Simpson Carpenter and M&S are Research Live Awards 2026 Innovation of the Year Finalists!
The MRS Award Finalists have been announced for 2026 and we are proud to share that Simpson Carpenter and M&S Fashion, Home & Beauty have been shortlisted for the Research Live Award for Innovation of the Year 2026 for our work with Quasai, our avatar-moderated research platform.
It is particularly rewarding to share this nomination with the client team who helped us put a new approach into practice. M&S brought a clear commercial challenge and the openness to explore a different way of understanding its customers.
Using Quasai, we explored the occasions people were buying footwear for, the choices they made and the compromises they would accept. Conversations helped unpack broad descriptions such as ‘stylish’ and ‘comfortable’, revealing how customers’ expectations changed depending on what they needed their footwear to do.
The findings helped the team move from category-led to occasion-led thinking about growth. Researchers shaped the conversations, checked the evidence and worked with M&S to turn the learning into a useful picture of customer needs.
A huge thank you to Benedict Kenney, Paul Burditt, and the M&S Fashion, Home & Beauty team for their trust, collaboration and generosity in sharing the work with the wider industry, and to everyone at Simpson Carpenter who contributed. And congratulations to our fellow finalist, Appinio.
The winner will be announced at the MRS Awards on 7 December 2026.
