Recollective at the Asia Digital Insights Summit: How Technology is Elevating Research in Asia-Pacific

At the inaugural Asia Digital Insights Summit, Nick Yeung from Recollective took the virtual stage to explore how digital innovation is reshaping qualitative research in the Asia-Pacific region. From shifting consumer behaviors to cutting-edge research tools, Nick highlighted how Recollective supports researchers in navigating an increasingly complex market landscape. Here’s a look at the key insights Nick shared.

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The Changing Face of Consumer Research

Nick opened by acknowledging the rapid economic and social shifts in Asia-Pacific. Consumers in the region are becoming “value hackers”—savvy shoppers who rely on digital platforms not only to browse but to outsmart retailers and find the best deals. This trend has made data collection more abundant yet more challenging to decode.

Despite advancements in big data, many organizations are overwhelmed by superficial insights and noisy, untrustworthy data. Nick reminded the audience, however, that the heart of qualitative research is conversations—asking the right questions to the right people at the right time.

Recollective: Built for Meaningful Insights

Nick reflected on Recollective’s evolution from its early beginnings in enterprise collaboration to its 2011 launch as a platform built specifically for qualitative research. Today, top research agencies, global brands, and independent researchers trust the Recollective Guided Discovery Platform.

The platform’s flexibility allows it to support studies of all sizes—ranging from small focus groups to long-term research communities with thousands of respondents. Recollective’s ability to support over 27 languages, including regional languages like Tagalog, Hindi and Thai, ensures that studies resonate across diverse cultural contexts.

Elevating Qualitative Research with Powerful Tools

One of the presentation’s highlights was Nick’s demonstration of Recollective’s comprehensive research tools. The platform seamlessly integrates traditional methods—like live focus groups and interviews—with dynamic task-based asynchronous activities. Researchers can create custom exercises to gather deeper insights through multimedia uploads, concept testing and consumer journey mapping.

A standout feature of Recollective is its user-friendly customization. From adjusting color schemes to uploading unique terms of agreement, researchers can design studies that reflect their brand and meet local research norms.

AI-Powered Research: Faster, Smarter, More Scalable

Nick emphasized the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in making qualitative research more efficient:

  • AI Themes and Ask AI: These features streamline data analysis by automatically tagging key themes, emotions and sentiments across text, video and audio responses. Researchers can ask AI-driven questions to summarize feedback, identify trends and compare audience segments—all in real time.
  • Dynamic Filters and Visualizations: Heat maps, interactive charts and annotated timelines help researchers visualize key findings and make data more digestible for stakeholders.

This technology allows researchers to focus more on storytelling and strategy instead of manual data processing.

A Unified Research Experience

Nick also showcased Recollective Connect, a solution designed to bridge qualitative and quantitative research to leverage communities for rapid insights and rich data collection. Researchers can use Connect to create cohesive workflows by integrating external tools or consolidating all research within Recollective.

Recollective’s discussion board feature also provides a space for participants to engage in public conversations, fostering a sense of community while generating rich qualitative feedback.

Strengthening Support in Asia-Pacific

In a show of commitment to researchers and brands in the region, Nick announced Recollective’s latest milestone: the opening of a new office in Sydney, Australia. This move will provide local support and ensure faster response times for researchers across Asia-Pacific. Nick is relocating from Canada to lead this initiative, reflecting Recollective’s dedication to empowering regional partnerships.

Driving Insights Forward

Nick closed his presentation with a forward-looking message: while AI and machine learning continue to enhance the research process, meaningful conversations will remain the core of qualitative research. With tools designed to foster real connections and actionable insights, Recollective helps researchers turn data into impactful stories that guide smarter decisions.

As the research landscape evolves, Recollective is committed to supporting researchers at every step of their journey. Whether you're leading a global brand study or a local focus group, Recollective’s innovative platform ensures that you can conduct high-quality research, make informed decisions and stay connected to the people who matter most.

Platform Demo

In this clip from the presentation, Nick demos some of the Recollective platform features. For the full webinar, check-out the on-demand version on Insight Platforms now.

To learn more about how Recollective can support your research, get in touch today!

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