The market research industry is currently facing some big challenges. New technologies such as mobile and social media are being rapidly adopted by research participants, and therefore dramatic changes to our processes and methodologies are required. At the same time, research budgets and project timelines are shrinking, making it difficult to quickly and effectively implement the necessary changes. With mobile and social media development moving faster and faster, and other new and valuable research technologies emerging (such as on-site barcode scanning and media capture, gaming and geolocation), it is clear that the fast-paced trend will not reverse any time soon. Those who are struggling to keep up now will undoubtedly fall further and further behind in the coming years unless fundamental strategy changes are implemented.

So, the million dollar question is this: how do you protect your investments in skill sets, software, training, etc., while simultaneously migrating your business to support these new and critical technologies?

Thankfully the million dollar question does have an answer, and the answer is a relatively straightforward one: become future-proof. Wikipedia defines future-proof as: anticipating future developments, so that action can be taken to minimize possible negative consequences, and to seize opportunities. Dictionary.com defines it this way: (of a system, computer, program, etc.) guaranteed not to be superseded by future versions, developments, etc. To become future-proof, a shift in mindset is required. It means considering not only how emerging technologies are being applied to research today, but also how they could and should be applied tomorrow.

To successfully future-proof your business, new investments must be made now – even though we are facing a weak economy. Education and training are needed to understand how these new technologies will affect research processes during the next several years. Survey design, panel management, sampling practices, participant authentication tools, etc. are evolving as a result of mobile and social media usage, and all researchers need to fully understand the implications. In the face of the growing DIY research movement, education will be the card to play that keeps MR companies thriving. Researchers need to be anticipating where the participants will go next, how to reach them there, and what tools will be needed to keep them engaged. Enterprise businesses will have no choice but to return to the experts for truly effective market research analysis and results.

New investments in software may be needed as well. Some solution providers are stagnated in the wake of mobile web growth (while already lagging behind in web solutions), and are now attempting to play catch up with their solution offerings. As a result, many MR companies are now faced with needing to change, or at least augment, their research platforms in order to keep pace with the industry’s evolution. For companies in this position, a careful ROI evaluation is needed for each solution being considered, particularly in terms of longevity and flexibility. Consider how well your software investment will be protected as expanding technology continues to evolve market research, and whether or not the solution vendor will be capable of providing ongoing future-proof solutions.

The answer to the million dollar market research question is straightforward, but that does not mean its implementation will be easy. Collectively we must recognize and embrace the changes being thrust upon our industry, and be willing to do the hard work necessary to achieve success.  Now is the time to take on a future-proof mindset and answer the question for yourself.

In our previous blog, Kinesis detailed the essential considerations for mobile survey design. The development of effective, engaging and succinct mobile surveys is crucial as the industry moves to adopt mobile research, and hopefully you found our best practices recommendations useful.

Now let’s turn the attention to mobile panels – an equally critical factor in the expansion to mobile MR. Panels have been instrumental in market research since the industry went online more than a decade ago. Now, as we move into the next decade, their value will either grow or atrophy depending on whether or not researchers succeed in offering panelists a rich and engaging mobile experience.

Panelists now receive email, and thus survey invitations, on their mobile devices, and they may already be accessing surveys intended for PC interaction from their phones. The missing puzzle piece is to bring their panelist websites to their mobile devices as well. Kinesis President Leslie Townsend provided an informative and forward-thinking article in
Quirk’s magazine that addresses the issues surrounding mobile panel adoption. She believes, and the rest of us at Kinesis agree, that the expansion to mobile (or even better – multimode) panelist websites is essential to the progression of market research.

For in this multimode world, mobile device users increasingly expect that the websites they visit via their PCs will also be highly functional via their mobile phones, and panelist portals are no different. However, due to technology and device size limitations, it is unrealistic to expect that all online portal functionality can be easily replicated in the mobile environment. Therefore, below are some essential considerations for implementing mobile or multimode panels.

First, a decision must be made regarding what types of mobile devices to support. Obviously smartphones provide much deeper functionality than feature phones (although feature phones are currently being utilized quite effectively in mobile market research). Then there are the tablets and Netbooks that blur the distinction between PC and mobile device. Many believe it to be advantageous to optimize panelist websites for smartphones, since these represent the preponderance of mobile browsers and offer panelists a highly dynamic and engaging experience. However, our own analysis of mobile traffic indicates that there are still a significant number of survey-takers using feature phones, and the region and type of panel will often dictate the requirements around device type.

Second, it is critical to identify the features most commonly used on the panelist websites and confirm that those can be replicated for the mobile portal. Functionality for registration with double opt-in, lost password retrieval, and the ability to check and redeem incentives are probably must-haves. Panelists who use both their PC and mobile device to interact on the portal will likely find the mobile site frustrating if it does not offer the features that they use most frequently — and frustration can quickly turn into disengagement.

Another consideration is how mobile device usage affects profiler design. Profilers deemed short and easy to complete in terms of PC interaction may still be too long or difficult to complete via a mobile phone. Functionality that isn’t commonly supported by mobile devices (Flash, JavaScript, tables, etc.) should be avoided as well.

Device detection technology is highly recommended. You may have some projects that simply do not render to a majority of mobile devices (such as a card sorting exercise, or a survey that requires large amounts of text input). In these instances it will be necessary to restrict access to these the surveys from the mobile portal.  This can be achieved by utilizing automated device detection for incoming respondents, so ensure your portal platform offers this functionality.

Panelist recruitment is also a key consideration. If you are building a mobile panel, or recruiting new panelists to an existing online panel via their mobile phones, they could possibly arrive from a variety of sources. Consider all of the forwarded emails, mobile websites and mobile social networking apps available as potential access points – and also the new geo-location technologies that are gaining ground. A single authentication process is highly desirable for both mobile and PC respondents, but may not be possible. Note that usage of geo-location has additional implications, as laws vary by region and have to be thoroughly researched. A separate opt-in may be required.

The adoption of mobile panels is clearly wrought with new considerations and challenges, but their potential to advance market research is immense. With more and more panelists using their mobile phones to access email and the web, mobile panelist websites will quickly morph from ancillary to necessity. And just as we mentioned in the Essential Considerations for Mobile Survey Design post, selecting a panel management solution provider that possesses the software functionality and delivery experience necessary to help you achieve success is, hands down, the number one best practice recommendation.