Zappi’s Year in Insights

As 2024 comes to a close, we at Zappi are thrilled to reflect on a transformative year of partnering with some of the world’s most innovative brands. Together, we’ve pushed boundaries, harnessed the power of connected data, and doubled down on consumer-centricity to create products and campaigns that truly resonate. It’s been a year of scaling innovation, amplifying impact, and enabling our customers to win in their markets by staying continuously connected to the consumers who matter most.

This year, our customers—including PepsiCo, Heineken, McDonald’s, SoFi, and Reckitt—have harnessed the Zappi platform to drive insights at scale across 63 countries. Together, we tested over 73,000 ideas, completed more than 22,000 surveys, and engaged with over 7.7 million consumers. Talk about consumer-centricity!

These numbers don’t just reflect usage—they demonstrate the incredible power of collaboration and innovation when brands leverage consumer data to create winning ads and products. Some of this year’s top solutions include Zappi’s Concept Test, Amplify TV and Activate It. The most frequently tested products were in the salty snack, QSR, and spirit and liquor categories! 

Here’s to celebrating these milestones and continuing to drive success together in the years to come.

Zappi’s rolled out its new, AI-powered Innovation System to help brands stay connected to consumers at every stage of product development, enabling faster, smarter, and more consumer-centric decisions. By leveraging connected insights, brands can create, test, analyze, and optimize product ideas based on real-time consumer feedback.

With AI Concept Creation Agents, brands can generate market-relevant ideas in just five minutes, instantly validated by consumers. Zappi’s testing tools, like Screen It and Activate It, provide quick feedback, while AI Quick Reports offer actionable insights. The AI Concept Optimizer continuously refines ideas, ensuring they align with consumer needs and perform better in-market. See it in action!

This year, we proudly launched our first book, The Consumer Insights Revolution: Transforming Market Research for Competitive Advantage. Co-authored by Zappi’s Steve Phillips and Ryan Barry alongside PepsiCo’s Stephan Gans and Kate Schardt, this Amazon #1 bestseller explores how consumer insights are reshaping industries and driving competitive advantage.

And in true Zappi style, we made the launch unforgettable. Ahead of the book launch party, we took over a billboard in Times Square to showcase the book’s bold message and celebrated across the pond with a takeover of the London Tube. Talk about making an impression!

Of course, we didn’t just stop at writing the book—we used consumer insights to optimize its cover! Leveraging Screen It, we tested designs with 300 consumers to select the most resonant option. It’s a testament to our belief in embedding the consumer’s voice in every decision.

This year, Zappi hosted its first in-person customer conference in NYC, focused on "AI-Fueled Innovation," bringing together brands like Mars, Johnsonville, Popeyes, and Coty. Tailored for insights leaders, decision-makers, and change advocates, the Connected Insights Conference aimed to empower organizations to become consumer-centric success stories by tackling the challenges and opportunities of integrating consumer insights into every aspect of business.

We also attended industry events like Quirk's, IIEX, Festival of Marketing, and Mad//Fest to connect with insights leaders and share how AI is transforming consumer-centric decision-making.

Zappi, in partnership with the American Marketing Association, launched the "Revolutionizing Your Consumer Insights Program" course, designed to help brands transform their insights functions. Over 300 professionals have already registered for this five-part course, which shares strategies from PepsiCo’s successful transformation into a consumer-centric brand. The course offers actionable insights on connecting teams, sharing knowledge, and evolving from reactive to strategic business partners.

Zappi created the Connected Insights Framework to help insights teams understand where they stand on their journey toward consumer centricity. Over the last decade, we've worked with teams at different stages of transformation and consolidated our learnings into this framework to guide brands toward becoming more connected, data-driven, and impactful.

The framework identifies three key stages:

• Stage 1: Disconnected: Insights teams operate in silos, working project by project without continuity or data consistency. To move forward, teams should standardize their approach and invest in technology to automate tasks and ensure data comparability.

• Stage 2: Fragmented: Teams begin connecting data across projects or regions, but lack system-wide integration. Conducting an audit to identify gaps and gaining buy-in for cross-functional collaboration is crucial to advancing.

• Stage 3: Connected: A rare but ideal stage where insights teams are strategic advisors, trusted across the organization, and seamlessly integrate research across projects and regions. These teams influence business decisions and are key to driving competitive advantage.

This framework is part of Zappi's broader mission to help brands "win with consumers" by fostering a more connected approach to insights.

For the second consecutive year, Zappi has been named the “Best Marketing Insights Platform” at the 2024 MarTech Breakthrough Awards! This accolade underscores our unwavering commitment to helping brands unlock the power of consumer-centricity. By equipping marketers and insights teams with innovative tools, we’re not just keeping up with the future of market research—we’re defining it.

As we close out 2024, we’re proud of the strides we’ve made in empowering brands to connect with consumers and drive innovation. From launching new AI-powered tools to creating transformative frameworks and educational content, it’s been a year of progress, collaboration, and growth. We’re excited to continue this journey with our customers, helping them stay at the forefront of consumer-centric strategies and bringing winning products to market faster. Here's to even more success in the years ahead, as we work together to shape the future of insights and innovation.