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New measurement method: Bye Haßloch - GfK market researchers say goodbye to Musterdorf 

2021-11-15T15:45:36.915Z


For decades, the latest jams and chocolate creations were first available in Haßloch. That was due to GfK. But now the market researchers are saying goodbye - and drawing the line under an era.


For decades, the latest jams and chocolate creations were first available in Haßloch.

That was due to GfK.

But now the market researchers are saying goodbye - and drawing the line under an era.

Haßloch - The often quoted average family Mustermann has lived in Haßloch for 35 years. What drives the 20,000 or so people in the large Palatinate village is typical for all of Germany - the market research institute GfK once found out. Accordingly, the local trade landscape and the structure of the households, for example the proportion of children, pensioners and families, correspond almost exactly to that of the entire Federal Republic. Haßloch is regarded as Germany in a small way. That makes the place attractive for test and market decisions.

The community, which is about 20 kilometers southwest of Mannheim, has been a GfK test market for new things since 1986.

Thousands of people decide on top or flop with their purchases - and at least have a little part in determining which chocolate bars or deodorants come on the market.

What is not bought here often does not reach stores in the country.

In Haßloch, consumers have been able to feel their pulse - until now.

At the end of the year it will be over.

GfK: Consumer researchers rely on mobile phone apps and the web

In the future, the Nuremberg-based data and market researcher GfK will increasingly rely on survey methods such as smartphone apps and online surveys - instead of the previous plastic card that documents what is bought in Haßloch.

“We recently launched a software platform based on artificial intelligence,” says GfK spokesman Kai Hummel.

You answer questions from customers around the world in real time, such as: What was bought where and at what price?

Who bought it and why?

"This tool incorporates data from more than 100,000 of our data partners worldwide." The company links this data, among other things, with consumer surveys on purchasing behavior.

“This is the future of market research, if you will,” says Hummel.

GfK: Elaborate measurement methods

In order to make recommendations more precise, there are additional factors - such as job cuts or travel restrictions, but also the evaluation of Internet search terms such as “bread” or “home work”.

“Ultimately, we add macroeconomic factors such as gross domestic product,” says Hummel.

"In real time and at the push of a button."

The inquiries have changed significantly.

“Customers want concrete market forecasts.

The aim is to filter the right signals in the vast sea of ​​data. ”One could also say: The“ Haßloch method ”no longer fits in with the times after 35 years.

GfK: 35 years of model village

Most recently, five employees worked for GfK in Haßloch. The decision there causes mixed feelings. "You can say that an era is coming to an end," says community spokesman Marcel Roßmann. However, the administration understands that consumer research is changing the measurement method in order to meet the demands of its customers. We are proud of our 35 years as an “average village” and the associated national recognition.

According to GfK spokesman Hummel, the participants in Haßloch welcomed the end of the project with understanding.

“Many suspected that the plastic card could not last forever.” For the company, such a decision is always associated with sadness.

“The top priority remains to make our services competitive over the long term.

But of course Haßloch remains part of our history. ”

(Dpa / utz) * Merkur.de is part of IPPEN.MEDIA.

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2021-11-15

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