ESOMAR 2024: FFIND presents Rexee, the new frontier of market research in XR

On September 9th, we were speakers at the ESOMAR Congress 2024, the global benchmark for those working in market research, data, and insights. Every year, this event brings together thousands of innovators and professionals from major companies around the world, ready to share new ideas, discoveries, and visions for the future of the industry.

This year, FFIND was selected from hundreds of proposals to present the paper Beyond Screens: Disruptive Market Research with XR Surveys on the prestigious ESOMAR Congress stage. It was a unique opportunity to showcase our latest innovation in market research and outline our vision for the future: immersive research. For us, this represents not only an achievement but also tangible proof of our commitment to redefining the boundaries of data collection.

From traditional to virtual: The evolution of market research with XR

Our paper and presentation highlighted the enormous potential that immersive technologies like XR (Extended Reality), and in particular VR (Virtual Reality), can have on market research. With the advent of spatial computing devices, we are entering a new era. In this context, the phygital approach enhanced by XR can transform data collection, making it more accurate and meaningful while optimizing research processes. 

On the ESOMAR stage, we demonstrated exactly this. We presented the results of a comparative study conducted in Italy and the UK on energy drinks, comparing two approaches: the traditional quantitative and qualitative methods and the one leveraging Rexee, our XR research platform that can be used with Meta Quest virtual reality headsets. The results are clear: unprecedented engagement from respondents and a quality of data collected that rewrites the rules of the game. Additionally, through virtual reality, we eliminated the need for physical prototypes, reducing time and costs, especially for product testing.

The potential of immersive research with Rexee

At our booth, attendees had the opportunity to try Rexee and discover what it truly means to conduct qualitative research through virtual reality. This experience allowed participants to immerse themselves in a virtual environment—a kitchen—to conduct a product test on cans of energy drinks, including an exclusive new item: a Rexee-branded can created specifically for the event and not available on the market. This element added an extra level of exclusivity to the experience, highlighting Rexee’s potential to recreate product tests for entirely new concepts. 

In a congress dominated by the theme of artificial intelligence, the real revolutionary factor was the human element that added an unexpected dimension: a remote interviewer, not an AI, conducted the interview, surprising many and demonstrating that in an increasingly AI-driven world filled with digital tools and automation, the human touch is becoming more valuable. 

This experience marks a significant milestone for FFIND: our first venture into the world of qualitative research. With Rexee, we can now integrate qualitative methodologies with our robust quantitative foundations, further strengthening our position as a leader in data collection across Europe. 

Best Exhibitor Award ESOMAR 2024

We couldn’t have wrapped up ESOMAR Congress 2024 in a more extraordinary way: we were awarded “Best Exhibitor” among 63 exhibitors. This recognition is the culmination of an integrated experience where we combined physical and experiential marketing. 

In terms of communication, our main challenge was to respect the theme of Ancient Greece chosen by ESOMAR for the congress and harmoniously coexist with our brand identity. We transformed our booth into a “museum of data collection,” turning it into not just a business meeting point but also an attraction. Each of our solutions was represented by a statue inspired by a character from Greek mythology that embodies the distinctive traits of our services: Athena for the wisdom of CATI solutions, Hermes for the speed of CAWI, and Dionysus for the innovation of XR research. 

The integration of the Greek theme with our innovative vision allowed us to create an immersive experience that respected and celebrated the event’s theme without feeling foreign or out of place. This approach demonstrated how FFIND is not only at the forefront of market research solutions but also in how it presents its brand. 

Want to discover how Rexee can transform your next market research project? Contact us today!