We all know the most obvious benefits of an online research panel or community are quick-turn research and fast insights thanks to a waiting pool of engaged customers. But have you ever considered the impact a panel can have on your relationship with each and every one of those customers? We've collected these amazing examples of how our clients have upped their relationship status with their consumers — from “customer” to “brand advocate.”

Once you’ve determined that an online panel or community could be a valuable platform for collecting customer insights for your organization, the next step is deciding how to implement it. We’re going to break down the DIY option and the full-service approach.

While some tread lightly in efforts to explore whitespace opportunities and uncover unmet market needs, Catalina Marketing set out to find who is shaping the shopping experience. Catalina trusted Bellomy’s Shopper Insights team to identify who that was, how they shop, and what opportunities exist to engage them.

In our December webinar, Justin Coates of Eastman Chemical Company and Taylor Doolittle of Bellomy gave a presentation on how Eastman uses an online community to gain a deeper understanding of sustainably-minded consumers. The presentation highlighted Eastman’s ability to position itself as a strategic thought partner to its clients due to their use of an online research community.

What do fingerprints, snowflakes, Social Security numbers and your customers have in common? No two are the same. Marketing strategies that target your entire customer base may be effective from time-to-time, but it's also impossible for a business with hundreds of thousands of customers to properly market to each individual. So, where’s the sweet spot?

You are walking down the wine aisle at your local grocer. As bottle after bottle, red after white, cross through your periphery, a sense of overwhelming choice begins to flood your brain. But something else catches your eye — it’s a tablet attached to the shelf.

Arguably the largest barrier to user-research-based design is the difficulty and time associated with identifying, recruiting, and communicating with these users throughout the development cycle. This is where an online panel can save the day.

It might seem like you are hearing the word “agile” every time you turn around these days, but it's time to set the record straight on agile market research. Online panels and communities provide a solid foundation for faster and more affordable market research.

I had the opportunity to spend a couple of days attending the 49th annual Society of Insurance Research Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina. Here are four big takeaways I gleaned from the conversations and presentations I attended.