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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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
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What is a Moderator's Guide? | Focus Groups Upstate NY
Posted at: 11/16/2016 7:11 PM
What is a moderator's guide in market research? A moderator's guide is a document used by a focus group moderator or interviewer to help standardize and add structure to the focus group or interview by asking a series a sequenced questions which are pre-written before the fieldwork. A moderator's guide is a useful tool to ensure the discussion stays on track and that all objectives are addressed for your client. The term moderator is used synonymous with interviewer for in-depth interviews (IDIs
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Survey Scales: Choosing Between Large and Small Options
Posted at: 11/15/2016 7:07 PM
I am sure you have seen your fair share of surveys. Businesses are putting high stakes into customer experience (CX) programs through a variety of reach-outs. The outcomes and insights generated from CX campaigns and surveys can provide a company with significant ROI to drive marketing decisions, operational changes, and strategies for growth. Among the surveys you've taken, you've probably seen all types of scaling questions from 3-point, to 5-point, to 7-point, to 10-point options. Although it
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Programming Checklist for Surveys | Market Research Company, Syracuse NY
Posted at: 11/14/2016 7:04 PM
Programming and testing a survey can prove to be a very time-consuming process for an analyst. Oftentimes tinkering with one question can impact a large branch of logic that can cripple your programming sequence if done incorrectly. When programming a survey, it is extremely difficult to multi-task because of the focus that is needed to handle one piece at a time. If a programmer gets too concerned with fixing multiple items (logic, randomization, grammar) by juggling back and forth, it can beco