Amid market volatility, brands need accurate data on emerging consumer trends

Suzy’s AI-driven tools reveal emerging trends, helping brands stay competitive in a fast-changing market.

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While businesses spent $85 billion on market research in 2023, truly understanding consumers has never been more complex or difficult. For starters, consumer decisions are being shaped and reshaped at lightning speed by rapidly changing cultural trends, much of them driven by social media. This creates a challenge for brands to not only keep up with the latest preferences of their customers but to also forecast how those trends will evolve over time—an ability that is vital to staying relevant and competitive in the weeks, months, and years to come. Then, factor in all the recent market volatility—from post-pandemic shortages of goods to inflation and recessions—and the challenge of pinpointing consumer preferences and patterns becomes even more daunting. As brands face this increasingly turbulent marketplace, they are desperately searching for transformative digital tools that deliver up-to-the-minute data on consumers. Enter AI. Leveraging new insights and technology “Understanding emerging trends isn’t just about staying current. It’s also about driving business growth in an era where the pace of change is faster than ever,” says Matt Britton, founder and CEO of Suzy. “Brands that proactively identify and adapt to shifts in consumer behavior are the ones that will not only get ahead of the game but will also set the rules for it.” When Suzy launched in 2018, it majorly disrupted the consumer research category by bringing agile, quick insights to brands. This was thanks to its customer survey app, Crowdtap, and its combining of quantitative and qualitative data into a single platform. Now Suzy is disrupting the category all over again by infusing its platform with AI-powered features that will empower brands to use data in compelling, game-changing ways. Plus, Suzy has a number of new products that are leading the way in innovation to help their customers drive growth and stay ahead of the curve. With the integration of AI into mainstream culture, Suzy saw an opportunity to solve additional challenges that their customers were facing. It became clear that traditional research solutions were struggling to tell brands exactly how and when changes in the world might impact their businesses. So Suzy set about designing a new product, Signals, that could quickly translate shifts in consumer preferences into actionable insights. Signals takes a variety of third-party data sources (earnings reports, syndicated research, and more), feeds them into an AI-based large language model (LLM), and surfaces hyper-relevant market signals and insights into things such as consumer trends or market shifts. Suzy clients can see it all on the Signals dashboard and then easily conduct deeper research on what those signals mean for their businesses. Researchers spend vast amounts of time looking for shifts in consumer preferences and then finding ways to convert this into useful data. Signals automates much of this process, allowing companies to be proactive—not just reactive—and stay ahead of the curve. Tracking consumer perceptions and behavior over time Suzy, which has access to owned audiences in the U.S. as well as global panels, has another product, Trackers, to complement Signals. Trackers telescopes in on consumer preferences as they shift over time. It does this by tracking brand health, category behavior, product impact, and campaign effectiveness, enabling brands to launch products that fully align with consumer desires at any moment. One leading food and beverage retailer was struggling to optimize the flavor profiles of its flagship product line. It used Trackers to monitor evolving tastes and preferences, segment that data by region to create region-specific products, and then collect immediate feedback on sample products. This allowed for rapid adjustments before full-scale production, meaning the eventual result was guaranteed a hungry audience. Such tools provide a way to meet head-on the challenges brands face as a result of the increasing pace of change in the world. Staying ahead of the bots Insights into consumer behavior are only useful if they’re of high quality. A major problem businesses face is the spread of AI-generated survey bots across online market research panels. As increasingly smarter bots have evolved, it’s become even more difficult to detect them and preserve the authenticity of survey data. If bots skew research results, brands can be sent off in the wrong direction. So Suzy developed Biotic, a patent-pending bot-detection technology that’s designed to analyze the survey respondent’s end-to-end journey, detect bots, and remove them from the data. Thanks to Biotic, Suzy can ensure that clients get genuine, human results and actionable insights. Help is at hand With social media only continuing to increase its impact across every demographic and global markets facing powerful disruptions for the foreseeable future, companies will continue to search for new and better ways to understand their dynamic consumers and track their rapidly shifting preferences. “Suzy’s products—Signals, Trackers, and Biotic—are essential because they directly address the challenges our customers face in an unpredictable market,” Britton says. “In an industry where staying relevant requires constant innovation, Suzy’s solutions provide the clarity and confidence our clients need to make decisions that drive lasting success.” Click here to find out more!

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Note: This article was created by Yubico, a client of Business Reporter.

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Note: This article was created by Suzy, a client of Business Reporter.

The world is full of uncertainty, with little to no indications of improvement amid ongoing trade wars, geopolitical tensions, economic fluctuations, and unpredictable environmental events. The good news is that companies that can navigate these challenges will emerge stronger and better prepared for the long term. Companies that require electronic components to keep their lines running need partners to guide them through unforeseen obstacles. As a reliable independent distributor, Fusion Worldwide is agile, responsive, and able to source the parts their customers need. In addition to more than 20 years of navigating the ebbs and flows of the open market, Fusion Worldwide offers the unique advantage of in-house electronic component and product testing services. Its proprietary software, Scout RMS™, is combined with the company’s proactive approach to deterring costly and disruptive operational risks. With a team of more than 35 degreed engineers, quality test houses across the globe, and various certifications and accreditations, Fusion’s services protect supply chain interests to keep lines running. The assurance of parts that form, fit, and function correctly can be the difference between staying afloat or sinking quickly. In 2022, Fusion Worldwide acquired the exclusive large-scale electronic component test house, Prosemi, to expand its quality assurance services. The test house is accredited for ISO/IEC 17025:207 AS6171 (detection of suspect/counterfeit parts) by the American National Standards Institute National Accreditation Board, which demonstrates its comprehensive suite of electronic component testing and authentication services. As a subsidiary of Fusion Worldwide, the test house enforces its commitment to excellence as a trusted partner in open market distribution. Why certifications and quality testing matter Time has shown it doesn’t take a global pandemic to bring a supply chain to its knees. Counterfeit parts can bring down an entire manufacturing operation, wreak havoc on the supply chain, and create the kind of reputational damage that companies can’t afford in this competitive business environment. One of the most common certifications to look for is ISO 9001, developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The ISO 9001 certification outlines the requirements for establishing, implementing, maintaining, and continually improving a quality management system (QMS). While the ISO 9001 certification is a baseline to meet quality standards, Fusion Worldwide invests in going above and beyond. The company maintains multiple cross-industry certifications and accreditations to uphold its commitment to quality. For example, AS912OB proves that QMS supplies authenticate parts that perform as expected in the aerospace and defense industries. At the same time, AS6081 confirms the testing of electronic components against stringent standards, also for aerospace and defense. Additionally, ANSI ESD S20.20 proves that Fusion Worldwide handles and stores electronic components safely and without the risk of electrostatic discharge damage. Fusion Worldwide’s people Behind Fusion Worldwide’s commitment to quality and resilience stands a dedicated team of more than 500 professionals. With a diverse range of expertise spanning procurement, engineering, supply chain management, and quality assurance, Fusion’s people are the backbone of the business. Operating from more than 20 locations worldwide, these individuals are the driving force behind the company’s ability to navigate business through turbulent market conditions. Their collective experience and passion for excellence ensure that Fusion Worldwide remains a trusted partner for businesses seeking reliable electronic components and products. A partner in business; a guide through the supply chain These are a few examples of how Fusion Worldwide assists businesses in enhancing the resilience of their supply chains, guaranteeing a dependable, secure, and high-quality source for electronic components across all market conditions. While the pandemic-driven global chip shortage may be fading in the rearview mirror, there’s always another disruptive event waiting around the next corner. Fusion Worldwide meets customers where they are and empowers them with the tools and solutions they need to build and maintain a resilient supply chain. It will serve as a guide through any business condition, enabling companies to expertly navigate the fluctuations of the global electronics supply chain, leverage new opportunities, and ensure operational resilience for the future. To learn more, visit fusionww.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, WeChat, and X. Download Fusion Worldwide’s State of the Industry Report Volume 1. About Fusion Worldwide Fusion Worldwide is the preeminent open-market distributor of electronic components and products. We source, inspect, test, and deliver a wide range of components to a large and diversified customer base that includes original equipment manufacturers, contract manufacturers, and original design manufacturers across a wide array of verticals. Founded in 2001, Fusion is headquartered in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and maintains offices and quality centers in major manufacturing hubs around the world.