ResTech is booming.
The market is full of smart, innovative companies building powerful tools that are shaping the future of research. There’s more choice than ever, and that’s a good thing.
And I want to be crystal clear that I am a big fan of it.
But with so much growth, are too many companies focusing on the same things?
Faster insights. AI-powered automation. Seamless workflows. These are all valuable, but when so many platforms offer similar promises, how do buyers decide? More importantly, where does that leave the future of ResTech?
📢 The next big ResTech innovation won’t be a feature. It will be a mindset.
The companies that define the next era of research won’t just build better dashboards or automate workflows. They’ll be the ones that challenge how research is applied to clients’ service models, integrated, and valued.
This isn’t about saying ResTech is in trouble – oh god no. It’s about recognising the huge opportunity to think beyond features and push the industry forward in a way that actually matters.
🤔 What ResTech Can Learn from Other Industries
ResTech isn’t the first industry to experience rapid growth followed by a sea of sameness. Brand marketing, creative strategy, and product innovation have all gone through this cycle. The ones that broke through didn’t just add more features.
▶️ They changed how people thought about their industry.
So what lessons can ResTech take from them?
Instead of focusing on:
🚫 “AI-powered insights in real time!”
What does that even mean? AI is powerful, but without clarity on how it actually improves decision-making, it becomes just another feature. Many buyers are still unsure how AI helps them, what specific problems it solves, and what kind of ROI they can expect. The real opportunity isn’t in claiming AI as a selling point. It’s in explaining how AI enhances research in a practical, measurable way.
🚫 “All your research in one seamless platform!”
Seamless for whom? The way researchers work is complex. Platforms need to show how they integrate with real workflows instead of making vague claims about ease of use.
🚫 “Turn data into action fast!”
Speed is great, but speed without insight is just noise. Instead of just being faster, ResTech companies need to show how their tools actually help teams make better decisions.
What if more companies focused on:
✅ A clear philosophy about how research should evolve
✅ A deep understanding of who they are for and who they aren’t for
✅ Real-world application beyond just speed and automation
If a ResTech company disappeared tomorrow, would anyone truly miss it? That is the real test of whether a company has built something meaningful.
🧠 If ResTech is Disrupting Agencies, What’s Stopping Agencies from Disrupting ResTech?
The next big disruptor in research might not be a ResTech company at all.
There is plenty of talk about how ResTech is changing the way agencies operate. But ResTech isn’t untouchable either.
- DIY research is growing. Brands no longer need to rely on external platforms when they can build or customise their own research tools using no-code solutions and white-label software.
- The next wave of ResTech won’t look like the last. The companies that thrive won’t be the ones with the most automation but the ones that rethink how research fits into decision-making.
- New players will come from unexpected places. AI and automation are lowering the barriers to entry, meaning competition won’t just come from other ResTech companies. It could come from agencies, tech start-ups, or even creative industries (my bet is on the latter).
If ResTech companies don’t move beyond the current features race, they could be overtaken. Not just by new competitors but by their own customers.
👀 So What’s Next? The Future of ResTech is More Than Just Tech
The ResTech companies that thrive in the future won’t be the ones with the longest feature list. They’ll be the ones shaping how research itself evolves.
🚀 A Clear Philosophy About How Research Should Evolve
What is the bigger picture? Should research be more agile? More human-led? More experimental? The strongest companies won’t just provide tools. They’ll advocate for a new way of thinking.
💡 A Deep Understanding of Application and Use Cases
Too many platforms focus on what they can do rather than what they should do. The future of ResTech belongs to companies that truly understand the researchers using their tools. Not just offering broad functionality but designing for real-world challenges.
🎯 Real-World Impact Beyond Features
Automation and AI can be great, but they don’t replace human intelligence. The most valuable ResTech companies will be the ones that help researchers think differently, solve complex problems, and drive smarter decisions. Not just deliver data faster.
🔍 Learning from Creative Strategy and Brand Marketing
Some of the best innovation in research isn’t coming from within research at all. The future of ResTech will be influenced by how brand strategists, creatives, and product teams think about storytelling, positioning, and differentiation.
📢 Final Thought: The Next Wave of ResTech Won’t Just Be About Data
Right now, the industry is at a crossroads. Some companies will keep adding features, hoping to stay ahead in an increasingly crowded space. Others will take a step back and think bigger.
So here is the real question:
- What do we stand for beyond our software?
- How can we contribute to the research industry in a meaningful way? This is a question for everyone, not just ResTech pioneers.
- What can we learn from other industries to create a stronger future for ResTech?
The next wave of ResTech won’t be defined by faster insights or better automation. It will be shaped by the companies that bring something more.
A new way of thinking, a stronger perspective, and a clearer sense of purpose.
