by eBay Case Study: Turning Insights Teams into Strategic Partners for Business Impact
Editor’s note: In the lead-up to MRMW EU 2025, Tanya Ozuns, Head of Consumer Insights Germany at eBay, shares how insights teams can shift from data providers to strategic partners—framing research around leadership priorities and driving real business impact.
MRMW: What motivates you to join the MRMW EU conference and what is the core message of your talk?
Tanya: I’m joining MRMW EU because it brings together market‐research professionals with different backgrounds to exchange actionable ideas and build practical ways to embed insights into strategy. As a panel member for the opening panel discussion, I’m keen to discuss how teams can shift from data providers to strategic partners—framing findings in terms senior leaders care about and tying research directly to business outcomes.
I’m also looking forward to learning from peers on agile research practices, AI‐driven analytics, and storytelling techniques that enrich decision‐making. MRMW offers the right mix of concrete takeaways and fresh perspectives on building insights that champion data-informed decision across the business.
MRMW: How has this impacted your own work and your organisation?
Tanya: Embracing “research leadership” has allowed me to co-create decisions with my stakeholders instead of simply delivering static reports. Focusing on the impact and the business needs is key to allow researchers to move from being reactive analysts to proactive strategist. By shifting from a “report-and-run” model to one of true partnership, stakeholders can be brought into the research process from the very first scoping session. The intensive collaboration builds trust, ensures the outputs directly align to strategic priorities and converts passive recipients into enthusiastic champions of our work.
MRMW: How has market research and insight as a practice evolved in the last couple of years, and how would you like to see it evolve in the next few?
Tanya: In recent years, we’ve witnessed a true democratization of data: agile research platforms, automated reporting engines, and real-time dashboards have dramatically lowered the barrier to entry for teams of all sizes and skill levels. Self-service business-intelligence tools now allow non-technical stakeholders to slice, dice and visualize customer insights on the fly, while well-organized repositories make it easy to store, catalog and retrieve past studies, raw data and analytical outputs in seconds.
As a result, decisions can be grounded in up-to-the-minute metrics rather than retrospective presentations, and teams can respond to market shifts with unprecedented speed. Moving forward, our industry must double down on data literacy initiatives—ensuring every leader not only has access to insights but also the confidence to interpret them—and invest in scalable infrastructure that keeps pace with ever-growing data volumes and complexity.
MRMW: Given this evolution, what are two expected and two less obvious skills market researchers should possess, and why?
Tanya:
Expected
- Data fluency: The ability to navigate and interpret complex datasets—quantitative or qualitative—is table stakes, enabling researchers to uncover nuanced trends, validate hypotheses, and build trust in recommendations across stakeholders. Why it matters: It reduces decision risk and earns credibility with executives by grounding choices in defensible evidence.
- Storytelling: Crafting compelling, succinct narratives that translate numbers into human impact, weaving data points into memorable stories that resonate with diverse audiences and inspire decisive action. Why it matters: Strong narratives mobilize resources and align cross-functional teams faster than raw metrics ever will.
Less Obvious
- Organizational savvy: Navigating corporate ecosystems, building alliances, and anticipating stakeholder needs to position research strategically and foster cross-functional support. Why it matters: Knowing how decisions truly get made accelerates adoption of recommendations and shortens the path from insight to impact.
- Resilience: Embracing ambiguity, learning from failed studies, and iterating quickly—maintaining momentum even when early findings don’t align with expectations. Why it matters: Resilient teams turn surprises into learning loops, sustaining progress and delivering value under pressure.
MRMW: Apart from work, what can delegates at the event talk to you about? Do you have any particular personal interests, hobbies or extracurricular activities and engagements?
Tanya: When I am not working on a research project, you can find me with my family. I have two young girls, who occupy a lot, if not all, of my free time. Other than that, I am a huge fan of Asian food and love exploring new restaurants. Lastly, I am rekindling my passion for languages and am working on improving my Spanish.
MRMW: Last but not least, we are publishing “reading/listening guides” on our blog, can you share your favourite recommendations for inspiration, learning and leadership:
Tanya:
- In your ears – Podcast: “Awkward Silences” – practical conversations with research and product leaders
- Must read – Book/Blog: Good Charts: The HBR Guide to Making Smarter, More Persuasive Data Visualizations by Scott Berinato
MRMW: Thank you so much, Tanya! We look forward to hearing more from you at MRMW EU in Berlin!
📍MRMW Europe Returns This Autumn!
Excited to hear Tanya Ozuns from eBay share how insights teams can shift from data providers to strategic partners, framing findings around leadership priorities?
You’re not alone. At MRMW EU 2025 (Nov 6–7, Berlin), you’ll hear from her and insights leaders at Scandinavian Tobacco Group, Salomon, Samsung, eBay, EDP and more—sharing real-world case studies, fresh research trends, and the strategies shaping tomorrow’s CX and market insights.
Join us for live discussions, cutting-edge case studies, round tables and interactive networking sessions. The unique MRMW concept provides the perfect balance between personal development, networking and doing business.
Reserve your seat now to connect with industry leaders and shape the future of insights!
