When you’re conducting research, when is AI enough—and when is human research worth your investment of time and money? Learn the difference between quick insights and high-impact business decisions.

AI has never felt grief, pride, or belonging. It has no idea why you might take the long way home just to see a sunset. Here’s why human emotion matters in market research and brand strategy—and why you should not rely on AI-based research to inform your high-stakes business strategy.

AI is built on probability and predictability, not possibility. Discover why in-depth human research uncovers insights that AI can’t even imagine.

AI can predict trends, but humans make purchase decisions. Here’s why human-moderated research drives better strategy than AI-generated insights.

MaxDiff analysis—short for Maximum Difference Scaling—is a powerful survey method used by the best market research companies to pinpoint exactly what your customers value most (and least). Instead of vague “everything’s important” survey data, MaxDiff delivers clear, ranked priorities you can act on for feature prioritization, product bundling, pricing strategy, and message testing. At Bixa, we help brands use MaxDiff to uncover must-have features, validate ideas with real customer data, and build product roadmaps that win in the market. Learn how this approach works, when to use it, and why leading companies trust Bixa Research for actionable, insight-driven decisions.

Discover how Bixa uses qualitative + quantitative market research to uncover emotional buying triggers and create love-at-first-sight customer moments.

Before you invest months of work and budget into a new product or service, you need to know: will customers actually want it? Concept testing is the smartest way to find out. By pressure-testing your idea with real buyers before launch, you reduce risk, avoid costly missteps, and ensure you’re building something people will pay for. At Bixa, we help brands validate concepts through a mix of qualitative and quantitative research—like in-depth interviews, surveys, MaxDiff, and Conjoint analysis—to uncover what features matter most, how much customers are willing to pay, and which messages resonate. This guide walks you through our Concept Testing Checklist, with proven steps to clarify your assumptions, choose the right research mix, compare against alternatives, and identify dealbreakers—so you can launch with confidence, backed by real data.

Design matters. Testing matters more.

With over 1,850 stores across North America, Bath & Body Works is pulling this candle from every shelf. Throw in refunds, and my back-of-napkin estimate puts the damage at nearly $1 million down the drain. And that’s before factoring in the long-term loss of trust—as we have no way of telling what percentage of offended customers won't return because of this “oversight."

Taylor Swift has been the best marketing to happen to the NFL since the flurescent yellow line that appeared on our television screens in the 1990s—bringing with her a whole new audience of potential football fans.