6th Annual General Meeting of the Market Research Association

The Market Research Association held its 6th annual meeting on August 22, 2025. It was attended by Central Executive Committee members, MRA members, representatives from the Central Statistical Organization, professors from NMDC, and the ESOMAR World Research Myanmar Representative and invited guests, totaled 110 participants attended.

MRA Secretary Daw Mi May Phyu Phyu Sin delivered the annual report and financial statement. She listed the MRA’s achievements in recent years, starting with the MRA’s inauguration in 2018, the signing of the ESOMAR-MRA Partnership Agreement in 2019, renewal of the partnership agreement in 2024 and the MRA’s training and research initiatives. She also presented the list of CECs and activities for 2024-2026. To accomplish the MRA’s goals, four working committees are in the process of being established in the next two years. She concluded the first half of the general meeting by presenting the MRA’s financial statement, and continued onto the knowledge sharing session.

Four speakers discussed on the topics of ESOMAR’s A look into Insight Industry, Social Indicators and Social Research Landscape, Macroeconomic Indicator and Industry Research Landscape and Consumer Insight.

1. Ms. Marita, ESOMAR Myanmar Representative presented “A look into Insight Industry” Her presentation included market size of Global Insight Industry worth US$ 130 billion,  main sectors of the Insight Industry, some findings of Global Users and Buyers Insight 2025 survey by ESOMAR, what Market Research agency should do for clients in priorities 1) Strategic and Actionable Insight, 2) Understand/Partner with clients, 3) Recruitment and data quality and the top 10 Fastest Growing Markets in Asia and Pacific Region. Afterwards she explained about ESOMAR in Action such as launching ICC/ESOMAR Code of Conducts -From data sourcing to algorithmic accountability, the revised Code sets global standards for the responsible use of AI in research and insights and members should download and study it. Later Patron U Moe Kyaw, Vice Chairman U Kyaw Hlaing and CEC Dr Thuta Aung discussed on her presentation.

He discussed about key social indicators in Myanmar, social research in Myanmar, Most in demand types of social research in Myanmar in 2025 and Social Research Landscape in Myanmar in 2025. Current landscape is that;

• Despite a challenging environment, there is strong demand for research to uncover root causes and inform policy responses
• Independent institutes may engage in small-scale operations with upscale work through int’l support
• Contextual and conflict-sensitive methodologies shall be considered in data collection.
• Rigorous training and continual mentorship programs are vital for researcher safety, accurate data collection and ethical compliance

All the above will ensure sustainability and growth of social research capacity in Myanmar.

The demand for social research is expected to grow due to several factors:

• Third party monitoring: End line assessment and third-party monitoring
• Impact assessments: Impact assessments and Project MNEs on Mandalay Earthquake in affected areas
• Persistent data gaps: Reliable data remains scarce, hindering informed decision-making.
• Donor priorities: Funding is increasingly directed toward research on digital rights, gender, and marginalized groups.
• Policy relevance: Stakeholders—including UN and CSOs and some others—prioritize research whose findings inform immediate interventions, programming and advocacy.

In today’s era, filled with continuous transformations, consumers are shifting from traditional, rational decision-making patterns toward behaviors that are more emotionally driven, biased, less logical, and harder to predict.

With the rise of the digital age, consumers are increasingly showing “Phygital” behaviors that blend both physical and digital worlds. (For example – consumers search for product and service information online, but when it comes to making actual purchases, most still tend to buy offline.)

We also see the rise of Micro-Indulgences—small luxuries people pursue to bring momentary satisfaction. During times of economic hardship, when larger purchases are out of reach, consumers increasingly seek comfort in minor treats and affordable luxury items.

Youth Dominance is another defining trend: in Myanmar and much of Southeast Asia, the majority of the population is young, with urban youth aged 20–34 standing out as highly tech-savvy Digital Millennials.

However, when looking at the country as a whole, about 55% of households still fall into the category of “Value Seekers”—low-income groups that focus heavily on affordability.

From the business perspective, terms like Digital Transformation and Digital Driven are becoming more common, as companies increasingly integrate information technologies into their operations.

For the Research Industry, this shift presents both challenges and opportunities. Traditional research is declining, while businesses now demand accurate analysis of their existing data to support decision-making. This creates growing demand for Data Analytics & Reporting Services.

Experts also highlight the phrase “No AI without IA”, reminding us that without proper real input data and information architecture, we cannot expect AI to produce truly useful insights.

When analyzing consumer behavior, researchers now look beyond basic demographics (such as age, gender, occupation, and location) to include deeper psychological and behavioral characteristics.

From this, companies are building consumer personas that reflect the blending of the physical world (offline) and the digital world (online), in order to better understand and respond to the modern consumer.