MarketVision entered the community space in 2007 when we introduced our first community, which is still active today. For perspective, that year Prince headlined the Super Bowl in Miami, the final Harry Potter book was released, and Steve Jobs introduced the first iPhone. Clearly a lot has changed over the years, including our community platform and capabilities.
Rapid technological advancements mean community platforms are constantly evolving, including MarketVision’s internal community platform. Our platform can now house more respondents, has expanded capabilities, and provides a more functional user experience for members, community managers, and clients. A prime example is video usage in research. Years ago, video uploads were slow and infrequent; now members can easily upload multiple videos to support engagements across various industries.
Flexibility has always been a benefit of online communities, and this benefit is even more important today. With members already recruited, or easily brought into a community, research questions can be answered quickly, allowing researchers to keep a pulse on consumer sentiment. This is especially helpful during turbulent times. During recent looming tariff hikes, clients across multiple categories utilized online communities to learn how respondents felt and what actions they’d take due to the current economic climate.
Communities have also expanded their methodological breadth. Initially, many online communities focused on qualitative research, with small base sizes and infrequent discussions. While communities are still a powerful qualitative tool, communities now often combine qualitative and quantitative data. Members participate in surveys, live chats, photo uploads, and video interviews. These combinations provide researchers with an in-depth view of members and allow rich insights to develop.
In 2025, community work continues to humanize respondents. As community members participate in various activities, it provides community managers with a full picture of members. Community managers combine a member’s quantitative data with their qualitative findings, including videos and pictures. This not only gives us a robust view of who someone is, but helps us determine the quality of respondents. In a world where data quality and AI bots are a top concern, online communities provide a unique opportunity to verify respondents and drive data quality.
Communities also allow for deep relationships to develop. In longitudinal studies, community managers get to know consumers well, interacting with them daily for weeks, months, and even years. This relationship is crucial to community members feeling comfortable to share their thoughts and feelings. This is especially important when talking about sensitive subjects, particularly health-related topics, and these interactions also mean community managers become experts in their categories.
Lastly, communities yield a high ROI for researchers. They allow for a national representation, multiple objectives, and both qualitative and quantitative findings. With projects ranging in size, with some having 10 participants and others over 1000, and length, from 24 hours to 15+ years, there is a design to fit every budget.
Communities will continue to change and evolve, and our in-house platform and expertly trained community managers are set up to adapt with them. As you think about conducting research this year, keep communities in mind.
