The SampleCon two-day conference brings in industry players from organizations across all facets of the market research sample space, and 2020 was no different. We met with colleagues old and new, attended many of the conference sessions and we took the stage during a panel that explored the future of the sample space. As we talked with others and listened to the speakers, several “themes” emerged that seemed to dominate the conversation.

1. The sample industry must improve quality and user experience. Respondents simply won’t put up with bad experiences any longer, and they care about incentives and rewards for their valuable data. Dynata’s Gary Laben spoke about this increased focus on respondents: stronger privacy, fair compensation, and better experiences. Other speakers covered the effect of incentives, and how the success of rewards is closely linked with good user experiences in turn equaling better quality data.
   
   
2. Programmatic marketplaces have matured and it is now universally accepted that they are a large part of the global supply. At the same time, many are calling for process and quality improvement on this front, as these marketplaces tend to perpetuate and accelerate the behaviors that lead to poor quality, poor UX and price compression.
   
   
3. Blockchain is coming of age with early signs of commercialization. Our CMO Paul Neto talked about this during his panel session, covering blockchain’s role “one year later” in market research. He talked about how blockchain has moved from the theoretical to practical application, including in our own pilot project, and what that has looked like over the past few months. During the Q&A portion of his session, there was a distinct call for disruption on this front and it’s clear that the next year will be very telling for this technology. 

From aspiring to provocative discussions to technical explorations, SampleCon develivered. One particularly interesting presentation covered a study on the activity of sample marketplaces to identify the lifecycle of the typical sample request. Graphically illustrated data points showed when the best time during the cycle at which to send respondents to studies to optimize consistent completes. 

Besides some great sessions during the conference program, SampleCon proved to be the perfect place to convene with many of our clients, prospects, partners and other key players in the sample space. Our team was able to make some great connections! There was high interest in what a blockchain-powered marketplace has to offer in an industry where privacy, transparency, accountability and issues like consumer data sovereignty are rising in importance exponentially.