Consumer panel enhancement in India completed

IMRB International and Kantar Worldpanel complete the enhancement of its consumer panel in India

Following the announcement of IMRB International and Kantar Worldpanel’s strategic tie up in October 2013, both companies have confirmed today the successful enhancement of their consumer panel in India to provide clients with increased insight into Indian consumers.

IMRB International and Kantar Worldpanel’s consumer panel in India is now made up of 79,400 households - 10,000 new households have been added. This increase of sample size enables separate reporting of new states such as Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, as well as better representation of the ‘Elite households’ in towns with a population over one million. It is the first panel in India to use insight drawn from the 2011 Census and to use the socio-economic category consumer classification released by the Market Research Society of India. The new panel uses more granular category definitions, international best practices offering clients integration of India data into their regional and global servicing. All these improvements will help IMRB International and Kantar Worldpanel deliver more accurate and more contemporary insight for clients.

Following this enhancement, the consumer panel traditionally known as MarketPulse will be rebranded into Kantar Worldpanel. Since its creation in 1981, MarketPulse has been the authoritative barometer of changing purchase patterns in the country. The new branding will connect the Indian consumer panel with the global network of panel services operated by Kantar Worldpanel in Europe, Asia, Latin America, Middle East and Africa.

“The new service will help our partners better realise the new world of insights now available to them through the alliance with the consumer panel leader Kantar Worldpanel. Many shoppers’ trends currently happening in India have been tracked by Kantar Worldpanel elsewhere across the globe, which provides additional understanding to anticipate future shopper and consumer behaviour” said Hemant Mehta, Senior Vice President at IMRB International.

Andy Parkinson, Development Director, India at Kantar Worldpanel adds: “India offers tremendous opportunities for global brands that want to play a role in the development of a huge market which is undergoing rapid socio-economic change. We want to help our clients to take advantage of these opportunities which is why we chose India as a priority market to invest in. Our alliance with market leader IMRB International helps us to provide improved insights into Indian consumers for global brands as well as global context for Indian brands wanting to grow at home or abroad.”