Nestle sustainability chatbot research project wins industry award

Nestlé Australia and InSites Consulting's chatbot research experiment has just secured top honours at the Australian Market and Social Research Society (AMSRS) national conference, winning the Best Paper Award. 

The food manufacturer conducted the chatbot research experiment, together with the Australian branch of the insights agency, examining consumer attitudes to waste and recycling. The qualitative research experiment deployed two similar studies to two similar groups: One moderated by an experienced qualitative researcher, while the other was moderated by a fit-for-purpose chat bot.

The research aimed to yield business relevant insights, while also exploring the potential of bringing bot moderation to qualitative research. 

Nestle said the pioneering research using new methodologies was efficient and effective and a step towards dealing with waste, one of the biggest sustainability issues the world is facing today.

“We are committed to finding improved solutions to increase recyclability of our packaging,” said corporate programs and sponsorship manager at Nestlé Australia, Rashna Shroff. “Technology has a significant role to play in addressing the sustainability challenge, including helping us to produce insights as we work towards achieving our commitment.”  

The hybrid chat-human research focused on looking for ways to encourage consumers to recycle, in line with Nestlé’s commitment to making 100 per cent of its packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025. As part of this initiative, the food manufacturer created the Nestlé Institute of Packaging Sciences, dedicated to researching and developing of functional, safe and environmentally friendly packaging solutions.

InSites said the analysis of the experiment shows bots and humans can be an effective combination for qualitative research. 

Bots functioning as moderator assistants can be deployed for “collecting data and revealing the first layer of information, which allows the human moderator to focus on digging deeper into the bot’s findings, connecting the dots and leading to richer and deeper insights,” said InSites Consulting Australia business director, Stijn Poffé.

“While digital research communities have been one of the biggest disruptions to our industry, we believe that there is another game-changer lurking around the corner: chat,” said Poffé.

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