“Definitely deep learning – a topic within artificial intelligence research. It was the big buzzword in 2015 for the data science community – and it is set to go mainstream in a big way. It describes a new family of machine-learning algorithms based on neural networks. Their architecture and design enables them to learn abstract, not just specific features. The applications are manifold, but image recognition and natural language processing are being transformed through deep learning algorithms.” Frank Hedler, director of advanced analytics, Simpson Carpenter

“That buzzwords come and go indicates their value. I’ll stick to the classic of critical reasoning. And X Factor.” Zakaria Haeri, research development lead, dunnhumby

“Superforecasting – absolutely the book of the year. The work of Philip Tetlock is, I believe, going to have a big impact on market research in the future. People will be talking about his techniques and how they can be applied in our industry in the coming year.” Jon Puleston, vice-president of Innovation, Lightspeed GMI

“I’m not a fan of it but for me it could well be agile. It’s come out of the software development world and is now being used in research as an excuse for work that is unplanned, on the hoof, seat of pants. There is always a place for inspiration and creativity, but it’s important there’s a strategic element too.” Andrew Wiseman, managing director, ICM Limited

“Wearables. Technology is nearly at the stage where wearables can be of real value to people rather than just early adopters who view them as an expensive novelty.” Richard Wareing, CEO and co-founder,ResearchExchange.com

“Real-time. The technology exists, but it’s a case of clients finding the correct focus/application for generating in-the-moment insights from their customers.” Virginia Monk, managing director, Network Research

“Integration – in terms of links to build a measurement solution.” Andy Brown, CEO, Kantar Media

“I’ve got my money on growth hacking and micromarketing.” Annie Pettit, chief research officer, Peanut Labs

“It’s been around a while in technology circles but I think Internet of Things will become a more commonly used term for marketers as we start to explore how we can use data from the vast range of devices which are now being hooked up to the internet to create news insights and opportunities for clients.” David Day, president and global CEO, Lightspeed GMI

“Brexit (though I hope not).” Deborah Mattinson, founding director, BritainThinks

Tomorrow is our final preview article and offers up what success will look like in 2016