There’s no question the maturity and acceptance of mobile research technologies has passed the tipping point and has forever altered the market research landscape. Mobile devices provide continuous real-time flow of rich customer feedback data for marketers. This mobile research data is also linked to the customer’s location which enables the delivery of location-specific rewards and information to in-store survey respondents in real-time. What’s more, this technology has been harnessed by several innovative market research software companies providing sophisticated DIY research tools to businesses that in the past needed to go through the more traditional market research companies to access their customer research data.
In fact, Harry Henry from Outsell recently posted commentary on this very topic:
“Other areas in the Marketing Information segment feeling the shifts due to mobile are the traditional market research providers. On one hand, they can now enter the fray and have much of this very rich data on consumers and shoppers that was previously very time consuming and expensive to get. On the flip side, some may feel the impact on lines of business where surveys were performed, since clients are now getting streams and rivers of data in near real time. Many are adjusting by both developing new methods and buying firms that have developed these capabilities.
There is also a coming wave of change for the survey-based market research community as the mobile device is un-tethering individuals (aka potential survey respondents) from their laptops and desktops. The implication here is that people will spend less time on “the computer” in favor of a smartphone or tablet, and with those mobile devices they will less inclined to sit through long surveys. Recent announcements by survey research platform firms Opinionmeter and Answerthink (a business unit of CINT AB) are leading the way here by providing tools to assist the market research community in adapting to the way of the mobile world.”
