by In the lead up to MRMW Europe 2022 we sat down with Anja Domres, Head of Consumer Research at ebay to talk about the latest developments in market research and her own key projects. Anja will share the stage with a number of international experts and global brands this September in Berlin.
MRMW: Anja, first of all thanks for joining us! Without giving too much away – what is the core message of your talk and what would you like delegates to remember?
Anja: As many of customer insights professionals know it is a continuous challenge to drive customer centricity within the organization through all levels. Many levers need to be pulled. I would like to share some lessons learned from eBay’s customer centricity journey. Among other things we implemented a customer insights academy for employees and also leveraged ethnographic research techniques to complement regular qual and quant research projects.
And I would like to inspire delegates to try some more innovative approaches like using 360 Video content and Virtual Reality workshops to create customer empathy.
MRMW: Why did you choose the topic of your talk?
Anja: I have been working as a customer insights professional for a number of years and also always acted as a change agent for customer centricity. And I am always looking for new ways to create a deeper level of customer understanding among my internal stakeholders. One of these new ways I am exploring and like to share in my talk relates to the opportunities that come with Virtual Reality and 360 video content.
It’s important to be able to tell the stories behind the data and that is often best achieved by combining different sources of insights. And while words can bring across customer needs and pain points well enough, videos can often do that much better. And 360 video content combined with other sources have some further potential to create customer empathy.
MRMW: What motivates you to join MRMW 2022 and what are your expectations?
Anja: During the last two years of Covid the opportunities for exchange with other insights experts was somewhat limited. A colleague of mine spoke at the MRMW NA and inspired me to join MRMW Europe as a speaker.
I think it is super valuable to learn from other experts across industries. Also to hear different perspectives on key topics especially because a lot of times we all face similar challenges.
So overall I am just a big fan of sharing knowledge and lessons learned. I am looking forward to get inspired and learn from others at the MRMV.
MRMW: How do you see in the future of MR/Insights? What do you want/like to see?
Anja: A lot of research is being done via online surveys. And while I think there also will be a place for that in the future, I also know that there is research fatigue among consumers. In addition to that asking directly isn’t always the right approach to find the desired answers. We have been using implicit research methods at eBay more intensely to address that. For example to better understand associations with the brand. And I think those types of methods will gain more importance going forward.
With Web3.0 being on the rise I think there will also be a need to better understand how to conduct research. Within and related to the Metaverse. For example how to best track the impact of marketing campaigns there. It’s still rather early days and yet I think researchers need to get prepared. It is important to think about challenges and opportunities that go along with those developments.
MRMW: Thank you very much Anja. We look forward to hearing more from you at MRMW Europe 2022!
MRMW Europe takes place in Berlin on September 14&15. Hear from international brands like ebay, Google, GSK, Danone, Ikea, Twitch, ColPal, HBO, Meta and many more. Get your ticket here.
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