Synthetic Data: Useful Shortcut, or a Shortcut Too Far?
Synthetic data could make research faster, cheaper and easier to scale. But can synthetic respondents really replace real people? Anthony Shephard-Williams explores where synthetic data may help research, where caution is needed and why #Real still matters.
The Best New Ideas Sometimes Aren’t That New
What makes people willing to try something new? Andrew Wiseman returns to Greggs to explore how innovation can build on familiarity, reduce perceived risk and make new products easier to choose.
No driver, no problem? What my first driverless taxi taught me about technology adoption
What happens when people actually experience a technology they’ve only imagined before? Anthony Shephard-Williams discovers that his perceptions of driverless taxis changed remarkably quickly after his first ride, and explores what this means for researching genuinely unfamiliar innovations.
RIP Snaps. Reflections on a Discontinued Classic and Understanding Brand Health
What can a discontinued crisp tell us about brand health? Quite a lot, actually. Richard Walker reflects on the shock disappearance of Spicy Tomato Snaps, and what it says about nostalgia, brand relevance, consumer behaviour and the difference between loving a brand and actually buying it.
Can You Afford to Be Considered? What Changing Consumer Behaviour Means for Brand Tracking
Consumer behaviour is changing, but is brand tracking changing with it? Colin Auton explores why traditional measures of consideration can miss the situations, needs and barriers that actually shape decisions, and how Category Entry Points can deepen consumer understanding. Consumer confidence is up. Well, sort of. The latest GfK Consumer Confidence Index jumped six points […]
Bean Power: why effective campaigns actually change behaviour
Rebecca Harris explores why the best campaigns do more than raise awareness. Using M&S’s Better with Beans campaign as an example, she explains how behaviour change models like COM-B can help brands understand barriers, make action easier, and create campaigns that drive real-world behaviour change.
When Fear Works. And when it Backfires.
Andrew Wiseman explores how fear-based messaging really works. Using Protection Motivation Theory, he shows why some campaigns drive action, while others leave people uneasy and disengaged.
From Houmous to Motorhomes: what the Inflation Basket really tells us about Britain
Every year, the UK inflation basket is quietly updated to reflect what people are actually buying. Andrew Wiseman explores why this overlooked dataset offers powerful clues about consumer behaviour, cultural change and the evolving role of market research
Client-Side Market Research in 2026: The 9 Biggest Challenges Facing Insight Teams
Client-side insight has never been more important — or more stretched. Richard Walker outlines the nine biggest challenges facing market research and insight teams in 2026, from ROI pressure to AI anxiety, and offers practical ways forward.
The Point Of No Returns? How AI Is Helping to Fix Fashion’s Returns Problem
AI is quietly reducing fashion returns. Drawing on Mustard’s latest retail market research, Rebecca Harris explores how AI-driven fit and visualisation tools are changing behaviour, protecting margins and reshaping fashion eCommerce