Insights Association feature: Moving beyond vibes in sample supplier selection

In a recent article for the Insights Association, Cassandra Fawson, head of Client Success at Data Quality Co-op, addresses a credibility gap in the market research industry: how we choose sample suppliers.

In "From vibes to verification: Why it’s time to stop choosing sample suppliers like it’s 1999," Cassandra explains that while researchers demand rigor in methodologies and analytics, supplier selection is still often based on anecdotes, personal familiarity, or “vibes.” This lack of standardized metrics makes sourcing decisions inconsistent and difficult to defend.

The article makes the case for a more data-driven approach—using scrub rates, duplications, attention checks, and satisfaction scores to create comparable benchmarks across vendors. Cassandra argues that just as we would never accept “gut feel” as the basis for an insight, it shouldn’t be acceptable in supplier sourcing either.

As our industry faces rising fraud, hard-to-reach audiences, and emerging synthetic data challenges, the need for consistent standards and transparency has never been greater. Here at Data Quality Co-op, we’re focused on building the infrastructure to support these changes and help teams move beyond guesswork to measurable, trustworthy decisions.

For anyone making decisions about sample sourcing, Cassandra’s article is an important read. Read the full article here: From vibes to verification: Why it’s time to stop choosing sample suppliers like it’s 1999.