The 2025 GRIT Insights Practice Report is out and offers a sharp look at where the market research industry is headed. From the rapid rise of AI to shifting buyer-supplier dynamics, the landscape is evolving faster than ever before.
Here are the key trends shaping the future of insights:
1.) Full-service is back, only smarter
Full-service research is making a comeback but with a modern twist. Leading companies are blending primary research with analytics and technology to meet today’s complex needs. This comes as no surprise to us. i-Genie wraps award winning technology with managed service options to meet the needs of demanding cross-departmental adoption.
2.) Staff cuts continue, except in tech-driven firms
While workforce reductions continue across much of the industry, this has slowed for tech and data-focused firms, suggesting a link between smart automation and resilience. i-Genie has more than doubled year-over-year and revenue has doubled in the last 6 months alone.
3.) Sample marketplaces: widely used, but not by everyone
Sample marketplaces are a staple for many insight professionals, but not for brand-side primary researchers. Increasingly, we are seeing the focus shift away from traditional survey methods for example, Brand Equity Pulse is a brand equity survey alternative.
4.) AI gives winners an edge
The suppliers who exceed their goals are those confidently integrating AI into core tasks, from survey design to report writing. i-Genie uses AI in natural language understanding, advanced sentiment models, predictive models for trend spotting and our agentic consumer insights AI, Presto.
Doubling down on Artificial Intelligence
🚀 AI is everywhere but strategy makes the difference
With 67% of suppliers embedding Gen AI in their work, data quality remains a top concern with 40% of researchers. The winners? Those using AI with a purpose and not to just check a box. We invest a lot of R&D into ensuring Presto’s agentic consumer insights AI uses curated data sets and proprietary measures to minimize hallucinations.
📊 Synthetic data is real and is transforming methods
Large retailers have achieved significant cost savings through synthetic data adoption while maintaining accuracy benchmarks comparable to traditional methods like surveys. But if surveys aren’t accurate enough, an approximation of survey data can be even worse. Buyer beware.
🧠 The human edge is making a comeback
42% of buyer-side researchers now prioritize strategic storytelling over data dumps. As our founder Stan Stanunathan says, “you have to be careful that your data lake doesn’t become a data swamp.” Insight teams that combine AI tools with human context are delivering the most value.
Market research is evolving. The companies that succeed will balance AI with human-led interpretation, turning raw data into business-ready insights.
How i-Genie is reimagining consumer insights with AI
At i-Genie, we’re leading this evolution with AI-driven consumer insights platform designed to deliver faster, smarter and more cost-effective insights:
Break free from slow, rigid brand surveys. Access real-time brand equity drivers to grow your brand with insights that matter.
Launch, market and benchmark smarter. CX Bench taps into what consumers already say online – about you and your competitors – to reveal what they love, dislike and want next.
Identifies trends 12-18 months in advance to drive stronger innovation, renovation and communication.
Keeps your product innovation pipeline filled with winning ideas, while lowering costs and reducing cycle times by up to 90%.
The next generation of insights dashboards has no dashboard. Meet Presto. Your AI insights agent deliver instant, data-driven answers – no more waiting weeks for reports. Ask anything and … Presto!
Want to see how AI can transform insights at your organization? Contact us at info@i-genie.ai
