In the digital age, consumers no longer interact with brands through a single channel. Today, a single customer might discover a product on Instagram, research it on a website, receive a promotion via email, and finally make the purchase in a physical store or on an app. This fragmented and dynamic behavior is what we know as omnichannel.

But what does this mean for those of us in market research?

From Single Channel to Omnichannel Consumer

Traditionally, market research focused on more linear touchpoints. Today, the challenge is to map a user experience that unfolds across multiple platforms, devices, and moments. Omnichannel has transformed not only the way consumers shop but also the way researchers study them.

It is no longer enough to ask what they buy or where they buy it. We now need to understand how consumers move between channels, when they prefer one over another, and why they make certain purchase decisions in specific contexts.

Market Research for the Omnichannel Era

Let’s look at what market research offers in this new landscape.

• Consumer Journey Mapping: Qualitative methodologies (in-depth interviews, ethnographies, focus groups) and quantitative approaches (tracking studies, mystery shoppers) allow researchers to build a 360° view of omnichannel behavior, including everything from surveys to analysis of digital behavior data. We can also integrate sources such as web analytics, geolocation data, and sentiment analysis on social media to complete the consumer story.
• Smarter Segmentation: The omnichannel consumer is not homogeneous. Research helps identify user profiles: those who compare online and buy in-store, those who only shop via apps, or those who combine channels depending on the type of product. It also allows us to classify consumers by their level of digital engagement, price sensitivity across channels, or loyalty to certain platforms.
• Brand Experience Optimization: Understanding which channels consumers prefer and how they interact with each one allows for more personalized and consistent strategies, which translates into greater satisfaction and loyalty. This includes identifying friction points in the purchase process, inconsistencies in brand messaging, or a lack of integration between digital and physical channels.
• Real-Time Measurement: The omnichannel environment demands agility. Tools such as interactive dashboards, trackers, and online surveys make it possible to monitor consumer behavior almost in real time. In-app surveys, post-purchase experience assessments, and transactional data analysis also provide insights that can be quickly activated.

Omnichannel and Local Insights

Understanding omnichannel behavior requires localized approaches in markets like Latin America, where digital adoption is growing but diverse. For example, in some countries, WhatsApp is key, while in others, e-commerce apps or marketplaces dominate the scene.

This is where culturally contextualized market research becomes essential. It’s not just about knowing what consumers do, but understanding why they do it based on their social, economic, and digital context. A middle-upper socioeconomic consumer in Mexico City may trust delivery apps more, while someone in rural Peru might prefer informal commerce or local fairs, even if they saw the promotion on social media. Without understanding these nuances, any omnichannel strategy remains incomplete.

Research to Integrate

The key takeaway is this: omnichannel is here to stay, and with it comes new opportunities to gain deeper insights into consumer behavior. Brands that align their marketing strategies with actionable insights from solid market research adapted to the omnichannel environment will be the ones that stand out.

Because in a world of multiple channels, the true differentiator remains customer knowledge. And today, that knowledge requires listening and connecting the dots between every click, conversation, and step in the consumer journey.

Despite the U.S. being home to the second-largest Spanish-speaking population in the world, investment in multicultural marketing, particularly Hispanic marketing, remains disproportionately low, representing just 6–7% of total ad spend. This is a missed opportunity and a risk for brands looking to stay relevant in an increasingly diverse marketplace. Ignoring this reality isn’t just shortsighted, it’s bad business.

To stay competitive, brands must reflect the communities they serve. Today’s consumers, especially Millennials and Gen Z, more than half of whom are multicultural, demand more than generic messaging. They value authenticity, cultural relevance, and purpose. These digital natives engage with brands across social media, streaming, and other digital platforms. For them, it's not just about what brands sell but the stories they tell on these platforms.

Telling those stores, however, has become increasingly difficult. Some brands may revert to “total market” approaches for short-term gains amid political tension and economic uncertainty. But playing it safe often results in diluted messaging that fails to connect meaningfully with any audience. Multicultural marketing isn’t going away. It is central to business strategy and, perhaps more importantly, business longevity. And here’s why.

Demographic shifts aren’t coming; they’re already here. The U.S. is on the fast track to becoming a multicultural majority. Even as some companies quietly rebrand or downplay DEI efforts, multiculturalism is moving forward. “Inclusive growth,” which links diversity to tangible business outcomes, is emerging as a competitive advantage for forward-thinking brands.

Others, however, treat multicultural marketing as an add-on rather than a strategic priority, often due to a lack of leadership, education, or long-term vision. Change must start at the top. Executives need to empower their teams, invest in insights, and reimagine how they engage because doing so pays off.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Hernan Tagliani, President and Founder of Tagliani Multicultural, explores how shifting demographics are redefining marketing and explains why brands that fail to invest in multicultural marketing risk being left behind.

Economic trends, cultural differences and the digital age in Central America 

As Latin America emerges as a hub for digital commerce and consumer engagement, Central America stands out as an untapped opportunity.  While much attention has been given to markets like Brazil and Mexico, Central America has lagged despite its economic growth and rapid digital transformation, including mobile and broadband internet access expansion. With limited market research in the region, brands lack the insights to effectively connect with local consumers.

On the rise: Economic trends in Central America

Central America, comprising of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and Belize, has long been overshadowed by larger Latin American economies. However, recent economic trends indicate that the region is undergoing significant changes:

• Economic growth: According to the World Bank, Central America has shown resilient GDP growth, driven by remittances, nearshoring opportunities and investment in infrastructure. Panama and Costa Rica, for example, have positioned themselves as innovation and financial hubs, while Guatemala and Honduras benefit from robust manufacturing and agricultural sectors.
• Nearshoring boom: U.S. companies are increasingly shifting production closer to home, and Central America is benefiting. The CAFTA-DR free trade agreement (which includes the U.S., Dominican Republic and Central American nations) makes the region attractive for investment in manufacturing, textiles and tech services.
• Digital acceleration: The rise of FinTech and e-commerce is expanding digital consumer behavior, making online transactions more accessible across the region.

The digital age and mobile-first technologies

Unlike other regions that gradually adopted digital technologies, Central America has accelerated its shift, diving headfirst into mobile-first internet access. According to GSMA, mobile penetration in the region is projected to surpass 70% by this year, with smartphones becoming the primary tool for accessing information, services and social media. Let’s take a closer look at what this means:

• Mobile-first behavior: Many consumers are skipping desktops and going straight to mobile commerce, banking and entertainment. This presents a unique opportunity for businesses to engage audiences through mobile-friendly surveys and research methodologies.
• Social media accessibility: Platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook and TikTok play a central role in consumer engagement, making them prime channels for recruitment and research.
• Evolving consumer preferences: As internet access expands, more Central Americans are engaging with digital content, e-commerce and global brands. Understanding these preferences is key for companies seeking to enter the market.

The growing need for market research

Despite the region’s economic and digital growth, market research infrastructure remains underdeveloped. Many global studies group Central America into broader Latin America segments, failing to capture each country's cultural, economic and linguistic nuances. This lack of data has left businesses with blind spots when trying to connect with local consumers. Recognizing the importance of granular, country-specific insights for brands entering or expanding in the region is critical. 

Understanding cultural differences

Beyond economic trends and digital access, Central America’s rich cultural diversity is what truly sets it apart. Each country has distinct consumer behaviors, traditions and histories that must be considered. Brands that succeed here recognize that a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work. For example:

• Guatemala: With its strong Mayan heritage, Guatemala’s consumers value tradition and rapidly embrace digital banking and mobile commerce.
• Honduras and El Salvador: Both countries have seen economic shifts driven by remittances, influencing how families spend and save.
• Costa Rica and Panama: These nations have the region’s most developed economies, with strong middle-class consumer segments and high digital literacy.
• Nicaragua and Belize: While smaller markets, they have unique tourism-driven economies that present opportunities in hospitality, FinTech and e-commerce.

Understanding these distinctions is crucial for companies and brands aiming to enter the market successfully. That’s where our investment in high-quality data and insights comes in.

Investing in market research in Central America

Central America is no longer a secondary market; it’s a key player in Latin America’s growth. As economic expansion, digital transformation and consumer sophistication increase, the need for reliable, culturally nuanced data has never been greater.

Brands that invest in understanding Central American consumers today will be the ones that win long-term loyalty and market share tomorrow. So, the question isn’t whether companies should invest in Central America; the question is whether they can afford not to.

This blog post was originally published on Quirk's Media.

Despite the headlines, rollbacks, and legal battles, the conversation around race has never been more crucial for marketers and businesses. While diversity and inclusion (D&I) often dominate discussions, doing so serves only as a distraction from the broader concerns surrounding the racial dynamics embedded in our society. The issues of race aren’t simply about diversity. They are structural and historical and are tethered to the fabric of consumer behavior.

Race has been a determining factor in shaping how consumers experience various markets, from grocery stores to hospitals. It’s not enough for companies to aim for a "diverse" customer base. They must understand the unique racial dynamics at play. Without acknowledging the social and historical factors behind these dynamics, marketing strategies fall flat and fail to resonate with the very consumers they aim to engage.

However, addressing race in marketing requires deeper engagement with communities, not just performative gestures. Companies often fall into the trap of "woke-washing," offering initiatives that sound good but lack authentic connection. Consumers, especially those from marginalized groups, can quickly see through these disingenuous efforts. This can damage the trust businesses work hard to build, which is crucial for lasting brand loyalty. A meaningful, long-term focus on racial equity, in both action and strategy, is essential for companies to succeed in this increasingly diverse market.

The latest generation of marketers is entering the workforce with a heightened awareness of these issues, but they face significant challenges when discussing race within a business context. Learning to address these issues with sensitivity and data-backed insights will ensure that brands not only avoid perpetuating harmful stereotypes but also foster more genuine, inclusive relationships with their audiences.

In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Dr. Sonya A. Grier, Kogod Eminent Scholar Chair in Marketing at the Kogod School of Business at American University, examines how race influences consumer behavior and why businesses must go beyond diversity to create inclusive marketplaces.

Meet Dr. Sonya A. Grier:

Sonya A. Grier is the Kogod Eminent Scholar Chair in Marketing, at the Kogod School of Business at American University. Her expertise spans issues of race, diversity, and equity at the intersection of markets and society. She has examined the racial dynamics underlying consumption issues in gentrifying neighborhoods, digital marketing to youth of color, and racialized food marketing. Sonya builds on her expertise to identify how inclusive marketing practices can enhance individual, community, and societal well-being. She shares her research in academic journals, photographic narratives, and two award-winning documentary films. She remains connected to practice through consultations with diverse organizations across business, government, and non-profit sectors.  Dr. Grier is a co-founder and current President of the Race in the Marketplace (RIM) Research Network, which has nurtured the sub-field aimed at advancing our understanding of the role of race in markets.

Influencer marketing has evolved into a powerful strategy for brands looking to engage diverse audiences. Influencers leverage their broad reach to drive awareness and inspire consumer buy-in, while creator marketing enables passionate content creators to engage and connect with niche communities. Brands are increasingly incorporating both approaches into their communication strategies, with social media being a key platform.

However, with both approaches, the goal goes beyond brand visibility. It’s about achieving third-party validation, where trusted voices, such as influencers or creatives, endorse a brand. While these endorsements may be paid, the willingness of these individuals to put their reputations on the line for a brand speaks volumes. This is essential for building consumer trust, as audiences connect more deeply with authentic experiences shared by relatable individuals than with traditional advertising.

A key aspect of this is ensuring that influencers and creators genuinely reflect the audiences brands aim to reach and ensure they are compensated fairly based on engagement and reach. By prioritizing this, brands can cultivate stronger, long-term relationships with influencers and creators. This approach benefits all parties—influencers and creators feel valued, and brands gain more authentic brand advocacy.

One of the biggest mistakes brands make with creator and influencer marketing is dictating content rather than trusting the influencer or creator to do what initially drew the brand to them. While key messaging is necessary, giving them the freedom to be creative ensures the content feels natural and authentic. When they seamlessly integrate brand messages into their content, it enhances both engagement and credibility.

In this episode of The New Mainstream Podcast, Gabe Mederos, Vice President of Creator Marketing with Edelman, discusses the importance of authenticity, diversity, and relationship-building in creator and influencer marketing.

Meet Gabe: Gabe is a creator marketing professional with extensive experience in influencer relations, strategy development, content strategy, analytics, and leadership. A University of Toronto graduate with over 19 years of PR and communications experience in corporate, not-for-profit and government, Gabe has completed his social media and digital marketing certification. Gabe has held senior digital roles at top Canadian brands such as Scotiabank, TELUS, and Nestlé Purina PetCare.

Gabe is currently a Vice President of Creator Marketing at Edelman, where he heads up the creator marketing function for an assortment of clients in Canada, including Samsung, Microsoft, PepsiCo, and eBay.  Gabe is also an Instructor at Humber College, where he teaches social media and digital marketing.

I attended the Quirk's Los Angeles Market Research Event last week, and one thing became apparent: AI is coming for Market Research. I sat through presentations and sales pitches on AI Qual moderation, AI Co-Workers, AI Social Media Monitoring, AI-assisted Survey Creation, Data Analysis, and Report Writing. Towards the end of the conference, I wondered if next year we would all send our AI-enabled robot doppelgangers to listen to AI presenters discussing whether humans were still necessary in consumer research.

The Benefits of AI in Market Research

That’s not so say that I wasn’t impressed with some of the things AI is capable of doing. AI is revolutionizing market research by streamlining processes and providing faster, more efficient insights. Here are some of the major benefits:

1. Speed and Efficiency – AI can process vast amounts of data in seconds, reducing the time required for analysis and reporting. Tasks that used to take days or weeks can now be completed in hours and sometimes minutes.
2. Cost Savings – Automating tasks like survey design, data collection, and analysis reduces the need for large research teams, lowering operational costs.
3. Enhanced Data Analysis – AI can detect patterns, segment audiences, and generate predictive insights that would take humans significantly longer to uncover.
4. Scalability – AI-driven tools allow businesses to conduct global research quickly, analyzing multiple markets and demographics simultaneously.
5. Improved Qualitative Analysis – AI-powered sentiment analysis and language processing can extract insights from open-ended responses, interviews, and social media conversations that might otherwise have been missed.

What AI Still Can’t Do

Despite these advancements, AI has limitations that market researchers must acknowledge:

1. Human Intuition and Empathy – AI lacks the emotional intelligence to understand cultural nuances, some forms of sarcasm, or underlying human motivations that skilled researchers can uncover based on their intuitive knowledge and experience.
2. Creativity and Strategic Thinking – Sometimes we don’t know what we’re looking for until we see it. While AI can generate reports and analyze trends, it struggles with creative problem-solving, developing innovative research approaches, or asking the “right” follow-up questions.
3. Contextual Understanding – Cultural, economic and experiential factors play a role what different people mean when they say certain things.  AI may misinterpret responses or fail to grasp the broader context of human behavior, leading to flawed conclusions.
4. Ethical and Privacy Concerns – Yes, I know we all click “agree” to social media terms of service agreements but most people have not explicitly given companies permission to feed their online content into AI systems, Thus, AI-driven data collection can raise ethical questions about consumer privacy, data security, and bias in decision-making.

The Risks of Adopting AI Too Quickly

While AI promises many advantages, rapid adoption without careful oversight presents risks:

1. Over-Reliance on Automation – The speed automation affords us is seductive. However, if companies fully automate research processes, they’ll likely lose valuable human insights, leading to shallow or misleading conclusions.
2. Data Bias and Inaccuracies – AI is only as good as the data it learns from. Biased or incomplete datasets can lead to skewed results, reinforcing existing prejudices rather than providing objective insights.
3. Job Displacement – The rise of AI-driven tools could lead to job losses within the market research industry, particularly for entry-level and mid-level roles. That may sound like a good to companies looking to cut costs but will present problems down the line when there isn’t enough trained personnel tell the AI what to do.
4. Erosion of Consumer Trust – We need more research on how humans respond to questions from AI bots vs real, live interviewers. If respondents feel that AI-driven research lacks a human touch or misrepresents their opinions, they may disengage, reducing the quality of data collected.

The Future of AI in Market Research

AI is undeniably transforming market research, but it should be viewed as a tool to enhance, rather than replace, human expertise. Running forward too quickly risks running into a dead-end. The best approach is a hybrid model, where AI handles time-consuming tasks while human researchers focus on interpretation, storytelling, and strategic decision-making.

As AI continues to evolve, the key to success will be striking the right balance—leveraging its strengths while mitigating its risks. Market researchers who adapt, upskill, and find ways to integrate AI effectively will be the ones leading the industry, not just observing its transformation. And hopefully, our AI doppelgangers will decide that humans are useful and nice to have around after all.

Ready to leverage AI in your market research? Find out how ThinkNow Synthetic can work for you.

The transition from working in large companies to owning a startup is a journey of both challenge and opportunity. For many entrepreneurs, it's a chance to reconnect with their passions, streamline their offerings, and create deeper emotional connections with clients. However, all companies, regardless of size, must navigate the complexities of maintaining a strong brand identity and making decisions that align with their core values.

In today’s competitive marketplace, companies are not only navigating fluctuations in market demand but also facing intense scrutiny in the court of public opinion. Take Target, for example. Once celebrated for its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and its thoughtful multicultural marketing campaigns, the retailer now faces boycotts from consumers and the loss of popular brands that once graced its shelves.

As many brands discovered in 2020, companies that stay true to their mission, vision, and values resonate more deeply with consumers. People invest in brands that align with their values, and when companies genuinely uphold their principles, their community will support them.

In this episode of The New Mainstream Podcast, Maribel Lara, Founder of Beget Love Consulting, shares insights on her journey into entrepreneurship and how authenticity can help brands thrive, even when faced with challenges.