Our market research company keeps the pulse on the latest and greatest in the industry so you don't have to. We don't just talk market research, we live it, we write about it, and we share it. Our fingers hurt because of it. Often. Learn more about market research basics, tricks, trends, and ideas. Grab a fresh coffee, there is so much here, you'll need it.
Market Research Company Blog
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Top 8 Reasons Businesses Avoid Market Research
Posted at: 11/29/2016 8:02 PM
Market research. People either love it or hate it depending on their past exposure to it. It seems to be a very polarizing topic in business where you'll either hear one of two stories. Story one, how a concept testing project led to a few critical improvements to a product that led to a projected 10% increase in sales. Story two, a focus group of participants that absolutely hated a new branding campaign but the client ignored some of the feedback and launched one of the most successful re-imag
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How Chevrolet is Destroying Focus Groups
Posted at: 11/28/2016 7:59 PM
Although I am all for television commercials that embrace and build awareness for marketing research among the general public, I do take particular offense with the new Chevrolet campaign. The television commercials are designed to entertain in an effort to go viral rather than be a true depiction of the benefits and reality of what a productive focus group looks like. If you haven't seen any of the Chevy "focus group" advertisements yet, here is a screen cap from the commercial campaigns. Vi
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Use Traditional Market Research to Power Up Your Web Analytics
Posted at: 11/27/2016 7:55 PM
All good quantitative data is supported by qualitative research. Qualitative research is often viewed as the undercard to the Main Event. This can never be more true in the world of big data, user data, and web data. Using traditional market research methodologies in tandem with web analytics can provide a business with multiple benefits and a more complete picture of the user experience (UX.) What are some of the benefits of marrying market research together with web analytics? Qualitative re
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Authenticated Versus Unauthenticated Online Surveys - Which is Better?
Posted at: 11/26/2016 7:51 PM
When it comes to online surveys, you have two options: (1) authenticated or (2) unauthenticated. Choosing between the two approaches can prove difficult. As a survey administrator you must weigh the pros and cons of each option and choose the best approach for your study. What are authenticated surveys? Authenticated online surveys are verified through an authorization key or identifier that allows the survey administrator to trace respondents. This is typically done through a unique link
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4 Tips to Build a Better Research Interview | Market Research Tips
Posted at: 11/25/2016 7:44 PM
In-depth interviews (IDIs) whether conducted by phone or in-person can offer an extensive look into the mind-frame of your customer. A one-on-one conversation allows the interview to dig deeper on specific comments and pull-out critical information about perceptions, decision-making processes, or loyalty to a product or company. Although I focused a prior post on 5 more basic tips to conduct IDIs, this post will provide 4 more unique tips to assist you with your qualitative research work. Rec
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What is Interviewer Error? | Market Research Company
Posted at: 11/24/2016 7:40 PM
Virtually all types of marketing research methodologies incur some type of bias. Whether it be sequence bias, the halo effect, acquiescence bias, or self-selection bias the options are endless. All have an impact on your data quality and are often an accepted limitation in the industry. Another type of bias is often called interviewer error. What is interviewer error? Interviewer error is a form of bias in which the interviewer administering the survey in-person, by phone, or through chat
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Is Top-of-Mind Awareness Still Important? | Digital Market Research Company
Posted at: 11/23/2016 7:36 PM
It's a standard practice in most image and awareness surveys or brand equity studies. The survey starts with a blinded introduction with no mention of a sponsor. This usually leads to a question similar to "When thinking about SUVs what is the first brand that comes to mind?" Or "When thinking about toothpaste, which brand comes to mind first?" Similarly, the next series of questions typically involves a few more "what else comes to mind" or a series of yes and no questions asking "Are you aware
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4 Business Impacts from VoC and CX
Posted at: 11/22/2016 7:34 PM
It's a simplistic concept but arguably nothing can build culture and revenue with a company quicker than a universal strategy to focus on the customer. Oftentimes in business it is easy to sidetrack yourself by focusing on tasks that are far removed from the customer. Fortunately for those that work in marketing research, customer experience (CX) or voice of customer (VoC), not an hour goes by within the customer being at the forefront of your duties. Whether it's a telephone interview, analyzi
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Why Organizational Charts Are Backwards | Using VoC to Drive Change
Posted at: 11/21/2016 7:29 PM
Organizational charts. We've all seen them. Most of us probably own a box or circle somewhere in the endless flow of relationship diagramming saved somewhere on the abyss of your company's cloud or shared drive. It shows us our "fit" in an organization and how it relates to who we report to, what division we work in, and who ultimately reports to us. It can be comforting in a way for many to see how their role impacts the organization. Unfortunately, they are all wrong. Organizational charts an
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9 Data Cleaning Tips After Your Survey Fieldwork is Complete
Posted at: 11/19/2016 7:24 PM
You've poured your blood, sweat, and tears into crafting your latest online survey. The moment you hit publish and sent out those initial invitations, a collective sigh of relief echoed across your organization. But, just as quickly as the responses started rolling in, momentum slowed after the second week of fieldwork. Now, you're ready to take the next step. What's next? If you guessed report writing or analysis, think again. It’s time to roll up your sleeves and get into the nitty-gritty o
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What is Text Analytics? | Market Research Company in Buffalo, NY
Posted at: 11/18/2016 7:18 PM
Market research is always evolving. The challenge is finding new ways to analyze data, text, and information to generate actionable insights and outcomes. A new technique and term that has grown in popularity in the past 5 years is text analytics. What is text analytics? Text analytics is simply a way of analyzing text and generating insights from patterns, trends, and ways of speech. Without text analytics, your open-ends might look something like this: A simple application for text analy
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Is Your Online Survey Like a Dinner Conversation with your 12-Year-Old?
Posted at: 11/17/2016 7:15 PM
In the understatement of the century, technology has changed the landscape of marketing research. The days of sending out hard copy surveys by mail or going door-to-door to collect survey responses have become close to extinct (here's looking at you U.S. Census Bureau.) The popularity of cell phone, mobile devices, and computers have made it incredibly easy for survey companies to contact respondents to seek responses and feedback. Due to these cost and time savings, online surveys are almost to