Sarah Weise's Recent LinkedIn Posts

When you've conducted as many focus groups as we have here at Bixa, you start to recognize the usual characters. While these diverse personalities might seem challenging, they're actually a valuable part of the dynamic mix that makes up insightful market research. Curious about how to build the most effective focus group and get the insights you need? Learn more with Bixa. 📊✨ #FocusGroupFun #MarketResearch #BixaResearch #ConsumerInsights

🎉 Tomorrow I’ll be back at my alma mater, teaching at Georgetown’s Entrepreneurship Summer Incubator. I’ll be guiding aspiring entrepreneurs to leverage the power of market research. 📊✨ Market research isn’t just about gathering data; it’s about making informed decisions that can empower your business to pivot faster and more effectively. Whether it’s optimizing your pricing strategy, crafting standout marketing messages, prioritizing product features, or gaining deep consumer and market insights, market research is the foundation for success. 🏆 See here how market research can help startups like yours thrive and grow. Let’s turn your innovative ideas into successful ventures! 🚀 #Georgetown #Entrepreneurship #MarketResearch #StartupSuccess #BusinessGrowth #EntrepreneurLife #Innovation #PivotWithPurpose Georgetown University McDonough School of Business

I was asked today: What differentiates a market researcher from a market research leader? As a market researcher, you conducted research and reported your data. As a leader, though, that's not enough. As a leader, you are keenly aware that research is useless unless you take action. That means you strategize actionable recommendations based on that data, you get internal stakeholders onboard and rally your company to make customer-centric changes, and then you see your research insights through to the finish line. Turning research into action differentiates you as a leader.

Oh sweet, sweet insights. Happy Pi Day! 🥧📊 Today, we’re celebrating our love for both pie and pie charts! Just like Pi is essential in math, data visualization is key in market research. Pie charts (and all those other amazing graphs) help us turn insights into actionable strategies for our clients. Here's to sweet data and even sweeter decisions! 💡🥧 #PiDay #MarketResearch #DataVisualization #PieCharts #SweetInsights

Marketing in 2026 is less trust us—more "show us" or "prove it". This year, economic outlooks are clear on one point: you can expect slower, less predictable growth. No crash. No boom. Just enough uncertainty that every marketing dollar matters... and every marketing dollar has to be justified. And when that happens, I see teams fall into the same trap: They wait for quarterly sales data to decide whether marketing worked. By then though.... The quarter’s over. The budget’s spent. The opportunity’s gone. The brands that will will win in 2026 are the brands that can move faster—the brands that won’t wait for revenue to tell the story. Winning brands in 2026 are the brands that know their baseline and are tracking demand so they see the impacts *before* it shows up in sales. That means keeping a tight pulse on: → Awareness (are the right audience noticing you?) → Perception (are you winning where it counts, on the attributes that actually drive purchase decisions?) → Momentum (is consideration building—or quietly slipping?) This year, where sales data lags, Brand data leads. When you can see shifts early, you can adjust messaging, creative, channels, and spend weeks sooner—you can reach decisions by looking at real data, data you *actually* defend before quarterly sales numbers come in. In a more scrutinized economy, the advantage isn’t guessing harder. It’s seeing sooner and acting faster. If you’re serious about getting your brand measurement right in 2026.... comment BENCHMARK below and I’ll DM you a link to a free planning session where we’ll map the right benchmarking survey + quarterly tracker for your business—so you’re set up to move faster all year. #MarketingStrategy #BrandStrategy #BrandTracking #MarketResearch #GrowthMarketing #B2BMarketing #ConsumerMarketing #BrandMeasurement

🔍 Understanding "The System": Gen Z's Perspective 🔍 In our research with Gen Z, they keep talking about "The System" - but what exactly is it, and why do so many of them feel it's rigged against them? Turns out, many members of Gen Z feel hopeless about their financial futures because of various factors, including student loans, high inflation, unattainable home prices, and stagnant wages. As one of our participants aptly put it, "You just feel like you will never catch up financially." These sentiments reflect a broader trend among Gen Z, who are grappling with the harsh realities of economic inequality and systemic barriers. But what does this mean for your business? How does this affect Gen Z's purchasing behaviors, brand preferences, and career choices? Understanding Gen Z's perspective on "The System" is crucial for businesses seeking to connect with this generation effectively. Ready to dive in? Book a free consultation with one of our researchers at BixaResearch.com and discover how our insights-driven approach can help you navigate the complexities of engaging with Gen Z. #GenZInsights #TheSystem #MarketResearch #BixaResearch

It's National Crossword Puzzle Day! Who's game?! #CrosswordPuzzleDay #MarketResearch #WhoKnew #RandomHoliday

Want to make smarter, data-driven decisions for your business? My latest LinkedIn Learning course on Quantitative Market Research is LIVE—and it’s FREE for a limited time with this link! Learn how to: ✅ Design killer surveys ✅ Prioritize features with MaxDiff ✅ Understand tradeoffs customers make with Conjoint✅ Understand willingness to pay with Van Westendorp and Gabor Granger ✅ Segment your audience with Cluster Analysis ✅ Turn insights into ROI Unlock customer insights and drive growth. 👉 Watch it FREE now! #MarketResearch #DataDriven #LinkedInLearning #marketresearch #marketingstrategy #quantitativeresearch #onlinecourse #course #professionaldevelopment

It's cheese lovers day! Can't get through the day without thinking about how tasty our research with the IDDBA can be! That's right—we research cheese. Told ya we work in just about every industry! #CheeseLoversDay #CheesyBusiness #ClientLove #MarketResearch #Cheese

🌍♻️ This Earth Day, let's talk about recycling—not just plastics and paper, but our ideas too! In marketing, as in nature, nothing should go to waste. Dive into customer research to discover what resonates, then repurpose your old strategies into innovative approaches tailored to your audience. It's all about adapting and improving. Let's keep our planet—and our marketing—green and thriving! 🌱🔄 Marketers, are you turning your old ideas into gold? How do you reuse your strategies to stay fresh and relevant? #EarthDay #RecycleYourIdeas #MarketingStrategy #CustomerFirst #Marketing #MarketResearch #Innovation

🌟 How can you improve customer satisfaction? Here are some tips to understanding exactly what your customers love and what they need more of. 📊 Deep-Dive Analytics: Utilize customer satisfaction surveys, feedback forms, and social media analytics to gather real, actionable data. 🔧 Practical Improvements: Identify common pain points and streamline processes to enhance the user experience. For example, if data shows long wait times are a problem, consider optimizing your service flow or adding more staff during peak hours. 💬 Engage Actively: Use customer comments to drive direct improvements. When customers mention they love a feature, think about how to expand it. If they dislike something, fix it promptly. 🔄 Feedback Loop: Keep the conversation going. Regularly update your customers on how their feedback has led to real changes. This not only keeps them informed but also builds loyalty. 👂 Listen and Adapt: Show that you're responsive by adapting your offerings based on customer needs and desires. For instance, if customers express a preference for more eco-friendly products, explore sustainable options. 📅 Ready to elevate your customer satisfaction to new heights? Set up a call with us to dive into tailored customer research that highlights how you can delight your audience even more. Book your spot at bixaresearch.com and start making impactful changes today! #CustomerSatisfaction #DataDriven #FeedbackIsGold #BixaResearch #marketresearch #supportsmallbusiness

Biscuits. That’s where this moment started. Carla Hall talking about biscuits—and the memories, emotions, and people they instantly bring to mind. Food as feeling, not function. This photo was at the International Dairy Deli Bakery Association trade show—basically a mile-long stretch of specialty cheese, salami, bread, and pastries. So yes, heaven. 😇 But what stuck with me wasn’t the food. It was that idea. When I look back on Bixa’s work this year, the moments that stand out most aren’t the charts and graphs. They’re the aha's that come from deep conversations with real people—where our amazing qualitative researchers peel back the layers and uncover why someone chooses one product over another.... Not because of features. But because of their biscuit moment. That memory. The comfort. The nostalgia. The identity and meaning that quietly shape decisions long before a product hits the cart. That’s why Carla’s story landed so hard for me. On the stage at IDDBA, I presented the 2025 trends in shopper behavior across dairy, deli, and bakery. And then I met Carla, and she gave language to what sits underneath all that data. I now think of these emotional drivers as someone's biscuit moment—the imprint that drives what we buy and why we come back. At Bixa, this is what we measure and track every day: the emotional drivers and motivations behind purchase decisions. Because people don’t choose food—or brands—based on features alone. They choose based on memory, comfort, identity, and meaning. Sometimes, a biscuit explains more than a chart ever could. ✨ #CarlaHall #Food #FoodIndustry #ShopperInsights #ConsumerBehavior #QualitativeResearch #MarketResearch #FoodTrends #BrandStrategy #EmotionalDrivers #WhyWeBuy #FoodAndFeelings #Bixa #IDDBA

Why do people actually click on news stories? At first glance, this looks like a typical entertainment post from a news organization. A celebrity on a red carpet. A quick caption. A link to live coverage. But if you study audience behavior, moments like this raise some interesting questions: Why did this particular moment capture attention? Who actually engaged with the story? Did the image matter more than the headline? What made someone stop scrolling and click? These may seem like editorial questions. But they’re actually *audience research questions*. At Bixa, we’ve studied this in a few fascinating ways. For example, in research we conducted with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, participants recorded their screens while scrolling social media and encountering news posts naturally. When someone clicked on a story, we could see the exact moment they decided it was worth their attention. In another study for Google News, participants completed a 4-day video diary where every time they checked the news, they recorded their screen and narrated what they were doing. This let us observe things traditional analytics can’t easily show: • how people compare competing headlines • how quickly they decide whether something is worth reading • what causes them to trust or ignore a story • what keeps them engaged once they click Insights like this help organizations refine content strategy, distribution strategy, and audience engagement. Because what looks like a simple cultural moment — a red carpet photo, a trending headline, a viral story — is actually a window into something deeper: How people decide what deserves their attention. Curious: when you were scrolling on LinkedIn just now, what made you click on this particular story? ... and what made you read until the end here? Comment below.

You’ve just invested a big chunk of budget into a research project. You’re not exactly sure where it will lead, but you’re hoping it will give you clarity and answers. This is the moment our clients come to us. And it’s the moment I keep in mind every time I review a deliverable. As I read a report, I see it through their eyes. I ask: ... Is it complete? ... Does it answer all the questions we set out to find? ... Does it answer them well enough—with all the right nuances? ... Is it actionable? ... Does it flow well? ... Does it make me want to keep reading because the insights are juicy, relevant, surprising? Or... am I left with more questions: Is this true for all roles? What exactly do customers mean by this? or How could the brand realistically solve this pain point? Great research doesn’t just show the numbers, charts, graphs, quotes. It digs deeper. It questions everything. It makes inferences from the broader context of what’s happening in the audience's world. Sometimes the most valuable insights come from connecting dots the participant never explicitly stated, but revealed in subtle ways. It takes a very experienced researcher to spot those patterns (not to mention, convey them in a way that matters and sticks with the company). I'm keenly aware that my researchers *dread* my final review. They joke about how much feedback I've given them over the years on “the story” of the insights, and the "so what” behind the data. So why do it? Why spend days on a final review of a single presentation, making myself (and my team) crazy with hundreds of comments, re-organized data, new visuals, stronger text? Because our job is not just to report the data. It's to transform findings into decisions— to paint a clear, logical roadmap to next steps— to help the client can see and feel the possibilities ahead. You know when a realtor stages a home so well you feel like you can picture yourself living there? It's like that. When the story is clear, our clients feel confident, energized, ready to act. And it's missing, doubt creeps in... and the power of the research is lost. This is exactly why clients come to a small boutique like ours. We’re not the fastest. We’re not the cheapest. What we are... is the team that will stay up late obsessing over what a theme means for your business. The team that will spend a day learning about intricate shipping container policies because without the broader context, we can’t properly understand the nuances in the data. The team that will say, “I think we need to call people back and ask 2 more questions.” The team that conducts stakeholder interviews internally first—and spends time iterating on each research objective—so we can get you exactly the data you need to make your next decision with confidence. The way I see it... My job as a researcher isn’t just to hand over findings. It’s to make sure you see the road ahead SO clearly that moving forward feels inevitable.

Want to make smarter, data-driven decisions for your business? My latest LinkedIn Learning course on Quantitative Market Research is LIVE—and it’s FREE for a limited time with this link! Learn how to: ✅ Design killer surveys ✅ Prioritize features with MaxDiff ✅ Understand tradeoffs customers make with Conjoint✅ Understand willingness to pay with Van Westendorp and Gabor Granger ✅ Segment your audience with Cluster Analysis ✅ Turn insights into ROI Unlock customer insights and drive growth. 👉 Watch it FREE now! #MarketResearch #DataDriven #LinkedInLearning #marketresearch #marketingstrategy #quantitativeresearch #onlinecourse #course #professionaldevelopment

Why is Lululemon so polarizing for Gen Z? We asked Gen Z participants to tell us about a brand they love and a brand they hate, and a certain athleisure brand came up on both ends of the love/hate spectrum 👀 Turns out Lululemon is polarizing for Gen Z because they love the cute, trendy, and comfy clothes, but some socially conscious Gen Zers aren't thrilled with the brand's stance on body image. Want your brand to be something that consumers will LOVE without the hate? Book a free call with us at BixaResearch.com to learn how! #GenZ #BrandLove #MarketResearch #BixaResearch #Lululemon

Election Day 2024 is here, and bizarre doesn't even begin to describe these polling numbers. Even from reputable sources on key states like Iowa, Nevada, North Carolina, and Georgia the numbers are coming in opposite each other. On this historic election day, Sarah Weise, CEO of DC-based research firm, breaks down why polls from The New York Times/Siena, Des Moines Register, Emerson, and Atlas Intel have drastically different results when predicting which candidate will win: Donald Trump or Kamala Harris... and whether these polls can really be trusted. Sarah discusses polling bias, the importance of statistical weighting, and the challenges of today’s telephone polling in a world where most people screen their calls. With plummeting response rates and bias in sample groups, are these polls reliable? Here's what’s really happening behind the numbers and why the only poll that truly counts today is YOUR VOTE.

With Gen Z and Gen Alpha grappling with mental health issues more openly than ever, we might think the State of California’s $500M investment in therapy apps for youth would be a slam dunk. Yet here we are—with only 15k of the state’s 12.6M children and young adults having signed up for the apps (around 0.1%). School counselors say they’ve never heard of them… Is this just a case of good concept, poor execution? What do you think? https://lnkd.in/gFCBj_dZ #mentalhealth #genz #genzmarketing #marketingfail

Most surveys ask the wrong question. They ask what people think they’ll do — not what they’ve actually done. Think about it… How many times have you said you were likely to start eating healthier next month, or probably going to switch gyms… and then didn’t? People want to sound decisive and optimistic. But that’s not data you can rely on. When you ask: “How likely are you to buy this in the next 60 days?” you’re measuring intent. When you ask, “Have you bought this in the past 60 days?” you’re measuring behavior. Behavior is truth. Intent is a wish. And when your company’s making big decisions based on wishes, that’s when product design and marketing gets expensive. Ask about what people did—not what they hope to do—and your data instantly becomes more useful, more accurate, and way more actionable. Book a time to talk with a researcher → www.bixaresearch.com

Ok, try this with me… Open ChatGPT and ask it to pick a number between 1 and 10. Did you get 7? Me too… Now type: “The cat sits on the ____” What did it say? Mat? AI is built on probability and predictability. It is designed to generate the most statistically likely answer.   The most common. The safest. The most expected.   That's not a flaw. It's how it was designed.    But here's the problem when you use AI for your business: if you're using probability to inform strategy, you're building from *what's most common*.   And what's most common is almost never what differentiates.   AI can aggregate. It can summarize trends. It can tell you what usually happens.   It will NOT tell you something surprising… because surprising is statistically unlikely.   But growth doesn't come from predictability.    What founder starts a company and explains all their investors: "Our goal is to be just like everyone else on the market."   And yet, so many people are using research they find on AI to make business decisions. 🙈   Growth comes from possibility.  From standing out.  From understanding the tension no one is naming, the problem customers feel but can't articulate cleanly.   AI can predict. It cannot human.   And when you're making high-impact decisions—business decisions about pricing, positioning, audience segmentation, product direction—probability isn't enough.   You need to base your decisions NOT just on what's probable, but on what's possible.   And that, my friend, requires real humans. *** If you're looking for research grounded in the surprises, contradictions, and nuances found in real human behavior, book a call with our team https://lnkd.in/eRztkFnf

You hop on a Zoom call. "How are you doing today?" "Good, good." "Doing well." "Fine." "Busy, as usual." And just like that… the conversation stalls before it even starts. It sounds polite. It’s what our parents taught us to say when we were young. But after 20 years in market research and UX conducting thousands of interviews—many of them fast-paced intercept conversations where you have mere seconds to build rapport—I’ve learned this: "How are you?" doesn’t open people up. It shuts them down. And then you’re working uphill, trying to restart the conversation. If you want people to actually talk—if you want to genuinely connect—you need to give them something real to respond to. Instead of this: "How are you?" "How's the weather there?" Try this: "What’s been the best part of your week so far?" "What’s most exciting for you at work right now?" "What have you been spending most of your time on lately?” Notice the difference? These are still easy. Still casual. But they give people somewhere to go. They create just enough direction for someone to answer with more than one word—without making it feel like an interview. Because most people don’t struggle to talk. They struggle to know where to START. And whether you’re running research, leading a client call, or meeting someone new—better conversations start with better openings. **** I share practical lessons like this (from thousands of real interviews) in my newsletter 👉 https://lnkd.in/eKSz2J45 If you care about better conversations, stronger insights, and smarter decisions—it’s for you.

🚀 Busting Stereotypes: Gen Z and Work Ethic 🚀 "Lazy." It's a stereotype often thrown at Gen Z, but is it really true? 🤔 In our research, we challenged this misconception head-on by giving voice to Gen Z research participants who share their perspectives on work ethic, balance, and priorities. From advocating for flexible hours and hybrid work arrangements to prioritizing passion and work/life balance, Gen Z demonstrates that their approach to productivity is nuanced and multifaceted. It's not about laziness; it's about finding a healthy balance between work and personal life. Whether your company is striving to retain Gen Z workers or seeking to connect with Gen Z consumers, our research can provide invaluable insights. Book a free consultation with one of our researchers today at Bixaresearch.com and discover how we can help you navigate the complexities of engaging with Gen Z. #GenZInsights #WorkLifeBalance #MarketResearch #BixaResearch

I love this post Kirby wrote. It's not optimized or AI-polished. It's her brain. Her instincts. Her lived experience. That matters. Her point about reading the room is exactly what I’m seeing in research right now too, and Kirby and I have talked about this many times... Brands say they want to be “human.” But what they mean is: “I want to sound human, but I actually want a machine to do everything for me.” They're still aggressively going after more, more, more. Not digging into deeper insight, Or actually trying to understand human emotion. But the real human work — nuance, trust, social awareness — can’t be automated. AI can identify patterns. But it cannot feel the hesitation in someone’s voice. It cannot catch the tension behind someone saying, “It’s fine.” It cannot identify something truly surprising and helpful to help a brand differentiate in a crowded space. Most decisions are emotional before they’re rational. If you don’t read the room in culture, just like Kirby warned... You become the brand no one wants to invite over. You might deliver decks that sound smart… but won't make decisions that will make you stand out. At Bixa, we're taking an aggressive stance here. When you come to us for customer research, we talk to REAL humans. So many tools out there can spit out pattern-based personas. But if you want to win, you need depth, nuance, emotional recognition. That’s human work. And right now, real human *listening* is a competitive advantage.

"Gen Z is too sensitive!" <-- I hear this again and again from business leaders today. But are they, really? 🤔 The research team at Bixa interviewed Gen Z in the workplace to ask about this stereotype. See what they have to say in this video.... Want to connect better with Gen Z? Book a complimentary strategy session here: https://lnkd.in/gAfi_7Av #GenZInsights #EmotionalIntelligence #MarketingStrategy #BixaResearch

Do you know for sure who your MOST VALUABLE customers are? 🌟 Maximize your marketing impact with precise customer segmentation. At Bixa, we delve into behavior, purchasing patterns, and profitability to help you focus your efforts on the segments that promise the highest ROI. 📲 Start targeting your best customers with a free consult at... --> bixaresearch.com <-- #CustomerSegmentation #MarketingStrategy #smallbusiness #boutique #customerdata #linkedinlearning

💰 What do your customers think about your prices? Bixa uses advanced quantitative methods like Van Westendorp and Gabor Granger surveys to... 💰 Understanding Pricing Perception: Dive into what your customers truly think about your pricing. 📊 Price Sensitivity Analysis: Understand how price fluctuations influence buying behaviors. 🎯 Optimal Price Points: Discover what customers are comparing your offer to in their minds, and determine ideal pricing strategies that maximize your sales AND customer satisfaction. 🏷️ Ready to unlock the secret to pricing that pleases both you and your customers? 📲 Book a free consultation to refine your pricing strategy at... --> bixaresearch.com <-- Let’s ensure your prices hit the sweet spot every time! #PricingStrategy #MarketResearch #DataDrivenDecisions #BixaResearch