Is Your 2025 Research Strategy Still Aligned With Your Business Goals?

This June marks a midway point to achieve those 2025 goals you set with your team in Q1. Are you asking the right questions, in the right ways, to meet your goals for the second half of 2025? Let’s find out. 

Business priorities evolve quickly, and the research strategies set in January don’t always stay aligned with where your customers (or your company) are headed. At Sage Outcomes, we call this moment the Research Health Check: a mid-year pause to evaluate whether your tools, methods, and insights are still serving your goals. Or, maybe it’s time to pivot.

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Why Mid-Year Is the Right Time to Rethink

In fast-moving industries, six months is a long time. Your customer’s mindset may have shifted. Competitive landscapes might look different. And your internal goals could be sharper, broader, or reprioritized.

The problem? Many companies keep collecting data the same way, using the same methods, even if the questions they need to be asking have changed.

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The Research Health Check: A Mid-Year Checklist

Here’s a quick, actionable framework to help brand, innovation, and strategy teams assess the state of their insights function today:

Ask yourself (and your team):

1. Are we still asking the right questions?
   Have your business objectives shifted? Are you trying to drive growth, enter a new market, or retain a specific segment? If you’re struggling with this step, make sure to download our free guide on Unlocking your own Consumer Insights, which gives you step-by-step guidance on choosing a methodology, crafting a survey, and analyzing the data.
   
   
2. Do we know what our customers are thinking now?
   Are you relying on research from Q4 2024 or early this year? If so, what might have changed?
   
   
3. Are our tools still effective?
   Are your current methods (trackers, focus groups, panels) capturing real behavior and emerging needs or just reinforcing what you already know? Not sure - reach out to our team for a free consultation call.
   
   
4. Is speed or depth a priority right now?
   Could lean qualitative methods, agile surveys, or hybrid approaches help you get answers faster without sacrificing quality?
   
   
5. Do we have insight gaps?
   What decisions are you currently making without consumer input? Where could additional insight make your next move more confident?
   
   

Optimization Doesn’t Always Mean Starting Over

Revisiting your strategy doesn’t mean scrapping your roadmap. Sometimes, it’s about making small adjustments like evaluating your segmentation, adding in-the-moment qualitative questions to your checkout process, or revisiting your methodology. Smart optimization keeps you responsive and focused, without bloating budgets or slowing progress.

At Sage Outcomes, we work with leaders to align insights strategies with business priorities, making sure your questions match your moment. Whether you need to reframe your current approach or explore new methods to deepen understanding, we can help you get there.

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Ready for a Mid-Year Research Health Check?

Let’s talk about how Sage Outcomes can help you sharpen your insights strategy for the second half of the year.