Technology changes behavior. This is evident in many areas. One is the way we take market research surveys. With the trend toward mobile, apps and greater demands on our time, technology is changing the way surveys are conducted and the way we participate in them. A resource that proves this is the Confirmit Market Research Software Survey. For the last 9 years, Meaning ldt has conducted a global survey that provides a unique set of information and insights into the interplay of technology and methodology within the market research industry. What do they find? Here are 4 technology trends changing how market research surveys are conducted.
- Mobile is making survey length shorter but market research companies are slow to change. The average survey is 20 minutes for telephone and 8.3 minutes for mobile. That’s a big difference. As mobile phones replace land lines, expect surveys to get shorter. The market research industry acknowledges the need for standards and best practices for survey length. But, in practice, market research companies are slow to adapt with the majority showing no change.
- Apps are quickly changing how we take surveys. While browsers on our computer or mobile device are the most accepted way to conduct surveys, apps are changing the landscape. App usage is expected to double and equal browser usage within the foreseeable future.
- Most surveys provide some kind of incentive. 6 of every 10 surveys provide incentives. Surprisingly, although cash is frequently used, it is not the only or most often used incentive. This indicates to us that creativity when using survey incentives can capture participants’ interest to influence response rate.
- The ratio of quantitative and qualitative remains unchanged. While some things change, some things remain the same. Over the 9 years that Confirmit has conducted this survey, the ratio of quantitative surveys has remained at roughly 75% with qualitative surveys at 25%. This suggests to us that market research companies need to listen to the preferences of participants in how they conduct surveys but why they conduct surveys remains grounded in business needs against specific objectives that have distinct applications.
What to these technology trends say to you? Do they teach you something new about how you would conduct a market research survey? Would you like to learn more? Would you be interested in learning how to do survey research using better survey incentives with the latest technology?