At its simplest level, online research methods are no different from existing offline research methodologies; except that they have re-invented and re-imagined themselves to adapt to new technologies possible with the internet. In this article we explore some of the more popular methods and assess how they can benefit your organisation.
- Online focus groups. Similar to an offline focus group in that the moderator invites typically 8 – 10 pre-screened, qualified respondents who represent the target of interest – to join an online discussion that typically lasts 60 to 90 minutes. The moderator guides the discussion using a combination of predetermined questions and unscripted probes and allows interaction of respondents to generate deeper insights about the topic. At 2Europe we find these particularly useful for difficult to reach business projects where respondents are geographically spread and a conventional focus group is impossible to recruit.
- Online interviews. There are various forms of online interview: synchronous interviews that use chat type technologies and asynchronous interviews that use email to engage with respondents. Most 2europe surveys are asynchronous. Online interviews are a valuable tool when you need to interview respondents who are geographically dispersed or who would otherwise have difficulty being reached e.g. people who are disabled or in hospital, people who are in prison or war zones and for respondents who are socially isolated (eg drugs, terminally ill etc).
- Online questionnaires. A popular way to collect information, online questionnaires allow greater flexibility in displaying information, enables responses to be collated more quickly and allows a range of response formats (eg radio buttons, check boxes, etc). With typically low response rates, factors that determine success include respondent ability, respondent motivation and the task difficulty / questionnaire design.
Whichever method is used, establishing a representative target respondent panel is vital and there are numerous ways that a panel can be recruited:
- Advertisements (on and offline)
- Bulletin boards
- Mass emails
- Direct mail
- Telephone
- Online research communities
- Custom online panels
Optionally the use of incentives, competitions and discounts can also help recruit panellists although care must be taken not to introduce bias or to attract the serial respondent.
Development of unbiased panels is an expensive and specialist activity and so at 2Europe we work with specialist panel providers and today we can link panels in every European country, the US and some Asian countries.
Perhaps the most exciting development in online research is that of Market Research Online Communities. Here a targeted group of people are recruited into a private online community, to participate in research related activities over an extended period of time. They are especially useful in the early stages of strategy development and allow for a greater insight into buyer belief and attitudes.
