Online Market Research

Market research is an important tool for any organisation seeking a commercial opportunity,particularly for small firms looking to grow their business. From discovering a gap in the marketto ensuring customer satisfaction and planning effective marketing campaigns, research canprovide the market intelligence needed to encourage success, enhance competitiveness andmaximise profits. An increasingly popular way to undertake market research is to conduct surveys via the internet.

The continuing growth in on-line technology has had a positive impact on market research, offering clients a fast and cost effective method for researchers to reach their target audiences.

Advantages

There are a number of benefits to commissioning market research on-line, including :

• The fact that large numbers of respondents can be surveyed at one time
• International boundaries no longer need to be an obstacle to research - worldwidesurveys can be conducted at the click of a button
• It can be an inexpensive way to conduct large surveys - it is possible to get thousands ofresponses for just a few thousand pounds
• Pre-screened panels. Most large agencies have access panels which provide an easily-accessible, reliable respondent base which can respond promptly to on-linequestionnaires
• It allows for a very rapid turnaround - research can be undertaken and results receivedwithin a few days.

For a business which needs to gain a general view from a large cross-section of the population,and in as short a time as possible, there is no doubt that on-line research offers a viable benefit.