The Insights Lighthouse Davos Event on January 21, 2025, brought together a global community of insight professionals to explore the evolving role of data-driven decision-making in shaping business strategy. The event underscored a shift from traditional data reporting to a more strategic, people-centric approach—where insights are not just informing decisions, but actively driving change.
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From Order-Taker to Change-Maker
One of the key discussions at Davos was how insight professionals are transitioning from data reporters to strategic advisors. Rather than simply responding to business questions, they are now influencing the future direction of their organizations. This requires a shift in mindset—from delivering reports to driving meaningful, forward-looking conversations.
To support this transformation, companies are embracing AI-powered tools that help streamline data analysis while allowing insight professionals to focus on strategy. Solutions like Behaviorally’s Pack.AI™ enable teams to evaluate packaging concepts earlier, optimizing design decisions with greater efficiency. Similarly, our PackPower Score provides a predictive metric for in-market success, helping brands make more informed choices before launching products.
Together, these advancements empower insight professionals to shift from reactive analysis to proactive strategy, ensuring businesses make smarter decisions with greater confidence and speed.
The Power of Divergent Thinking
A major theme at Davos was the importance of challenging assumptions and embracing multiple perspectives. Competitive intelligence is no longer just about analyzing existing market trends—it’s about anticipating the next wave of change. This means looking beyond immediate data points and considering broader cultural, technological, and societal shifts.
By integrating qualitative insights with AI-driven analysis, brands can gain a more holistic understanding of consumer needs and market dynamics. Forward-thinking organizations are already leveraging AI to process unstructured data from focus groups and social media to uncover emerging trends before they fully materialize.
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Human Insight as a Superpower
While AI continues to revolutionize the insights industry, speakers at Davos reinforced that human creativity, intuition, and empathy remain irreplaceable. AI excels at processing large datasets, but it lacks the ability to truly understand human emotion, context, and motivation. The most impactful insights still come from blending AI’s efficiency with human expertise.
For example, AI-powered qualitative tools like Behaviorally’s GLADYS help researchers rapidly analyze vast amounts of consumer feedback. However, it is the human interpretation of this data that provides the deeper, more nuanced understanding needed to create compelling shopper strategies.
Collaboration and People-Centricity
Another key takeaway from Davos was the importance of breaking down silos within organizations. Insight professionals can no longer work in isolation—effective decision-making requires cross-functional collaboration. By embedding insights into every stage of product development, marketing, and retail strategy, businesses can create more impactful, consumer-centric solutions.
More than ever, brands must view consumers not just as data points but as people with complex behaviors and emotions. This shift towards a people-first approach ensures that insights lead to real-world impact, fostering stronger connections between brands and their audiences.
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Trust and Empathy in Decision-Making
Finally, trust emerged as a critical theme at Davos—not only in consumer relationships but also in internal decision-making processes. In an era where misinformation and AI-generated content are on the rise, brands must be more intentional about how they build and maintain trust.
By focusing on ethical data collection, transparency, and empathetic storytelling, organizations can create insights that do more than just inform—they inspire confidence and drive long-term value. As the role of insights continues to expand, professionals must prioritize understanding consumers not just as buyers, but as individuals with evolving needs, values, and emotions.
Looking Ahead
The Insights Davos 2025 Event reinforced that the future of insights is about actionable intelligence, strategic foresight, and a balance between AI and human expertise. As the industry continues to evolve, embracing new technologies while staying grounded in human understanding will be key to success.
At Behaviorally, we are committed to empowering brands with the tools and expertise they need to navigate this transformation.
Contact us today to learn how our AI-powered solutions can help you optimize your shopper marketing strategies and drive impactful business decisions.
THE AUTHOR
Adeline Adam is the Vice President of Customer Success for Behaviorally, based in Switzerland, with extensive market research experience (20+ years) mostly focusing on consulting global clients in the FMCG/CPG sector. Throughout her 15-year career journey with NielsenIQ BASES, she worked across all different types of quantitative research ranging from concept testing, concept-product testing to volume forecasting for most of the big FMCG clients out there (Ferrero, P&G, Mondelez...). To add to her quant profile, Adeline also worked as free-lance moderator for qualitative studies in France.
Throughout her career Adeline moved around Europe: the UK, Spain, France and more recently Switzerland which makes her a true European citizen. She speaks French, English, Spanish & Italian fluently. Adeline joined Behaviorally as VP for Customer Success for Switzerland in April 2021 and has developed trusted advisor relationships with some of the world’s greatest brands ever since.
