CEO Monthly Reflection October 2026: An Era of “Infinite” Demand in Sample?

By: Terence McCarron, CEO & Founder

“I don’t need to sell more surveys. You need more supply.” 

That’s a direct quote we heard on a recent vendor vetting call. These guys are programmatic wholesalers, with zero interest in servicing market researchers. 

I couldn’t think of a line that more perfectly encapsulates the different worlds that buyers and sellers occupy today in today’s landscape.  Who exactly is competing?

Unlimited Demand

We monitor supply trends across the programmatic sample world.  When sub-supplier volume starts changing, we dig in.  When there’s a new name trending up, we run them through our direct vetting process.

In the first 10 minutes of our call, our contact casually dropped the above nugget. He went on to further explain: “I don’t need more work. Demand is infinite. What I care about is conversion (rate).”

Every day in our industry, countless bids pass back and forth between MR agencies and sample vendors either in tools or email. The daily rhythm would suggest buyers believe they are hosting an open competition for their work.  Comparing feasibility and CPIs on spreadsheets, working vendors down to the lowest price point. Securing better margins.

What if it’s all theater?  The same vendors win no matter who you choose. 

What this competition means for the MRA

What if the real competition is not the buyer choosing a vendor, but the researcher’s survey vying for traffic?  That would have to change the calculus, right? 

What if the major determinant for getting your quotas filled came down to things like:

• The vendor’s profitability
• Ease of repurposing a monetization event, and
• Low friction (aka minimal quality removals)

How would your behavior change in this reality?  Your survey design?   Your quotas?  Your data quality approach?

That situation would have to turn everything upside down, right?  It would also explain many frustrating conversations with vendors along the way. 

Like it or not, every project has to be prepped for the programmatic dynamics. This is why we have built our tech, team, and mindset to help your projects WIN in this ‘infinite’ competitor universe. 

If you want more from your CPI, hit us up for a deeper dive on your project needs.