As the third quarter kicks off, many marketing and insights teams feel the clock ticking on planning season. Q3 is a key period when organizations begin charting their roadmaps for the coming year – outlining brand plans, product launches, and consumer strategies. Behind all of this, powerful insights are essential. To build effective strategies, businesses must understand what their consumers are doing, feeling, and expecting going forward.

But why Q3 specifically? Because by Q4, annual plans often need to be finalized. That means Q3 becomes the last viable window for gathering fresh insights, evaluating new trends, and aligning research to strategic priorities.

Key reasons Q3 demands focused insights efforts:

• Seasonal planning cycles: Brand, marketing, and innovation timelines often tie into calendar years, with Q3 being the research window before decisions are locked for Q1 execution.
• Budget considerations: Year-end budget reviews can impact what gets approved, making now the time to validate or adjust plans based on updated consumer intelligence.
• Market shifts: With consumer behavior evolving rapidly, skipping research in Q3 risks planning based on outdated assumptions. Up-to-date market insights are essential for forecasting and strategy.

Q3 also tends to stretch resources more than other quarters. Teams may be juggling multiple initiatives, wrapping up summer campaigns, and working toward aggressive planning deadlines – all while trying to fit in new research. For already lean teams, this can create pressure to cover more ground with fewer people.

That’s where the idea of market research support or temporary insights help becomes valuable. Whether through internal reallocation or tapping external resources, teams often need to expand capacity quickly. This could mean bringing in external insight professionals – like contractors, consultants, or On Demand Talent – to ensure the right questions get asked and answered at the right time.

In short, Q3 is the last chance for insights leaders to deliver consumer understanding that will shape next year’s decisions. When executed well, insights planning in this phase can empower confident, forward-looking choices that truly connect with evolving customer needs.

When consumer insights teams hit capacity just as annual planning heats up, the impact can ripple across the entire organization. From strategic delays to rushed decisions, lacking the right resources or expertise in this window often leads to missed opportunities – or worse, avoidable missteps.

So what does an insights gap look like, and why does it matter?

Common signs of insights resource gaps:

• Key research initiatives are delayed or deprioritized due to lack of time
• High-priority projects are understaffed, leading to incomplete or shallow consumer insights
• Your team lacks specific skills (e.g., quant analytics, brand tracking, segmentation) needed for a project
• Current staff are stretched across too many priorities, resulting in burnout or errors

When these issues surface during planning season, they can undermine the impact of campaigns, innovations, or strategic pivots. For example, a fictional CPG company preparing a new product launch in Q1 might enter planning meetings without recent data on evolving category behaviors. Without updates, they rely on six-month-old assumptions – and miss a key trend that would have informed their messaging.

Even when the internal team has the right long-term knowledge, they may need bandwidth to activate. That’s why many organizations look externally to solve short-term gaps with temporary market research professionals for Q3 projects. But choosing how to fill the gap matters. Some default to hiring freelancers or insights consultants, but these routes can have drawbacks:

Freelancers: While often cost-effective, freelance researchers may lack the strategic experience to challenge assumptions or guide teams at senior levels.

Traditional consultants: High expertise, but often expensive and focused on broad business consulting – not always nimble or available on short notice.

New full-time hires: Permanent roles take time to fill and train – not ideal for a fast-moving planning cycle.

By contrast, On Demand Talent offers a powerful middle ground. These professionals bring senior-level experience and can step in quickly – sometimes within days – to support insights work without long-term commitments. They’re not one-size-fits-all contractors; they’re seasoned experts chosen to match your exact needs.

Whether projects require consumer research planning, data synthesis, survey design, or stakeholder storytelling, having skilled support in place ensures insights remain a driver – not a bottleneck – during annual planning. Knowing how to cover insights roles during planning season protects the quality of decisions and protects your team from burnout in the process.

When preparing for annual planning season, many consumer insights leaders face a common dilemma: Should I bring in a freelancer, consultant, or On Demand Talent to fill short-term insights gaps? While all three options can help address resource shortages, they differ significantly in experience, flexibility, and ease of integration.

Freelancers: Flexible but Variable

Freelancers are often seen as a fast and flexible solution, especially for tactical market research support. You can find freelancers on various staffing platforms to help with tasks like survey programming or data tabulation. However, freelancer experience can vary drastically. Some may require upfront training or close oversight, delaying time to value – which is not ideal when you're racing toward Q3 insights deadlines.

Consultants: Strategic but Expensive

Independent consultants often bring strategic thinking and deep category knowledge. They typically lead or advise on big-picture initiatives but may not always provide the hands-on, embedded support needed to move day-to-day projects forward. Budget can also be a constraint – consultants charge premium rates and usually work under defined scopes of work, which may limit agility if your planning needs shift midstream.

On Demand Talent: The Right Fit for Gap-Filling

On Demand Talent strikes a balance between the flexibility of a freelancer and the expertise of a consultant. These are experienced consumer insights professionals who can immediately step into roles, whether for a few weeks or a few months. They're especially effective when:

• Your team is short-staffed and facing critical deadlines for annual planning
• You need someone who understands both strategic planning and tactical execution
• A team member is out unexpectedly and coverage is required
• You have gaps in a specialized area like qualitative research or shopper insights

Unlike freelancers, On Demand Talent are vetted experts who need little onboarding. And compared to traditional consultants, they're more hands-on and integrated into your workflow. When timing, quality, and impact matter – especially during Q3 – On Demand Talent can be the immediate bandwidth solution your insights team needs.

Annual planning season doesn't wait – and neither should your consumer learning initiatives. When you’re in the critical path of setting strategies for the year ahead, fast, reliable insights are essential. This is where On Demand Talent becomes a powerful advantage.

Immediate Access to Skilled Professionals

Unlike hiring full-time or agency solutions that take months to scope and onboard, On Demand Talent can often be matched and engaged in days or weeks. If your team is struggling with how to fill insights team gaps during annual planning, tapping into a ready pool of experienced professionals lets you act quickly without the time lag of traditional hiring.

These professionals are not generalists – they're seasoned market research experts familiar with a wide range of methodologies, audiences, and business categories.

Examples of Impact Areas (Fictional Illustrations)

Consider these hypothetical scenarios:

• An insights manager at a CPG brand facing a tight Q3 window engages On Demand Talent to lead consumer segmentation analysis – enabling quicker decision-making ahead of product roadmap planning.
• A retailer needs a short-term insights contractor to manage an end-to-end shopper journey study in September. An On Demand professional steps in to execute the project without missing a beat.
• A food company’s internal team is stretched thin and needs extra market research resources for packaging testing. On Demand Talent handles the research design, supplier coordination, and reporting – ensuring insights are ready for leadership by October.

Driving Fast, Strategic Decisions

Because On Demand Talent have run similar projects before – often in similar industries – they bring a foundational understanding that minimizes ramp-up time. That means your consumer learning doesn’t stall while you train or onboard. This speed and efficiency helps you confidently answer key planning questions like:

• How are consumer needs shifting ahead of next year’s brand strategy?
• Which products resonate most with our target segments?
• Where are the whitespace opportunities we should explore in 2025?

When paired with your core team, On Demand Talent accelerates output without adding permanent headcount, giving you the flexibility to tackle short-term projects or temporarily expand your insights capacity for the season.

Not all temporary support solutions are created equal. When filling in-market research or insights team gaps – especially during the critical Q3 planning season – it’s important to choose professionals who can hit the ground running, add immediate value, and align with your team’s rhythm.

Key Criteria for Selecting Support

Whether you’re comparing freelancers, interim consultants, or exploring On Demand Talent, here are a few key things to look for:

1. Relevant Experience and Functional Expertise

Look for professionals with direct experience in the insights functions you need help with – whether that’s designing research, interpreting shopper behavior, leading concept testing, or communicating insights to executives. On Demand Talent often specialize in areas like innovation research, brand trackers, segmentation, and more.

2. Industry Familiarity

A great cultural or category fit can shorten onboarding significantly. Someone who’s worked with similar consumer types, retail partners, or product categories will require less handholding – crucial when time is tight.

3. Strategic and Operational Balance

Ideally, your temporary insights help should be able to think strategically while also executing key deliverables. The best insights contractors can help shape the learning plan and manage the work to deliver it – that's a hallmark of high-quality On Demand professionals.

4. Speed of Integration

Time is of the essence during annual planning. Be sure your support resource is ready to jump in with minimal ramp-up. Many On Demand Talent are accustomed to working this way and can start contributing within days.

Additionally, clarity on working terms is important. Whether it’s a full-time temporary role or a fractional insights role spanning a few hours per week, define expectations early to ensure strong collaboration and output.

5. Cultural Fit and Communication Style

While expertise is essential, soft skills can make or break a temporary resource. Look for professionals who are clear communicators, proactive collaborators, and adaptable to shifting priorities – especially in a fast-paced planning environment.

Getting the right support now can prevent costly delays, gaps in your consumer learning, or rushed decision-making heading into the new year. When in doubt, start with a conversation to define your bandwidth and skill needs – and identify which type of professional best aligns with your internal culture and current challenges.