carrierobbins

SoCal MRA Education Day – Reflections

Carrie Robbins — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 05:35:54 +0000

I was recently invited to speak at the Southern California Market Research Association Education Day at the USC campus, where I presented on the use of mobile devices to conduct market research. To give you a definition of what I mean by mobile market research, one researcher defines it as An approach that’s optimized to engage consumers in real-time at the point of their experience to give feedback on that experience via a mobile device. And a mobile device would primarily be a mobile phone or tablet. (Leonard Murphy, CEO of BrandScan 360).

I’ve been interested in mobile technology and its application to marketing and market research for a while now. The recent SoCal MRA presentation was based on a paper published in May, 2011 by Greenbook called Mobilizing Market Research: The state of the art, future evolutions and implications of mobile data collection method. This past summer I also had the opportunity to speak as a panelist at the Market Research in the Mobile World conference and am currently working on a series of mobile market research app reviews, which will be published on the Greenbook blog.

I greatly enjoyed the presentation at USC, mainly because of the exciting 15 minutes of Q&A it sparked afterwards. Here were some of my favorite questions, many of which I am still working to answer:

1. Q: When will the pricing for mobile market research become standardized?

A: I have no idea! But seriously though, if market research firms actually deliver on the predictions made in the GRIT 2012 report and there is an explosion of mobile MR in 2012, then the technology and sampling providers will have to come up with a standard price for their services. At the moment, there is confusion (and a certain level of disgruntled murmurings) over the fact that many mobile MR tech/sampling providers are keeping their prices on par with online. This seems counterintuitive because most of the mobile surveys out there are about 1/5 of the length of a traditional online survey…We shall see what develops. But I would give it 6 months to a year.

2. Q: Who are the best people to target with this method?

A: People who frequently use mobile technology (and depending on the study, this specifically refers to smartphones) – African-Americans, Hispanics, young adults, ‘Soccer Moms’ etc.

3. Q: Instead of putting URL’s on a receipt, couldn’t stores put something there that would allow the consumer to take the survey immediately from their mobile phones?

A: Yes! This is one of the best uses I can think of for mobile. A QR code to a C-Sat survey that is on your store receipt, or better yet, on a billboard upon entering the store. Then you can get people’s reactions while shopping, or capture the opinions of non-purchasers as well as purchasers.

In case you missed the event, you should catch it next year! Other topics that were presented at the Socal MRA Education Day 2012 were: Using social media in marketing research, TV research 101 and Legal Issues in Market Research.

Speaking at the upcoming SoCal MRA Education Day – March 2, 2012

Carrie Robbins — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:53:15 +0000

Save the date….

For the Southern California Market Research Association Education Day

March 2nd, 2012 at USC

I will be speaking about mobile Market Research – come join me! See the details below, or follow this link to sign up:

Happy New Year! The SoCal MRA Chapter is proud to announce the first 3 events for 2012. Please save the dates! Come and meet your colleagues at the following events:

Education Day 2012: We are delighted to announce our 2012 Education day! The SoCal Board, in conjunction with our members, has put together an exciting lineup of speakers that will include:

Karen Manne – ABC Television

John Thaler – Law Offices oF John Thaler, APC

Ashley Ranger – Excelamktg

Carrie Robbins – Lieberman Research Worldwide

Where – USC Campus
When – March 2^nd
Schedule – 8:45am – 5:00pm
Cost – $52 members (includes lunch, refreshments and a drink at the mixer)

Follow the link to register - More details coming soon!

An interview by Dana Stanley

Carrie Robbins — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 17:46:21 +0000

I met Dana Stanley at the Market Research in the Mobile World conference in Atlanta this summer. Dana is General Manager and Partner of the Market Research Global Alliance, an industry social network with over 17,000 members globally. He asked to interview me about my recently published white paper, Mobilizing Market Research. Check out the interview here. Dana writes,

At the Market Research in the Mobile World ’11 mobile market research conference last month, I had the pleasure of meeting Carrie Robbins of Lieberman Research Worldwide.

Carrie is a young researcher who recently completed Master’s studies in communications at USC and theLondon School of Economics. Her thesis centered on mobile market research. GreenBook recently published her paper, entitled “Mobilizing Market Research.”

Carrie interviewed a wide range of industry experts for her paper, including:

Vivek Bhaskaran (Survey Analytics)
Greg Bovitz (Bovitz Research Group)
Mike Clarke, Cris Sunada and Joanne Robbibaro (Lieberman Research Worldwide)
Elaine B. Coleman (Resolve Market Research)
Chris Hobson (txteagle)
Palanivel Kuppusamy (iPinion Surveys)
Kristin Luck (Decipher)
Michael McCrary (Federated Sample)
Leonard Murphy (BrandScan360)
Ari Popper (BrainJuicer)
Kristin Schwitzer (Beacon Research)
Sabine Stork (Thinktank)
Jim Whaley (Globalpark USA)

Carrie summarizes some of the key conclusions from her paper, and she reveals she’s working on another analysis to be published by GreenBook this fall, a review of mobile survey applications. I’m looking forward to checking that one out when it’s available.

The Full Report: Mobilizing Market Research

Carrie Robbins — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 18:38:18 +0000

What a great experience the Market Research in the Mobile World conference turned out to be. Atlanta was muggy and the presentations were first rate! My series leading up to the conference was blogged on Greenbook and copied below, but for a PDF of the full report, click here.

Mobilizing Market Research: The Grand Finale – Moving Forward & Using The Mobile Toolbox

Carrie Robbins — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 06:05:13 +0000

It’s a wrap!! View the original post in Greenbook here or read below:

This was originally planned to be the 7th post in a 9 part series by Carrie Robbins, a recent Master’s Degree recipient who did her thesis on Mobilizing Market Research: The state-of-the-art, future evolution and implications of mobile data collection methods in the field of market research. I’ve decided the remaining sections work best as a single post, so I have combined 7-9 into this, the final post in the series. We’re at the end of this great series and we’re going out with a bang! This final post explores some of the variables to consider when determining what mobile research is appropriate for your study, dissects what the mobile revolution means fro market research industry, and gives a series of examples of the major applications for mobile research today. It truly is the “meat” of the series and will enable everyone interested in deploying mobile research to have a solid base to start from.

Editors Note: This was originally planned to be the 7th post in a 9 part series by Carrie Robbins, a recent Master’s Degree recipient who did her thesis on Mobilizing Market Research: The state-of-the-art, future evolution and implications of mobile data collection methods in the field of market research. I’ve decided the remaining sections work best as a single post, so I have combined 7-9 into this, the final post in the series.

Here are the links to the previous sections:

Part 1: Why Go Mobile?

Part 2: Industry Insights

Part 3: Benefits & Current Uses

Part 4: Limitations & The Future

Part 5: Going Forward – The Mobile To-Do List

Part 6: Best Practices and What’s Next?

We’re at the end of this great series and we’re going out with a bang! This final post explores some of the variables to consider when determining what mobile research is appropriate for your study, dissects what the mobile revolution means fro market research industry, and gives a series of examples of the major applications for mobile research today. It truly is the “meat” of the series and will enable everyone interested in deploying mobile research to have a solid base to start from.Many references are cited in this piece. For a complete list of all of the references clickhere.

Since the GreenBook is also a Co-Sponsor of the Market Research in the Mobile World Conference, we have been posting a new section of Carrie’s report here to serve as a primer for the industry on the topic of mobile research. Registrants of the event will get access to a complete version that will be available via download. Carrie will also be attending MRMW11 and participating on one of our expert panels at the event!

This truly is a comprehensive review of the current state of the industry, the views of many industry thought leaders on what the future holds, and of current best practices being used. It should serve as a great resource for anyone interested in or actively engaged in utilizing mobile technologies for research-based initiatives.We hope you’ve enjoyed it reading it as much as we have presenting it for you!

By Carrie Robbins

Why does a shift towards mobile methods matter, and what are the direct implications of this emerging new methodology? Luck explains that it challenges researchers to think harder and more creatively about how they gather information. The way in which sampling is addressed may become more flexible (Murphy). While an increase in participation and improved data quality may occur (McCrary), more direct interaction between consumers and companies could potentially threaten the field of market research (Whaley). The face of market research will surely shift, as it becomes increasingly integrated with marketing (Bhaskaran), advertising,gaming and other industries and as the business model changes and it must compete with new sectors (Murphy). Market research will have to work across new industries (Murphy) and will potentially gain a more global scope and insight (Whaley, Schwitzer). These methods will allow us to tie behavior and activity to attitudes, an exciting prospect for the future of market research (Whaley).

Guidelines to Mobile Method Selection

The following is a quick synopsis to guide the selection of a mobile method, based on a series of common research aims and assembled from the interviews and background research:

Desired Outcome	Mobile Research Method
Maintain an ongoing dialogue over time through frequent short spurts of information	Mobile panel or community
Understand how a consumer relates to a brand or product in his or her home or in the “real world”	Mobile diary or ethnographic study
Understand event-based behavior	Mobile diary or ethnographic study
Map respondents while quantifying behavior	Mobile survey with geolocation data or QR code
Map respondents while obtaining qualitative insight	Mobile diary or ethnographic study with geolocation data or QR code
Quantify something in field (ex. prior to focus group, for mall intercept or movie exit)	Mobile tablet survey
Understand momentary/one time locational attitude or behavior across individuals	Mobile survey or polling with individuals based on geolocation data (from panel or community members) or as identified by QR code

Conclusion

The advent of social media and the convergence of methods of communication and media on mobile devices have altered the way in which people communicate and the devices they use. This has caused rapid and considerable change in the field of consumer research. A shift in market research towards the consumer experience seems to be taking place, as is a merging of market research with other fields of business such as marketing, advertising, and gaming. As Hobson observes, “There’s less focus on the methodology and more focus on being a strategic partner and business adviser,” or gaining actionable insight in innovative ways, such as via mobile research. Mobile is not ideal for one-time users as it is difficult to gather enough information from one interaction with a single consumer to say anything relevant or representative of a group. However, a move towards ongoing dialogue with consumers means mobile will be an effective tool for gaining contextual, in-the-moment feedback and a productive way to build a relationship with consumers over time.

Applications used by communities or panels are the best way to create ongoing dialogue, and if they can be transformed into entertainment or social experience through location-based game-like platforms, users will be more likely to embrace and use them repeatedly. In this way, mobile market research can change the face of market research to be more enjoyable and engaging. This will guarantee a high level of participant satisfaction while also obtaining insightful and actionable data.

Extended Mobile Research Toolbox

Surveys and Polling

Surveys and polling are conducted with participants on their mobile phones via a mobile web browser or an application. They also can be conducted by text message (SMS) or by keyword and short code, whereby a text message prompts the mobile phone user to reply with a keyword to an abbreviated phone number (for example, text MOBILE to 55555) (Decipher, 2011). Mobile surveys and polls can be used to gain instant POP (point-of-purchase) feedback, and to drive purchases with tailored coupons sent directly to a consumer’s device based on his or her self-reported behavior and preferences (Decipher, 2011). They also can be used to gauge customer satisfaction immediately following a transaction or experience. This represents a decided advantage over online surveys, which depend on consumer’s recall of an experience at a later time. Surveys on tablet devices such as the iPad or Android Tablet also are beginning to be used in conjunction with other methods. For example, market research firm “Mind The Gap” uses iPad surveys to augment qualitative research. Surveys are conducted prior to a focus group in order to quantify individual preferences and gain real-time insight. These findings are then used to drive group discussions (Decipher, 2011).

Mobile Ethnographies

MMS (multimedia messaging service) allows for images and video to be integrated into mobile research methods. Innovative market research firms are capitalizing on this capability for projects that resemble ethnographic studies, in that they allow the researcher to obtain interactive user generated content that shows consumers in their natural habitats. MMS is also very useful for diary studies, where participants are asked to log in entries over a period of time regarding their habits, preferences, and consumption behavior (Beacon Research, 2011).

Mobile MROC’s and Panels

MROC’s (market research online communities) are “a solution for market research to create a more enhanced qualitative research process that leverage[s] the social nature of Web 2.0” (Barber 2011: 1). MROC’s and panels have recently gone mobile. Communities and panels fulfill similar functions in market research, although it should be noted that there are distinctions between them. The main distinction between communities and panels is that communities tend to participate in qualitative research whereas panels participate in quantitative research. In addition, communities provide a forum for participants to interact, whereas panels normally do not (PluggedIn, 2008). The extension of online communities and panels to mobile devices allows researchers to harness the power of a large group of reliable participants while permitting participants to contribute to the conversation without being tethered to their laptops or desktops.

Location-Based Mobile Research

Identifying and mapping the location of participants based on geolocation data embedded in their mobile devices adds value to mobile market research methods. This information can be used to map and analyze consumer attitudes, perceptions, and behavior using GIS (geographical or geospatial information systems). Currently geolocation data is put to use for social media and location-based games such as Foursquare, Gowalla and Facebook Places (Hari, 2011). Participants can virtually ‘check in’ to different locations and are awarded badges based on the frequency of their visits. It is also used for location-based marketing, whereby a consumer’s location is identified in order to send them tailored advertising or drive purchases with customized coupons. Increasingly, market research firms engaged in mobile research are adding location identification capabilities to their mobile research toolboxes.

Mobile In the Field

Mobile devices have long been used to aid researchers in the field. Now, inexpensive apps, plugged into a mobile device allow organizations to incorporate them into areas previously ruled by pen and paper. These devices can be used for mall intercepts, interviews, focus groups, and surveys and polls. As more business applications are created, market research firms will have increasing flexibility to select cheap, customizable solutions that fit the needs of their field researchers.

Mobilizing Market Research: Best Practices & What’s Next?

Carrie Robbins — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 19:23:44 +0000

Read the post on Greenbook here or below:

This is part 6 of a 9 part series by Carrie Robbins, a recent Master’s Degree recipient who did her thesis on Mobilizing Market Research: The state-of-the-art, future evolution and implications of mobile data collection methods in the field of market research. We’re closing in on the finale of this great series and the information is becoming more and more actionable. Today Carrie explores the current accepted best practices and deciphers what it all means to the research industry. This one is a “must read”!

Editors Note: This is part 6 of a 9 part series by Carrie Robbins, a recent Master’s Degree recipient who did her thesis on Mobilizing Market Research: The state-of-the-art, future evolution and implications of mobile data collection methods in the field of market research.

We’re closing in on the finale of this great series and the information is becoming more and more actionable. Today Carrie explores the current accepted best practices and deciphers what it all means to the research industry. This one is a “must read”!

Many references are cited in this piece. For a complete list of all of the references click here.

Since the GreenBook is also a Co-Sponsor of the Market Research in the Mobile World Conference, for the next 5 weeks as we run up to that event we’ll be posting a new section of Carrie’s report here. Registrants of the event will get access to a complete version that will be available via download. Carrie will also be attending MRMW11 and participating on one of our expert panels at the event!

This truly is a comprehensive review of the current state of the industry, the views of many industry thought leaders on what the future holds, and of current best practices being used. It should serve as a great resource for anyone interested in or actively engaged in utilizing mobile technologies for research-based initiatives. Enjoy!

By Carrie Robbins

It is important to realize that mobile is a very different platform from online, and the context for mobile methods must be taken into consideration when designing a study. Luck laments, “It’s sort of like when we first started doing online research as an industry…people were basically trying to take a phone survey and slap it up online and call it online research…You can’t really just migrate one to the other.”

The experts stress that mobile surveys must be kept short. Luck champions five to ten questions as the ideal survey length. Participants should be able to do one while waiting in line at the grocery store, or during other “in between” moments. Bhaskaran even reinforces best practices by having his system flag any survey over 10 questions long and by preventing surveys over 15 questions long from being sent out through his system. He does this to avoid degrading the participant’s experience.

Stork and Schwitzer caution that mobile should be used alongside other methods rather than alone. Stork suggests using it to supplement face-to-face studies, and Schwitzer prefers it as the first phase of a hybrid qualitative research study, with in-person, online or both used as follow-up research phases to dig deeper into the mobile posts and further explore related topics. The decision to go mobile, whether alone or in conjunction with another method should certainly be based on the aims of the study and the client needs, rather than on a desire to use the method for its own sake (Schwitzer, Stork, Bovitz, Luck). Bhaskaran suggests linking the decision to use mobile to the audience base, as certain demographics are easier to reach via mobile than any other method.

Kuppusamy stresses the need for both app and web based surveys, explaining that apps are best for regular users such as panel members, while web based is best for one-time participants. Luck suggests using “sniffers” to detect where participants come from and automatically reroute them to the optimal format for their platform of choice.

Other best practices proposed include ensuring the consumer will not incur any cost for participating (i.e., they have an unlimited data plan), avoiding heavy use of video which can still be cumbersome for many mobile devices, and considering the sample needs as smartphone penetration has not reached the entire population. Implicit in all of these best practices is the idea that the participant’s experience should come first – it should be as enjoyable, easy, and convenient as possible. With an overall decline in participation rates, this is more important now than it ever was.

Detect platform & optimize accordingly
Keep it short
Use to supplement other methods
Offer both web & app based surveys
Assure participant is not incurring cost
Base decision to use mobile on client needs
Use video judiciously
Consider sample issues

Don’t

Repeat online layout
Use same length as online
Use alone
Offer one and not the other
Assume it is free for participant
Use the tool for its own sake
Load up on video
Assume smartphone users tell whole story

So What?

The face of market research will surely shift, as it becomes increasingly integrated with marketing (Bhaskaran), advertising, gaming and other industries and as the business model changes and it must compete with new sectors (Murphy). Market research will have to work across new industries (Murphy) and will potentially gain a more global scope and insight (Whaley, Schwitzer). These methods will allow us to tie behavior and activity to attitudes, an exciting prospect for the future of market research (Whaley).

This is Part 6 of a 9 part series. The next section will be posted the week of June 27th and will provide guidelines to choosing a mobile methodology and wrap up the initial overview of the space.

Mobilizing Market Research: Going Forward – The Mobile To-Do List (Part 5 of 9)

Carrie Robbins — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 15:52:46 +0000

This post can be found on Greenbook here, or read below:

This is part 5 of a 9 part series by Carrie Robbins, a recent Master’s Degree recipient who did her thesis on Mobilizing Market Research: The state-of-the-art, future evolution and implications of mobile data collection methods in the field of market research. We’re more than halfway there and the good stuff keeps on coming! In this post Carrie lays out some of the issues mobile research is going to have to get buttoned up in order to experience widespread adoption. It’s a thought provoking section and brings up some critically important points.

Editors Note: This is part 5 of a 9 part series by Carrie Robbins, a recent Master’s Degree recipient who did her thesis on Mobilizing Market Research: The state-of-the-art, future evolution and implications of mobile data collection methods in the field of market research. Here are the links to the previous sections:

Part 1: Why Go Mobile?

Part 2: Industry Insights

Part 3: Benefits & Current Uses

Part 4: Limitations & The Future

We’re more than halfway there and the good stuff keeps on coming! In this post Carrie lays out some of the issues mobile research is going to have to get buttoned up in order to experience widespread adoption. It’s a thought provoking section and brings up some critically important points.

Many references are cited in this piece. For a complete list of all of the references click here.

Since the GreenBook is also a Co-Sponsor of the Market Research in the Mobile World Conference, for the next 5 weeks as we run up to that event we’ll be posting a new section of Carrie’s report here. Registrants of the event will get access to a complete version that will be available via download. Carrie will also be attending MRMW11 and participating on one of our expert panels at the event!

This truly is a comprehensive review of the current state of the industry, the views of many industry thought leaders on what the future holds, and of current best practices being used. It should serve as a great resource for anyone interested in or actively engaged in utilizing mobile technologies for research-based initiatives. Enjoy!

By Carrie Robbins

The experts note that pricing has not yet been standardized for mobile methods. McCrary wonders

What is one question per person worth? Can you do 20 questions at a time every day for five days so that you can collect 100 data points…chunking it up? Does it matter if the same person answers all 100 questions or is any 18-year-old male from the Midwest, from a statistical perspective, just at good answering twenty-one through forty as the 18-year-old-male who answered questions one through twenty?

Whaley and Coleman point out that the question of whether mobile is cheaper than other methods has not yet been answered. Murphy and Schwitzer believe mobile to be cheaper, however Luck and Robbibaro note that it is only cheaper because the research tends to be shorter, and clients pay for the amount of information obtained. Pricing will have to be standardized as more market research firms offer mobile solutions. Murphy notes that some firms have difficulty accepting mobile because the price point is markedly different from other methods, but he warns that those who resist entirely will be left behind, as a rise in mobile research is inevitable.

The implications and nuances of mobile must be studied. Coleman, Sunada and Robbibaro all mention that it is necessary to explore how the physical and contextual aspects of mobile devices affect research outcomes. Coleman suggests creating an index to account for the differences between research outcomes when conducted on different platforms (for example, a ten in an online survey is equivalent to X in a mobile survey).

Murphy points out that avoiding mobile for fear of non-representative samples is a waste of an opportunity, explaining that the same fear kept many from adopting online methods at the outset. He states,

It’s kind of the same to me as…five years ago when everyone was talking about the web…five years ago everyone was decrying the shift, online research is not representative…but the reality is that research doesn’t deal with representative samples anymore anyway…So that whole idea is kind of out the window. It’s all convenience samples…you have to weight the data.

Rather than being deterred by the shortcomings of mobile methods, Murphy and other proponents suggest delving in, studying the implications and figuring out how to solve any innate problems.

Another issue that must be considered is how best to incentivise participants. McCrary, Hobson and others suggest compensation (in the form of discounts or coupons, small amounts of money, or phone airtime, for example). Others, such as Kuppusamy, Murphy and Popper, propose adding a gaming component to mobile research. Incentives would then be points or badges and participants would join in to have fun and compete with one another.

Privacy issues, particularly in connection with detecting a person’s location through the GPS on his or her phone and collecting other passively monitored information, will need to be examined (Robbibaro). Market researchers must put themselves in the shoes of consumers and understand what their concerns may be. App fatigue is another problem that Luck mentions. She jokingly suggests an industry app be developed, through which all market research firms might deliver their apps to participants to avoid such a problem.

This is Part 5 of a 9 part series. The next section will be posted the week of June 20th and will detail recommended best practices.

Mobilizing Qualitative Research

Carrie Robbins — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 23:30:58 +0000

Greenbook’s New Qual Blog posted my summary of findings from the Mobilizing Market Research series as pertaining to qualitative research. Read below or here:

Posted by Kristin Schwitzer Wednesday, June 8, 2011 11:37

A recent grad student’s summary of her comprehensive thesis on mobile market research as it relates to qualitative research, with links to the full paper

Editors Note: Earlier this year, I was asked along with several others involved with mobile research to be interviewed by Carrie Robbins, a recent USC Master’s Degree recipient who was working on her thesis: Mobilizing Market Research: The state-of-the-art, future evolution and implications of mobile data collection methods in the field of market research.

Her complete paper is currently being shared on the GreenBook Blog over the 9 weeks leading up to the Market Research in the Mobile World Conference, which will be taking place on July 19-20 in Atlanta.

For this blog, I asked Carrie to write a brief summary about mobile as it relates to qualitative research, since the bulk of her paper addresses how mobile is being used with quantitative research. Read her qualitative-focused summary below, and then check out her complete paper for a truly comprehensive overview on mobile market research today. Enjoy!

By Carrie Robbins

In writing a white paper on mobile data collection methods in the field of market research, some interesting findings regarding the potential of mobile qualitative methods came to light. This paper was based on interviews with 15 market research experts, and is being shared online in its entirety in the weeks leading up to this summer’s 2^nd International Conference on Market Research in the Mobile World.

The mobile ‘ethnography’ gives a sense of what type of qualitative research is currently being conducted via mobile devices. MMS (multimedia messaging service) allows for images and video to be integrated into mobile research methods. Innovative market research firms are capitalizing on this capability for projects that resemble ethnographic studies, in that they allow the researcher to obtain interactive user generated content that shows consumers in their natural habitats. MMS is also very useful for diary studies, where participants are asked to log in entries over a period of time regarding their habits, preferences, and consumption behavior (Decipher, 2011). This type of research can potentially offer access to new, innovative data and consumer insight. The following is a summary of some of the stated benefits of mobile research as pertaining to qualitative methods.

Direct, immediate insight
Intimate/’in the wild’
Increased authenticity

The expert interviewees were excited about the potential of mobile in offering direct and immediate insight into consumers’ daily lives in a way that was not previously possible. These insights are often more intimate than those garnered from data gathered by more traditional methods. Qualitative research such as the mobile ‘ethnography’ allows the researcher to gain insight into a consumer’s interaction with products and services ‘in the wild.’ Additionally, the nature of user generated content sent from consumers’ personal mobile devices lends increased authenticity to that data.

For a more detailed exploration of mobile market reserach, check out the series here as it develops.

Mobilizing Market Research: Limitations & The Future (Part 4 of 9)

Carrie Robbins — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 00:32:27 +0000

View this post on greenbook here or read below:

This is part 4 of a 9 part series by Carrie Robbins, a recent Master’s Degree recipient who did her thesis on Mobilizing Market Research: The state-of-the-art, future evolution and implications of mobile data collection methods in the field of market research. In this one, we’re getting into the meat of the matter; what are some of the current limitations of the mobile model and what does the future hold for us as we overcome these limits. Many thought leaders participated in giving Carrie their views and I think you’ll find it very informative.

Editors Note: This is part 4 of a 9 part series by Carrie Robbins, a recent Master’s Degree recipient who did her thesis on Mobilizing Market Research: The state-of-the-art, future evolution and implications of mobile data collection methods in the field of market research. The previous sections are:

Part 1: Why Go Mobile?

Part 2: Industry Insights

Part 3: Benefits & Current Uses

In this one, we’re getting into the meat of the matter; what are some of the current limitations of the mobile model and what does the future hold for us as we overcome these limits. Many thought leaders participated in giving Carrie their views and I think you’ll find it very informative.

Many references are cited in this piece. For a complete list of all of the references click here.

By Carrie Robbins

The main limitation of mobile research is the short length of mobile surveys. Hobson explains, “The promise of immediacy is somewhat balanced by the challenge of the small screen and the fact that somebody doesn’t want to be sitting with their mobile phone for two hours answering a survey.” However, Luck sees the short nature of mobile questionnaires as an opportunity for more thoughtful research. She states, “There’s been a lot of industry discussion about survey length and how it impacts data quality and respondent satisfaction…You just have to do much shorter surveys on mobile, you don’t really have a choice.” Luck considers this aspect of mobile surveys to be an improvement over longer, traditional versions.

Many interviewees note penetration as a limitation of mobile methods (including President of BrainJuicer North America Ari Popper, as well as Coleman, Luck, Sunada and Robbibaro). Although this should become a non-issue in the future as smartphone penetration deepens, a representative sample is currently difficult to obtain through smartphones alone, unless of course the population of interest is smartphone users. In addition to limitations on penetration, mobile methods can lack depth, and due to their self-reported nature are not as open to examination as other methods. The inability to dig deep and obtain detailed information is a shortcoming mentioned by Robbibaro and others. Stork similarly explains that it is difficult to get at the inconsistencies that usually emerge when data is self-reported, as it tends to be with mobile.

Other more minor limitations of mobile are that participants can experience technical difficulties (Schwitzer), app-based research is impacted if people do not wish to download the app (Popper), and Stork warns that in emerging markets affluence can affect entry into a study rather than age, as tends to be the case in developed countries where mobiles are generally used more frequently by a younger population.

At the same time, Murphy suggests that rather than focus on the limitations of mobile, one should consider mobile to be a shift towards building stronger relationships with participants. Bhaskaran also refers to it as a paradigm shift rather than allowing the limitations to deter him. He champions the idea of reframing how research is done, insisting one must reach participants through their preferred channel, which appears to be mobile.

The Mobile Future

Though not currently a widespread method, an increase in mobile research is predicted in the near future. As previously mentioned, Murphy’s 2011 GRIT report shows that firms foresee an increase in its use in the next year. Interviewees believe this will occur much more quickly than the uptake in online research did, citing the exponential acceleration in technological advancement and adoption described by Moore’s Law (Murphy, Coleman), as well as a rush to stay ahead of the curve (Bhaskaran). As smartphone adoption increases and mobile research becomes more popular, mobile methods will become normalized and may cease to be referred to as a separate technique, becoming integrated with other methods (Stork).

Many agree that integration across mobile methods as well as between the back and front ends of mobile research systems will occur in the future (McCrary, Popper, Coleman, Murphy). In this way, mobile will become increasingly agile, or ‘smart’ (Murphy). A few experts suggest that the personal mobile device itself might change, becoming something between a mobile phone and a tablet device in terms of size and capabilities (Murphy, Coleman). Mobile devices could allow finger movements to be tracked on touchpad screens, which may lead to a better understanding of how consumers explore advertisements and other web components (Murphy).

While Clarke and others admit that the future of mobile is unclear, most interviewees are in agreement that there is a need to establish best practices and to gain a better understanding of the ideal contexts for mobile methods. Popper points out that like any new method, it will solve some problems while creating new ones.

Most interviewees agree that app-based research is the future of mobile. Bhaskaran explains that this is because companies like Apple “have invested very, very heavily in each of these [app] systems…and obviously all these are a great revenue generator for them. So…they will…not let it die.” Coleman goes a step further and speculates that apps will continue to become increasingly sophisticated and more richly embedded into the actual hardware of the device itself as mobile browsers become a thing of the past.

However unclear the future of mobile may be, most interviewees agree that the technology has brought about a shift in the relationship between researchers and participants that amounts to a type of continual conversation. Hobson refers to it as a shift away from “monolithic questions and answers” towards an “ongoing dialogue.” Interviewees also expect social media to become increasingly interconnected with mobile research (Murphy, Bhaskaran, Stork, Popper, Whaley, Luck). Whaley predicts the integration of social media will incite a shift away from the use of panels and towards the use of communities where participation takes on a more social aspect for members. Luck anticipates that geolocation data also may be combined with pshychographic information culled from social media . The result could be used to profile participants for segmentation purposes, to perform network analysis, to map influence and to understand how word-of-mouth travels in the real world.

Another evolution expected by the interviewees is that the overlap between market research and marketing on mobile devices will expand. Bhaskaran offers as an example of this the flow of coupons and discounts to participants’ mobile devices upon the completion of a mobile study. McCrary also predicts that measuring the effectiveness of mobile marketing will emerge as a new field, and more customer satisfaction and relationship management will be conducted through mobile methods. These changes would fundamentally alter the market research landscape, leading to the convergence of the market research field with marketing, advertising, and other industries.

This is Part 4 of a 9 part series. The next section will be posted the week of June 6th and will detail a “Mobile to-do list” to help move mobile research adoption forward.

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Mobilizing Market Research: Benefits & Current Uses (Part 3 of 9)

Carrie Robbins — Tue, 31 May 2011 15:27:37 +0000

See this posting in Greenbook here, or read below! http://www.greenbookblog.org/2011/05/30/mobilizing-market-research-benefits-current-uses-part-3-of-9/

The experts believe that the benefits of mobile research include further engaging participants, as well as providing them with increased convenience. Sabine Stork, Senior Partner and Owner of market research firm Thinktank http://www.thinktank.uk.com/, explains, “One of the big upsides of mobile is that you get…unmediated insight into people’s lives…you’re handing over the tools and its kind of empowering I suppose to some extent.” Stork describes it as ‘democratizing marketing’, and Murphy agrees that it enhances consumers’ control over their relationship with a brand.

Editors Note: This is part 3 of a 9 part series by Carrie Robbins, a recent Master’s Degree recipient who did her thesis on Mobilizing Market Research: The state-of-the-art, future evolution and implications of mobile data collection methods in the field of market research. Here are the links to the previous sections:

Part 1: Why Go Mobile?

Part 2: Industry Insights

Since the GreenBook is also a Co-Sponsor of the Market Research in the Mobile World Conference, for the next 6 weeks as we run up to that event we’ll be posting a new section of Carrie’s report here. Registrants of the event will get access to a complete version that will be available via download. Carrie will also be attending MRMW11 and participating on one of our expert panels at the event!

This truly is a comprehensive review of the current state of the industry, the views of many industry thought leaders on what the future holds, and of current best practices being used. It should serve as a great resource for anyone interested in or actively engaged in utilizing mobile technologies for research-based initiatives. Enjoy!

By Carrie Robbins

The experts believe that the benefits of mobile research include further engaging participants, as well as providing them with increased convenience. Sabine Stork, Senior Partner and Owner of market research firm Thinktank, explains, “One of the big upsides of mobile is that you get…unmediated insight into people’s lives…you’re handing over the tools and its kind of empowering I suppose to some extent.” Stork describes it as ‘democratizing marketing’, and Murphy agrees that it enhances consumers’ control over their relationship with a brand.

Gathering in-the-moment data is, however, the most significant benefit of mobile. According to Elaine B. Coleman, Chief Research Officer and Co-Founder of Resolve Market Research, mobile can improve the quality of data. Coleman describes how retrospective protocols suffer from natural degradation of memory over time, decreasing the likelihood of an accurate recollection of an experience. Mobility offers real-time cognition and access to a person’s thoughts and intentions, undoubtedly augmenting the quality of the data. Mike Clarke, Senior Vice President and General Manager at Lieberman Research Worldwide , submits, “I think the potential advantage of getting consumer reaction to an experience more immediately after it occurred is towards the top of the list…it’s a benefit that…. has the potential to be truly unique.”

Because the mobile device is so personal, some interviewees point out that this often leads to more authentic, intimate, and truthful information. Qualitative market research consultant Kristin Schwitzer of Beacon Research states, “…It gives us another tool…that allows us as researchers to go into the moment with our target audience. And be there oftentimes when we’re not allowed or it’s not convenient.” Stork brings the intimacy of mobile to life, recalling, “…We asked people…how and where they like to read their magazines…and one of these readers uploaded a video of her getting into a bathtub with her magazine…fantastic! There’s absolutely no way, no way you would have got that through anything else.”

Close relationships with consumers can be built through mobile, and the interviewees note it increases participant engagement. McCrary explains that people who cannot be reached online can be accessed via mobile and subjects do not need to be tied to a single location. Senior Field Director Cris Sunada and Senior Vice President and General Manager Joanne Robbibaro (both of Lieberman) add that demographics such as youth and ethnicities that are not well represented in the online sphere tend to be accessible with mobile. Greg Bovitz, President of Bovitz Research Group, concludes that mobile increases the reach of a study. Stork specifically refers to the ability to identify the location of the respondent through their devices’ geolocation data as a benefit of mobile.

An interesting benefit of mobile research is the fact that most of the information gathered is user-generated, which lends it increased authenticity, according to Stork. She details a study that was conducted by collecting user-generated content (UGC) from mobile devices to use in a sales presentation to advertisers. This brought the readers to life and was considered more credible to the advertisers, as the images came directly from the consumers.

Current Uses of Mobile Research

Interviewees gave first-hand accounts of how mobile research currently is being used across the industry. They report that it is implemented for in-field data collection during intercepts (such as movie exits) or for short surveys prior to focus groups (Luck). Mobile seems to be best suited for gaining POP and ‘in the moment’ data directly from consumers while they are on their personal devices in the real world. Murphy deconstructs the underlining theory of mobile research by explaining, “we’re combining social media monitoring around brand sentiment with a real-time mobile feedback system…So, it’s primarily taking those streams of data and wrapping that around the idea of brand engagement and brand sentiment.”

Mobile research is often conducted by sending surveys to consumers’ mobile devices, either through a mobile web browser or a downloaded application. While surveys sent through applications are more powerful and tailored than those sent via web browsers, Kuppusamy encourages companies to offer both types in order to reach a wider range of devices and participants in a variety of contexts. Kuppusamy stresses that offering both types of mobile solutions provides a more holistic way to engage consumers “at multiple touch points with high relevance.” Luck and Bhaskaran assert that one benefit of apps is that new surveys can be sent to a phone behind the scenes and appear automatically on the phone without any effort on the part of the participant. Bovitz and Schwitzer point out that mobile is great for targeting mobile users or evaluating apps. Schwitzer observes that mobile is less well suited to older participants who tend not to be used to mobile devices, or when heavy video capabilities are needed.

Due to the physical size and technological constraints of mobile devices, these methods are employed when short sound bites will suffice and lengthy in-depth information is unnecessary. This has led to the use of mobile devices to gain small bits of data from consumers, which are built up over time, creating a longer-term relationship with consumers and establishing a profile of these consumers across a succession of interactions. Due to this new form of continued relationship with participants, mobile would seem to be well suited for panels.

Interestingly, mobile devices are particularly practical for capturing data from emerging markets, and are used to connect brands to consumers in the developing world (Hobson and Stork). Chris Hobson, Chief Operating Office of Txteagle (a sample provider and market research firm specializing in emerging markets) explains,

What people don’t realize is that most people on earth, their first experience with the thing called ‘the Internet’…is on a mobile phone…So if you are a global organization looking to reach consumers in the developing world, trying to find them online – you’re only going to find the top of the pyramid…But when you go to the mobile phone, you have a way to reach deeper into the demographic base, deeper down the pyramid…

It is clear that companies are still figuring out when mobile devices can and cannot be used, and best practices are in the process of being developed (Clarke, Luck and Murphy). The Best Practices section of this paper will touch on those mentioned by the interviewees.

This is Part 3 of a 9 part series. The next section will be posted the week of June 6th and will explore the limitations and future of mobile research approaches.