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There were lots of great talks at the Insight Show and AURA Conference last week. From everything, three central themes stood out most. But like research, hearing interesting things is only worthwhile if you’re able to act on them. In this spirit,…

I just read a great article by Andrew Grenville from Vision Critical. He argues that researchers too often jump into survey-mode to answer a question. It’s their default position, based on their agency training. That is, training at large agencies which profit…

Taking information already out there, we’ve pulled together what UK consumers think about open banking, nine months after its launch. There are plenty of benefits for customers… so why has everything gone quiet? Open Banking came into force in the UK in January this…

Last week, I attended the second annual MRS utilities conference. For me, three things jumped out. All relate back to one central theme – that big problems rarely have single solutions. We need behavioural thinking AND demand management to reduce consumption We…

It might be controversial. But I believe much of the research we commission isn’t necessary. Very often we have the answers to new questions buried in past research. Or freely available in the market. By revisiting your overlooked and underutilised research, you…

As a question, it’s pretty loaded. When I ask you to choose between being flexible and being rigid, it’s clear which I want you to choose. Yet, as Sinead Jeffries’ article argued recently, too many market research businesses embrace rigid cultures over…

I went to the MRS’ annual financial services conference yesterday. A great day, lots of interesting presentations and good to see some new (and old) faces. Here are five things that struck me most. Radical changes happen slowly Brexit will affect all…

For the second year running, Shed is shortlisted for best independent agency at the 2017 MRS awards. We were recognised for how helped the Money Advice Service do more with less. We dove into their existing data to understand more about older people in…

I’m fortunate I don’t get many work calls on holiday. I did last week. On the beach on the Isle of Wight. The line was awful. While Samsung’s latest smartphone can recognise my face, it isn’t much use in 30 mph winds….

A lot has been said about the polls in the run up to yesterday’s UK election. “The polls got it wrong” they said. Jeremy Hardy joked that pollsters now command about as much professional respect as homeopaths! Well, after last night, I…

Shed was a finalist for best independent research agency at the MRS Awards 2016. We were recognised for how we helped Bristol Energy: 1. Make more of its existing research 2. Successfully unite the public and private sector 3. Launch a new…

If 2016 taught us anything, it’s that predictions are rarely right.  So I’m not going to list the top five trends for the year. Or make any predictions for what might or might not happen. The Bank of England’s chief economist, Andrew…

Two weeks ago, the UK voted to leave the EU. The polls didn’t see it coming. The markets didn’t see it coming. I’m happy to admit I didn’t see it coming. Since the referendum result, the pound’s crashed but the FTSE’s been…

The UK Referendum starter pistol has been fired by David Cameron. His old pal Boris Johnson isn’t so much running for cover as squaring up for a fight. While Cameron wants to stay In the EU, Boris is siding with the Out campaign. We’re…

I went on a training course this week. Nothing to do with work. It was in my capacity as a Governor of my local school. One of the tasks was the classic role-play. One person presented a problem, another coached them through…

We’re swimming in data. Drowning in research. We have behavioural data, demographic data, consumer trend data and market reports. Not forgetting all of the research we’ve commissioned ourselves. More than ever before, one of the main challenges for client-side insight professionals is…

Last week I chaired a freelancer breakfast workshop for Wired Sussex. We were discussing with the audience what it takes to make it as an independent consultant. And where better than to host this than the home of the freelancer, Brighton. I was joined…

The UK experienced a shock last Thursday night: the Conservatives won a majority in the General Election. For months, the opinion polls of the most respected names in market research had been predicting a hung parliament. So much so, most of the…

As an industry, we prosper because other industries want to listen to what their customers think. Yet, market research has never been very good at listening to its own customers: its clients. In the 2013 AURA (Association of Users of Research Agencies)…