The importance of creating meaningful relationships with consumers

By Shannon Murphy | March 14, 2025

Reading time: 3 minutes

The Importance Of Creating Meaningful Relationships With Consumers — The importance of creating meaningful relationships with consumers.

Abstract

Research participants have the potential to become research partners. Nurturing relationships with consumers can help researchers better understand their thoughts and opinions and can help participants feel valued and heard. Creating and maintaining relationships with research participants is a win-win for both parties involved.

Research Topics:: Consumer Research | Consumer Research Consultation | Journey Mapping | Product Development Research
Industry/Market Focus:: Consumers | Research Industry
Content Type: Research Industry Voices

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Creating the right connections

Editor’s note: Shannon Murphy is the senior research director at MarketVision Research. This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared under the title “Beyond The Interview: Where Research Meets Relationship.”

With any successful relationship, whether it be friendship, partnership or beyond, the connection deepens with each interaction as both parties come to know and truly understand one another. As researchers, why not harness this natural dynamic with consumers by getting to know them over time to uncover the deeper motivations behind their everyday decisions?

Ongoing research panels provide the opportunity to build meaningful connections with consumers by engaging with them regularly, transforming typical research interactions into something more valuable. These high-quality panelists consistently inspire and impress client teams, generating insights that spread organically throughout their organizations and drive action.

Create a lasting connection

When we build lasting research relationships, something magical happens. Consumers become research partners, showing up energized and ready to share. With established rapport, conversations flow naturally, creating space for those "aha moments" that drive real understanding. Panelists develop their own rhythm with activities and interviews, making each interaction more valuable than the last. The best part? Higher show rates and lower recruiting costs make these ongoing research panels simultaneously effective and lucrative.

The journey: Balancing connection and creativity

Like any meaningful relationship, the magic happens over time. We get to witness our consumers' lives evolve, catching subtle shifts in behaviors and decision-making that single interviews might miss. Whether we're mapping customer journeys or developing new products, these sustained connections give us front row seats to real consumer stories. As comfort grows, so does creativity – consumers become more willing to engage in innovative research approaches, from video diaries to digital collages, though we always mindfully balance these requests to keep engagement strong.

Partners in discovery

Something extraordinary emerges when both consumers and clients become invested in the journey. Consumers light up knowing their voices shape real decisions, while our clients develop their own connections – often looking forward to updates from their favorite participants like catching up with old friends. This shared investment creates opportunities to explore adjacent topics and gather quick reads on broader initiatives, making our research more agile and responsive.

How to create and maintain a strong relationship

Plant strong roots by investing in a quality over-recruit upfront in anticipation of some attrition over time.
Keep the rhythm flowing with a flexible calendar that leaves room for spontaneity.
Bring joy to every interaction – research can (and should) be fun.
Show you care by remembering the little things – from new jobs to family milestones.

As one of our valued panel members puts it: "This is a privilege, and I'm really thankful for this opportunity. I feel like I'm talking to my friend. It's not work. I have my coffee here and just enjoy this hour for myself."

When we transform traditional research into genuine connections, everyone wins. Consumers feel valued, our clients get richer insights and we get to be part of authentic stories that drive meaningful business decisions. After all, isn't that why we fell in love with research in the first place?