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A selection of past consulting and industry collaboration projects can be found below.
PureGym aimed to strengthen the accuracy and confidence of its site selection decisions for the Swiss market. Traditional demographic data lacked the necessary granularity, limiting the ability to fully understand local fitness consumption patterns, neighborhood-level catchments, and competitive dynamics. The challenge was to integrate higher-resolution data and behavioral insights into an existing, proprietary site selection tool.
IBT-HSG developed an enhanced catchment analysis approach combining empirical research and advanced spatial analytics tailored to the local context.
The solution included a full audit of local demographic, population, and income data sources and an assessment of sub-commune granularity (hectare grids, statistical sectors, micro-geographies).
This mixed-methods design supported a more behaviorally informed understanding of where and how potential members live.
The project delivers:
• A clearer picture of catchment dynamics across major urban centers.
• More accurate population and income estimates at very fine geographic levels.
• Increased confidence in investment decisions and market expansion.
By improving data quality and behavioral precision, PureGym gains a more reliable foundation for selecting high-performing sites.
As smart devices and AI tools continue to transform households, companies need reliable, representative insights into how consumers perceive, adopt, and interact with these technologies. However, existing data on Swiss consumers is fragmented, outdated, or lacks behavioral depth. The challenge was to generate a comprehensive, longitudinal understanding of smart product perceptions, usage patterns, and emerging AI tool adoption across Switzerland.
Together with Vorwerk, we conducted the Smart Products Report, now in its third edition.
This included:
The study offers a data-rich and methodologically robust view of how technology integrates into Swiss households.
The Smart Products Report provides a holistic understanding of Swiss consumers’ engagement with smart devices and presents clear trends illustrating how perceptions and behaviors evolve over time.
This makes the Smart Products Report one of Switzerland’s leading resources on consumer–technology interaction.
Selected Insights
Detailed Report
The detailed report can be purchased as part of the Swiss Consumer Studies.
https://www.ibt.unisg.ch/research/key-research-projects/smart-products-report/
Kärcher sought to understand how AI-driven autonomous products influence usage behavior and subjective well-being.
We designed a large-scale field study using AI-enabled robot vacuums — one of the most widely adopted autonomous household technologies.
The solution combined:
This enabled a comprehensive picture of how time-saving technologies are used in natural environments and how they influence users’ well-being.
The project delivers:
Real-world insights into how autonomous products integrate into daily routines
