Lets See What’s New in 2020 from CES

Highlights from CES 2018 and Why Researchers Should Care

Where can you play ping-pong with a robot, fall into love with a mechanical puppy and see inside a refrigerator without opening the door? At CES, the Consumer Electronics Show. Every January tech companies from around the globe convene on Las Vegas to showcase their products — gadgets and gizmos that consumers can look forward to one day owning — sort of. They won’t be coming to a store near you anytime soon, and a lot of them leave you wondering – who would actually want that? In the aftermath of CES 2018, many critics pointed out that most of the products on display would only appeal to two types of people – people with money to burn and lazy people with money to burn. But we don’t have to rely on guessing who would buy these things, because we can actually ask people and find out. (Yay research!) SoapBoxSample conducted a mini poll* to gauge people’s awareness of CES and to find out if consumers would actually buy any of these high-tech gadgets. (You’ll find the results sprinkled throughout this article. I had to find some way to get you to read the whole thing.)

The research industry has been accused of being slow to adapt. While analysts are locked in rooms figuring out how to produce non-biased sampling frames, people are out making robots with Artificial Intelligence. The very same robots you can see at CES. The tech industry could benefit from paying attention to what consumers actually want (something research can supply), but researchers should be paying attention to the tech industry because big changes in the way people use tech in their everyday lives provides new opportunities for gathering data.

“Alexa, let’s do a survey”

At CES this year, Google came out looking like they were trying too hard. They built a three-story installation in the Las Vegas Convention Center parking lot. They also clearly shelled out big bucks for an advertising presence that plastered the entire town with the phrase Google wants you to remember – Hey Google. Amazon didn’t exhibit at all. They didn’t need to, because every other device at CES boasted about being “Alexa compatible.” All the free marketing garnered by Amazon, in contrast with Google’s flashy displays made Amazon look like the cool kid who doesn’t have to try to be cool.

People love the Amazon Echo. They consider Alexa to be a trusted part of their family. This is good news for researchers. When people are taking voice-activated surveys through Alexa (coming soon), the higher levels of trust will evoke more accurate, detailed, and honest responses from respondents.

Car tech – knowledge drives enthusiasm

You can’t talk about CES without bringing up the cars. They’re sleek, they’re stylish, they glistening under the showroom lights. I’m not a car person at all (my car has roll-up windows), but these vehicles were really beautiful. As a non-car-person, what I appreciated about the new smart dashboards and infotainment systems is that they were built to provide the driver with more insight into the inner workings of the car, something that I wouldn’t be able to assess by opening the hood.

As car manufacturers are scrambling to bring the first self-driving cars to market, they also have to convince people that self-driving cars are safe. Last quarter SoapBoxSample published the results of an internal study on the public’s perception of self-driving cars. Almost half of those surveyed believe that self-driving cars are dangerous and would not feel comfortable sharing the road with them. Only 28% said they looked forward to owning one. Developing smart dashboards that give drivers detailed information about how the car is operating is one way that car manufacturers can combat negative views of their product’s safety.

Related: Who’s in the Driver’s Seat? An Infographic About Self-driving Cars

Beauty tech – look better, feel worse

I tried out the HiMirror, one of CES’s #beautytech products. The HiMirror measures your pores, dark spots, wrinkles and dark circles. Just what women need, right? A super judgy mirror. Their marketing promised that the in-depth analysis would result in better “skin care goal-setting”. But what is the goal, to stop aging, or to sell products? The next generation of the HiMirror will probably show targeted ads for skin care products. I think I would rather skip the recommended products, and not know that my dark circles had increased by 3%. Turns out most people agree with me. Our poll showed that 68% of respondents would not want to use a high-tech mirror that measures skin imperfections.

It’s not so much consumer electronics, as it is competitive electronics

Is there really a consumer demand for a laundry-folding robot the size of a washing machine that requires you to manually tag each item of clothing you own, and can only fold adult-sized clothing? (And by the way, it takes longer than folding by hand.) Of the nearly 1,000 people who answered our poll, 79% said no thank you to the $980 laundry-folding robot.

Are the companies that produce these robots more focused on giving consumers what they want, or trying to out-do their competitors? What you might notice about this year’s line of robots is that their designs are very similar. White casing, black trim — almost without exception. Did the robot manufacturers forget to do their competitive analysis? (Shameless plug – did you know that SoapBoxSample’s passive metering application is great for understanding how people interact with your brand’s competition online?)

Can Americans fall in love with a robot dog?

I’m not a dog person, or even a pet person, so I didn’t expect to catch feelings for SONY’s robot dog Aibo. But it won me over instantly. Aibo is life-like, expressive, and responds to voice and touch. Knowing that his OLED eyes were mechanical did not make them any less puppy-like. Aibo is currently only available in Japan and costs $1700. SONY has said that they expect to sell at least 150,000 units. Could Aibo gain the same type of popularity in the United States?

Americans are waaaaaay into their pets. Here are some highlights from SoapBoxSample’s 2016 survey of U.S. pet owners to prove it – more than 60% of pet owners sleep with their animals, 40% of dog owners dress their pets up in costumes, and 73% of pet owners believe their pets are “smarter than average”. Could a robot dog one day occupy the same space in our hearts (and in our beds)? According to the results of our poll – heck no. When asked if they could see robot pets becoming more popular than live pets, 89% said no.

Related: Valentine’s Day Pet-fographic – We Know Americans Have a Close Relationship with Their Cats and Dogs But Just How Close Are They?

The future is full of glitches

If robots had emotions, the Aeolus would have experienced total confusion during its live demonstration. The booth presenter repeatedly ordered the bewildered bot to pick up a remote control off the floor, which it finally did after about a minute or so. (This scenario would be nothing new for the 8.4% of U.S. households with teenagers.) But the limitations of the robot’s responsiveness are no hurdle when compared to its price tag. The company wouldn’t name the actual cost, other than to say it was “less than a vacation for a family of four.” For the purposes of our poll, we guessed the price to be $10,000. Turns out most people don’t really see the value in it. Over 83% said they would not be picking one up anytime soon.

I need a fridge with a camera in it

The ThinQ smart fridge unveiled by LG has a 29-inch touchscreen on the door. If you knock on the screen twice it becomes transparent so you can see the contents inside. But my favorite part was the wide-angle camera inside the fridge. How many times have you thought to yourself, “I wish I could look inside my fridge while I’m at the store so I can see what I need to buy”? Maybe never, but you know who else wants a look inside your fridge? Researchers. The smart kitchen of the future is a paradise for people who hate making lists, and for research ethnographers. With cameras inside every appliance, researchers can see inside the homes of their subjects without setting foot in the door, and more importantly, without disrupting the routines they are attempting to study.

Within the 2.6 million square feet of exhibit space occupied by CES, there were devices that could change our everyday lives, and some other ones that were pretty dumb. There were also plenty of opportunities for researchers. Tech companies seem to have bought into idea that they should be creating things that the public doesn’t know they want yet. Based on the public reaction to some of the products at the show, this might not be the best plan. Tech companies need consumer research more than ever to tell them if there’s a market for what they are attempting to create. Researchers should keep a close eye on developments in tech — there are lots of opportunities coming along for research to become less invasive, cheaper, more efficient and more accurate. The two industries should work together as we move into the next phase of consumer technology.

*P.S. By the way, this poll was a lot like the exhibits at CES, fun to look at, but lacking scientific validity (probably biased and non-representative).

The Cannabis Conundrum Continues

By Dan Parcon, VP of Operations, SoapBoxSample

With the US cannabis industry expected to reach $13.6 billion in sales in 2019 and a whopping $66.3 billion by the end of 2025 (Forrester Research, 2019), the growth and adoption of cannabis is laden with challenges at every point in the seed to sale ecosystem. It’s fair to say at this point, the surface has only been scratched.

The rapid growth of the cannabis industry is evidenced by the number of cannabis business events that take place every year across the United States. In maturing markets, gatherings like these are crucial to the evolution of the marketplace. By learning from each other, cannabis business leaders can then draw upon the shared experiences of the community to help them navigate the new era of cannabis. Last month, cannabis thought leaders, business owners, investors, and experts gathered at the National Cannabis Industry Association event in Long Beach, CA. The chatter ranged from legislation to supply-and-demand to branding.

Brands and Dispensaries Face Big Hurdles in Earning Consumer Trust

As expected, there was endless conversation around the vaping controversy. A mishap in an emerging market like cannabis can have immediate and direct implications, and the industry may remain on high alert for the long term. With the real-time and rapid spread of news, and having little control over the narrative, those in the industry have a delicate balancing act to maintain.

“Our research has shown time and again that while consumers are insatiably curious about cannabis products, brands still have a lot of work to do in gaining consumer trust. The current vape crisis is a major setback for the industry, that is likely to impact consumers’ attitudes and behaviors for years to come,” said Jacqueline Rosales, COO of SoapBoxSample.

The idea that bootleg or “backyard” vapes are making their way to consumers, tainting things for those who do things right, puts stakeholders at risk. Lindsay Robinson Executive Director, California Cannabis Industry Association, stated “Counterfeit cartridges with very prominent names are being sold in illicit stores, often times people have a very hard time figuring out what is real and what isn’t real.”

The problem of consumers being distrustful of cannabis products extends beyond vapes and vape cartridges. Cannabis consumers are also wary of accurate labeling of other products, including the flower itself. Recent finding from SoapBoxSample’s CANNApinion poll, a bi-monthly survey of 1,000 US cannabis consumers, revealed that 28% of cannabis consumers say they are not very or not at all confident that the strains they purchase in dispensaries are accurately labeled. Dispensaries and brands face a big challenge in gaining the public’s trust. To move forward as an industry, companies need to assure their customers that their products are safe, legitimate, and accurately labeled.

Dispensaries Should Focus on the Shopping Experience to Build Loyalty

Experience plays a big role in the success of a dispensary. Jennifer Whetzel, Founder of Ladyjane Branding, said, “I’ve talked to a number of people who turned away from going to dispensaries due to their shopping experience.”

In more mature markets, the consumer has choices and can go elsewhere or leverage a delivery from their home. The great number of cannabis considerers account for much of the expected growth in the market. While they seek info online, they also rely on the expertise of those in the dispensary. A negative experience may not just lead the customer away from the specific dispensary, but away from even considering cannabis – whether it be for medical or recreational use. Perhaps of even more concern is budtenders and dispensary workers making uninformed recommendations resulting in negative experiences for the users.

SoapBoxSample’s recent CANNApinion Poll revealed that 57% of cannabis consumers say a consistent budtender is extremely or very important while only 30 % say they trust the advice of a budtender when researching products.

Brands and dispensaries must understand the products being sold, what products are trending, and more importantly, what their target audience is searching for. Many times consumers are looking for education and information, and most (66%) feel that they don’t have enough information to make an informed decision (CANNApinion Poll, August, 2019).

Marketing Messages Must Match the Consumer Wants and Needs

“Sometimes our message (of fun) gets a little lost, as being advocates we like to talk about core benefits. Sometimes these products are better for a fun and recreational use and there is no reason to shy away from that as long as we are targeting responsibly.” – Taylor West, Partner Heart and Mind Media.

There are some brands and markets solely focused on the medicinal benefits. Others market to recreational users. In some marketing, there is no delineation. With many scurrying to be first or at least quick to market, it seems traditional business practices around marketing, branding and adverting are being lost.

While there is acknowledgement within the industry about the need to adopt more sophisticated business practices, change is slow. One year ago (October 2018), at the USCC (US Cannabis Conference) in Phoenix, AZ, thought leaders discussed the role consumer research can play in the development of new cannabis products. Kaila Strong, Director of Marketing at Jupiter Research, had this advice for cannabis marketers — “When we’re dealing with wholesalers all the time I think we lose that connection with the consumer. You probably consume, but you shouldn’t assume that you are your consumer.”

The business challenges being discussed at NCIA all boiled down to one constituent – the consumer. There is no “one” cannabis consumer and therefore there is no “one” marketing strategy. Brands must have clarity on why they exist and who they want to sell to – and then hone in on the why to buy. Without direct feedback and insight in the whats and whys cannabis businesses are playing a dangerous game of guts and guesses. While cannabis companies are focused on staying afloat through the current political and regulatory climate, customer experience and consumer trust is everyone’s responsibility across the full ecosystem – from seed-to-sale.

As a consumer insights company committed to helping cannabis brands grow, we’re proud to be a sponsoring member of the NCIA. Our goal is to keep the cannabis industry moving forward through data and insights. To learn more, please visit https://www.soapboxsample.com/cannabis/.

From Sustainability to CBD – The Shopper Shift

By Jacqueline Rosales, COO, SoapBoxSample and icanmakeitbetter

With the global online grocery market predicted to reach $334 billion by 2022 (Forrester Research, 2019), the transformation of legacy grocery and retail practices, products and mindset is shifting rapidly. The industry is seeing new players enter, and take ownership of a full category, or create a whole new product category in a very short time. The threats are coming from all directions, and retail and grocery brands must not lose focus of the consumer drivers.

Sustainable Products are Now Mainstream

“It takes years to transform an industry that has relied on plastic. Grove Collaborative consumer products will be positive for human and environmental health. Grove consumers are all about celebrating the amazing choice people make across the country.”

– Stu Landesberg, Co-Founder & CEO of Grove Collaborative

Consumers are demanding sustainability — and brands are taking notice. Shoppers are more knowledgeable than ever about the environmental impact of the products that they choose and they are concerned about wasteful packaging. For example, an estimated 5 billion cleaning bottles will be thrown away this year alone. Brands who can address these concerns will have a strategic advantage over those who disregard environmental issues.

Grove Collaborative has embodied sustainability in the products they offer and have recently earned a $1 billion dollar valuation, earning the coveted Unicorn Status. The success of brands like Grove Collective, who make sustainability the cornerstone of their branding, proves that sustainability is becoming the new norm.

Brands Should Heed the E-Commerce Model, Even Offline

 “Stores need to replicate the e-commerce model with the right info at the right time… Customer journeys are like spaghetti – starting at one channel and stringing to the end seamlessly.”

– Doug Stratton, Chief Digital Commerce Officer of The Hershey Company

Brands must eliminate friction at every stage of the consumer journey. Consumers want to be able to go to a company website, order a product and choose to pick-it up in-store or have it delivered. During the process they want everything to work seamlessly. If they have a question, they want to be able to call the store, talk to a store clerk about their order, and have them help with the order without any hiccups.

The consumer experience might be the most important factor for building a successful brand. Companies across the grocery and CPG ecosystem need access to reliable customer feedback to gauge the success of their channels. What your consumers like and dislike should be measured and implemented into new products and marketing strategy. Warning, here comes a shameless plug. Partnering with a research firm who understands the grocery and CPG space is a great way to understand every nuance of your customers’ experiences.

CBD has a Bright Future

“Be prepared to win, get steamrolled, or become an acquisition target.”­

– Bethany Gomez, Managing Director, Brightfield Group

In the CPG industry, cannabidiol (CBD) has been hyped as the next multi-billion-dollar ingredient. The inclusion of CBD in everyday products has exploded, along with consumer interest. New product development, driven by perceived health benefits, presents massive growth opportunities for CPG brands. Some of the biggest opportunities for CBD infusion are in beauty, beverage and pet products. To be successful in these markets, brands should be willing to experiment, take risks, and invest in research to understand the modern cannabis consumer. Relying on guts and guesses will not work.

“Consumers are intrigued by the availability of new cannabis products. For people who are nervous about the psychoactive effects, CBD-only or CBD-dominant products are a great entry into this category. Meanwhile, companies are approaching the marketplace with CBD products first, because they’re not sure if a product that gets people high is right for their brand. Many companies are still in a test and learn phase,” said Adriana Hemans, Director of Marketing, SoapBoxSample.

Recent findings from SoapBoxSample’s CANNApinion poll show that 10% of U.S. grocery shoppers have consumed food or beverages containing hemp in the past month — and that number is likely to grow rapidly with increasing state legalization. Knowing this, big brands are taking a hard look at how they can capitalize on emerging trends in cannabis. “Larger companies have more to lose, so getting on shelves is easier to do for smaller companies while they wait for the FDA to approve CBD as an additive. The big guys are coming in 18 months when the FDA provides more guidance,” stated Bethany Gomez, Managing Director, Brightfield Group.

Now is an exciting time for the grocery and CPG industry. Sustainability concerns, the growth of the cannabis market, and the need to streamline the consumer journey will transform businesses over the coming years. Brands can gain a competitive advantage by working with a research company that provides thought partnership and consultative approaches. This means going beyond measuring trends, to understand the underlying cultural shifts that drive consumer behavior.

Get in touch to learn more – info@soapboxsample.com.

SoapBoxSample Announces Exciting Partnership with WeedWeek

Industry leaders collaborate to provide research and insights in the cannabis space

WeedWeek, the go-to media company for diverse cannabis news, announced a collaborative partnership with market research firm, SoapBoxSample, creating a council consisting of thought leaders and influencers in the cannabis space. The council will provide insight into the fast-evolving landscape allowing followers to keep their fingers on the pulse of the industry.

SoapBoxSample continues to expand its leadership and position within the cannabis space not only as a research provider, but as a collaborative influencer for brands, ancillary businesses and anyone looking to grow and build a cannabis business or brand.

“It’s so exciting working in a space driven by belief and passion. The opportunity to help businesses survive and thrive in such an explosive industry is not only fulfilling, but exhilarating.” said SoapBoxSample COO,  Jacqueline Rosales. “Every day is something new – a new challenge and a new opportunity. It’s exciting to see the immediate impact of our work helping clients.”

WeedWeek and SoapBoxSample came together on the heels of NECANN, the largest Cannabis Convention on the East Coast with more than 100 speakers, 300 exhibitors and approximately 10,000 attendees. Jacqueline Rosales’ session entitled, “When Patients Become Customers: How Understanding Consumer Types Can Help Your Cannabis Business Survive the Green Rush”, explained how business owners and decision makers can better understand consumer needs and wants through the use of research.

The WeedWeek Council’s responses and ideas will appear in a dedicated section of the WeedWeek newsletter. The council will be comprised of 25-30 people from various backgrounds and expertise in the green space and members are selected based on a competitive application process.

WeedWeek was founded in 2015 by Alex Halperin when he saw a need for a media company covering the many facets of the cannabis industry. Helperin, a successful journalist who has written for Washington Post, LA Times, Huff Post, Hightimes and Business Insider also runs ReCharge Events as well as a podcast. WeedWeek covers politics, law, culture, health and business as they relate to cannabis.

“WeedWeek Council is an exciting new way WeedWeek will share exclusive insights on the green rush with our thousands of readers,” said Alex Halperin.

SoapBoxSample has been actively conducting cannabis research since 2016 and continues to expand its offerings. Most recently, SoapBoxSample launched the CANNApinon poll, a national bi-weekly survey of cannabis consumers whose insights enable industry-specific details on consumer needs and wants for dispensaries, growers, media companies, food and beverage producers, distributors, and the cannabis beauty industry.

WeedWeek and SoapBoxSample are now accepting applications for membership to the WeekWeed Council. For information on how to join, click here.

To learn more about SoapBoxSample’s cannabis offering, visit SoapBoxSample.com/cannabis

About WeedWeek: Founded by award winning journalist Alex Halperin, WeedWeek’s free newsletters aggregate the latest developments in cannabis politics, business, health and science, law and culture. And the podcast features interviews with the most interesting voices in the space. Smart, credible and free, WeedWeek is the best way to keep up with the green rush. Subscribe at WeedWeek.net.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

SoapBoxSample Launches the CANNApinion Poll — A Cannabis Consumer Feedback Offering

To meet the growing needs of cannabis businesses, SoapBoxSample launches bi-monthly poll of cannabis consumers

SoapBoxSample announces its newest research solution for cannabis businesses, the CANNApinion Poll. With the rapid growth of the cannabis marketplace nationwide, brands need reliable consumer feedback to thrive in a crowded market. The CANNApinion Poll meets this need by providing a platform for the cannabis industry to ask their target audience relevant questions, allowing them to discover emerging  trends and areas of growth opportunity.

“As we’ve seen with other emerging industries, the brands who understand consumer segments and how to market to them are the ones who will become legacy brands. The CANNApinion Poll is a way for brands to gain direct access to their target market, and understand the why behind consumer purchasing habits,” said Jacqueline Rosales, SoapBoxSample COO.

Market experts predict that cannabis brands will soon compete for finite retail space in prime locations. Dispensaries and delivery services will be forced to make choices about their inventory. The CANNApinion Poll will help brands respond quickly to the needs of their customers, ensuring that their products are the ones that stay on the shelves.

A new wave of the CANNApinion Poll runs every two weeks to allow clients to get timely answers to their most urgent business questions. With each new wave, clients are given the opportunity to submit questions as they look to gain actionable insights into growing pains and growth barriers that are present within the cannabis consumer experience. Each wave consists of 8-10 questions to ensure cannabis consumers are actively engaged within the poll and contribute robust data. Clients can submit multiple choice questions, open-ended questions, and display product images or videos.

The CANNApinion Poll is the first cannabis-specific service within SoapBoxSample’s portfolio of products. SoapBoxSample is an early thought leader embracing the cannabis space, and has been actively conducting cannabis research since 2016. Clients rely on SoapBoxSample to develop new products, crowdsource ideas, test ads and branding, test products and concepts, track consumer habits online, and gather in-the-moment feedback.

Emerging Thought Leadership from USCC Reveals Urgent Need for Consumer Research in the Cannabis Space

SoapBoxSample Announces the Launch of a New Cannabis Consumer Research Service

As competition heats up in the cannabis market, what factors will determine whether brands can survive “the green rush”?  One clear takeaway emerged from thought leaders at the US Cannabis Conference (USCC) in Phoenix last week – know your customers; they may not be who you think they are.

Business owners, investors and experts gathered at the USCC for an event focused on the new era of cannabis. SoapBoxSample led a session in partnership with Jupiter Research and ProGrowTech titled, “Will You Survive the Green Rush?” The session focused on how consumer research can help companies get the right message to the right audience at the right time. At the start of the session, Jacqueline Rosales, SoapBoxSample COO, took questions from the audience that were sent out to respondents in real time, providing attendees with immediate feedback from real consumers.

SoapBoxSample presented data collected from cannabis consumers – much of what they uncovered contrasted with current assumptions. One example was the startling statistic that while 1/3 of cannabis consumers are purchasing in dispensaries, only 12% trust dispensary employees as a source of information about new products. Companies that distribute their products in dispensaries left the event with a clear directive that opportunities to educate consumers are being left on the table.

To demonstrate their commitment to cannabis research and their passion for the cannabis industry, SoapBoxSample announced the launch of their new product — a bi-weekly survey of cannabis consumers built around the research needs of growing cannabis businesses. Clients will be able to tap into a custom-built resource, ask questions, and access insights – all at a low cost.

Kaila Strong, Dir. of Marketing for Jupiter Research, a vaporizer technology company, urged business leaders to take a more conscious approach in their marketing. “This type of research is useful for product testing, product development, allocation of budget and also our own internal understanding,” said Kaila. “The golden rule of marketing is that you don’t assume that you are your consumer.”

Andrew Myers, CEO of ProGrowTech, a company that builds high-end lighting solutions for large-scale grow operations emphasized the importance of research for his company as they move into direct-to-consumer sales and unveil new products for 2019.

Brands that are able to gather feedback from their customers in order to improve their products and marketing are the ones that will survive and emerge as leaders in the industry. “People are invested in this space because they believe in it, and they’re passionate about it,” said Jacqueline Rosales.

Read Another Cannabis News Release – Age, Gender Play a Role in Cannabis Consumer Habits