Research Firms on the Future of Research Technology
Posted by Vovici Blog on Thu, Mar 31, 2011
Tim Macer and Sheila Wilson of meaning ltd. have conducted their seventh annual survey of the use of technology by market research firms, the 2010 Globalpark MR Software Survey by meaning [pdf]. They conducted a convenience sample of researchers who had a role or awareness of their company’s technology decisions; researchers at about 200 companies participated, with recruitment balanced to reflect the relative amount of research conduct in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific.
Here are some of the findings from the 50-page report that resonated with me:
- Social media research is the largest growth opportunity: 63% of MR firms are experimenting with SMR or considering it for the future, with only 17% having conducted any social media research to date. For 65% of those who are conducting such research, it’s less than 5% of their revenues. Two-thirds of respondents consider SMR to be so different from existing techniques that it can’t be categorized as either quantitative or qualitative research—it’s something new.
- SMR today is often done manually: Over half of research firms conducting social media research do it manually, though popular technologies for SMR include text mining, natural language processing and sentiment analysis.
- In a multichannel world, online surveys rule: 92% of MR firms use online surveys, generating 47% of these firms’ revenue from quantitative research. Phone interviews account for 27% of such revenues and paper for 13%. Since 2008, online revenues have grown at the expense of paper surveys, growing from 40% to 47% of revenue while paper declined from 21% to 13%.
- Surveys make up the bulk of MR firm’s data: 76% of data analyzed by research firms is from surveys, and this is expected to increase modestly in the future.
- Most research firms use client sample: 75% of research firms will use sample provided by their own customers, 71% use third-party (access) panels and 47% have built their own panels to supplement the other sample sources they use.
- Online data presentation is growing: Only 10% of North American research firms today use digital dashboards, and research firms around the world expect to see greater usage of reporting portals and online static reports in the future.
- Research firms often change their software platforms: 25% of firms are considering switching vendors, down from 32% of firms in 2009.
As Reineke Reitsma of Forrester pointed out in a tweet, this study provides a nice quantitative assessment of where research methodologies are in their adoption lifecycle.
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