAE consumers ignore brand names when buying consumer goods
As UAE retailers and consumers start gearing up for the summer sales season, new research by SAP Emarsys in association with Deloitte has revealed increasing brand apathy among UAE consumers. When it comes to consumer products, 65% of UAE's consumers and 61% of the UAE's Gen Z population don't pay attention to the brands they're buying — as long as the product meets their needs. Furthermore, 67% of all consumers in the UAE have switched to own-label alternatives because they are more despite this heightened indifference to brands in general, a significant proportion of UAE consumers (68%) still actively advocate for their favorite brands in public. These insights are based on a survey of more than 2,000 UAE consumers and 100 senior marketers at multinational enterprises, which examined shifting attitudes towards consumer products.'Today's consumer landscape is shifting faster than ever, and brands must navigate this terrain with agility and insight,' said Marwan Zeineddine, Managing Director of SAP UAE. 'The research highlights a clear opportunity: while brand apathy is increasing, so too is the demand for personalized, emotionally resonant experiences. Leveraging technologies such as SAP business AI, brands can go beyond transactional relationships and deliver the kind of real-time, meaningful engagement that cuts through consumer indifference and earns lasting loyalty. This is where marketers can lead the charge; by bridging data and strategy to stay relevant and drive long-term success.'According to The Global Consumer Products Engagement Report by SAP Emarsys, we have entered the 'Engagement Era,' in which brands must establish a robust data foundation across their entire business in order to thrive. Embracing AI-driven, omnichannel strategies is no longer optional; it is critical for transforming fragmented data into actionable insights, building long-term relationships, and achieving true customer loyalty and lifetime message resonates in the UAE, where 72% of consumer product marketers say it is becoming harder to engage meaningfully with customers, indicating that the majority are at risk of falling behind in this new engagement-driven landscape. Success in the Engagement Era depends on delivering a personalized omnichannel experience across the entire customer lifecycle, and leading brands in real-time engagement are already putting these strategies into action.'Consumers globally aren't just becoming less loyal to brands — they're ignoring them entirely,' said Sara Richter, CMO at SAP Emarsys. 'That's a wake-up call for marketers. Without a strong data foundation, it's impossible to deliver the real-time, personalized experiences needed to achieve that all-important 'true' loyalty.'When asked about barriers to effective customer engagement, UAE consumer product marketers cited internal complexity as the biggest challenge, with 31% identifying this as a key issue. Additionally, data continues to pose significant hurdles: 53% of marketers say they are unable to access or use data in real time, and 69% report their organization's data is too unstructured to use when it comes to predicting future behaviors, only 28% of marketers feel confident in their ability to predict future consumer behavior, and just 30% believe they can effectively segment and analyze their global consumer apathy toward brands increases, marketers in the UAE recognize the need to improve fragmented engagement approaches and outdated technologies. According to the report, 65% of UAE marketers say they will need to overhaul their engagement strategies in 2025. Meanwhile, 69% believe personalization will be a key differentiator in the year ahead, especially important considering that 77% of UAE consumers say they value highly personalized Do Brands Stand in the Engagement Era?The report from SAP Emarsys in association with Deloitte also introduces the Customer Engagement Maturity (CEM) score, which ranks consumer product brands on the strength of their customer engagement strategies. This research builds on earlier findings from Bain & Company, which point to a major industry shift toward ERP and SAP S/4HANA. This shift underscores the urgent need for consumer product brands to break down silos, accelerate operations, and engage customers more CEM Index categorizes brands into three maturity levels:• Reactive: Still reliant on batch-and-blast marketing, sending the same message to all audiences.• Proactive: Using mobile and messaging channels, but still dependent on manual processes.• Predictive: Leveraging AI to anticipate needs, deliver real-time, personalized offers, and build long-term in the 'Predictive' category demonstrate that to truly succeed in the Engagement Era, a robust business AI-infused ERP foundation, supported by a customer engagement platform, is essential. However, many brands still lag behind, with only 34% of consumer product marketers in the UAE currently sharing customer engagement data with a dedicated ERP system. For those clinging to outdated strategies, investing in AI-driven, real-time engagement is no longer a luxury. This investment could be the deciding factor in whether a brand achieves its revenue targets in the Engagement Era.
Zawya
13-06-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Insights-driven marketing: Reshaping consumer market research
Understanding consumers has come a long way since the standardised consumer market research of the '90s. Gone are the days of simply knowing 'what the market is doing'. Today, consumer insights is where it's at, with insights-driven marketing replacing those outdated research models that merely scratched the surface of what consumers really wanted. In this digital era, consumers practically control brands' narratives through their uncensored brand comments, opinions, reviews and conversations on online platforms. This means getting into the minds of your consumers has never been more important. Insights-driven marketing that combines targeted market research and consumer insights is strategic, yields a significant competitive edge and centres around consumer need. Instead of asking what your consumers are doing, an insights-based approach asks why they are doing it. It also provides a more complete, holistic view of your customers, detailing their pain points, aspirations and decision-making processes. Getting to know your customers in this way enables your brand to make insights-informed decisions, which ultimately result in improved conversions, retentions and bottom lines. Digital marketing consultancy WinSavvy quotes various benefits, including that companies that embrace data-driven strategies are six times more likely to be profitable year-on-year; that businesses that leverage data-driven strategies report a 5 to 8 times higher ROI; and that data-driven content strategies can increase engagement by up to 88%. These statistics relate to brands that are efficiently harvesting data from all their customer touchpoints, deriving insights from the data, and adapting their brand strategies accordingly. The dental department of consumer health firm Haleon, for instance, saw an 80% increase in consumer research efficiency while simultaneously, one of its brand's social media teams used insights to drive 272% year-over-year engagement growth. Proof that when data is accurately gathered, analysed and used, the impact is enormous. The sources from which to gather consumer insights have never been so prolific. Just consider the multitude of channels available to brands today through which to engage consumers and really get to know their needs. Surprisingly, the majority of the data contained within these channels is left unmined. Forrester Consulting estimates that between 60% and 70% of all data within an enterprise goes unused for analytics. Knowing where and how to engage your customers to extract valuable insights is critical. This is the increasingly important job of consumer market research firms, which are quickly adapting to changing technology and using new tech to improve analytics. Researchers are employing generative AI tools, for example, to extract more detailed insights from their research. AI algorithms are also helping researchers to increase the contextual intelligence of consumer markets, improving forecasting capabilities. This is the edge that is enabling brands to get ahead of their competitors, as they change focus from simply tracking trends or reacting to them, to accurately predicting the next big thing and even leading the way through the hype. Ultimately data-driven marketing is reimagining the way brands perceive their customers. It is moving marketers beyond demographics to understanding the human behind the data, and in the process fostering meaningful customer engagement and loyalty. Data-driven decisions are replacing gut-feel marketing, reducing risks and helping businesses make smarter, evidence-based choices. Not only do consumer insights propel marketers to innovate in order to meet customer need, but they help to differentiate brands in the crowded market and gain market share. Consumer insights also bridge the gap between marketing and ROI. Being in tune with your customers means better messaging; better messaging means better results. However, it's important that brand owners consider an integrated approach to their research. Market research and consumer insights work better when paired together in a synergistic strategy. This provides a comprehensive view of both the market landscape and customer behaviours – an absolute necessity in future-proofing brands in an increasingly fickle consumer environment. BMi Research is a full-service market research provider delivering consumer and B2B research studies using qualitative and quantitative methodologies with modern field collection methods, including online, CAPI, CATI and PAPI. Through our consumer behaviour and pricing intelligence research tools we deliver definitive research insights for data-driven strategies that help businesses grow.
Fast Company
04-06-2025
- Business
- Fast Company
Most companies struggle with making data-informed decisions
Should you invest in a new consumer market? Cut that underperforming division? Buy off-the-shelf or build custom technology you urgently need to compete? Over the course of my career, I've seen leaders make good, bad, and risky decisions to guide their businesses. These decisions are often based on consensus, gut instinct or complex financial models—and occasionally, a half-formed idea from the back of a meeting agenda. But years in business have taught me something crucial: Success is driven neither by pure data worship nor blind intuition. Companies need both—especially knowing that today's opportunity could be tomorrow's risk. The path forward requires balancing rigorous analysis with human wisdom and context and ultimately knowing when to say what. The three data traps Companies typically fall into one of three traps when it comes to data. First, low confidence in the data itself. For data to work, it must be trusted and accurate. When leaders are able to pull different reports based on different numbers, confidence evaporates. Major business decisions get derailed because teams can't agree on basic metrics. Without consistent, and accessible, information, even the most sophisticated analytics become useless. Second, companies can get stuck analyzing endless information. If every dashboard drives more questions than answers, that's a losing battle. Businesses chasing endless data or sifting through a deluge risk delaying critical decisions while their competitors move ahead. Analysis paralysis is real—and costly. Finding the sweet spot between information gathering and action is the difference between missing or meeting the market. Third, companies can't over-rely on analytics without human context. Data can reflect what happened and may predict what happens next, but it frequently misses the 'why.' A dashboard may show low engagement from an internal tool and recommend sunsetting it. What this doesn't take into account is the user perspective where maybe they find it hard to use or have competing priorities. Balance data and intuition I spent part of my early career in public relations but exited the industry out of frustration due to the lack of meaningful data at the time, although now it is quite different. We would get a feature in a top-tier outlet, then struggle to measure the business impact. Through this, I learned a valuable lesson about balancing a good story with verifiable stats. This balance matters across every function. Marketing teams solely relying on metrics may miss the emotional connections that drive loyalty, while finance departments only tracking historical performance may miss emerging market signals that leaders can spot. The magic happens when companies combine data-backed insights with human expertise. At West Monroe, we've seen the power of this firsthand. When we worked with a tire distributor to optimize their supply chain, we didn't just build predictive models. We paired real-time analytics and insights to optimize their planning and inventory models WITH the expertise of people who understood supplier relationships and market nuances. The result? A $200 million reduction in working capital—all during pandemic disruptions, when either data or intuition alone would have failed. How to fix it: Build a data-driven culture Build trust in your data first. Start with the basics: Identify the numbers that actually move the needle for your business and ensure everyone defines and measures them consistently. When leaders trust the numbers, they'll use them to make impactful decisions. Bring data where decisions happen. Stop making people hunt through separate dashboards. Instead, embed relevant insights directly into the tools your team already uses. When the right information is available at the right moment, it naturally becomes part of the decision-making process. Show, don't tell. Leaders should visibly incorporate data in their decisions while acknowledging its limitations. Create space in meetings where teams can discuss both hard metrics and real-world observations. Both perspectives deserve equal airtime and consideration. It's never too late to lead with data You can always become a data-driven leader. Even 'walk the halls' executives who have historically avoided analytics can develop this muscle. Start small—identify one key business question where better data would improve decisions. As confidence grows, expand to more complex ones. The most successful leaders won't be those with the most data or the best intuition. They'll be the ones who master the art of balancing both—and take decisive action with confidence.
