The Evolution of Qualitative Research to Support Strategic Decision-Making

Authored by: Anna Tapson 

In today’s budget-constrained environment, healthcare leaders are demanding demonstrable value and fast, actionable insights. All too often, qualitative research gets sidelined in favor of data-heavy quantitative methods.

“We need numbers, not anecdotes!” demands the senior leadership team.

And it can be a hard argument to defend. Under pressure, healthcare leaders want demonstrable value, and in this climate, qualitative research can get the short end of the stick. Compared to its quantitative counterpart, it may be seen as delivering less “bang for its buck” – often involving smaller sample sizes and requiring more time to complete.

With quantitative research, clients can use dashboards to manipulate the data as they wish and integrate it with other data sources. By comparison, qualitative research may be seen to offer less longevity and usability than quantitative methods.

However, we see things differently. We’re witnessing an evolution to a more flexible, scalable and agile type of qual that’s delivering in terms of flexibility, speed to insight and strategic decision-making.

How Agile Qualitative Research Supports Global Pharma Campaigns  

Here is a great example of what we mean from a project we recently conducted.

When a leading pharmaceutical company approached us to support a global brand campaign across dermatological indications, they needed insights that could move as fast as their competition. The brief was ambitious: deliver high-quality, culturally attuned insights across six markets in just two weeks. Immediately, we knew we would need to employ AI tools to help meet this demand for speed and quality.

We were challenged to complete nearly 200 in-depth interviews, embedding 15-minute quant surveys within the 60-minute qual discussions, and had to adapt to last-minute changes in client stimuli, all while meeting tight segmentation quotas and coordinating back-to-back virtual sessions across time zones.

In just seven days, we completed over 80% of the total sample, which meant that in under two weeks, we were able to deliver an almost-final global report, enabling the client to begin making campaign decisions before fieldwork was even complete. And we did it without compromising on quality, rigor, or respondent experience.

Behind the scenes, our operations team deployed a participant-centric, agile operating model. AI-assisted translation, quality checked by multilingual researchers, ensured linguistic precision across multiple languages. A real-time analysis tracker accelerated insight capture. Daily catch-ups with key teams and sprint-style reporting cycles kept the project moving at pace. The result? Transformative insights delivered with urgency and insights that directly shaped the final campaign direction.

Client stakeholders called the work “impressive” and “very insightful”, the creative agency gained critical lead time to refine messaging and, most importantly, the research provided the strategic clarity needed to cut through a crowded, competitive landscape.

This is just one example of how modern qualitative research creates tangible business value. While quant tells us what is happening and to whom, qual tells us why – why patients resist a treatment, why a message resonates, why a behavior changes. That layer of insight is often where strategic decisions are made.

Why Combining Qualitative and Quantitative Research Yields Better Strategy

In any case, the argument shouldn’t really be about qual versus quant; good market research is about applying the right methodology to address the business need.

Sometimes, a qualitative component can really elevate a quant study – we have seen the power of this in action. For example, our client couldn’t understand why one of their brands was suffering with lower-than-expected market share. After the quantitative phase revealed suspected low awareness wasn’t the problem, qualitative interviews were used to dig into the real reasons why and discovered a clinically relevant target patient group wasn’t being adequately exploited. As a result, our delighted client was shown a clear strategy for building market share within that segment.

In this regard, traditional rules still apply. Quant gives you scale, patterns, and trend data, qual tells you why and how to act on them. The true value is in the insights that allow you to make confident, informed decisions that move your strategy forward. In today’s complex global healthcare landscape, that often means going beyond the numbers – using qualitative research to listen more closely, understand more deeply, and consequently, act decisively.

The Future of Qualitative Healthcare Research 

In today’s complex, global healthcare environment, strategic clarity often comes from understanding not just patterns, but motivations. Qualitative research – especially when paired with AI tools is faster, more scalable, and more valuable than ever before.

If you’re looking to make smarter, faster decisions through deeper understanding, qualitative research may be your best next move. 

Interested in learning more about how we’re using AI in qualitative healthcare research?
Contact us to explore how we can help you deliver smarter insights.