Does your company keep an archive of existing research?

Is your archive easily searchable by project name, customer segment, brand, type of research and does it include a brief digest of key insights for each project?

Although the task is time consuming in the short run, the long-term benefits are significant:

Streettalk™ Using mobile devices to conduct “in-the-moment” research

When you want to conduct experiential research, and it’s not practical to be present, consider StreetTalk™.

Using their own mobile devices, respondents can text, email, photograph or call and leave an extended message.  They can describe the situation they are in, their thoughts, feelings, and points of pain, and reactions to the products and environment as they occur.

Exploring Your Online Market Research Options

Live Chat, Bulletin Boards, Online Immersion, Video Diaries:
Which Option is Right for You?

When geography, low incidence, speed, or budget constraints are an issue, it pays to consider online research as an option. So which method is right for your project?

Live Online Focus Groups is ideal when you need to obtain top of mind feedback to assist in narrowing and/or refining multiple stimuli (ads, packaging, concepts, positioning statements, taglines, etc.).  It takes place in real time, typically 60-75 minutes, with 8-10 respondents.  Teens and young adults, in particular, love it!

BoardTalk Bulletin Boards are ideal for deep dive exploration of a segment or category to understand attitudes and behaviors, or for concept reactions and brainstorming.  Boards take place over time, typically 3-7 days, with 15-20 respondents.  Busy professionals and consumers enjoy the ability to respond when and where it’s convenient for them.

Nine Tips for Reducing your Qualitative Research Costs

Has Your Research Budget Been Cut? Do You Need to Control Costs?

• Know your objectives. Clarity on the purpose and desired outcome of the research will lead to better, more efficient study design. This will help assure that you are not paying a premium for a method you may not really need.


• Consider online research. Conducting research online allows you to recruit a geographic mix of respondents for a single group, eliminating the need to conduct research in multiple markets. It also eliminates all travel expenses, and reduces out of office staff time.


• Be realistic about screening requirements. The price of a recruit is based on the difficulty of the specifications, as well as the time it takes to administer a screener over the phone. Screen only on the most essential criteria. If we are looking for “needles in a haystack” can you really market to them?


• Avoid last minute screening changes. Once you get into the field, any changes that are made—unless they are to loosen screening criteria—are costly.


• Plan ahead to avoid overtime charges. Last minute projects often incur overtime charges to complete. Allow at least two weeks to complete the recruit for an average-sized project.


• Reduce group size. You can save up to 20% on both recruiting and incentives by simply reducing the number of respondents required to show. Smaller groups (6-7 respondents) are typically just as rich in quality and quantity of information gathered.


• Schedule research to avoid hard-to-fill time slots. With the increase in working moms, daytime slots have become more difficult and expensive to fill. Even research with stay-at-home moms must be scheduled with care; a group between 2:30-4:30 (when kids are getting out of school) is going to be significantly more expensive to recruit.


• Be selective about your A/V needs. Unless you know for certain that someone will watch them, eliminating videotaping can save thousands across several markets. If you are recording the groups, do you need an operator or would a stationary camera be adequate? Are you including audio and video clips in a final report? If not, you probably don’t need to pay a premium for digital recordings.


• Control backroom requests. Last minute copies, ordering off of menus vs. ordering in advance, food for 12 when only 3 show up…all contribute to an increased bottom line. And as with all fine dining, the bar bill adds up quickly!