Should Remote Data Collection Be Part Of Your Market Research Plan?

A key question that your business needs to answer before creating an optimized and strategic market research plan, is whether remote data collection should be part of the mix; and if so, to what extent and degree. Before exploring this pivotal aspect, it may be  helpful to clarify a couple of potential misunderstandings.

The first thing to note, is that the concept of remote data collection does not necessarily mean generating feedback from customers in “remote” locations, such as rural or sparsely populated areas. Of course, the proliferation of smartphones and internet/web access has made it MUCH more cost effective and practical to reach study respondents in remote areas. However, remote data collection simply means gathering information through remote methods vs. in-person (i.e. live) methods. In this sense, sending surveys through the old fashioned USPS (which has been going on for decades) is as much a remote data collection option as connecting with respondents through their iPhone.

The second thing to note, is that remote data collection can certainly be used to generate primary data, which is collected for the purposes of addressing a business’s specific and unique market research problem. To put this differently, remote data collection is not concerned with collecting secondary data (data that has already been gathered and/or is available from internal sources). It is a legitimate, primary data collection option.   

With these potential misunderstandings out of the way, it is simpler and easier to approach the matter of whether remote data collection should – or should not – be part of your market research plan. As with a lot of fundamental questions of this nature, the best (and only) answer is “it depends.”

Essentially, the decision to use remote data collection should be based on a set of factors that include:

• What kind of research you are conducting? Are you exploring or trying to articulate a problem? Do you need to better define the problem? Are you trying to identify cause-and-effect relationships that relate to a problem? (e.g. “If we launch a product, will we cannibalize sales from our existing product line and risk ultimately losing revenues?”, “if we invest in more retail-level marketing, will this translate into an increase in offline and/or online traffic?” and so on). Understanding the purpose of your research will determine the role that remote data collection can, and cannot, play in your overall plan and initiative.

• What is your budget? All else being equal, remote data collection is cheaper than in-person data collection. Yet with this being said, remote data collection is a waste of money and time if it is not designed properly. Unfortunately, this is often the case with businesses that use generic online survey tools to connect with prospects and customers. Yes, they get a pool (or more like a pile) of information. But they cannot leverage it as actionable business intelligence.

• What is your timeline? If designed properly, remote data collection methods can potentially reach a wide audience in a relatively short period of time vs. in-person methods. Yet to make this happen, it is important to target enough people. Most businesses that attempt DIY market research tap into their customer database (which no matter how big and successful they are, is just a segment of potential customers). Or they buy lists, which is almost never a good idea. Such lists tend to be loaded with “serial responders,” or contain outdated and incomplete data.

Learn More

To learn more about whether remote data collection should be part of your market research plan – and if so, to how it should be designed, to what extent it should be part of your overall mix, and how it will ultimately support your research goals and objectives – contact us today and schedule a chat with CFR’s co-CEO Colson Steber.

While learning more about your business, Colson can help you determine whether remote data collection should be a part of your market research plan and he can give you feedback on your research opportunity.

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