Chapter Six

6-1

Search Strategy

6-2

Online Advantage

6-3

From a marketing standpoint, online companies have an advantage over a traditional store front because the web merchant has access to customer information that store fronts would envy including:

• Customer name• Email address• Previous purchases• Possibly snapshots of customer’s browsing history on the

site

www.vnu.inc

imshealth.com

www.infores.com

www.westat.com

www.kantargroup.com

arbitron.com

www.nopworld.com

www.tns-global.com

www.nfow.com

synovate.com

www.ipsos-na.com

www.maritzresearch.com

idpa.com

npd.com

www.harrisinteractive.com

www.opinionresearch.com

www.crresearch.com

abtassociates.com

irwonline.com

marketstrategies.com

www.morpace.com

www.customerresearch.com

icrsurvey.com

www.burke.com

knowledgenetworks.com

walkerinfo.com

www.nationalresearch.com

liebermanresearch.com

vanderveer.com

Online Secondary Data Resources

6-4Key Terms & Definitions

US Small Business Administration

US Bureau of Labor Statistics

US Federal Statistics

US Census Bureau

Online Secondary Data Resources

6-5Key Terms & Definitions

Online Secondary Data Resources

6-6Key Terms & Definitions

Newsgroup:

A website where people can read and post messages devoted to a specific topic.

They are a primary means of communicating with other professionals and special-interest groups on the Internet is through newsgroups. With an Internet connection and newsreader software, you can visit any newsgroup supported by your service provider.

Online Secondary Data Resources

6-7Key Terms & Definitions

Blog:

A website where companies can communicate directly with their customers and other businesses.

Blogs continue to grow as a great tool in the exploratory research stage of many formal survey projects. Companies talk to customers and other businesses via their blogs, and may even receive feedback and interact with customers in “comments.”

Evaluating Web Pages

• What does the URL tell you?

• Is it someone's personal page?

• Where might you go to corroborate Web findings?

• Look for links that might lead to source data.

• Are sources documented with footnotes?

• Why and when was the webpage created?

• Who created it? What are their motivations / qualifications?

6-8Key Terms & Definitions

Things to Consider:

• Low costs & no geographic barriers.

• It can be executed quickly.

• It is good for generating fresh ideas/brainstorming.

• It can enhance other data collection methods.

• Participants provide valuable information for the next research phase.

The Popularity of Online Focus Groups

6-9Key Terms & Definitions

Advantages:

• There is a loss of group, hands-on dynamic.

• The interpretation is subjective.

• Projective techniques are less effective.

• Security--you don’t know who is at the computer.

• Non-verbal inputs will be generally/often missed.

The Popularity of Online Focus GroupsContinued

6-10Key Terms & Definitions

Disadvantages:

• Attention to the topic--participants often drift.

• Loss of direct client observational involvement.

• Often misused as representative the population.

• Exposure to external stimuli.

• Role and skill of moderator often is not fully realized.

The Popularity of Online Focus GroupsContinued

6-11Key Terms & Definitions

More Disadvantages:

1. Evaluate your source of recruits carefully.

2. Over-recruit.

3. Offer a good incentive to ensure a high participation rate.

4. Require full participation for incentive payment.

5. Take advantage of the ability to efficiently interview large numbers of respondents, but don’t overdo it.

Online Focus Groups – Best Practices

6-12Key Terms & Definitions

• Online panel providers must have effective ongoing management of their panel to ensure a high level of quality.

• Ensuring a growing supply of engaged, active panel members is a constant goal of every panel provider.

• Incentives are often offered to maintain and grow the number of members.

Controlling the Panel

6-13Key Terms & Definitions

• Rapid deployment, real-time reporting – surveys are potentially broadcasted to thousands and results are viewed instantly by corporate clients

• Reduced costs – low data collection costs; solicitations can grow in volume with little added cost

• Ready personalization – results in only pertinent questions being asked

• High response rates – take less time than other forms of surveys; surveys are taken at the respondents’ convenience

• Ability to contact the hard-to-reach – allows for busy professionals to

take surveys on their own time

• Simplified and enhanced panel management – are built and maintained at less cost and time than traditional panels

Survey Research on the Internet

6-14Key Terms & Definitions

Advantages:

• Misrepresentation – Cannot be used in all countries

• Unrestricted Internet sample – Anyone who wishes to complete the questionnaire may do so; problems arise if the user can access the questionnaire over and over

• Too broad – Difficulty may occur in gathering data for smaller/local companies; this data might not be possible to collect on the Internet

• Lack of “callback” – there is no way to clarify open-ended responses

• Programming errors – can cause problems when taking the questionnaire or processing data collected

• Lack of bandwidth – some respondents cannot download photos or complete the survey in a timely fashion

Survey Research on the Internet

6-15Key Terms & Definitions

Disadvantages:

Commercial Online Panels

• Traditional panel recruitment• Open online panel recruitment• Closed online panel recruitment• Respondent cooperation• Controlling the panel

6-16Key Terms & Definitions

Panel Management Issues:

Web Community Research

• Engage customers in a space where they are comfortable.• Uncover “exciters” and “eureka moments” and drive customer-derived

innovations.• Establish brand advocates who are emotionally invested in a company’s

success.• Offer real-time results, enabling your clients to explore ideas that normal time

constraints would prohibit.• Create a forum in which natural dialogue allows customers to initiate topics

important to them.

6-17Key Terms & Definitions

Web Community: A carefully selected group of consumers who agree to participate in an ongoing dialogue with a corporation.

• Approximately 76% of all consumers in the U.S. and Western Europe have Internet access on their mobile devices, and about one-third of those use it.

• It is a new channel for marketing research,

but due to its limitations, traditional online research will be the channel of choice for most survey research.

Mobile Internet Research The Next Step

Key Terms & Definitions6-18

• Respondents can post answers to questions via smartphone anytime from anywhere.

• Questions can be sent via email or text, respondent can answer via phone call

• Using online diaries boards to upload pictures or notes in real time

Text Messaging Solutions

Key Terms & Definitions6-19

• Wireless webcams and smart phone video can provide researchers with real time responses

• Mark up tools or apps can present print or electronic ads to be reviewed and respondents can mark it up

• Video editing tools can let researchers send pre-recorded videos to respondents

Text Messaging Solutions

Key Terms & Definitions6-20

• Respondents can create profiles in a virtual community which the researcher creates around a specific project. Respondents can interact with other members while engaging in the researcher’s study questions. Ideal for long term projects or products.

Private Virtual Communities

Key Terms & Definitions6-21

6-19

Key Terms & Definitions

• Online Secondary Data Sources• Newsgroup• Online Focus Groups• Web Community• Unrestricted Internet Sample• Commercial Online Panel• Online Survey Methods• Open Online Panel Recruitment• Panel Management Issues• Mobile Internet Research

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