2020 has already shown to be a year to remember. As people look for methods to keep healthy, engaged, and informed in the wake of a global epidemic and following shelter-in-place orders, online streaming and smartphone search activities are skyrocketing.
Taken together, these rapid developments in consumer behavior are hastening the adoption of digital research approaches to better understand the dynamics that drive these behaviors. The market research industry is under pressure to innovate — to produce a next-generation methodology for a next-generation marketplace.
The Advantages of Online Surveys
COVID-19 has accelerated growing trends, such as the shift from offline to online qualitative research. During the last few months, we have invested much time bringing many of our clients’ qualitative studies online. Some clients were afraid to use online questionnaires because they thought they were more complicated. However, the inverse is true. You can speed your data gathering process, save money, and obtain real-time findings if you make surveys online. The questionnaire’s objective is similar to that of a standard qualitative survey, and it is backed with robust online survey tools that let you alter the layout and formatting nuances.
Online surveys, unlike phone or face-to-face surveys, do not benefit from the presence of a trained expert who can answer participants’ queries. However, because it eliminates interviewer prejudice, this can be useful. To avoid misunderstandings regarding the meaning of questions, keep surveys concise and to the point, and whenever possible, use yes/no and multiple-choice formats rather than open-ended questions. If you must include open-ended questions, limit them to only a handfulper survey.
Market researchers can take advantage of a variety of online survey services to help them make the shift from offline to online surveys. Many online survey panel companies are making themselves available to address queries about survey question creation and phrasing best practices. Don’t be afraid to contact them!
Online Surveys Provide You More Choices
Researchers can also be more imaginative with online surveys. You can now combine marketing efforts with online surveys instead of being limited to generic marketing methods. You may also use online surveys to generate leads.
Conclusion
Market research is being pushed into the digital arena by the unusual events of 2020 and 2021, so a transformation is underway that would have taken years under alternative conditions. While customers continue to socially remove themselves and transfer their activities online, many research organizations are turning to online survey approaches as a new option to traditional qualitative research.
Despite the fact that many researchers are concerned that going digital may introduce more unknowns, many clients are realizing that online surveys are a lot more cost-effective and timely manner of conducting research. Online surveys will not only continue to exist, but their usage is expected to grow.
