A Chat with Andrea Villani, UK MD at Real-Time Market Research Company: Appinio

Appinio is an all-in-one platform for survey creation, data collection and interactive analysis. Our global opinion network enables companies around the world like Vodafone, Unilever and Gorillas to validate ideas and propositions in minutes. This is thanks to real-time feedback from any consumer target group worldwide.
 
 

 

Where did the idea for Appinio come from?

 
Our CEO, Jonathan Kurfess came up with the idea for Appinio while working in the marketing department at one of the top 5 Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies. He found that their methods were painfully slow and expensive – the quality of the data was average at best and respondents were not as engaged as they could be, even if the incentives and rewards for participating were very enticing. When he shared his ideas about how the firm could up their game and give market research the breath of fresh air it desperately needed, they fell on deaf ears.

He quickly learned that the market research industry was broken. Legacy players were too slow and expensive to enable companies to leverage consumer insights in decision making, while self-service platforms were too simplistic and were lacking critical consulting components. More importantly, both legacy players and DIY tools were using standard panels that produced questionable data and paying higher incentives did not improve the quality

So, Jonathan decided to quit his internship and start working on what would become Appinio in 2014. Appinio took a completely new, engaging approach to data collection to provide real-time consumer feedback – 1,000 representative answers in less than 30 minutes – with a gamified twist to keep respondents intrinsically motivated without compromising on methodologically accurate research. While most clients choose us because of our analyser’s sleek interface and ability to provide quality and reliable data quickly, the main reason they stay with Appinio is because they love working with our expert consulting team.
 

How has the company evolved during the pandemic?

 
Appinio has come on leaps and bounds over the course of the pandemic – earlier this year we were recognised as one of the fastest growing companies in Europe according to Deloitte Tech’s Fast 50! In terms of headcount, at the beginning of 2020 we were a team of 20 but now, just two years later, we have over 150 people working across four geographies – a 650% increase.

What’s more, we’ve had no external funding – no venture capital or private equity- so the company and revenue has grown entirely organically thanks to our strong, dedicated team, powerful platform and happy clients. To date, Appinio has never lost a client – everyone who has used the platform has stuck around!
 

What can we hope to see from Appinio in the future?

 
As we continue to develop our platform, we’ll be looking at different ways to deliver new value for clients. It’s important to not get comfortable, so we will be adding new features and updates to our app – which are all outlined on our website and in our newsletter. We will also be doubling down on finding the best research consultants to ensure we stay ahead of the game when it comes to the latest methodologies and approaches to market research.

The last few years have been a real learning curve when it comes to our respondents and what makes them tick. We want to make market research as fun and interesting as possible, so our product team will continue to work on making the app easier to use and more engaging for respondents – after all, motivated respondents make for better and more accurate data!