Press Release
October 26, 2026
Better questions. Smarter methods. Practical insights.
On November 4, DataDiggers returns to Esomar Connect Bucharest as a Gold Sponsor, joining Romania’s market research and insights community at the Sheraton Hotel for a day of fresh perspectives, meaningful conversations and new ideas.
This year, we are also taking the stage together with Auto Car Group to share new research on the automotive service market and a simple idea that is easy to overlook: better research does not always have to mean more complicated research.
To celebrate Esomar Connect 2026, we’re offering exclusive discounts across our research solutions:
💡 15% OFF your first project this quarter when using Syntheo, Modeliq, or Correlix, our AI-driven engines for synthetic personas, forecasting, and data generation.
📊 15% OFF all NeoPulse Barometer subscriptions and reports for Q2 & Q3 2026, covering U.S. adoption and perceptions of emerging technologies.
📈 10% OFF any traditional research project, sample-only or full-service, commissioned before January 31, 2027.
👉 Contact our team during the event or send us a message to learn more.
Our Research & Insights Manager, Liviu-Teodor Micu, will join Lukas Ionescu from Auto Car Group to present:
The research started from two very real business challenges in the premium automotive service market: customer acquisition and workforce-related challenges. Rather than approaching them with unnecessary complexity, the study looked for practical ways to make better use of the data available.
One of the central questions was deceptively simple:
What makes customers choose an auto service provider, and is that the same thing that makes them return?
The answer turned out to be more nuanced.
Traditional satisfaction measures provide useful information, but they do not always reveal the complete picture.
For example, the research explored factors such as work quality, price, turnaround time, staff friendliness, paperwork assistance, waiting time and the availability of a replacement car, and examined how these relate to both recommendation and likelihood to return.
A standard regression initially suggested that price played the strongest role in recommendation, followed by turnaround time and work quality. But looking at the same data through different analytical approaches revealed additional layers in how service attributes actually influence customer behaviour.
When the focus shifted to return likelihood, work quality became considerably more important, while other attributes behaved differently depending on whether they were meeting a basic expectation or actually creating additional value for the customer.
The study also revisited the factors customers consider when choosing an auto service provider.
In 2024, respondents rated a long list of individual attributes by importance. For 2026, we approached the same question differently, using a MaxDiff exercise to force clearer choices between what matters most and what matters least.
The results placed quality and durability of service and repair work at the top, followed by workmanship warranty, genuine replacement parts and price.
Adding a simple anchoring question brought even more clarity: which attributes are genuinely mandatory, rather than simply desirable?
The answer was striking. Work quality and durability stood apart as the clear must-have, while the remaining attributes behaved more like nice-to-have factors to varying degrees.
And that is one of the main ideas behind the session.
Sometimes you want to move beyond basic research methods. But that does not automatically mean choosing the most sophisticated or expensive technique available.
A solid, pragmatic approach can often provide exactly the clarity a business needs, while saving both resources and unnecessary complexity.
As the presentation concludes: you cannot always get the data you want, but you can make the most of the data you have. And luckily, it does not always have to be complicated.
Esomar Connect 2026 brings together researchers, insight professionals and business leaders to exchange ideas and explore how research can respond to an increasingly fragmented world.
📅 November 4, 2026
📍 Sheraton Hotel, Bucharest
💻 Hybrid event
👉 Register for Esomar Connect 2026
We’re proud to once again support Esomar Connect and look forward to meeting clients, partners, researchers and fellow industry professionals throughout the day.
At DataDiggers, we believe technology should make research more effective, not more complicated.
From proprietary panels and traditional quantitative and qualitative research to AI-assisted research and decision-making tools, our goal is to help businesses reach better answers faster while maintaining the quality and trust that good research depends on.
The same philosophy sits at the heart of our Esomar Connect presentation: use the right method for the question, make the most of the information available, and keep complexity where it genuinely adds value.
Meet the DataDiggers team at Esomar Connect Bucharest 2026 and join Liviu-Teodor Micu and Lukas Ionescu for “Pit Stop: From Operational Challenges to Opportunities.”
Let’s exchange ideas, talk research and discover how everyday business challenges can become new opportunities.
📩 Better insights start here.
Contact us to discover how we can support your next research project.
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