Marks & Spencer is using video-based consumer insight technology to inform its food product development.
The retailer is employing VyPops from Manchester’s Vypr to enable consumer snapshots to be integrated into its annual trends and insight report.
“People are so familiar with using video on their phones that we can now gain an unbridled and unfiltered research response directly from consumers,” explained Tasmin Sibbald, Customer Growth Director at Vypr.
“Putting a voice and a face to responses helps build further credibility to consumer insight. Combining with other forms of insight and analysis, it helps brands and product owners to create better products and experiences for their customers.
The self-recorded videos by target consumers are embedded into a live digital report, which is sent to internal M&S teams.
VyPops works by allowing brands to send out questions to target audiences and receive real-time video responses. M&S, for example, wanted to hear about the cost of living, on-demand eating through the rise of delivery apps, and flexible routines rising from the post-Covid hybrid/work-from-home revolution. It also wanted to determine how sustainability affected people’s daily lives.
“The critical benefit of the VyPops service is that we were also able to use the Vypr platform to reach the right customers to speak to for our focus themes. That level of accuracy to hear the right voices is invaluable,” said Chloe Wilk, Insight Partner for M&S Food.
“Ultimately, it will enable our product development team to deliver their three to five-year vision for our innovation pipeline. The video insights from Vypr complement the data and analysis we’ve conducted for the report.”
