This episode of Now That’s Significant, a market research podcast, welcomes AiCi Li, Director of Futures Lab at Mars. This episode explores AiCi’s career journey, her transition from traditional market research to a shopper-centric approach, and her insights on the evolving retail landscape. AiCi discusses her non-linear career path, highlighting the importance of serendipity, embracing opportunities outside of one's comfort zone, and the value of strong mentors. She delves into her current role at Mars, where she leads a team focused on bringing the 'outside in' and the 'future back' to drive innovation in the retail and marketing space.

Five key points discussed are:

1. The importance of balancing consumer and customer centricity when innovating in retail.

2. Understanding both front-end and back-end innovation to ensure successful implementation.

3. The need for cross-functional collaboration, bringing together expertise from marketing, sales, and insights.

4. The importance of human insights alongside data, recognizing that data alone lacks context and emotion.

5. The evolving landscape of retail, with marketplaces and platforms gaining dominance while physical retail still holds a place for experiential shopping.

One thing for listeners to consider whilst listening to this episode, is how can businesses effectively leverage AI and data analytics while maintaining a human-centric approach to retail?

Tune in to future episodes for more insights and discussions on the latest trends in market research. Subscribe to Now That’s Significant on your preferred podcast platform and share it with your network. Your reviews and feedback are greatly appreciated as we continue to explore the ever-evolving world of market research, plus its impact on business decisions and ultimately the consumer.

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