The Right Synthetics at the Right Time: Best Practices for Effectively Using Synthetic Respondents

Unlock synthetics' true potential. 

Synthetic respondents are transforming the way organizations approach market research, but their impact is greatest when they’re created properly, then used in the right scenarios. From reaching hard-to-access audiences to accelerating early-stage concept testing, the most effective use cases for synthetics maximize speed, scale, and insight while ensuring data quality remains high.

Let’s explore where synthetics deliver the most value and how you can leverage them for smarter, more agile research.

What's the best way to use synthetics? 

Bellomy’s ongoing R&D has revealed some key guidelines for using synthetic respondents effectively.

With the synthetics landscape constantly evolving, we recommend tiered, weighted inclusion of synthetics for best results. 

By mixing respondent types, you can reduce costs and increase the scale of research and still feel confident in the results.

We recommend the following tiered, weighted approach: 

• Pure synthetics offer broad reach but should carry the smallest weight.
• Digital twins are ideal for hard-to-reach, high-value subgroups: assign them mid-tier weight.
• Real humans provide the highest data quality and should be weighted most heavily, though you may need fewer of them.

When do synthetics really shine?

Synthetic respondents aren’t just a futuristic concept: they’re already transforming how leading organizations approach some of the most challenging research scenarios.

Here are several areas where synthetics offer unique advantages:

Engaging Hard-to-Reach Audiences

With traditional recruitment, it can be a struggle to access niche, low-incidence, or geographically dispersed populations. Synthetic respondents, built to mirror these segments, allow researchers to fill gaps, ensuring every voice can be represented in your insights.

Accelerated Concept Testing

Early-stage innovation often involves evaluating many ideas or product concepts. Synthetics allow you to:

• Rapidly test multiple concept variations without lengthy recruitment.
• Identify promising directions for further exploration.
• Eliminate clearly non-viable concepts before investing in larger studies.
• Refine messaging and positioning before engaging real respondents.

Leveraging synthetic respondents for initial concept testing speeds up the innovation cycle and reduces wasted resources on ideas that don’t resonate.

Pricing Strategy Simulation

Setting the right price is complex, especially with competitive pressures and changing consumer preferences. Synthetics can help you:

• Test price elasticity across different consumer segments.
• Simulate competitive pricing scenarios without revealing your strategy to the market.
• Evaluate acceptance of tiered pricing structures or subscription models.
• Assess willingness to pay for new features or enhancements.

This modeling provides a risk-free way to forecast reactions and optimize pricing decisions.

Message Testing and Refinement

Crafting the right message is critical, but testing every option with human respondents can be time-consuming and costly. Synthetic panels enable you to:

• Efficiently test multiple message variations.
• Evaluate resonance and clarity across diverse segments.
• Identify potential misunderstandings or confusion.
• Optimize messaging before full-scale launch.

This approach ensures only the most compelling messages move forward for real-world validation.

Competitive Response Modeling

Markets change fast—and so do your competitors. Synthetics empower you to:

• Simulate consumer reactions to competitor moves (e.g., new product launches, pricing shifts).
• Test the effectiveness of countermeasures and positioning adjustments.
• Assess how changes in messaging or strategy might influence market share.
• Develop contingency plans for potential market disruptions.

This scenario planning helps you stay agile and proactive, rather than reactive.

Safeguarding Confidential Concepts

When testing highly confidential ideas or strategies, synthetics offer a secure environment to gauge reactions without risking leaks or prematurely signaling your intentions to competitors.

Handling Long Surveys: No Fatigue, No Drop-Off

One of the biggest challenges in survey research is respondent fatigue, especially with longer surveys that can stretch to 30 minutes or more. Human participants may lose focus, rush through answers, or drop out entirely, which can compromise data quality and completeness.

Synthetic respondents, on the other hand, don’t get tired, bored, or distracted. They can complete lengthy surveys without any decline in attention or engagement, ensuring you get full, thoughtful responses to every question. This makes synthetics an ideal solution when you just can’t trim your survey length but still need reliable, high-quality data from start to finish.

 

The bottom line? Synthetics are powerful if used in the right place at the right time. 

Synthetic respondents are ideally suited for situations where speed, reach, and confidentiality matter most. Whether you’re innovating rapidly, targeting hard-to-reach groups, or navigating competitive landscapes, synthetics can provide actionable insights that traditional methods may miss, making them an essential tool in the modern researcher’s toolkit.