---
title: "Download Customer Inside: The Ultimate Buyer's Guide to Online Communities"
description: Whether you’re an experienced user or a newcomer to online communities, navigating the current context can prove challenging. What technology? What method? What audience? What types of research? With this in mind, we’ve updated Customer Inside, our practitioner's guide to online communities.
image: https://landing.escalent.co/hubfs/Customer-Inside-Report_770x406.jpg
---

[![Escalent](https://landing.escalent.co/hs-fs/hubfs/Escalent%20Webinar%20/images/logo-watermark.png?width=73&height=100&name=logo-watermark.png "Escalent")](https://escalent.co)

[![Escalent](https://landing.escalent.co/hs-fs/hubfs/Escalent%20Webinar%20/images/logo-escalent.png?width=112&height=22&name=logo-escalent.png "Escalent")](https://escalent.co)

RESEARCH GUIDE

# Customer Inside: A buyer’s guide to online insight communities, produced by our business unit - C Space

![A buyer’s guide to online insight communities and how to make the most of them](https://landing.escalent.co/hs-fs/hubfs/Corporate/Papers/Customer%20Inside%20by%20C%20Space/C-Space-Customer-Inside_thumb.jpg?width=200&height=259&name=C-Space-Customer-Inside_thumb.jpg)

[**](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://www.linkedin.com/company/thinkescalent) [**](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://www.facebook.com/ThinkEscalent/) [**](https://twitter.com/share?url=https://twitter.com/ThinkEscalent) [**](mailto:?Subject=Simple%20Share&Body=I%20saw%20this%20and%20thought%20of%20you!%20%20https://escalent.co/)

## DOWNLOAD THE GUIDE

The online community category is still young and it's constantly disrupting itself. Unprecedented growth leads to an explosion of new terminology and technologies—innovative tools and emerging methodologies appear almost every day. Whether you’re an experienced user or a newcomer, navigating the current context can prove challenging. What technology? What method? What audience? What types of research?

With this in mind, we’ve updated Customer Inside, our practitioner's guide to online communities.

## **This report was informed by three separate pieces of original research: **

- 85 interviews with senior insight leaders from different sectors, around the world—conducted over the course of five years.
- Two global surveys collected the views and perspectives of more than 200 insight practitioners and their experiences of using online communities.
- Co-creation workshops, with over 75 client practitioners.

The Internet of Things (IoT) market has tremendous potential and is highly competitive. This white paper will help companies better understand how to connect with consumers, accelerate growth and gain a competitive product development advantage.

### What's in the report?

Based on results from our national consumer omnibus study, this white paper reveals:

- An overview of how IoT is understood among consumers
- Opportunities and barriers to IoT products
- The potential role of and desire for government regulation

Copyright © 2026 All Rights Reserved by Escalent