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How has the Internet changed research? How will it change it in the future?. Ray Poynter, Virtual Surveys. Just another channel. Marshall McLuhan said “ the medium is the message ” But in the mid-90s we said: The Internet is just another data collection channel
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How has the Internetchanged research?How will it change itin the future? Ray Poynter, Virtual Surveys
Just another channel • Marshall McLuhan said “the medium is the message” • But in the mid-90s we said: • The Internet is just another data collection channel • The Internet is faster, but not different • The Internet will not change the questions • The Internet will not change the methods • The Internet will not change the answers • The Internet will not change the research we do
The Context in 2006 • Globally 20% of research conducted online* • Estimated value US$3 billion • All economically developed markets have panels • Share continues to grow, it will be the dominant medium • Panel members do many surveys** • 75% want to do one a week or more • 5% in UK members of 10+ panels Sources: * Cambiar, March 2006 ** Virtual Surveys, April 2006
The business environment • Mergers and Acquisitions • Increasing share for largest agencies • Top 4 groups = 58%, top 12 = 90% * • Panel companies merging and emerging • Online accompanied by outsourcing • CATI and F2F traditionally done by internal field force • Trend in online is towards third-party panels, third-party software, and increasingly third-party scripting/tabulating * Inside Research, 2005 figures
Faster - Cheaper • Time scales are getting shorter • Fieldwork in days • Online reporting • Less analysis time • Costs are falling • Main driver panel costs falling • New entrants rushing to catch up • Commodity research is getting much cheaper
Sampling Paradigm Change • Before the Internet • Assumed people only rarely completed surveys, were selected by the research process, assumed to fit random sampling • Internet • People doing 50+ surveys a year, choosing to be members of panels, can’t be assumed to be a random sample • Does it matter?
Speed and Cost • Turnarounds faster, thinking time down • More reporting of the low hanging fruit • Research prices falling • Less scope for experimenting, less for risk • Does it matter?
Panels & Outsourcing • Most online research conducted via third-party panels • Who are busy merging and combining • Systems, software, scripting, & tabulating increasingly outsourced • Does it matter?
Lower Barriers to Entry • Anybody can use a panel company • Small agencies, clients, non-researchers • Data collection systems can be very cheap • And can include tables etc. • Quant research can be conducted from anywhere • Small companies and non-researchers are perfectly viable (economically) • Does it matter?
Web 2.0 • The participatory web Web 1.0Web 2.0 Encyclopaedia Britannica Wikipedia News & Editorials Blogs Downloadable Movies YouTube Photo Albums Flickr Newspapers & TV User Generated Media Amazon Price and review sites WalMart eBay Online chat MySpace
Research 2.0 Web 1.0Web 2.0 We select when to do surveys ? We select the respondents ? We pick the questions ? We pick the answers ? We keep the process secret ? We keep the results secret ? We treat customers as lab rats ? How is research changing to respond to Web 2.0 and to create Research 2.0?What are the opportunities and threats?
Closing Thoughts Shall we blog it?