Steps in a test market study

<div style="text-align: justify;"> Once the decision has been made to conduct test marketing, a number of steps must be carried out if we are to achieve a satisfactory result.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>Step One: Define the Objective</b> As always with these kinds of lists, the first step is</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> to define the objectives of the test. Typical test market objectives include the following:</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> ▪ Develop share and volume estimates.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> ▪ Determine the characteristics of people who are purchasing the product.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> ▪ Determine the frequency and purpose of purchase.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> ▪ Determine where (retail outlets) purchases are made.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> ▪ Measure the effect of sales of the new product on sales of similar existing products in the line.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5sYRGdQud-mK2nCs1WBGfvIUhDSdYds8SIIkXKpTxpaTwXgQOKKYBZOcBcDBp3CCpdELOzgOto01_nXky5R4Octc2-B7fPbPniwVvpMlRM4H9779KDYaGNzFGQnbk5dOhXD8OEDhyUgFE/s1600/market.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="http://siteeconomics.blogspot.com/2016/10/steps-in-test-market-study.html" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5sYRGdQud-mK2nCs1WBGfvIUhDSdYds8SIIkXKpTxpaTwXgQOKKYBZOcBcDBp3CCpdELOzgOto01_nXky5R4Octc2-B7fPbPniwVvpMlRM4H9779KDYaGNzFGQnbk5dOhXD8OEDhyUgFE/s1600/market.jpg" title="http://siteeconomics.blogspot.com/2016/10/steps-in-test-market-study.html" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Step Two: Select a Basic Approach After specifying the objectives of the test market</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> exercise, the next step is to decide on the appropriate type of test market, , we discussed the characteristics,  advantages, and disadvantages offour types of test markets:</div> <ul style="text-align: justify;"> <li> Traditional or standard test market</li> <li>Scanner or electronic test market</li> <li> Controlled test market</li> <li>Simulated test market (STM) (See Practicing Marketing Research on page 216 for more discussion of STMs.)</li> </ul> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> The decision regarding which type of test market to use in a given situation depends on how much time you have, how much budget you have, and how important it is to keep the competition in the dark about what you are planning to do.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>Step Three: Develop Detailed Test Procedures</b> After the objectives and a basic approach for the test have been developed, the researcher must develop a detailed plan for conducting the test. Manufacturing and distribution decisions must ensure that adequate product is available and that it is available in most stores of the type that sell that particular product class. In addition, the detailed marketing plan for the test must be specified, including the basic positioning approach, the actual commercials to be used, pricing strategy, media plan, and various promotional elements.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Step Four: Select Test Markets The selection of markets for the test is an important decision. A number of factors must be taken into account in making this decision.  First, there are the overall standards:</div> <ul style="text-align: justify;"> <li> There should be a minimum of two test markets, in addition to a control market, for an existing national brand or a minimum of three markets for testing a new brand.</li> <li>The markets selected should be geographically dispersed; if the brand is a regional brand, the markets should cover several dispersed markets within that region.</li> <li> Markets should be demographically representative of the United States, unless, for  instance, a pronounced ethnic skew is desirable for a specific brand.</li> <li> Depending on the product purchase cycle, the test should be run for at least 6 months, up to 12 months, before the results can be considered projectable. If the product is purchased infrequently, it is advisable to run the test for even longer than a year.</li> <li> The market must have a variety of media outlets, including at least four television stations, cable penetration no more than 10 percent above or below the U.S. average, at least four radio stations, a dominant local newspaper with daily and Sunday editions, aSunday supplement with a syndicated edition, or a local supplement of similar quality.</li> </ul> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>Step Five: Execute the Plan</b> Once the plan is in place, the researcher can begin execution. At this point, a key decision has to be made: how long should the test run? The average test runs for 6 to 12 months. However, shorter and longer tests are not uncommon. The test must run long enough for an adequate number of repeat purchase cycles to be observed in order to provide a measure of the “staying power” of a new product or marketing program. The shorter the average period, the shorter the test needs to be. Cigarettes, soft drinks, and packaged goods are purchased every few days, whereas such products as shaving cream and toothpaste are purchased only every few months. The latter would require a longer test. Whatever the product type, the test must be continued until the repeat purchase rate stabilizes. The percentage of people making repeat purchases tends to drop for some period of time before reaching a relatively constant level. Repeat purchase rate is critical to  the process of estimating ultimate sales of the product. If the test ends too soon then sales will be overestimated.<br /><br />Two other considerations in determining the length of the test relate to the expected speed of competitor reaction and the costs of running the test. If there is reason to expect that competitors will react quickly to the test marketing (introduce their own versions of the new product), then the test should be as short as possible. Minimizing the length of the test reduces the amount of time competitors have to react. Finally, the value of additional information to be gained from the test must be balanced against the cost of continuing to run the test. At some point, the value of additional information will be outweighed by its cost.<br /><br /><b>Step Six: Analyze the Test Results</b> Results should be evaluated throughout the test period. However, after completion of the experiment, a more careful and thorough evaluation of the data must be performed. This analysis will focus on four areas:</div> <ul style="text-align: justify;"> <li> Purchase data. The purchase data are most important in most experiments or test markets. The levels of initial purchase (trial) throughout the course of the experiment provide an indication of how well the advertising and promotion program worked. The repeat rate (percentage of initial triers who made second and subsequent purchases) provides an indication of how well the product met the expectations created through advertising and promotion. Of course, the trial and repeat purchase results provide the basis for estimating sales and market share in the broader market.</li> <li>Awareness data. How effective were the media expenditures and media plan in creating awareness of the product? Do consumers know how much the product costs? Do they know its key features?</li> <li> Competitive response. Ideally, the responses of competitors should be monitored during the period of the test market. For example, competitors may try to distort test results by offering special promotions, price deals, and quantity discounts. Their actions may provide some indication of what they will do if the product moves into national distribution and some basis for estimating the effect of these actions.</li> <li>Source of sales. If the product is a new entry in an existing product category, it is important to determine where sales are coming from. In other words, which brands did the people who purchased the test product previously purchase? This information provides a true indication of real competitors. If the firm has an existing brand in the market, it also indicates to what extent the new product will take business from existing brands and from the competition. Based on the evaluation, a decision will be made to improve the marketing program or the product, drop the product, or move the product into national or regional distribution </li> </ul> <ul style="text-align: justify;"> </ul>

Once the decision has been made to conduct test marketing, a number of steps must be carried out if we are to achieve a satisfactory result...

Ethnographic research

<div style="text-align: justify;"> Ethnographic research comes to marketing from the field of anthropology. The popularity of the technique in commercial marketing research is increasing. Ethnographic research, or the study of human behavior in its natural context, involves observation of behavior and physical settings. Ethnographers directly observe the population they are studying. As “participant observers,” ethnographers can use their intimacy with the people they are studying to gain richer, deeper insights into culture and behavior in short, what makes people do what they do. Over $450 million annually is spent on ethnographic research.2 Today, corporations, such as Procter & Gamble and Microsoft, have their own in-house ethnographers. Procter & Gamble conducted ethnographic research in Mexico City among lower-middleclass families. The research led to Downy Single Rinse, a fabric softener that removed a step from the less mechanized laundry process there. Ethnographic studies can cost anywhere from $5,000 to as much as $800,000, depending on how deeply a company wants to delve into its customers’ lives.<br /><br />Advantages of Ethnographic Research Both focus groups and individual depth interviews rely on retrospection. That is, they ask respondents to recall their behavior and the behavior of others. Human memory, of course, can sometimes be faulty. In addition, respondents sometimes reply in a socially desirable manner. A man may be reading adult magazines but claims to be reading Fortune and BusinessWeek. Ethnographic research offers a number of advantages. These include the following:</div> <ul style="text-align: justify;"> <li>Ethnography is reality-based. It can show exactly how consumers live with a product, not just what they say about it or how they remember using it.</li> <li> It can reveal unexpressed needs and wants.</li> <li> It can discover unexploited consumer benefits</li> <li> It can reveal product problems.</li> <li> It can show how, when, why, and where people shop for brands and how they perceive it compared to competitive products.</li> <li> It can show who in the family actually uses a product and perhaps uncover a whole new potential demographic target</li> <li> It takes advantage of consumers’ experience with the category and their hands-on creativity as they demonstrate their ideas for new products and product improvements.</li> <li>It can test new products in a real context.</li> <li>It can reveal advertising execution ideas that derive directly from consumer experience</li> <li> It can help form a better relationship with your consumers, based on an intimate knowledge of their lifestyles.</li> </ul> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br />Because individuals generally acclimate to an observer’s presence over time (often quickly), their behavior becomes relatively unbiased by the observer resulting in a more accurate characterization of behavior. Although the ethnographic researcher’s principal activity is observing behavior, active interviews or discussion with respondents is a key component. Getting respondents’ perspectives on actions, through dialogue, is informative. Furthermore, the ethnographic data can be utilized in mixed method studies, for comparing and contrasting it with data from other sources. For example, a research manager could leverage observational data of the sales reps interacting with customers and prospects, and compare it with information from indepth district and regional sales manager interviews identifying any disconnects between what’s being done and what’s expected.<br /><br />Conducting Ethnographic Research The first step is to find participants. Afterward, the observation process can begin. A highly skilled ethnographer is typically trained in anthropology. The research begins with systematic observation and inquiry. The ethnographer is trained to examine human culture: symbols, codes, myths, rituals, beliefs, values,  rules for social interaction, and conceptual categories and perceptions. Many so-called ethnographists’ interviews occur over a 90-minute period, too brief for close environmental observation and questioning. (Three to four hours per ethnographic observation and interview is far more productive.) In a study on how consumers think about and use home printers, a highly trained ethnographer would ask:</div> <ul style="text-align: justify;"> <li> What are the meanings and processes of printing in their most elemental senses, as if the ethnographer had never seen a printer?</li> <li>Can we understand the symbolism of printing by exploring how respondents classify nonprinted versus printed matter?</li> <li>Anthropologists use a construct called binary opposition:</li> <li>What are the consumer myths, stories, and beliefs about printing versus not printing and about different brands of printers?</li> <li>How do printing rituals serve as rites of passage that transform consumers from one state of being into another?</li> <li>Are people who print and save hard copies different in a “tribal” way from people who see printing as antiquated and wasteful?Are there social or business situations that demand or deny printing choices, and, if so, why? </li> </ul> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWTRKAA8OZelLDEXMHq8BPLG8wYoCgt-tkcNobnUQ2H9ICaKfe_Gbr6H4JmEqwPRC__10dmuPZRpEf7rHGWCo5yd-Z7-RBm3Hupzp_lDgy98q-NqV-zLgeMNkmD46s2PF_4qpTrf72bZgO/s1600/dx.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="http://siteeconomics.blogspot.com/2016/10/ethnographic-research.html" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWTRKAA8OZelLDEXMHq8BPLG8wYoCgt-tkcNobnUQ2H9ICaKfe_Gbr6H4JmEqwPRC__10dmuPZRpEf7rHGWCo5yd-Z7-RBm3Hupzp_lDgy98q-NqV-zLgeMNkmD46s2PF_4qpTrf72bZgO/s1600/dx.png" title="http://siteeconomics.blogspot.com/2016/10/ethnographic-research.html" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> These questions and observations would undoubtedly enrich new-product development and marketing communications, helping shape product design, brand positioning, and advertising content. In contrast to the above, ethnography-lite would consist of limited observations (under an hour) and a few individual depth interviews. This form of research is often conducted by people who do not have advanced training in anthropology or sociology. Unfortunately, a number of studies are conducted in this manner, which often yield very few insights.<br /><br />The next step is to analyze and interpret all of the data collected to find themes and patterns of meaning. This is no simple task. Hours and hours of audio and video must be transcribed and restudied. Even for the well-trained and experienced ethnographer, the amount of data can at times be overwhelming. But through careful and thorough analysis of the data, themes and categories emerge and applicable findings become clear. It often helps to bring in a second ethnographer who was not present during the field work to give his or her own objective appraisal.6 Ethnographers usually create frameworks to help companies think about their consumers and understand what it all means.<br /><br />Triangulation the process of checking findings against what other people say and against similar research already conducted is a way to verify the accuracy of collected data. While traditional ethnography stops with the description of the group studies, this is not sufficient for businesses. They need actionable guidelines, recommendations, and an outline of strategy. The findings must be presented in a fashion that will enable companies to create innovative and successful solutions. For managers at Cambridge SoundWorks, it was a perplexing problem: In retail outlets across the country, men stood wide-eyed when sales reps showed off the company’s hi-fi, “blow-your-hair-back” stereo speakers. So why didn’t such unabashed enthusiasm for the product translate into larger and bigger ticket sales?<br /><br /></div>

Ethnographic research comes to marketing from the field of anthropology. The popularity of the technique in commercial marketing research i...

Nature of observation research

<div style="text-align: justify;"> Instead of asking people questions, as a survey does, observation research depends on watching what people do. Specifically, observation research can be defined as the systematic process of recording patterns of occurrences or behaviors without normally questioning or communicating with the people involved. (Mystery shopping is an exception.) A marketing researcher using the observation technique witnesses and records events as they occur or compiles evidence from records of past events. The observation may involve watching people or watching phenomena, and it may be conducted by human observers or by machines. Exhibit 8.1 gives examples of some common observation situations<br /> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiASTG8ZBSzW5iJiVuUTdht2SZaaswJ-I8rxL7fHLuetPcxz5ljONfwR0sS0-ysBmhK0NLqPFsEEUaIA_vEuZDFoDSNRKfNUDeXWy28o07f12fq-e6haIj5GIdEan-3ffGBJTnS04NeZOop/s1600/r.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="http://siteeconomics.blogspot.com/2016/10/nature-of-observation-research.html" border="0" height="98" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiASTG8ZBSzW5iJiVuUTdht2SZaaswJ-I8rxL7fHLuetPcxz5ljONfwR0sS0-ysBmhK0NLqPFsEEUaIA_vEuZDFoDSNRKfNUDeXWy28o07f12fq-e6haIj5GIdEan-3ffGBJTnS04NeZOop/s400/r.png" title="http://siteeconomics.blogspot.com/2016/10/nature-of-observation-research.html" width="400" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Conditions for Using Observation<br /> Three conditions must be met before most types of observation can be successfully used as a data-collection tool for marketing research:</div> <ol style="text-align: justify;"> <li> The needed information must be either observable or inferable from behavior that is observable. For example, if a researcher wants to know why an individual purchased a new Toyota Sequoia rather than a Ford Expedition, observation research will not provide the answer.</li> <li>The behavior of interest must be repetitive, frequent, or in some manner predictable. Otherwise, the cost of most forms of observation makes the approach prohibitively expensive.</li> <li>The behavior of interest for many types of observation must be of relatively short duration. Observation of the entire decision-making process for purchasing a new home, which might take several weeks or months, is not feasible.</li> </ol> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /> <b>Approaches to Observation Research</b><br /> Researchers can choose from a variety of observation approaches. They are faced with the task of choosing the most effective approach for a particular research problem, from the standpoint of cost and data quality. The dimensions along which observation approaches vary are (1) natural versus contrived situations, (2) open versus disguised observation, (3) human versus machine observers, and (4) direct versus indirect observation.<br /> <b><br />Natural versus Contrived Situations</b> Counting how many people enter a Macy’s store during certain hours is a good example of a completely natural situation. The observer plays no role in the behavior of interest. Those being observed should have no idea that theyare under observation. At the other extreme is recruiting people to do their shopping in asimulated supermarket (rows of stocked shelves set up in a field service’s mall facility) so that their behavior can be carefully observed. In this case, the recruited people must be given at least some idea that they are participating in a study. The participants might be given grocery carts and told to browse the shelves and pick out items that they might normallyuse. The researchers might use alternative point-of-purchase displays for several products under study. To test the effectiveness of the various displays, the observers would note how long the shopper paused in front of the test displays and how often the product was actually selected. Today, many firms, such as Frito-Lay and Procter & Gamble, use online simulated environments.<br /> <br /> Acontrived environment enables the researcher to better control extraneous variables that might have an impact on a person’s behavior or the interpretation of that behavior. Use of such an environment also tends to speed up the data-gathering process. The researcher does not have to wait for natural events to occur but instead instructs the participants toperform certain actions. Because more observations can be collected in the same length oftime, the result will be either a larger sample or faster collection of the targeted amount of data. The latter should lower the costs of the project. The primary disadvantage of a contrived setting is that it is artificial, and thus the observed behavior may be different from what would occur in a real-world situation. The more natural the setting, the more likely it is that the behavior will be normal for the individualbeing observed.<br /> <br /> <b>Open versus Disguised Observation</b> Does the person being observed know that he or she is being observed? It is well known that the presence of an observer may have an influence on the phenomena being observed. Two general mechanisms work to bias the data. First, if people know they are being observed (as in open observation), they may behave differently. Second, the appearance and behavior of the observer offer potential for bias similar to that associated with the presence of an interviewer in survey research. Disguised observation is the process of monitoring people who do not know they are being watched. A common form of disguised observation is observing behavior from behind a one-way mirror. For example, a product manager may observe respondent reactions to alternative package designs from behind a one-way mirror during a focus group discussion.<br /> <br /> <b>Human versus Machine Observers</b> In some situations, it is possible and even desirable to replace human observers with machines when machines can do the job less expensively, more accurately, or more readily. Traffic-counting devices are probably more accurate, definitely cheaper, and certainly more willing than human observers. It would not be feasible, for example, for Nielsen Holdings to have human observers in people’s homes to record television viewing habits. Movie cameras, audiovisual equipment, and software record behavior much more objectively and in greater detail than human observers ever could. The electronic scanners found in most retail stores provide more accurate and timely data on product movement than human observers ever could.<br /> <br /> <b>Direct versus Indirect Observatio</b>n Some of the observation carried out for marketing research is direct observation of current behavior or artifacts. For example, the contents of 100 women’s purses in Portland, Oregon and Plano, Texas were examined as part of an observational study. Nearly every participant (99 percent) had something of a financial nature such as a credit or debit card, checkbook or wallet. Women who were married, college educated, and with high incomes carried the most cards. Ninety-eight percent of the women carried reward and membership cards. Office supplies, like paper and pens, were found in 93 percent of the purses. Other items discovered, in rank order, were: beauty and hair care, identification, receipts, cell phones and accessories, insurance cards, food and candy, healthcare   products, coupons, glasses, photos, trash, nail care products, feminine care products, tissues, hand sanitizers, food/drink supplies such as napkins and toothpicks, oral care products, religious items, weapons, keepsakes, and cameras. Only 8 percent carried a camera. In some cases, past behavior must be observed. To do this, the researcher must turn to some record of the behavior. Archaeologists dig up sites of old settlements and attempt to determine the nature of life in early societies from the physical evidence they find. Garbologists sort through people’s garbage to analyze household consumption patterns. Marketing research usually is much more mundane. In a product prototype test, it may be important to learn how much of the test product the consumer used. </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> The most accurate way to find this out is to have the respondent return the unused product so that the researcher can see how much is left. If a study involved the in-home use of a laundry soil and stain remover, it would be important to know how much of the remover each respondent actually used. All of the respondents’ answers to questions would be considered from this usage perspective. Pictures can also be used to see what people have done in certain situations. For example, a global study conducted by New York-based GfK NOP created a massive visual database with the goal of better understanding global consumers. Part of that research was photographing people’s kitchens, which in many cultures is the “heart of the home.” Examples of the kind of understanding the researchers gleaned from the photos are shown in Exhibit 8.2.<br /> <b><br />Advantages of Observation Research</b><br /> Watching what people actually do rather than depending on their reports of what they did has one very significant and obvious advantage: Firsthand information is not subject to many of the biasing factors associated with the survey approach. Specifically, the researcher avoids problems associated with the willingness and ability of respondents to answer  questions. Also, some forms of data are gathered more quickly and accurately by observation. Letting a scanner record the items in a grocery bag is much more efficient than asking the shopper to enumerate them. Similarly, rather than asking young children which toys they like, major toy manufacturers prefer to invite target groups of children into a large playroom and observe via a one-way mirror which toys are chosen and how long each holds the child’s attention.<br /> <br /> <b>Disadvantages of Observation Research</b><br /> The primary disadvantage of many types of observation research is that only behavior and physical personal characteristics usually can be examined. The researcher does not learn about motives, attitudes, intentions, or feelings. Also, with the exception of online observation, only public behavior is observed; private behavior such as dressing for work or committee decision making within a company is beyond the scope of observation research. A second problem is that present observed behavior may not be projectable into  the future. The fact that a consumer purchases a certain brand of milk after examining several alternatives does not mean that he or she will continue to do so in the future. Observation research can be time-consuming and costly if the observed behavior occurs rather infrequently. For example, if observers in a supermarket are waiting to watch the purchase behavior of persons selecting Lava soap, they may have a long wait. And if the choice of consumers to be observed is biased (e.g., shoppers who go grocery shopping after 5:00 p.m.), distorted data may be obtained.<br /> <br /></div>

Instead of asking people questions, as a survey does, observation research depends on watching what people do. Specifically, observation re...

Social media marketing research

<div style="text-align: justify;"> Social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn, give opportunities to marketing researchers to understand their customers and potential customers like never before. Companies can ask themselves, “Who are our fans? What can they teach us about our brand?” Answers to these questions first require building dialogue and customer communities about a company or brand.<br /><br />Much social media marketing research is different from traditional survey research. Rather than a product manager asking a research team to determine X, Y, and Z, and then having the researchers conduct the survey and provide the requested feedback, social media research is more interactive, via a few questions and observations over time. By analyzing social media exchanges about a product or service, researchers can learn what factors customers use to determine value, as well as the way they speak about the product, service, or brand.<br /><br />Dr. Pepper spent years building its 8.5-million-strong fan base on Facebook. Now, careful tracking and testing with those Facebook users who say they “like” the soft drink helps the brand figure out how to hone its marketing messages. It sends out two messages daily on its Facebook fan page, and then listens to the fan’s reactions. Using tools from Facebook, Dr. Pepper can measure how many times a message is viewed, how many times it is shared with other Facebook users, and what fan responses say. </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> “We mine the data to understand what is appreciated, and what is not,” says Robert Stone, director of interactive media services for Dr. Pepper Snapple Group.43 For example, the company learned that diehard Dr. Pepper fans like edgy one-liners. One of the best performing messages: “If liking you is wrong, we don’t want to be right.” And they dislike messages that focus on prices and special offers. “It just isn’t relevant to their passion about the brand,” Mr. Stone says.<br /><br />Conduction a Facebook Focus Group<br />The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) was interested in understanding beef consumption habits of millennials (those between the ages of 13 and 30). A group of respondents were recruited who not only met the age criteria to be considered a millennial but also met certain demographic and psychographic screening criteria specific to this study: eat beef at least twice a month; have some level of involvement in meal planning and/or prep; use Facebook regularly (at least twice a week) and have at least 25 friends on Facebook; can answer a series of attitudinal questions about current and future life plans; and are part of a representative mix of gender, age, and marital status.<br /><br />Participants were recruited the same was they would for any other online focus group or IDI with one exception. After qualifying and agreeing to take part in the study, participants were asked to visit a Facebook page the researchers set up for the group, become its friend, and then return to the survey and answer some additional questions to verify that they had indeed visited the site. The latter measure was added to ensure that they were comfortable navigating on Facebook.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9MEpXF4V1NPiFj00QwmwlLdqe9pu6AeGrRhIIGcRkLj2vbEGmtRVAqTSOsPwkY9uz4TPQvY1mbt87YO4KfWfraXQ0yM2kareW5mPTs4bf4P28jNyEA9_S0AsMINkCctu253w1Me-v6SFX/s1600/beautiful-15742_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="http://siteeconomics.blogspot.com/2016/10/social-media-marketing-research.html" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9MEpXF4V1NPiFj00QwmwlLdqe9pu6AeGrRhIIGcRkLj2vbEGmtRVAqTSOsPwkY9uz4TPQvY1mbt87YO4KfWfraXQ0yM2kareW5mPTs4bf4P28jNyEA9_S0AsMINkCctu253w1Me-v6SFX/s1600/beautiful-15742_1280.jpg" title="http://siteeconomics.blogspot.com/2016/10/social-media-marketing-research.html" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> One of the concerns with using Facebook as the platform was a general lack of security associated with using an open social networking site. To remedy this, once the group was fully recruited, the researchers simply changed the settings of the page to the highest level of privacy (by invite only). Participants would need to be engaged in this discussion for six weeks. The researchers knew that a study of that length could lead to participant burnout, so they initiated processes to minimize the impact:<br /><br />▪ A new topic was posted about two to three times per week. This reduced the need for the participants to come to the group every day and avoided inundating them with daily messages.<br />▪ The moderator of the discussion was a millennial himself who understood the principles of moderating and knew how to engage the group in a fun and unintimidating way. He was talking to his peers on Facebook, something he does regularly anyway.<br />▪ The moderator validated the opinions of the participants. He added his commentary to their responses and occasionally would try out a new idea that was developed based on their answers. These millennials knew they were being listened to because the discussion was built around what they had said previously.<br />▪ Random prize drawings were held throughout the six weeks of the discussion. In addition to the honorarium they received for taking part in the discussion, participants would occasionally be offered a chance to win a gift card for giving the best idea, sharing recipes and cooking ideas, or just being selected at random among those who participated that day.<br /><br />The aim was to have 60 millennials fully participate in the discussion. Some drop-off was expected, particularly given the length of time and the season in which this session was conducted (it began mid-November and ran right up to the week of Christmas). A total of 227 millennials qualified and agreed to take part in the group. Of this, 119 friended the group (52 percent) and, of those, 66 were actively engaged (55 percent). These were 27 topics posted, with 1,545 total responses by the participants. This equates to about 57 responses per topic and about 22 responses per participant.47 The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association obtained valuable insights on how to improve packaging, distribution, in-store promotions, and social media marketing. The focus group allowed for a rich, colorful, and dynamic dialogue between participants and the moderator.<br /><br />Conducting Surveys<br />For researchers wanting to conduct traditional survey research, social media can be used as a respondent recruiting tool. Persons who “like” a product or service or members of web communities, can be sent an email with a link to an external site where the person can take theweb survey.<br /><br />There are many apps available for administering social media surveys. Survey Monkey’s app enables the researcher to embed a survey on Facebook. A survey can be created by using a Survey Monkey template, or one can choose from the Survey Monkey Question Bank. Survey Monkey’s advice is to make the survey short, offer incentives, and make it fun. That is, be friendly and show some personality.<br /><br />Facebook also offers tools for conducting surveys at http://apps.facebook.com/opinionpolls. For example, to ask a question or questions to a group, you click ASK QUESTION at the top of a group. Next, you enter a question and add poll options if you wish. Then click POST to share it with the group. TwitPolls lets Twitter users ask questions of their followers and receive tallied results at the cost of the user-determined survey time frame. The app allows brands and companies to gather real-time feedback from their followers without forcing followers to leave the Twitter environment. All social media have apps for survey research. The researcher must decide which social media will provide the survey population of interest and which app offers the tools needed to best extract the type of decision-making information needed.</div>

Social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn, give opportunities to marketing researchers to understand their customers...

Mobile internet research the future is now

<div style="text-align: justify;"> By the end of 2013, the number of smartphone, cell phones, and tablets on the planet exceeded the world’s human population. Smartphone traffic grew by 81 percent in 2012 alone. Fifty-six percent of American adults now own a smartphone, and 57 percent of adults use their phone to go online (the number jumps to 79 percent of adults in households with incomes over $75,000). Thirty-four percent of adults own a tablet.33 People carry their lives on their mobile devices, using them to take and store pictures, read news, keep in touch with friends and colleagues, and engage with apps that make their lives easier and more fun. The mobile experience is far more intimate than the desktop experience, and mobile users want to feel that the content that they are consuming on their devices is equally personal. Mobile has the unparalleled capability to reach a customer anywhere, but it also means that an infinite number of distractions compete for his or her attention.<br /><br /><b>Advantages of Mobile</b><br />Today, one quarter of survey respondents prefer to participate in survey research via their mobile devices. This number will continue to rise. The only question is, how fast? With traditional survey research, researchers ask consumers to recall their experiences. Smartphones enable researchers to not only observe consumers’ whereabouts through geolocation, geofencing, and mobile analytics but to ask them for real-time feedback via mobile surveys. Geofencing is the creation of a virtual fence around a location. When a person with a smartphone crosses a geofence, a location-specific survey can be triggered. For example, a person might leave a Macy’s store and be pinged to answer a few questions about the shopping experience. Other questions may focus on each of locating a product, in-store promotional effectiveness, and shopper intent-to-purchase versus just browsing.<br /><br />Mobile research offers several advantages in addition to intercepting respondents at specific<br />locations:</div> <ul style="text-align: justify;"> <li> Increased response rates. Respondents respond at higher rates (and more quickly) on mobile devices vs. current methods.</li> <li>Increased convenience. Respondents have better experiences when they can provide feedback when and where they want to.</li> <li> Broader reach. The ability to reach respondents in developing and remote countries creates a huge opportunity to capture insights in those regions.</li> <li>Richer content. Respondents can easily share media (e.g., photos, videos, voice recordings, etc.) via mobile devices.</li> <li> Broader demographic reach. Respondent cooperation from all demographic groups is higher.</li> <li>Immediate feedback. Mobile surveys provide immediate feedback on research questions concerning marketing campaigns, ad testing, and more.</li> <li> Cost savings. Researchers receive faster reply to surveys, shorter project completion time.</li> <li>Additional options. Use as a mobile recruiting tool to direct respondents to online surveys, or connect with hard-to-reach groups. It is another way of reaching people on the go.</li> </ul> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2UujRoL6ZvDnUZ91i2JZvft2qiGL3EkJxGfZ0MaDVh0Ysbt3m7YvT0iKi-JEQtzkX3VzO8RcesEfq1di-UAEUKfoObDcHl4T1JzwpycVSEvWvXvZeVl7sPCnAbIaRSc4fJlZ-xfNTITYn/s1600/hands-1167625_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="http://siteeconomics.blogspot.com/2016/10/mobile-internet-research-future-is-now.html" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2UujRoL6ZvDnUZ91i2JZvft2qiGL3EkJxGfZ0MaDVh0Ysbt3m7YvT0iKi-JEQtzkX3VzO8RcesEfq1di-UAEUKfoObDcHl4T1JzwpycVSEvWvXvZeVl7sPCnAbIaRSc4fJlZ-xfNTITYn/s1600/hands-1167625_1920.jpg" title="http://siteeconomics.blogspot.com/2016/10/mobile-internet-research-future-is-now.html" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>A Few Bumps at the Beginning</b><br />Anxious to be a trendsetter, some research firms moved to mobile surveys without a well-thought-out game plan. Simply taking a survey designed for a Mac or PC and converting it to a text-messaging (SMS) format was a recipe for disaster. Responding to a complex, 40-minute, slow-loading survey by typing out the responses led to high incompletion rates. So while mobile research is still quite new, surveys conducted via textmessaging are already scarce. The industry focus has shifted to surveys conducted via WAP or via a survey application designed for a specific phone operating system like an iPhone or Android device.<br /><br />Both WAP (or web-based mobile surveys) and app-based surveys have their own benefits and challenges. WAP surveys allow for cross-platform text and multimedia surveys (meaning they’re compatible with mobile browsers on multiple operating systems). Device compatibility is over 70 percent. The downside is that mobile browser speed can vary considerably based on the wireless connection. App-based surveys are device-specific (meaning  an iPhone app won’t work on an Android phone; thus, multiple versions of the app are necessary to allow for cross-platform research) but generally bring faster delivery and upload times. This may ultimately work to increase respondent satisfaction with the survey-taking process. In addition, survey apps can be developed on and integrated into preexisting apps, which may present marketers with opportunities to add in survey functionality to apps that have served other functions to date.<br /><br />Gone are the days when surveys had to be programmed and loaded on an actual PC. Today, tablets can easily access surveys and instantly feed data into online reporting toolsets via a basic wireless connection. Researchers are even using tablet PCs to evolve qualitative research into hybrid quant/qual techniques. For example, respondents are given a short quant survey to quantify individual preferences, after which survey results can be instantly aggregated and summarized via real-time online reporting tools. Afterward, a focus group discussion of preference or other drivers can take place, incorporating the initial quantitative survey data into the qualitative group discussion.<br /><b><br />Designing a Mobile Survey</b><br />Survey designers must be proactive in the design of both the questionnaire and user interface in order to give mobile respondents an excellent survey experience. First and foremost, mobile surveys need to be short. Ten questions or fewer is a good rule. This is because it takes longer to navigate on mobile devices due to limitations of the user interfaces and data transfer speeds. Second, a good mobile survey will minimize the number of pages. Each time the page refreshes, the respondent has to wait. It is important not to put too many questions on a page, as mobile devices also have less memory to work with, so a page with too many elements may cause the device to become slow or nonresponsive.<br />Third, the type of questions should be kept simple. Single-dimension radio, checkbox, or “select” questions are better than multidimensional grid questions, which could be difficult to complete due to mobile devices’ small screens. Also, limit the use of open-ended questions, as they require typing. Finally, all nonessential content should be minimized. It takes extra load time and visual space for every element that appears on the screen. Even a progress bar increases the load time and the need for vertical scrolling.<br /><br />The immediacy of mobile surveys, along with geolocation and geofencing, enables a new range of survey incentives. Many companies are offering real-time incentives such as a virtual coupon for the store that you are approaching. The advantages of mobile surveys are illustrated by Toluna, an Internet and mobile marketing research company. A Toluna client wanted to conduct a survey during the Super Bowl regarding the ads that ran during the game. The client wanted to get a read on realtime reactions—but most people who watch the Super Bowl aren’t simultaneously sitting in front of their desktop computers. They are, however, multitasking, using their mobile phones (63 percent of those 18- to 24-year-old smartphone owners in the United States text, use apps, check e-mail, surf the Internet, or participate in social networking discussion while watching TV at least once a week). Only a mobile survey could gather the immediate data that the agency craved. Respondents were recruited in advance of game day and then, during the Super Bowl, surveys were pushed out in real time to ask about commercials as their aired.</div>

By the end of 2013, the number of smartphone, cell phones, and tablets on the planet exceeded the world’s human population. Smartphone traf...

Commercial online panels

<div style="text-align: justify;"> Many researchers turn to commercial online panel providers to assist in the process of completing a market research study, often by hosting a survey on their website. Commercial online panels are not created for the exclusive use of any one specific company or for any one particular project. Instead, commercial online panels are created for the use of multiple projects by many different companies. The companies providing access to the online panels have invested in the pre-recruitment of people who opt to participate in online market research surveys. Some online panels are for use by a specific industry, such  as construction, medical, or technology industries, and may have a few thousand panel members, while the large commercial online panels have millions of people who have opted to participate in online surveys of varying topics. When people join most online panels, they answer an extensive profiling questionnaire that records demographic, lifestyle, and psychographic information, typically with hundreds of dimensions. This profiling information enables the panel provider to record detailed information on every panel member. Using this information, the panel provider can then target research efforts to panel members who meet specific criteria.<br /><br />Although online panels are quite effective at reducing costs and field time, the quality of the data is dependent on how well the panel is managed. Several factors influence the quality of an online panel. These include the recruitment methods, respondent participation, panel management practices, and types of incentives offered.<br /><br /><b>Panel Recruitment </b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> The method of recruitment of panel members is critical to the quality of the panel. If the panel is to meet a researcher’s needs for a study requiring a general audience of consumers, it is important to evaluate whether the panel’s recruitment method draws from a representative audience of consumers. Likewise, if a researcher’s project requires business professionals, the panel’s recruitment methods should draw from a universe of business  professionals. Ideally, a panel should represent a diverse sampling of the population under study. Panel member recruitment methodology is a key distinction among online panels. There are essentially two methods for recruiting for an online panel: open source and by invitation only. Intercepting people as they surf the Internet through ads is known as open recruitment. Open online panel recruitment allows any person who has access to the Internet to “self-select” and enroll in a market research panel. This provides the benefit ofbuilding a panel quickly with people who are Internet-savvy and responsive to online advertising.<br /><br />A key drawback is the lack of control over who is recruited. A panel with open recruitment may sign up millions of web surfers who share similar characteristics, but may include only people who are responsive to web ads and/or “seek out” an opportunity to join an online panel by using search engines. This leaves out a large percentage of the general population.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR8zBisjl2JOi5XgHZK9uBzX_aKy6TZpGxVIKDHxzhpZ-ICSQeROhgzAY6Glse7-DV8QXLyc_U2niXu_FD5SSTjOpZOnsFziWm4Hqzb7bObUDQlGzC4r_qLHtXUOeHkd9c6l8G8O_iXEa-/s1600/t.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR8zBisjl2JOi5XgHZK9uBzX_aKy6TZpGxVIKDHxzhpZ-ICSQeROhgzAY6Glse7-DV8QXLyc_U2niXu_FD5SSTjOpZOnsFziWm4Hqzb7bObUDQlGzC4r_qLHtXUOeHkd9c6l8G8O_iXEa-/s1600/t.png" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> In many cases, open recruitment leads to an overabundance of panel members who participate    in many different panels and complete an inordinate amount of surveys. These are known in the industry as “professional survey takers” people who sign up to take hundreds of surveys in order to enter into sweepstakes drawings or other types of incentives. The primary concerns associated with professional survey takers are that (1) they can give false or misleading information in an attempt to get through a survey quickly without regard to providing well-considered responses; (2) they tend to go through surveys in a perfunctory manner, which shows up in the time they take to complete the survey; and (3) they can make up a disproportionate amount of survey responders, leading to biased and unrepresentative research data. To the detriment of Internet marketing research, some websites have been developed to recruit people to sign up for several panels at one time. However, it is important to consider that not all online panels are made up of professional survey takers. This is why it is so important to understand the recruitment methods used by an online panel before employing them in the research process.<br /> </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> The other method used for recruiting respondents to an online panel, the by-invitationonly  method, was first used by Research Now, one of America’s largest commercial online panel providers. Closed online panel recruitment, or by invitation only, invites only prevalidated individuals, or individuals who share known characteristics, to enroll in a market research panel. Most often, this is accomplished by inviting customers from large, highly trusted leading brands who collectively have a large, diverse base of customers in a given population (i.e., general consumers or business professionals). In recruiting for its consumer panel, for example, Research Now has partnered with large, well-known companies that have large, diverse customer bases. Similarly, in recruiting for its panel of business professionals, they have partnered with major airlines, hotels, and car rental companies. There is some natural overlap in the recruiting since business professionals who travel are also consumers, but Research Now pays close attention to panelist enrollment to ensure there isn’t panelist duplication.<br /><br />The “by-invitation-only” method enables a panel researcher to recruit people with specific demographics into the panel in order to meet a client’s needs for a representative sample of the understudy population, or to meet specific needs. For example, in order to recruit affluent panel members, the panel provider may recruit customers from upscale retailers to join the panel. To recruit teenagers, a panel provider may recruit customers of specific clothing retailers that specialize in the teen market. To recruit business decision makers, a panel provider may recruit customers from companies that cater to businesspeople, such as airlines, hotels, car rental companies, and subscribers to business publications. </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Using a “by-invitation-only” recruitment method gives a panel provider greater control over who is invited to the panel and greatly reduces the likelihood of professional survey takers. One particular area that requires attention with this approach is that the panel composition is dependent on the people who are invited to join the panel and may be biased by customers of a specific recruitment source. Thus, it is important that a “by-invitation-only” panel have a large number of diverse recruitment sources by working with companies in many different areas to ensure balanced representation in the panel.<br /><br />R<b>espondent Participation</b><br />Respondent participation is critical to the success of the research process in order to minimize nonresponse bias. Therefore, it is important to understand the panel management practices and incentives employed by an online panel. Response rates for online surveys can vary dramatically, with some populations having average response rates less than 5 percent, others with response rates closer to 30 percent, and sometimes well over 60 percent for prescreened  individuals, who have been alerted to expect to receive a survey at a specific time or date. The diminishing response rates observed with telephone interviewing have played a key role in the increased usage of online panels. Ensuring participation is a function of several factors, including to what extent panel members are engaged in the research process, their experience with surveys and the panel in general, and the topic of the research. Of course, one of the primary drivers of participation is the incentive program.<br /><br />Generally, online panels use two incentive models: the sweepstakes model and the payall model. The sweepstakes model offers survey participants a chance to be entered into a drawing for a prize, often hundreds or thousands of dollars, albeit with extremely low odds of winning. Pay-all incentive models pay each respondent a small incentive for their time and participation each time they take part in a survey. The choice of incentive model is not trivial. A sound incentive model influences not only survey response rates but also retention rates for panel members—which becomes very important when there is a need to use profiling information for targeting a specific type of respondent. Panel members who do not feel adequately compensated for their time and effort are much less likely to participate in research studies.<br /><br /><b>Panel Management</b><br />In addition to effective panel recruitment and respondent cooperation programs, online panel providers must have effective ongoing management of their panel to ensure a high level of quality. Panels must continually see that that their participants have positive experiences with every research project. Among other components, good panel management includes frequency controls to see that panel members are not surveyed too little or too much. Panel members should be given enough survey opportunities to stay effectively engaged in the research process, but not surveyed too much as to be burdened with survey invitations. Other keys to guaranteeing a positive panel member’s experience is providing respondent privacy, safeguarding personal information, and protecting members from bogus research that attempts to use online surveys as a sales channel (this is the practice of sugging—selling under the guise of research).<br /> </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Panel providers are continually recruiting new members to keep up with the growth in demand for online samples, as well as replace any panel members who may drop out.Even with exceptional panel member retention, some panel members will become lessactive in responding to surveys. In addition, panels will often recruit new members to assist in growing certain hard-to-reach segments and/or balancing the panel to have maximum representation of the overall population. Ensuring a growing supply of engaged, active panel members is a constant goal of every panel provider. Finally, panel management includes ensuring panel freshness. As panel members change, their profiles must be updated. A single, 25-year-old college student with an annual income of $12,000 from last year may now be a married 26-year-old accountant with a new baby and a household income of $45,000. Updating profiles ensures that panel providers are able to consistently target qualified people for surveys</div>

Many researchers turn to commercial online panel providers to assist in the process of completing a market research study, often by hosting...

Methods of conducting online surveys

<div style="text-align: justify;"> There are several basic methods for conducting online surveys: web survey software, survey design websites, and web hosting. Web Survey Software Web survey software includes software systems specifically designed for web questionnaire construction and delivery. In a typical use, the questionnaire is constructed with an easy-to-use edit feature, using a visual interface, and then automatically  transmitted to a web server system. The web server distributes the questionnaire and files responses in a database. The user can query the server at any time for completion statistics, descriptive statistics on responses, and graphical displays of data. Several popular online survey research software packages are IBM SPSS Quanquest, Sawtooth CiW, Infopoll, and SurveyGold.<br /><br />Gaining Survey Completions Do-it-yourself software, such as IBM SPSS Quanquest, requires that you offer the respondent a good experience if you expect the person to complete the survey. The more engaged respondents are, the better quality insights they will provide. The following tips can help create a better experience for the interviewee:</div> <ul style="text-align: justify;"> <li> As with any questionnaire, use language that is less “research-ese” and more conversational.</li> <li>Be honest and upfront about the time required to complete a study.\</li> <li> Provide more opportunities for participants to provide open-ended answers and truly express themselves.</li> <li> Ensure that all possible answer choices are given; avoid overuse of “other.”</li> <li> Keep survey to less than 20 minutes in length and provide participants with progress information as they advance through the survey.</li> <li>Consider using graphics when possible or appropriate to make the experience more visually engaging.</li> <li> Explore new ways to facilitate interaction between respondents and a researcher.</li> <li> Make studies more informative participants are particularly motivated by acquiring new knowledge and information about a product or topic.</li> <li> Offer participants the opportunity to be contacted again to receive updates on projects of products being tested.</li> </ul> <div style="text-align: justify;"> How important are incentives in online research? And does the cosmetic appearance of the questionnaire have an impact on completion rates? Decipher Inc. conducted an online study to address these questions. It conducted a survey using a domestic customer list provided by eBay Inc. Over 1,900 eBay members participated in a 7-minute online survey. The recruits were sent an e-mail invitation containing a link that directed them to the survey. The study employed four parallel cells:<br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHjeNoCwqk2ZlbV0l0FD51QUW_tIDOEIdrC3AH5dvrJvcdxbT_-UVF88LsPfcEh_cd0-dFLULFgJqZjxiHkw_v4s5MapoxKXT5ZwBviUhb7X3C-wwdBGCPKSh0TXLGMNz1_iAsrYHR20Rc/s1600/plan+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="http://siteeconomics.blogspot.com/2016/10/methods-of-conducting-online-surveys.html" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHjeNoCwqk2ZlbV0l0FD51QUW_tIDOEIdrC3AH5dvrJvcdxbT_-UVF88LsPfcEh_cd0-dFLULFgJqZjxiHkw_v4s5MapoxKXT5ZwBviUhb7X3C-wwdBGCPKSh0TXLGMNz1_iAsrYHR20Rc/s1600/plan+1.png" title="http://siteeconomics.blogspot.com/2016/10/methods-of-conducting-online-surveys.html" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjcD1Ne_y_4VwUJPdUVCgUA16t6G458MeCvxYqb2eiA6UXl_DnT79kHqGv9bT86Xp-84SaSVMN6ansugHx2dfbqfWRdBeaWuWmbvQD42B-2-HqnaFZkdNKK_N4Mfv9dFMIVdFh9RZY0j33/s1600/paln+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjcD1Ne_y_4VwUJPdUVCgUA16t6G458MeCvxYqb2eiA6UXl_DnT79kHqGv9bT86Xp-84SaSVMN6ansugHx2dfbqfWRdBeaWuWmbvQD42B-2-HqnaFZkdNKK_N4Mfv9dFMIVdFh9RZY0j33/s1600/paln+2.png" /></a></div> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfSECrUksfRJB1KOEBCc_W9fwoldbmfctX-tlRjcGcEotdxPTiYmXZ3CmGNa_RZ3M09OYOVUhEddVSPzv7cRdb-NSbu0g_gxtBOXdNI2QvnbUu4N6I9lJYM_W1_I6AVY2A0iZxdPlMKOpW/s1600/paln+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfSECrUksfRJB1KOEBCc_W9fwoldbmfctX-tlRjcGcEotdxPTiYmXZ3CmGNa_RZ3M09OYOVUhEddVSPzv7cRdb-NSbu0g_gxtBOXdNI2QvnbUu4N6I9lJYM_W1_I6AVY2A0iZxdPlMKOpW/s1600/paln+3.png" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> As can be seen from the setup, a comparison between Cell 1 and Cell 2 measured the effect of a plain versus fancy survey design. Color, the use of tables, and the right-aligned buttons distinguished the fancy from the plain survey design  A comparison between Cells 2 and 3 or Cells 2 and 4 measured incentive effects. Finally, a comparison between Cells 3 and 4 measured the effects of the different types of incentive: a cash prize drawing or a smaller, guaranteed cash incentive. The appearance of the survey had no measurable impact on the completion rate (in both instances, about 77 percent completed the survey). Nor did the type of incentiveaffect completion rates. However, either incentive boosted completion rates about 10 percent. For all four cells, dropouts occurred primarily over the first 90 seconds after a respondent entered the survey. Persons offered an incentive were significantly less likely to drop out during this period.<br /><br />Survey Design and Web Hosting Sites Many websites allow the researcher to design a survey online without loading design software. The survey is then administered onthe design site’s server. Some offer tabulation and analysis packages as well. Popular sites that offer web hosting are WebSurveyor, Survey Monkey, Zoomerang, and Google Consumer Surveys.31 People in over 200 countries have responded to more than 33 million surveys produced by Survey Monkey.</div>

There are several basic methods for conducting online surveys: web survey software, survey design websites, and web hosting. Web Survey Sof...

Disadvantages and online survey research

<div style="text-align: justify;"> <br />The Internet has forever changed the way we conduct survey research. As noted earlier, a vast majority of all U.S. research firms are now conducting online research. In the United States, the online population is now closely tracking the U.S. population in most key demographic areas. Moreover, the number of Internet users around the world continues to explode. As the number of users grows worldwide, characteristics of a country’s population and Internetuser characteristics tend to meld. The reason for the phenomenal growth of online research is straightforward. The advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.<br /><br />Advantages of Online Surveys<br />Most companies today face shorter product life cycles, increased competition, and a rapidly changing business environment. Management decision makers are having to make complex, rapid-fire decisions, and Internet research can help by providing timely information. The specific advantages of online surveys include the following:<br /><br />▪ Rapid deployment, real-time reporting Online surveys can be broadcast to thousands of potential respondents simultaneously. Respondents complete surveys and the results are tabulated and posted for corporate clients to view as the returns arrive. Thus, Internet survey results can be in the decision maker’s hands in significantly less time than traditional survey results.<br /><br />▪ Reduced costs The use of electronic survey methods can cut costs by 25 to 40 percent and provide results in half the time it takes to do traditional telephone surveys. Datacollection costs account for a large proportion of any traditional marketing research budget. Telephone surveys are labor-intensive efforts incurring training, telecommunications, and management costs. Online surveys eliminate these costs almost completely. Although the costs of traditional survey techniques rise in proportion to the number of interviews desired, electronic solicitations can grow in volume with less increase in project costs.<br /><br />▪ Ready personalization Internet surveys can be highly personalized for greater relevance to each respondent’s own situation, thus speeding up the response process. Respondents appreciate being asked only pertinent questions, being able to pause and then resume the survey as needed, and having the ability to see previous responses and correct inconsistencies.<br /><br />▪ High response rates Busy respondents may be growing increasingly intolerant of “snail mail” or telephone-based surveys. Online surveys take less time to complete than phone interviews do, can be accomplished at the respondent’s convenience (after work hours), and are much more stimulating and engaging. Graphics, interactivity, links to incentive sites, and real-time summary reports make the interview more enjoyable. The result: much higher response rates.<br /><br />▪ Ability to contact the hard-to-reach Certain groups are among the most difficult to reach (doctors, high-income professionals, CIOs in Global 2000 firms). Most of these  groups are well represented online. Internet surveys provide convenient anytime/anywhere access that makes it easy for busy professionals to participate.<br /><br />▪ Simplified and enhanced panel management Internet panels are electronic databases, linked via the Internet, that are committed to providing feedback and counsel to research firms and their clients. They may be large or small, syndicated or proprietary, and they may consist of customers, potential customers, partners, or employees. Internet panels can be built and maintained at less cost and timerequired for traditional panels. Once a panel is created and a questionnaire is finalized, surveys can be deployed, data are collected, and top-level results are reported within days.  sophisticated database tracks panelist profile data and survey responses, facilitating longitudinal studies and data mining to yield insights into attitudes and behaviors over time and across segments. Response rates are high, typically 20 to 60 percent, because respondents have agreed in advance to participate in the survey. These participants tend to provide more detailed and thoughtful answers than do those in traditional surveys, because they don’t have to give demographic and lifestyle information (it’s already been captured) and because they become engaged in the panel over time.<br /><br />External Internet panels simplify life for research suppliers The availability of huge Internet panels maintained by firms such as Harris Interactive, SSI, Greenfield Online, Research Now, and Decision Analyst makes the sampling process much easier for research companies that utilize these panels. We will discuss these panels in detail later in the chapter. Moreover, the cost to use the panels has dropped as the number of panel suppliers has increased.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Disadvantages of Online Surveys<br />The most common complaint about the use of online surveys traditionally was that Internet users are not representative of the population as a whole. As mentioned earlier,  this comment has largely disappeared in the United States. Harris Interactive and DSS Research have conducted over 300 surveys using parallel modes (telephone and Internet) and found that the research produced similar results. In all of the studies, it was rare to find a statistically significant difference between the sampling modes.23 DSS concluded that the Internet panel methodology offered the best alternative for market share measurement and competitive benchmarking objectives based on cost (half the cost of telephone),  speed (can be completed in less than half the time of telephone), and accuracy of measurement.<br /><br />Lee Smith, COO of Insight Express, conducted a side-by-side comparison of online research and mail surveys. He found that online research delivered data of the same quality as using mail surveys in one-eighth the time and at one-eighth the cost.24 Other research has shown that in most countries where the Internet penetration rate exceeds 20 percent, online surveys tend to yield results similar to those found in traditional methods such as telephone or paper-and-pencil survey research.<br /><br />A second problem exists when an unrestricted Internet sample is set up on the Internet. This means anyone who wishes to complete the questionnaire can do so. It is fully self-selecting and probably representative of no one except web surfers. The problem gets worse if the same Internet user can access the questionnaire over and over. For example, the first time InfoWorld, a computer user magazine, conducted its Readers’ Choice survey on the Internet, the results were so skewed by repeat voting for one product that the entire survey was publicly abandoned and the editor had to ask for readers’ help to avoid the problem again. All responsible organizations conducting surveys over the Internet easily guard against this problem by providing unique passwords to those individuals they invite to participate. These passwords permit one-time access to the survey. third problem is that the sample frame needed may not be available on the Internet. Assume that Guido’s, a popular Italian restaurant in Dayton, Ohio, wanted to know how its customers perceived the food quality and service compared with that of the big chains, such as Olive Garden. A large Internet panel, such as Greenfield Online, is probably not going to have enough members in Dayton, Ohio, that patronize Guido’s to give a representative sample. If Guido’s doesn’t have customer e-mail addresses, then an Internet sample isn’t feasible.<br /><br />Other problems include a lack of callback procedures to clarify open-end responses, potential for questionnaire programming errors, and a lack of bandwidth (some potential respondents can’t complete the survey or download photos and video quickly). Many companies and researchers have become concerned with the quality of online samples. Procter & Gamble states that a high-quality online sample must include only respondents who are real people whose identify and location can be authenticated; are qualified to answer the survey based on screening and behavioral criteria we determine; only take each survey once; and answer questions thoughtfully.<br /><br />As a result, all research suppliers for Procter & Gamble must do the following:</div> <ul style="text-align: justify;"> <li>Use objective quality criteria that are predetermined, replicable and standardized.</li> <li>Rely on automated processes to meet quality requirements.</li> <li>Ensure that potentially fraudulent respondents cannot easily identify or circumvent the quality measures in place.</li> <li>Uniformly apply quality requirements to all projects when requested, regardless of sample source, survey technology, and geography.</li> <li> Deliver reports demonstrating the impact of applying the quality requirements</li> <li> Protect and secure all personally identifiable and confidential information collected from respondents, suppliers and/or clients.</li> </ul>

The Internet has forever changed the way we conduct survey research. As noted earlier, a vast majority of all U.S. research firms are now c...

Determination of the survey method

<div style="text-align: justify;"> A number of factors may affect the choice of a survey method in a given situation. The researcher should choose the survey method that will provide data of the desired types, quality, and quantity at the lowest cost. The major considerations in the selection of a survey method are summarized in Exhibit 6.6.<br /><br /><b>Sampling Precision</b><br />The required level of sampling precision is an important factor in determining which survey method is appropriate in a given situation. Some projects, by their very nature, require a high level of sampling accuracy, whereas this may not be a critical consideration in other projects. If sampling accuracy were the only criterion, the appropriate data-collection</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCM2BwkF5PkX9aWlLnOqQkQQd-Y6eEq6pe0I4GC9h9SfRE7ya3A06l4exO7O1M_20cKWoIg2-c__zBdNTMsLoBGVwcyzx8M9zoxyuWFlRuF_rWB9eC782wgIp0ClEFTFotiiaFeXaGm7qW/s1600/determine+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCM2BwkF5PkX9aWlLnOqQkQQd-Y6eEq6pe0I4GC9h9SfRE7ya3A06l4exO7O1M_20cKWoIg2-c__zBdNTMsLoBGVwcyzx8M9zoxyuWFlRuF_rWB9eC782wgIp0ClEFTFotiiaFeXaGm7qW/s1600/determine+1.png" /></a></div> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUH-8h_7VzocFtaLKhpDt7tHumZevsw3JyBSQbartYqtbDFKuTsXca66eo0zSONQjzjwY5nLwuuey7BENW_GJsHYppUAxy51AwUBFFeSGO2XRrpM4OTfKpX9IZhAWu0icPV6RcVuQNxkoC/s1600/determine+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUH-8h_7VzocFtaLKhpDt7tHumZevsw3JyBSQbartYqtbDFKuTsXca66eo0zSONQjzjwY5nLwuuey7BENW_GJsHYppUAxy51AwUBFFeSGO2XRrpM4OTfKpX9IZhAWu0icPV6RcVuQNxkoC/s640/determine+2.png" width="640" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> technique would probably be call center telephone interviewing, an online survey of a sample drawn from a huge Internet panel, or some other form of polling of a sample drawn from customer lists. The appropriate survey method for a project not requiring a high level of sampling accuracy might be the mail approach or some type of mall survey. The trade-off between the call center telephone survey, Internet panel, and the mail survey methods in regard to sampling precision is one of accuracy versus cost. A call center telephone survey employing a random-digit dialing sampling procedure that includes cell phone and smart phones might produce a better sample than the mail survey method. However, the mail survey will most likely cost less. Often, Internet samples will provide both lower cost and greater accuracy.<br /><br /><b>Budget</b><br />The commercial marketing researcher frequently encounters situations in which the budget available for a study has a strong influence on the survey method used. For example, assume that for a particular study the budgetary constraint for interviewing is $10,000 and the sample size required for the necessary accuracy is 1,000. If the cost of administering the questionnaire using the mall-intercept method is $34.50 per interview and the cost of administering it via Internet survey is $1.50   per interview, the choice is fairly clear assuming that nothing about the survey absolutely requires face-to-face contact.<br /><br /><b>Requirements for Respondent Reactions</b><br />In some studies, the marketing researcher needs to get respondent reactions to various marketing stimuli perhaps product prototype usage (a new style of smartphone keyboard) or a taste test. In these cases, the need to get respondent reactions to stimuli normally requires personal contact between interviewer and respondent.  Taste tests typically require food preparation. This preparation must be done under controlled conditions so that the researcher can be certain that each person interviewed is responding to the same stimulus. The only viable survey alternative for tests of this type is the mall-intercept approach or some variant. One variant, for example, is recruiting people to come to properly equipped central locations, such as community centers, to sample products and be interviewed. Some surveys require face-to-face interaction because of the need to use special measurement techniques or eye tracking devices, or to obtain specialized forms of information.  The tasks are so complex that the interviewer must be available to explain the tasks and ascertain whether the respondents understand what is required of them.<br /><br /><b>Quality of Data</b><br />The quality of data required is an important determinant of the survey method. Data quality is measured in terms of validity and reliability.  Validity refers to the degree to which a measure reflects the characteristic of interest. In other words, a valid measure provides an accurate reading of whatever the researcher is trying to measure. Reliability refers to the consistency with which a measure produces the same results with the same or comparable populations.<br /><br />Many factors beyond the interviewing method affect data quality. Sampling methods, questionnaire design, specific scaling methods, and interviewer training are a few of them. However, each of the various interviewing methods has certain inherent strengths and weaknesses in terms of data quality. These strengths and weaknesses are summarized in Exhibit 6.7. The important point here is that the issue of data quality may override other considerations such as cost. For example, although the least expensive way to get responses to a long questionnaire with many open-ended questions might be via a mall-intercept interview, thedata obtained by this method might be so biased because of respondent fatigue, distraction, and carelessnes that the results would be worthless at best and misleading at worst</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS6-BqrD14hIInSxDTcoHNKS1LeiDX-MnpNc8Ws0OlZqasVrOG3BnpRnpOuBhBTXafKl_-SdeiDlNp9JNTz2uxP5OndaN7h_wCL3x2U_jyFhslkcjnxY1wbYZvDeqi89aGzO5AFmcRKwYE/s1600/determine.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS6-BqrD14hIInSxDTcoHNKS1LeiDX-MnpNc8Ws0OlZqasVrOG3BnpRnpOuBhBTXafKl_-SdeiDlNp9JNTz2uxP5OndaN7h_wCL3x2U_jyFhslkcjnxY1wbYZvDeqi89aGzO5AFmcRKwYE/s1600/determine.png" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>Length of the Questionnaire</b><br />The length of the questionnaire the amount of time it takes the average respondent to complete the survey  is an important determinant of the appropriate survey method to use. If the questionnaire for a particular study takes an hour to complete, the choices of survey method are extremely limited. Telephone, mall-intercept, and most other types of surveys, with the exception of personal interviews, will not work. People shopping at a mall ordinarily do not have an hour to spend being interviewed. Terminations increase and tempers flare when interviewers must try to keep respondents on the phone for an hour. Response rates plummet when people receive through the mail questionnaires that take an hour or more to complete. The trick is to match the survey technique to the length of the questionnaire. While there is no hard-and-fast rule, the following maximum lengths have been recommended:<br /><br />▪ Face-to-face (in-home, office) 25 minutes<br />▪ Telephone 20 minutes<br />▪ Mall intercept 15 minutes<br />▪ Online 20 minutes<br />▪ Individual depth interview 40 minutes<br /><br /><b>Incidence Rate</b><br />Recall that the incidence rate refers to the percentage of people, households, or businesses in the general population that would qualify as interviewees in a particular study. Search costs, which correlate with the time spent trying to locate qualified respondents, sometimes exceed the costs of interviewing. In situations where the researcher expects incidence rates to be low and search costs high, it is important to select the method or combination of methods that will provide the desired survey results at a reasonable cost. Doing a low-incidence rate study in a mall would be very expensive. This approach should be taken only if there is some compelling reason for doing so a long in-depth interview, for example. The lowest-cost survey alternative for the low-incidence study is probably the Internet panel, assuming that this approach meets the other data-collection requirements of the study. One advantage of the Internet panel is that it can be prescreened; people can be asked a number of questions, usually including some on product usage. For example, if panel members were asked during prescreening whether anyone in their household participated in downhill or alpine skiing, the Internet panel operator could at very  low cost pull out only those households with one or more skiers for a survey of Alpine<br />skiers.<br /><br />Structure of the Questionnaire<br />In addition to the length of the questionnaire, the degree of structure required in the questionnaire may be a factor in determining which survey method is most appropriate for a given study. Structure refers to the extent to which the questionnaire follows a set sequence or order, has a predetermined wording of questions, and relies on closed-ended (multiplechoice) questions. A questionnaire that does all these things would be structured; one that deviates from these set patterns would be considered unstructured. A questionnaire with little structure, such as an individual depth interview, requires a face-to-face interview. Very brief, highly structured questionnaires do not require face-to-face contact between interviewer  and respondent. Mail, telephone, self-administered, and online surveys are viable  options for studies of this type.<br /><br />Time Available to Complete the Survey<br />If the client needs to have survey results quickly, the Internet is the best choice. Generally, call center telephone and mall-intercept interviews can also be completed in a timely manner.</div>

A number of factors may affect the choice of a survey method in a given situation. The researcher should choose the survey method that will...

What type of survey is best for a given situation?

<div style="text-align: justify;"> Types of Surveys</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Asking people questions is the essence of the survey approach. But what type of survey is best for a given situation? The non-Internet survey alternatives discussed in this chapter are door-to-door interviews, executive interviews, mall-intercept interviews, telephone interviews, self-administered questionnaires, and mail surveys.<br /><br /><b>Door-to-Door Interviews</b><br />Door-to-door interviews, in which consumers are interviewed in person in their homes, were at one time thought to be the best survey method. This conclusion was based on a number of factors. First, the door-to-door interview is a personal, face-to-face interaction with all the attendant advantages immediate feedback from the respondent, the ability to explain complicated tasks, the ability to use special questionnaire techniques that require visual contact to speed up the interview or improve data quality, and the ability to show the respondent product concepts and other stimuli for evaluation. Second, the participant is at ease in a familiar, comfortable, secure environment. Door-to-door interviews began a steep decline in the early 1970s and have now virtually disappeared altogether from the U.S. marketing research scene. The primary reason is the cost of paying an interviewer’s travel time, mileage, and survey time, as well as ever-rising refusal rates. The method is still used in some government research. For example, some of the most recent U.S. Census was done door-to-door. Door-to-door interviewing is also the most popular form of interviewingin many developing countries..<br /><br /><b>Executive Interviews</b><br />Marketing researchers use executive interviews as the industrial equivalent of door-to-door interviews. This type of survey involves interviewing businesspeople at their offices concerning industrial products or services. For example, if Hewlett-Packard wants information about user preferences for features that might be offered in a new line of office printers, it needs to interview prospective user-purchasers of the printers. It would thus be appropriate to locate and interview these people at their offices. This type of interviewing is expensive. First, individuals involved in the purchasing decision for the product in question must be identified and located. Sometimes lists can be obtained from various sources, but more frequently screening must be conducted over the telephone. A particular company may indeed have individuals of the type being sought, but locating them within a large organization can be expensive and time-consuming. Once a qualified person is located, the next step is to get that person to agree to be interviewed and to set a time for the interview. This is not usually as hard as it might seem because most professionals seem to enjoy talking about topics related to their work. Finally, an interviewer must go to the particular place at the appointed time. Long waits are frequent; cancellations are common. This type of survey requires highly skilled interviewers because they are frequently interviewing on topics they know little about. Executive interviews have essentially the same advantages and disadvantages as door-to-door interviews. More and more executive interviews are moving online.<br /><br /><b>Mall-Intercept Interviews</b><br />Mall-intercept interviews are still a common method for conducting personal interviews. This survey approach is relatively simple. Shoppers are intercepted in public areas of shopping malls and either interviewed on the spot or asked to come to a permanent interviewing facility in the mall. Approximately 350 malls throughout the country have permanent survey facilities  operated by marketing research firms. An equal or greater number of malls permit marketing researchers to interview on a daily basis. Many malls do not permit marketing research interviewing, however, because they view it as an unnecessary nuisance to shoppers. Mall surveys are less expensive than door-to-door interviews because respondents come to the interviewer rather than the other way around. Interviewers spend more of their time actually interviewing and less of their time hunting for someone to interview. Also, mall interviewers do not have the substantial travel time and mileage expenses associated with door-to-door interviewing. In addition to low cost, mall-intercept interviews have many of the advantages associated with door-to-door interviews in that respondents can try test products on the spot.<br /><br />However, a number of serious disadvantages are associated with mall-intercept interviewing. First, it is virtually impossible to get a sample representative of a large metropolitan area from shoppers at a particular mall. Even though malls may be large, most of them draw shoppers from a relatively small local area. In addition, malls tend to attract certain types of people, based on the stores they contain. Studies also show that some people shop more frequently than others and therefore have a greater chance of being selected. Finally, many people refuse mall interviews. In summary, mall-intercept interviewing cannot produce a good or representative sample except in the rare case in which the population of interest is coincident with or is a subset of the population that shops at a particular mall. Second, the mall environment is not always viewed as a comfortable place to conduct an interview. Respondents may be ill at ease, in a hurry, or preoccupied by various distractions outside the researcher’s control. These factors may adversely affect the quality of the data obtained. Even with all its problems, the popularity of mall-intercept interviews has declined only slightly in recent years.<br /><br /><b>Telephone Interviews</b><br />Until 1990, telephone interviewing was the most popular form of survey research. The advantages of telephone interviewing are compelling. First, telephoning is a relatively inexpensive way to collect survey data. Second, the telephone interview has traditionally produced a high-quality sample. Ninety-five percent of all Americans have some type of phone.Random-digit sampling, or random-digit dialing, is a frequently used sampling approach. The basic idea is simple: Instead of drawing a sample from the phone book or other directory, researchers use telephone numbers generated via a random-number procedure. This approach ensures that people with unlisted numbers and those who have moved or otherwise changed their telephone numbers since the last published phone book are included in the sample in the correct proportion. The huge disadvantage, as already noted,  is the extremely low completion rate.<br /><br /><b>Predictive Dialing</b> Today, random digit dialing has been merged with software to create predictive dialing. Predictive dialing gives interviewers more time for the actual interviews, since they are not dialing phone numbers; thus, it increases the efficiency of the interviewing process. The dialer automatically calls a number, screens the unnecessary calls such as answering machines and busy signals, then connects a waiting interviewer with a potential respondent. The software will prioritize recalls to meet a preset appointment time and deliver real-time reporting of numbers dialed and attempted, along with completed interviews.<br /><br /><b>Call Center Telephone Interviews</b> Call center telephone interviews are conducted from a facility set up for that purpose. The reason for the popularity of call center phone interviews is fairly straightforward in a single word, control. First, the interviewing process can be monitored; most call center telephone interviewing facilities have unobtrusive monitoring equipment that permits supervisors to listen in on interviews as they are being conducted. Interviewers who are not doing the interview properly can be corrected, and those who are incapable of conducting a proper interview can be terminated.<br /><br /></div>

Types of Surveys Asking people questions is the essence of the survey approach. But what type of survey is best for a given situation? Th...

Types of errors in survey research

<div style="text-align: justify;"> When assessing the quality of information obtained from survey research, the manager must determine the accuracy of those results. This requires careful consideration of the research methodology employed in relation to the various types of errors that might result (see Exhibit 6.1).</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /><b>Sampling Error</b><br />Two major types of errors may be encountered in connection with the sampling process. They are random error and systematic error, sometimes referred to as bias. Surveys often attempt to obtain information from a representative cross section of a target population. The goal is to make inferences about the total population based on the responses given by respondents sampled. Even when all aspects of the sample are investigated properly, the results are still subject to a certain amount of random error (or random sampling error) because of chance variation. Chance variation is the difference between the sample value and the true value of the population mean. This error cannot be eliminated, but it can be reduced by increasing the sample size. It is possible to estimate the range of random error at a particular level of confidence.<br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY6_TXsMbzy2pAqzsTTdJAyEKboUaMfOHhYS0fKT-dB1-qRAkPkUyQO6VLbHReCKcFhTrgWlV8oE5mhGYh3O8GCx9Tu-caKbGF-PaBwCJ3f9A6jPzzsoLZzE3dYgae_RHibxE5g7-9KI1m/s1600/r.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="http://siteeconomics.blogspot.com/2016/10/types-of-errors-in-survey-research.html" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY6_TXsMbzy2pAqzsTTdJAyEKboUaMfOHhYS0fKT-dB1-qRAkPkUyQO6VLbHReCKcFhTrgWlV8oE5mhGYh3O8GCx9Tu-caKbGF-PaBwCJ3f9A6jPzzsoLZzE3dYgae_RHibxE5g7-9KI1m/s1600/r.png" title="http://siteeconomics.blogspot.com/2016/10/types-of-errors-in-survey-research.html" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>Systematic Error</b><br />Systematic error, or bias, results from mistakes or problems in the research design or from flaws in the execution of the sample design. Systematic error exists in the results of a sample if those results show a consistent tendency to vary in one direction (consistently higher or consistently lower) from the true value of the population parameter. Systematic error includes all sources of error except those introduced by the random sampling process. Therefore, systematic errors are sometimes called nonsampling errors. The nonsampling errors that can systematically influence survey answers can be categorized as sample design error and measurement error.<br /><br /><b>Sample Design Error</b> Sample design error is a systematic error that results from a problem in the sample design or sampling procedures. Types of sample design errors include frame errors, population specification errors, and selection errors<br /><br /><b>Frame Error</b> The sampling frame is the list of population elements or members from which units to be sampled are selected. Frame error results from using an incomplete or inaccurate sampling frame. The problem is that a sample drawn from a list that is subject to frame error may not be a true cross section of the target population. A common source of frame error in marketing research is the use of a published telephone directory as a sampling frame for a telephone survey. Many households are not listed in a current telephone book because they do not want to be listed or are not listed accurately because they have recently moved or changed their telephone number. Research has shown that those people who are listed in telephone directories are systematically different from those who are not listed in certain important ways, such as socioeconomic  levels. This means that if a study purporting to represent the opinions of all households in a particular area is based on listings in the current telephone directory, it will be subject to frame error. </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>Population Specification Error</b> Population specification error results from an incorrect definition of the population or universe from which the sample is to be selected. For example, suppose a researcher defined the population or universe for a study as people over the age of 35. Later, it was determined that younger individuals should have been included and that the population should have been defined as people 20 years of age or older. If those younger people who were excluded are significantly different in regard to the variables of interest, then the sample results will be biased.<br /><br /><b>Selection Error </b>Selection error can occur even when the analyst has a proper sampling frame and has defined the population correctly. Selection error occurs when sampling procedures are incomplete or improper or when appropriate selection procedures are not properly followed. For example, door-to-door interviewers might decide to avoid houses that do not look neat and tidy because they think the inhabitants will not be agreeable to doing a survey. If people who live in messy houses are systematically different from those who live in tidy houses, then selection error will be introduced into the results of the survey.<br /><br /><b>Measurement Error</b> Measurement error is often a much more serious threat to survey accuracy than is random error. When the results of public opinion polls are given in the media and in professional marketing research reports, an error figure is frequently reported (say, plus or minus 5 percent). The television viewer or the user of a marketing research study is left with the impression that this figure refers to total survey error. Unfortunately, this is not the case. This figure refers only to random sampling error. It does not include sample design error and speaks in no way to the measurement error that may exist in the research results. Measurement error occurs when there is variation between the information being sought (true value) and the information actually obtained by the measurement process. Our main concern in this text is with systematic measurement error. Various types of error may be caused by numerous deficiencies in the measurement process. These errors include surrogate information error, interviewer error, measurement instrument bias, processing error, nonresponse bias, and response bias.<br /><br /><b>Surrogate Information Error</b> Surrogate information error occurs when there is a discrepancy between the information actually required to solve a problem and the information being sought by the researcher. It relates to general problems in the research design, particularly failure to properly define the problem. A few years ago, Kellogg spent millions developing a line of 17 breakfast cereals that featured ingredients that would help consumers cut down on their cholesterol. The product line was called Ensemble. It failed miserably in the marketplace. Yes, people want to lower their cholesterol, but the real question was whether they would purchase  a line of breakfast cereals to accomplish this task. This question was never asked in the research. Also, the name “Ensemble” usually refers to either an orchestra or something you wear. Consumers didn’t understand either the product line or the need to consume it.<br /><br /><b>Interviewer Error</b> Interviewer error, or interviewer bias, results from the interviewer’s influencing a respondent—consciously or unconsciously—to give untrue or inaccurate answers. The dress, age, gender, facial expressions, body language, or tone of voice of the interviewer may influence the answers given by some or all respondents. This type of error is caused by problems in the selection and training of interviewers or by the failure of interviewers to follow instructions. Interviewers must be properly trained and supervised to appear neutral at all times. Another type of interviewer error occurs when deliberate cheating takes place. This can be a particular problem in door-to-door interviewing, where interviewers may be tempted to falsify interviews and get paid for work they did not actually do.<br /><br /><b>Measurement Instrument Bias </b>Measurement instrument bias (sometimes called questionnaire bias) results from problems with the measurement instrument or questionnaire . Examples of such problems include leading questions or elements of the questionnaire design that make recording responses difficult and prone to recording errors. Problems of this type can be avoided by paying careful attention to detail in the questionnaire design phase and by using questionnaire pretests before field interviewing begins.<br /><br /><b>Input Error</b> Input errors may be due to mistakes that occur when information from survey documents is entered into the computer. For example, a document may be scanned incorrectly. Individuals filling out surveys on a smartphone or laptop may hit the wrong keys.<br /><br /><b>Nonresponse Bias </b>Ideally, if a sample of 400 people is selected from a particular population, all 400 of those individuals should be interviewed. As a practical matter, this will never happen. Response rates of 5 percent or less are common in mail surveys. The question is, “Are those who did respond to the survey systematically differ in some important way from those who did not respond?” Such differences lead to nonresponse bias. We recently examined the results of a study conducted among customers of a large savings and loan association.The response rate to the questionnaire, included in customer monthly statements, was slightly under 1 percent. Analysis of the occupations of those who responded revealed that the percentage of retired people among respondents was 20 times higher than in the local metropolitan area. This overrepresentation of retired individuals raised serious doubts  about the accuracy of the results.<br /><br />Obviously, the higher the response rate, the less the possible impact of nonresponse because nonrespondents then represent a smaller subset of the overall picture. If the decrease in bias associated  with improved response rates is trivial, then allocating resources to obtain higher response rates might be wasteful in studies in which resources could be used for better purposes. Nonresponse error occurs when the following happens:<br /><br />▪ A person cannot be reached at a particular time.<br />▪ A potential respondent is reached but cannot or will not participate at that time (for example, the telephone request to participate in a survey comes just as the family is sitting down to dinner).<br />▪ A person is reached but refuses to participate in the survey. This is the most serious problem because it may be possible to achieve future participation in the first two  circumstances.<br /><br />The refusal rate is the percentage of persons contacted who refused to participate in a survey. Although response rates for mobile and Internet surveys hover around 60 percent with panel surveys even higher, telephone and mail response rates are very low. Pew Research has found that the response rate for a typical telephone survey was 36 percent in 1997 and only 8 percent in 2012.1 The movement from landlines to smartphones has been a contributing factor. Comparing 1997 to 2012, we find that:<br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTE9el_kVT_CJ70GvlLmfFZPqfz2XoqdF9_XWRyLLp9xrRrqPItuCdYuMfByQI9FUvHEO7dPRe6GGwVGNn0cDZA4mqQG-yhJeGr15XQzdR8QFcqD8Ej_wK7hyphenhyphendspauIlpes1ocdsYxzHmD/s1600/r+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="http://siteeconomics.blogspot.com/2016/10/types-of-errors-in-survey-research.html" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTE9el_kVT_CJ70GvlLmfFZPqfz2XoqdF9_XWRyLLp9xrRrqPItuCdYuMfByQI9FUvHEO7dPRe6GGwVGNn0cDZA4mqQG-yhJeGr15XQzdR8QFcqD8Ej_wK7hyphenhyphendspauIlpes1ocdsYxzHmD/s1600/r+2.png" title="http://siteeconomics.blogspot.com/2016/10/types-of-errors-in-survey-research.html" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Response Bias If there is a tendency for people to answer a particular question in a certain way, then there is response bias. Response bias can result from deliberate falsificationor unconscious misrepresentation.<br /><br />Deliberate falsification occurs when people purposefully give untrue answers to questions. There are many reasons why people might knowingly misrepresent information in a survey. They may wish to appear intelligent, they may not reveal information that they feel is embarrassing, or they may want to conceal information that they consider to be personal. For example, in a survey about fast-food buying behavior, the respondents may have a fairly good idea of how many times they visited a fast-food restaurant in the past month. However, they may not remember which fast-food restaurants they visited or how many times they visited each restaurant. Rather than answering “Don’t know” in response to a question regarding which restaurants they visited, the respondents may simply guess. Unconscious misrepresentation occurs when a respondent is legitimately trying to be truthful and accurate but gives an inaccurate response. This type of bias may occur because of question format, question content, or various other reasons.</div>

When assessing the quality of information obtained from survey research, the manager must determine the accuracy of those results. This req...