Who We Are

Shape Insight Ltd (“we”, “us”, “our”) are an independent market research agency based in the United Kingdom. Our company registration number is 15768232.

Privacy Notice

This policy applies to several different groups of people whose personal data we may hold:

  • Research participants: People who take part in our research projects, whether through interviews, focus groups, surveys, online communities, or other research methods.
  • Website visitors: People who visit our website.
  • Business contacts: People we have connected with through our business activities.

We handle personal data differently depending on which group you fall into. This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal data.

Research Participants

Most of the research we conduct involves collecting opinions, attitudes, and experiences rather than personal information. Most data we gather is aggregated — meaning results are reported at a group level and individual responses cannot be identified.

How we get your details

Your contact details may have reached us in one of the following ways:

  • Provided by the research sponsor — where you are a customer or contact of theirs and they have asked us to seek your feedback. If this applies to you, the sponsor will have informed you that your details may be shared with a research partner, or we will tell you at the point of contact.
  • Via a research recruitment agency — specialist recruiters who source participants on our behalf. We only use recruiters who operate to MRS standards.
  • From a research panel you have previously joined and consented to receive research invitations from.
  • Directly from you — for example if you have contacted us or expressed interest in taking part in research.
What we collect

Depending on the research methodology, we may collect:

  • Contact details — name, email address, phone number.
  • Demographic information — such as age, occupation, or location, where relevant to the research topic.
  • Your opinions and responses — the substance of what you share during the research.
  • Audio or video recordings — with your explicit consent, for research such as interviews, focus groups, online communities, surveys, and pre-post tasks.
  • Screen recordings — in usability or online research, with your knowledge.

Where sensitive personal data is involved — such as health information, ethnicity, or political views — we will always ask for your explicit consent before collecting it and explain clearly how it will be used.

How we use it

Your information is used to:

  • Invite and manage your participation in the research.
  • Conduct the research itself — recording and analysing your responses.
  • Report findings to our client — always in aggregated, anonymised form unless you have specifically consented to being identified.
  • Administer any incentive payment if one has been offered.

We do not use your research responses to try to sell you anything, and we will never pass your contact details to a third party for marketing purposes.

Who we share it with

During a research project, your information may be shared with:

  • The commissioning research sponsor — findings only, in anonymised and aggregated form. Individual responses are not shared back to clients without your explicit consent.
  • Research fieldwork partners — for example, transcription services, online research platforms, or viewing facilities we use to conduct or process the research. All partners are contractually bound to use your data only for the research and to keep it secure.
  • Incentive fulfilment partners — if a payment or voucher is involved.

We will tell you at the start of a project who we anticipate sharing your information with.

How long we keep it

Personal contact data used to recruit and manage participants is deleted within 12 months of the project completing, unless a longer period is required by the research sponsor or by law. Research responses are held for the same period before secure deletion.

Audio and video recordings are typically deleted within 12 months of project completion. Where a longer period is needed you will be informed of this at the time of recording.

Where you have received a payment and signed a receipt, we are required to retain that record for 7 years to meet statutory requirements.

Legal basis

We process research participant data based on legitimate interests — both ours as a research agency and the research sponsors’ interest in understanding their markets. Where we process sensitive personal data or share recordings, we seek your explicit consent. Where you are a customer of the research sponsor and they have provided your details, the legal basis is typically their legitimate interests or consent you gave them when signing up to their service.

Business Contacts

We hold contact details for individuals at the organisations we work with and those we are in conversation with about potential projects. This typically includes names, job titles, email addresses, and phone numbers.

We use this information to manage our client relationships, deliver projects, send proposals and updates, and keep in touch about our work. The legal basis is legitimate interests — it is reasonable for us to communicate with people in a professional context.

We do not sell or share client contact details with third parties for marketing purposes. We hold contact information for as long as the relationship is active and for a reasonable period afterwards — typically three years from last meaningful contact — before reviewing and deleting.

Website Visitors

What we collect

When you visit shapeinsight.com we collect standard website analytics data — including pages visited, time on site, browser type, and general location (city level). This is collected via Google Analytics and helps us understand how people use our site so we can improve it. This data is not linked to your identity.

If you contact us through our website, we collect your name, email address, and any other details you choose to share.

Cookies

Our website uses cookies — small files stored on your device that help the site work and help us understand how it is being used. We use:

  • Essential/Session cookies — needed for the site to function correctly.
  • Preference cookies — to remember your settings and preferences between visits.
  • Security cookies — to support secure access to the site.
  • Analytics cookies — to understand visitor behaviour (Google Analytics). These can be declined without affecting your use of the site.

You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings. For instructions, visit your browser’s help section.

Third-party services on our website

Our website uses Google Analytics for visitor analytics and may use LinkedIn for marketing purposes. These services have their own privacy policies which govern how they handle data. Links to their policies are available on their respective websites.

Unsubscribe

If you have opted in to receive marketing communications from us, you can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email we send, or by contacting us at info@shapeinsight.com. We will process your request promptly.

Use of AI Tools

Shape Insight uses AI-powered tools to support certain research and operational tasks — such as drafting, analysis, and summarisation. We have a strict internal policy governing their use.

We do not input identifiable personal data, confidential client information, or unpublished research findings into general-purpose AI tools. AI tools are used as productivity aids, and all outputs are reviewed by a human team member before use. Where a specific AI tool is used in connection with a research project in a way that affects participants, we will inform you of this.

Data Security

International Data Transfers

Our data is stored on cloud infrastructure based in the UK and EU. Where a research project requires data to be processed or shared outside the UK or EEA — for example if fieldwork is conducted internationally — we ensure appropriate transfer safeguards are in place and we will inform participants where this applies to them.

Your Rights

Under UK data protection law, you have the right to:

  • Access the personal data we hold about you.
  • Ask us to correct inaccurate data.
  • Ask us to delete your data.
  • Object to or restrict how we process your data.
  • Withdraw consent where consent is the basis for processing.
  • Receive your data in a portable format.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at dpo@shapeinsight.com. We will respond within one month. We may ask you to verify your identity before acting on a request.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s data protection supervisory authority (ico.org.uk).

If you are a research participant and would like your interview or survey responses removed from a project, please contact us as soon as possible. Depending on the stage of the project this may not always be possible where your responses have already been aggregated into findings, and you have already given your consent.

Changes to This Policy

We review this policy periodically and will update it when our practices change or when required by law.