Last week’s CASRO Online Research event in Las Vegas included what is sure to be one of the most memorable industry conference sessions for quite some time. Toluna’s John Bremer moderated a panel discussion with actual MR panelists who shared their motivations, frustrations and expectations about participating in online research panels. The panelists were exceedingly candid; they revealed what keeps them engaged (naturally, financial incentives work best) and what causes significant frustration (a big complaint is regularly being invited to surveys for which they don’t actually qualify). Some admitted to belonging to the same panel under multiple accounts, to taking the same survey more than once – and even to generating enough incentives to pay the rent. While few of the panelists’ revelations were surprising, it was novel to hear this information straight from the mouths of respondents.

Market researchers are already aware that competition for panelists is at an all-time high and panel attrition is a serious issue.  We all know that the MR industry needs to ensure we are providing a satisfactory experience to respondents; not only because it affects engagement, but also because it influences data quality. Yet poor questionnaire design and usability errors continue to be serious problems.  Inadequate querying practices too often result in unrepresentative samples and the over-sending of survey invitations. Ineffective de-duplication processes permit individuals to complete the same survey multiple times. Our industry is well aware of these issues, and the panel of panelists at CASRO Online readily reinforced the message.

So what’s the answer? Utilization of effective survey software and panel management software goes a long way toward solving these problems. Today’s sophisticated survey and panel solutions provide tools – both automated and customizable – that enhance panel performance and keep respondents happy and engaged. In situations where outside sample and/or multiple sample sources are utilized, respondent authentication solutions such as TrueSample® are also beneficial to verify, de-dup and monitor survey participants. Kinesis proudly integrates to TrueSample, and readily provides many additional next-generation features (multimode community websites, advanced email delivery tools, panel health assessments, and more) to empower our clients and facilitate successful market research panels.

Recently our president Leslie Townsend presented sessions focusing on mobile market research at both the CASRO Technology and MRA Annual conferences. Each session had time for Q&A at the end, and the CASRO presentation produced a very interesting question on the topic of “jailbreaking.” The attendee was curious as to how the market research industry should best support mobile respondents who have jailbroken smartphones.

In case you are among those who are unfamiliar with this term, jailbreaking describes the process of unlocking the full potential of an Apple iOS device (iPhones, iPods, iPads, etc.) and circumventing limitations imposed by Apple. It allows users to install custom apps not approved by Apple’s App Store, customize the look and feel of the phone’s theme, and modify other settings and functions otherwise unchangeable within the stock software. This process is called rooting when performed on Android devices, and although no specific term has been coined in reference to Windows Mobile, some users of those phones perform such alterations to their operating systems as well. There are in fact large communities with the express purpose of unlocking and changing the capabilities of these smartphones. Nearly all device manufacturers specify that jailbreaking, unlocking, or otherwise hacking a smartphone will void its warranty, but the practice of modifying electronics and software seems to have been an accepted risk for technology enthusiasts and tinkerers since the beginning of personal computing. For a more in-depth look at what unlocking and installing custom software entails, check out this article.

From a market research perspective, supporting jailbreakers is relevant because online data collection begins and ends with respondents being able to successfully access web-based surveys, and more and more frequently surveys are being accessed from mobile devices. It is estimated that more than 10% of all iPhones are jailbroken, and since many jailbreakers are part of the Millennial generation that is of course a highly sought after demographic for marketers, ensuring that they are able to participate in market research surveys is imperative. Additionally, because jailbreaking/rooting practices are legal in the U.S., it is likely that the percentage of unlocked smartphones will continue to rise.

Fortunately, most custom operating systems and custom browsers being installed today do in fact report their device type to websites correctly, so web pages and/or online surveys using automatic device detection should be able to render content appropriately even when a device has been jailbroken and its browser modified. Kinesis offers support for the largest array of devices in the market research industry, and regularly monitors/tests smartphone OS and browser compatibility with our survey software to ensure the widest possible implementation.

Last October we published a blog post that called for A Little Less Conversation, A Little More Action Please concerning the most pressing issues in market research for 2011. This was an informal appeal to the industry to move away from conceptual and theory-based presentations and papers about why market research practices must evolve, and instead start offering tangible recommendations about how to survive the evolution. After having attended CASRO’s annual Online Research Conference in Las Vegas last week, Kinesis is encouraged that the industry is now also subscribing to this mantra. Session presenters took on several of the hot-button topics that are changing the face of market research, and they offered true insight based on studies and analyses conducted by their companies.

Sean Conry of Techneos Systems and Patricia Graham of Knowledge Networks presented a case study about the principle considerations of implementing mobile research, and provided detailed results of their case study project and its business implications. The NPD Group’s Inna Burdein looked at how panelist reporting habits change as they become tenured, and how research results are affected. Melanie Courtwright and Chuck Miller from DMS Insights compared four of the most commonly used respondent validation programs to understand the validation metrics used by each and the resulting validation rates provided. These, and many other sessions, were truly insightful and had a lot of “action” included within their conversation.

Interestingly, the session topics that CASRO elected to feature at the conference mirror many of the topics addressed here on the Kinesis blog in recent months. We see this as further validation of the direction we are moving with our solution offerings. In the last year Kinesis has introduced new mobile research apps, expanded our multimode survey functionality, incorporated new technologies such respondent validation, and greatly expanded the capabilities of our panel management software. Kinesis is on pulse with the direction the MR industry is heading, and we will continue to add our own action-filled conversations to the mix. Next up: Tariq Mirza, Kinesis’ Managing Director of Europe, will present “Bridging the Mobile Gap: The Journey from Why to How in Mobile Research” at the Swedish Market Research Day on March 17. Also, look for Kinesis President Leslie Townsend to be among the session presenters at the Marketing Research Association’s Annual Conference in June (details to follow).

Throughout the past 20 years, the market research industry has seen a dramatic shift in the way research is collected, analyzed, and reported. Researchers are no longer merely collecting and processing data for individual paper or CATI research projects; they are now integrating information across multiple studies, collecting information from any and all electronic devices available, and interpreting results for business impact on an entirely new level.

While attending the 35^th annual CASRO conference in San Diego, Kinesis attended several sessions providing key insights about various trends in the evolving market research industry. Simon Chadwick’s presentation titled “Client-driven Change Redux: Where Next for Market Research?” in particular provided a solid summarization and closure to the conference.

Chadwick’s session focused on several prominent factors contributing to this disruption of market research: new data collection methodologies, the advent of web analytics, more powerful CRM, and modernized data aggregators. Some of these factors are a result of changes in technology; others are a result of the past five years of economic turmoil. Over these past five years, market researchers have been forced to do more with less on a scale never seen before. Chadwick proceeded to reveal some startling numbers: 80% of research department budgets have been slashed over the past two years. Global spending across the entire industry was down 4.6% in 2009, so the industry has responded by redefining traditional research methodologies, offshoring and extending teams, reassessing critical components of research, and shifting to a DIY research model. Many of these tactics are not new, but their resurgence can be characterized by a few major transitions. For example, offshore market research companies are no longer just programming shops; full-service bureaus overseas offering high-end analytics is becoming more and more popular.

The expansion into the DIY research model in particular has exploded over the past five years due to software tools’ increased ease-of-use and broadening feature sets. Tools allowing you to program, host, and analyze data for extremely complex web surveys fielded on any number of electronic devices is now a standard offering. Likewise, the ability to manage custom research panels and communities by using tools like Kinesis Panel™ and Kinesis Community Portal™ has revolutionized tasks previously requiring entire research teams.

These adaptations are all but critical given how research practices have evolved from the traditional quantitative/qualitative/syndicated research done in the 1990’s to the advanced web of research collection of today: web and mobile analytics, data mining from social media and other sources, desktop and mobile quant/qual surveys, cell-phone ethnographies, and online communities.

As Chadwick concluded in his presentation at CASRO, the flow of knowledge and our collection abilities will continue to expand over the coming years, and there will be a fundamental shift in how we approach business decision making. We at Kinesis agree with this assertion whole-heartedly, and continue to expand our platform in response to changes in market research. Stay tuned…

AUSTIN, TX (October 8, 2010) - Kinesis Survey Technologies LLC (Kinesis), the industry leader for robust and scalable survey software and panel management software solutions, will exhibit at two upcoming market research industry events, the Council of American Survey Research Organizations (CASRO) Annual Conference and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR) Online Research 2010 Conference.

Kinesis will showcase its premiere market research product suite at both events. Featured solutions include: the recently-released Kinesis Panel™ version 3.0, a robust and flexible panel management solution;  Kinesis Survey™, the leading multi-mode (web/mobile) survey solution; and Kinesis Community Portal™, an interactive, multi-mode solution that enables the creation of panelist community websites.

“Kinesis continually enhances our software solutions to ensure that they remain at the forefront of market research technology,” said Leslie Townsend, Kinesis President. “Kinesis has recently introduced many new features and capabilities, and we are eager to share them with the CASRO and ESOMAR participants.”

The CASRO Annual Conference entitled Beyond the Horizon: Charting the Future of Research will take place October 11-14 at the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort in San Diego. More information is available at http://casro.org/techform/2010-annualconf.cfm.  The ESOMAR Online Research Conference entitled E-Universe: The Power of Listening will be held October 17-19 at the Hotel Andels in Berlin. Details are available at: http://www.esomar.org/index.php/online-research-2010-hotel-and-venue.html.

Market researchers and other parties not in attendance at these conferences may contact the Kinesis sales team: sales@kinesissurvey.com to learn more about all Kinesis product offerings.

About Kinesis Survey Technologies
Kinesis Survey Technologies, LLC provides a comprehensive survey and panel management product suite to advance innovation in both mobile and web-based market research. Delivering intuitive, state-of-the-art applications, Kinesis software products can be effectively utilized without deep programming knowledge yet are robust enough to perform the most complex of survey and panel functions. Headquartered in Austin, TX, Kinesis offers product versions for both the market research industry and enterprise business organizations, and proudly supports next generation research applications worldwide.