Technology Ran Over Our Dogma

Technology is fundamentally changing how, when, where and with whom we do research. buy wellbutrin online buy wellbutrin no prescription generic These changes fundamentally challenge the market research industry’s tired… Continue reading Technology Ran Over Our Dogma

Spring Training for Market Researchers

Is your organization doing more market research? Are people outside of the market research department becoming increasingly involved in research, either as “do it yourself” researchers or as members of cross-functional project teams? Imagine a baseball team made up of three professional ball players and six middle-aged guys from the local coffee shop. Wouldn’t those well-intentioned coffee drinkers need some practice before that first game? Well if you want your whole research team to play at their best, here are a few things to keep in mind:

SANTA DOESN’T LIVE HERE: Don’t Oversell Market Research

Be careful not to oversell market research. Those of us who do market research professionally tend to get enthusiastic. We are typically people who enjoy designing and implementing research methodologies, who like to dive into mounds of data and extract meaningful results. In our enthusiasm for research, we have to be careful not to over-promise. Realistic expectations are the key to satisfied clients, especially for riskier types of projects.

Market Research Policies

Do you cringe when you hear the word “policies”? Most people do. After all, policies often mean bureaucracy. But in the case of market research, clear policies will minimize the risk of data quality headaches, customer over-surveying, ethical breaches and more.

POST MORTEMS: THE ANATOMY OF MARKET RESEARCH PROCESS IMPROVEMENT

Did you learn everything you possibly could from your last project—not just from the final results, but by examining the process itself? Conducting a detailed review, a post mortem so to speak, can help pinpoint exactly what worked—and what needs work.

What If?

I’ve come up with a few scenarios that could result if online surveys with non-customer populations became impossible tomorrow. Imagine: you can still reach your customers for research, but what about the rest of the world? What if you could no longer reach qualified, non-customer groups in a quantitative way? If the lists and panels were no longer available or the response rates dropped to .0005 percent, what would the impact be on your market research needs and investments?

4 More Cool Ways to Use Market Research

In a crowded marketplace, how can market research help your company stand out? By doing things your competitors aren’t daring enough to try. So let’s have some fun.

The Future of Market Research: Here’s What’s Out

The results point to some important changes for the way market research is sold, conducted and reported. No surprise there—we all know that the rate of change in our industry is swift these days.

748 Votes Later: The Top 10 Market Research Industry Predictions for 2011 & Beyond

A total of 35 market research industry predictions were posted during the last two weeks of 2010. For each one, people could vote for or against the item, resulting in a net score.

Market Segmentation: What to Look For in A Project Proposal

Here are a few practical tips about what you should see in a market segmentation proposal. If you see these things, it tells you that this proposal is from an experienced market research firm that understands how to mitigate the risks specific to segmentation projects.