Category Archives: Market Research

Tapping into customer feedback that is ‘always on’

This guy gets multiple votes from our CROWDWisdom Team as it seems we can’t stop running across his good ideas. Here’s a couple of his posts I feel compelled to share.

Why, because he challenges the market research industry. He pushes the boundaries and requires us to look at things differently.

Who is the masked market researcher? Peter Harris, a forward thinking Aussie with a fresh take on the industry.

In his post, Market and Social Research – not broken…just bent, he talks about a new market research paradigm evolving from the digitisation of customer connection. He sees mobile technologies, online communities, shorter surveys, feedback that is always on, using technology to connect and learn continuously – not just during research projects. I think he does see the future.

He goes on to tell us, “the smartphone is probably the most powerful device ever made available to market researchers.” In Mobile is the medium… and a market research revolution Peter stresses the importance of feedback in real time.

You can’t find much better CROWDWisdom than online, mobile communities providing market feedback in real time. Peter you’re the man, welcome to the smartCROWD.

Are you using mobile to get immediate feedback from your customers? Drop us a line and share your ideas on using real time market information.

Capitalizing on Real Time Information

Here at InCrowd we’re in the business of real time data. We provide access to relevant and timely market information to further support your daily business decisions.

When talking with clients about what we do, I’m often asked…
•    Why do I need data in real time?
•    Do I need more information when making everyday business decisions?

I recently came across a blog post that addresses these questions perfectly.

The post, Defining Real-Time Marketing, sums it all up in one word – marketing. To be relevant, your marketing efforts require real time data.

Ever wonder how your competitor can deliver exactly the right piece of content quickly and efficiently to their target audience? Who, by the way, is also your target audience. They use real time data to fuel their marketing efforts and better connect with their clients.

Paul O’Brien, author of the post, is officially invited to join the smartCROWD. We love that he actively incorporates real time data into his daily business decisions – making his marketing and client engagement efforts even stronger.

Is real time marketing on your company’s radar screen? Do you use real time data to support your daily business decisions? We welcome your thoughts on the move to real time.

5 Market Research Trends to Watch in 2013

It’s mid January and by now everyone has tossed the left over Christmas candy, deleted the out of office messages and updated their calendars for 2013. Last week as I was relocating candy kisses from my desk drawer to ‘file 13’ I started thinking about the new year, what it holds for InCrowd and the market research industry at large.

Here are my predictions on 5 market research trends gaining momentum in 2013:

1. There will be a concerted move toward shorter, faster micro surveys

I realize that as an industry we have a long history of talking about decreasing response rates, respondent fatigue and the need for shorter surveys; however this time I think we’re ready for the rubber to hit the road. People are increasingly mobile, stretched for time and inundated with information resulting in both limited availability and shortened attention spans. To accommodate busy lifestyles market research must adapt and that means shorter, faster micro surveys. If we as an industry want to ensure continued access to relevant market feedback we must be ready when, where and how the respondent is ready to engage. I think this sums it up nicely… Micro-surveys: a faster way to learn about your users. 

2. Sample will be more representative

This is not because we micro manage and over analyze our sample, but because we do a better job engaging with people who actually matter to and have an interest in our brand. I would rather have meaningful answers from 100 respondents than 400 responses from people that don’t really care about my brand and just want the gift card for participating. Some have said bias is good and in this case I agree. To put it in perspective… Here’s How To Create A Never-Ending Focus Group And Keep Your Customers Happy.

3. Mobile is its own method: you can’t force fit mobile

While poking around Zite  on my iPad I read an article telling me that in 2013 mobile phones will overtake PCs as the dominant web access device worldwide. Not a surprise in the least, mobility reigns supreme. As does the ability to stay connected anytime, anyplace. This begs the question… how can I best reach these people? The answer is easy, via mobile market research. The difficult part is in conducting that mobile market research. Simply taking a survey instrument, giving it a few tweaks, deleting a couple of question and pushing it to a mobile device is NOT conducing mobile market research. Mobile is a method of its own and needs to be treated as such from start to finish. As 2013 progresses I expect to see increased focus and discussion around the overall mobile research process, you can read more at… You Can’t Force Fit Mobile Into the Current Market Research Process.

4. Data will be more visual

People are tired of charts and graphs; they want to interact with their data, gain deeper insights and understand relationships between data sets. One-dimensional information is limited, connecting multiple data sets tells a story. Think infographic, think SecondPrism and if you really want something to think about check out… My Data Visualization Wish List.

5. There will be a new openness in the market research industry

As an industry we can no longer afford to ‘do it the way we’ve always done it’ or rely solely on the ‘traditional’ when conducting market research. Success hinges on industry openness to innovation and technology, a willingness to engage in social listening and the use of multiple channels to access data. Our respondents and their increasingly tech-focused mobile lifestyles are driving the need for openness and – yes I’ll say the word – change. You’ll find some food for thought relative to industry openness in… Revisiting 8 Things I Would Do if I Were a Market Research Company.

Have you noticed a common theme to my 5 trends? I see a more interactive, respondent-centric market research environment that fully utilizes new technologies to gain market insights.

I’d like to know your thoughts… Do you agree with my trends? Have some of your own? What do you see for the market research industry in 2013?