FAQ: Questions Market Researchers Are Asking about Synthetics
What Are Synthetic Respondents in Market Research?
Synthetic respondents are virtual panelists created using advanced AI models. These digital personas are built to mirror the demographic, psychographic, and behavioral characteristics of real people.
As synthetic respondents become more common in market research, many researchers are evaluating their potential and seeking answers to key questions about their use and impact.
What is digital twinning in market research?
Digital twinning is the process of generating AI-powered replicas of specific human research participants—these synthetic respondents can help you test hypotheses, explore market dynamics, and model preferences.
Using synthetics enables researchers to simulate behavior at scale, even with hard-to-reach audiences.
What is a synthetic response?
A synthetic response is a machine-generated prediction of how a real respondent would answer a specific question, based on behavioral and demographic modeling.
What is a synthetic sample?
Synthetic sample refers to a dataset built from synthetic respondents. Market researchers can use synthetic sample for modeling, forecasting, testing, and exploration when traditional human sample is limited or when addressing a time-sensitive question.
What does “synthetic” mean in research?
“Synthetic” refers to artificially created data or personas that reflect human-like responses, allowing researchers to simulate behavior without relying solely on live participants.
Reaching real humans has never been more relevant or more challenging. Synthetics don’t replace humans, but they extend their reach and elevate the voices of the hardest-to-reach groups.
—Matt Gullett | SVP, Insights Technology
What are the Benefits and Risks of Synthetic Respondents?
Synthetic respondents can accelerate research and fill data gaps, but users should consider potential bias, compliance with privacy regulations, and the importance of complementing—not replacing—human respondents.
Are synthetic respondents biased?
Like all predictive models, synthetic respondents can reflect biased results in source data. Bellomy mitigates this through ongoing R&D, rigorous model auditing, and transparency standards that prioritize integrity.
Are synthetic panels secure and compliant with privacy regulations?
Yes. Bellomy’s synthetic respondent panel avoids collecting personally identifiable information (PII) and includes digital watermarking protocols to ensure security and traceability.
Are synthetic respondents replacing humans in research?
Bellomy designs synthetic respondents to complement human data, not replace it. Synthetics expand research capabilities by filling gaps, accelerating timelines, and enabling robust scenario testing.
How do I know if synthetic respondents are right for my project?
Consider your project’s timeline, audience specificity, and existing data needs.
Synthetic respondents are especially useful for:
- Rapid iteration
- Engaging hard-to-reach audiences
- Early-stage concept testing
- Geographic or behavioral modeling
How Are Synthetic Respondents Used in Market Research?
Synthetic respondents extend research capabilities by simulating consumer behavior, helping brands test ideas, refine strategies, and supplement existing data before investing in more comprehensive full-scale studies.
How can synthetic respondents help predict customer satisfaction and reactions pre-launch?
Synthetic respondents mimic how target consumers might feel about a product. This helps brands predict satisfaction levels, identify potential concerns, and improve features before a full launch.
How do synthetic respondents improve marketing segmentation accuracy?
We can create synthetic personas of specific segments in your consumer segmentation, or personas of underrepresented or niche audiences. These synthetics can help fill gaps in data from human respondents and help create more targeted marketing strategies.
Can synthetic respondents test different brand positioning strategies effectively?
Yes, synthetic respondents can show how different audience groups will react to changes in messaging, tone, and benefits. This helps marketers find the best positioning before using their resources.
What are the benefits of using synthetic respondents for geographic targeting?
Bellomy’s synthetic respondents provide detailed data at the ZIP code level. This allows for simulating local preferences and improving marketing strategies by region, even in areas with little data.
Can synthetic respondents identify or adapt to new trends?
Synthetic models can evaluate early-stage reactions and test hypotheses, but they aren’t a replacement for lived experiences. For validation, Bellomy often recommends a hybrid human-synthetic approach.
Every synthetic we create is built and tested with the same care we apply to human-collected data — because the quality of insight is non-negotiable, no matter the source,
—Kim Killian | Director, Insights Technology AI
We use synthetics where they add reach, speed, or depth—then combine them with human responses to create a more complete, balanced picture of the market.
—Kim Killian | Director, Insights Technology AI
Seeking greater efficiency for your robust research programs?
If you manage a sophisticated and robust survey research program, please complete the form below and we will provide you with examples and greater detail about how to leverage synthetic respondents.
Want More Synthetics Insights?
Don’t settle for subpar synthetics.
Not all synthetic respondents deliver reliable insights, it’s crucial to choose solutions grounded in real-world data and rigorous validation. Bellomy’s synthetics stand apart, offering quality and trust you can count on for impactful research.
Synthetic Respondents in Market Research: The Next Frontier in Insights
With synthetic data, the boundaries of what we can test and learn expand beyond what the real world can provide.
It’s an exciting new frontier, with opportunities to build valuable applications that complement a core focus on genuine participants.
—Carla Jordan, VP, Research Operations/on How Synthetic Data Expands Opportunity
