Research technology company achieves long-time industry goal.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (September 8, 2014) — U.S.-based market research technology and services firm, 20|20 Research, today unveiled a virtual reality platform that allows researchers to simulate a multitude of consumer products and sensory experiences for more engaging, detailed and cost-effective market research.
Debuted at ESOMAR’s 2014 Congress, which opened September 7 in Nice, France, the platform harnesses virtual and augmented reality to place respondents in almost any setting, measure their responses and better understand their reactions and behavior.
“We’re excited to be the first to introduce virtual reality applications for market research,” said Jim Bryson, founder and CEO of 20|20 Research. “This innovation will yield important new insights to how people respond and behave in different environments and to different environmental configurations. We believe it has tremendous potential in product research, packaging, brand building, even customer satisfaction efforts, helping researchers and marketers gain significant learnings from consumers at a fraction of what it might usually cost. As virtual reality headsets become more mainstream in the coming months, 20|20’s product offering will be able to reach into millions of homes and offices worldwide.”
The 20|20 virtual reality (VR) program is a computer-simulated environment experienced through VR headsets worn by respondents and displaying visuals replicating in-store environments (grocery, retail, car dealerships, design showrooms, etc.) or customer experiences (restaurants, cruise ships, hotels, events and event spaces, etc.). Innovative components of the tool include the ability to track the gaze paths of participants to see what packages or stimuli attract the most attention, a system that triggers additional probes based on the user’s route through virtual environments, and a unique display process that helps clients follow along with respondents as they navigate the experience.
The tool can also present alternative store settings, shopping conditions, pricing and product configurations in an instant, depending upon the user’s demographics and behaviors. Different moderator questions can also be recommended to stimulate deeper insight into specific consumer actions.
“Uses of this platform will be almost limitless, but one application that seems especially intriguing is customer satisfaction,” Bryson said. “With virtual reality, a shopping experience can be re-created so consumers can “re-live” the encounter, visually tripping emotional and cognitive triggers that provide much more nuanced feedback than other post-experience satisfaction studies.”
20|20’s technology division has worked behind the scenes over the past 18 months to develop the technology for market research applications, filing several patents on the intellectual property that will power an entire suite of next-generation research tools.
About 20│20 Research
20|20 Research is a global leader in the development, support and service of online qualitative market research… and the software and technology that sustains it. Founded in 1986, the company works with market research and advertising firms around the world, with projects in more than 122 countries and 20+ languages. The past three years it has been named one of the most innovative research firms in the world by GreenBook Research Industry Trends, a top arbiter of the market research industry. The firm’s operations are headquartered in Nashville and the company additionally maintains traditional focus group facilities in Nashville, Charlotte and Miami. www.2020research.com
