Open-end coding has always been a great way of developing data-driven narratives but does it still have its seat at the table?
After two years of unprecedented chaos and uncertainty, consuming-facing brands have had to keep their fingers on the pulse of consumers to understand sentiment and behaviour and most of all demonstrate empathy.
At the same time, inclusivity and diversity have been key, leading researchers to be more considered about how they ask questions, making them more inclusive and reflective of our culturally diverse populations.
To understand the complexity of today’s multi-dimensional society, brands will need to go to greater lengths to obtain true insights from their customers. As a result, open-end coding will be more important than ever in helping brands to get a clear understanding of the international market and consumer behaviours so they can make informed decisions.
Closed questions have always been the bread and butter of surveys. They always have and will continue to be essential for obtaining measurable quantitative data. But in a world where populations have strongly polarised views on policies and first-order considerations, open-ended questions allow for unbiased answers which could be missed through the constraints of a list of pre-determined answer options.
In the coming months, open-end research will become the medium of choice for brands to understand consumers’ thoughts and feelings. These insights will help them anticipate their next move and create consumer-centric strategies.
Less than 10% of the world’s population are native English speakers. Importantly, we know that people interact better with content produced in their mother tongue, so producing consumer surveys in their native language takes on new significance.
Of course, once you have your wealth of data, you must quantify it to get maximum value from it. Translating responses mitigates the risk of ambiguous answers and reveals the respondents’ true feelings but it is coding that turns it from qualitative into quantitative results. Being able to do this directly from the foreign language(s) will yield these results more quickly and cost-effectively.
To find out more about how The Language Factory’s very human open-end coding service and other language-related services can help turn your qual into quant, contact us today.
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