How Ditto, the 6 Seeds Synthetic Research Platform Works

The 6 Seeds Synthetic Research Platform is designed to support qualitative decision-making in food and agriculture, particularly for commodity boards operating under public, political, and reputational pressure.

This page explains what the platform does, how it works at a high level, and what teams actually receive—so you can evaluate it clearly and confidently.

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What This Platform Is (and Why It Exists)

Ditto, the 6 Seeds Synthetic Research Platform is a qualitative research system that allows teams to have structured, exploratory conversations with carefully constructed panels that behave like real consumers and stakeholders.

It's designed for qualitative direction and early signal, not precise forecasting or statistical measurement.

Commodity boards often need qualitative clarity before decisions are finalized, but traditional research is slow, expensive, or impractical for the questions that arise in real time.

This platform is designed to support:

• Messaging and claim development
• Perception testing
• Early-stage idea exploration
• Trade and stakeholder understanding
• International and hard-to-reach audiences

It does not replace long-term tracking, large quantitative studies, or in-person ethnography.

It complements them—by filling the gap where decisions are actually made.

What "Synthetic Qualitative Research" Means Here

Synthetic qualitative research uses carefully constructed personas to simulate how real people think, react, and respond—based on existing data, research, and behavioral patterns.

At 6 Seeds, this means:

• Personas are grounded in real demographic, psychographic, and category data
• Panels are built intentionally, not generated randomly
• Responses are conversational, exploratory, and probe-able
• The goal is understanding why, not measuring how many

The result is qualitative insight that feels familiar to teams used to focus groups and interviews—but without the logistics, social pressure, or delay.

Who You're Talking To

When you ask a question in the platform, you're engaging with synthetic personas that represent specific audiences relevant to food and agriculture.

These may include:

• Consumers by generation, lifestyle, or attitude
• Grocery and retail decision-makers
• Foodservice operators and chefs
• Manufacturers and ingredient buyers
• Dietitians and health professionals
• Farmers, producers, and industry stakeholders
• International trade audiences

Personas are built using:

• Existing consumer research
• Public and proprietary data
• Category context
• Behavioral patterns
• Cultural and market-specific inputs

They respond like people—but without the social incentives that shape live group behavior.

Why the Responses Are Often More Honest

In traditional qualitative research, people are influenced by:

• Group dynamics
• Moderation
• Time pressure
• Desire to sound informed or agreeable
• Sensitivity around certain topics

Synthetic panels remove those pressures.

They don't need to:

• Impress a moderator
• Conform to a group
• Avoid uncomfortable truths
• Protect personal identity

This makes it possible to explore:

• Confusion
• Skepticism
• Fatigue
• Mistrust
• Misunderstanding
• Health and sustainability concerns

The result is insight that often feels clearer—and sometimes more revealing—than teams expect.

How Teams Use the Platform in Practice

Teams typically use the platform in three ways:

This is qualitative research designed to be used while decisions are still forming.

Example Questions Commodity Boards Ask

Teams use the platform to explore questions like:

• How do different audiences interpret this claim?
• What feels confusing, unbelievable, or unclear?
• Where does trust break down?
• How do trade audiences think differently than consumers?
• What assumptions are we making that may not hold?
• How do perceptions change across markets or cultures?
• Which messages feel credible—and which don't?

These are often the questions teams want to ask—but don't always commission a full study to answer.

What's Included in a Typical Study

While every engagement is customized, most studies include:

• A defined audience or panel
• Group and/or individual conversations
• Follow-up probing
• Thematic analysis and observations
• Clear summaries suitable for internal sharing

Timelines are measured in days or weeks, not months.

The emphasis is always on clarity, usefulness, and relevance, not volume.

Markets and Geography

North America is a core focus.

The platform can also support:

• Priority international markets
• Export-focused audiences
• Region-specific trade and consumer contexts

If an audience matters to your mandate, it can usually be built.

Data, Privacy, and Ownership

• Client inputs and outputs remain client-confidential
• No resale of client data
• Secure access and permissioning
• Optional data deletion upon request
• Built for regulated categories and public scrutiny

How Teams Get Started

Most teams begin in one of two ways:

A conversation. A demo. No obligation.

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