Research by Numbers: A Quant Buyers Guide by Elli Peak
The success of any market research project can hinge on a variety of factors. Anything from the age and social demographic of the respondents to the incentive (or lack of one) being offered, or even the weather on the day of the research; it can all make the difference as to whether a project is a success or not.
But while there will always be minor issues beyond the control of anyone involved there are often other factors which can be controlled with a bit foresight, experience and attention to detail. Here, Elli Peake, Acumen’s Quantitative manager takes a look at some of the most frequent pitfalls on any Quant project, and offers her tips on the best ways to avoid them.
Map out your plan of attack
When you’re planning any Quant project it’s best to think like a military strategist. Scope out the areas you want to cover and then speak to your field agency. Any field agency worth their salt will immediately be able to tell you what their coverage is like in any given area and the likelihood of finding interviewers to travel to more remote locations. Making decisions as early as possible about which regions you want to target will enable you get an accurate Quote for your project – avoiding extra charges when the project has commenced.
Test your Test
We all know what it’s like, you’ve spent what seems like forever writing a questionnaire, sent it for approval and, after multiple changes, you’ve received the final sign off from your client. The temptation at this point is to send your masterpiece straight out to field to commence the interviewing process, but don’t. This is the ideal time to test your questionnaire and then test it again. Time it repeatedly until you get an accurate idea of how long it will take to interview a harassed mother of three on her way out of the supermarket. If there are tastings or usability tests included in your study then is another thing to gage. The length of time that it takes for an interviewer to complete one interview will have a direct effect on your desired daily quota and the overall duration (and cost) of your project.
Check your Stats
One of the best tools any Quant fieldworker can have are a set of visitor figures for the area or venue where the interviews are due to be taking place. This enables them to plan a schedule of days when their interviewers are likely to have the biggest crop of respondents to pick from. Having information like this in advance can make the difference between quotas being reached in a matter of hours or a matter of days.
Get your boxes ticked
Wherever you are conducting interviews you have to get permission. This may seem like an obvious tip but the truth is that many an interviewer has arrived at their destination ready to commence their work, only to be told by clipboard-phobic store manager that they know nothing about it and have to leave. In most cases there has just been a communication error with the top table of end clients failing to pass along the memo to their branches that their conducting market research but these delays can be lengthy and costly to any project conducted in-store.
Give yourself time
Lastly, give yourself some extra time at the end of your project to correct any problems that might have arisen. Bad weather is the antagonist of all Quant projects because, while it may not deter an army of interviewers who are used to battling the elements, it will certainly deter any potential respondent who happens to be caught in it. And, while field agencies can control most things, the weather is unfortunately beyond their current capabilities. Having an extra day or two at the end of your project will give you the breathing space to correct any problem days and also chance to plan the next stage of the project.
< Back to 2011 news
The success of any market research project can hinge on a variety of factors. Anything from the age and social demographic of the respondents to the incentive (or lack of one) being offered, or even the weather on the day of the research; it can all make the difference as to whether a project is a success or not.
But while there will always be minor issues beyond the control of anyone involved there are often other factors which can be controlled with a bit foresight, experience and attention to detail. Here, Elli Peake, Acumen’s Quantitative manager takes a look at some of the most frequent pitfalls on any Quant project, and offers her tips on the best ways to avoid them.
Map out your plan of attack
When you’re planning any Quant project it’s best to think like a military strategist. Scope out the areas you want to cover and then speak to your field agency. Any field agency worth their salt will immediately be able to tell you what their coverage is like in any given area and the likelihood of finding interviewers to travel to more remote locations. Making decisions as early as possible about which regions you want to target will enable you get an accurate Quote for your project – avoiding extra charges when the project has commenced.
Test your Test
We all know what it’s like, you’ve spent what seems like forever writing a questionnaire, sent it for approval and, after multiple changes, you’ve received the final sign off from your client. The temptation at this point is to send your masterpiece straight out to field to commence the interviewing process, but don’t. This is the ideal time to test your questionnaire and then test it again. Time it repeatedly until you get an accurate idea of how long it will take to interview a harassed mother of three on her way out of the supermarket. If there are tastings or usability tests included in your study then is another thing to gage. The length of time that it takes for an interviewer to complete one interview will have a direct effect on your desired daily quota and the overall duration (and cost) of your project.
Check your Stats
One of the best tools any Quant fieldworker can have are a set of visitor figures for the area or venue where the interviews are due to be taking place. This enables them to plan a schedule of days when their interviewers are likely to have the biggest crop of respondents to pick from. Having information like this in advance can make the difference between quotas being reached in a matter of hours or a matter of days.
Get your boxes ticked
Wherever you are conducting interviews you have to get permission. This may seem like an obvious tip but the truth is that many an interviewer has arrived at their destination ready to commence their work, only to be told by clipboard-phobic store manager that they know nothing about it and have to leave. In most cases there has just been a communication error with the top table of end clients failing to pass along the memo to their branches that their conducting market research but these delays can be lengthy and costly to any project conducted in-store.
Give yourself time
Lastly, give yourself some extra time at the end of your project to correct any problems that might have arisen. Bad weather is the antagonist of all Quant projects because, while it may not deter an army of interviewers who are used to battling the elements, it will certainly deter any potential respondent who happens to be caught in it. And, while field agencies can control most things, the weather is unfortunately beyond their current capabilities. Having an extra day or two at the end of your project will give you the breathing space to correct any problem days and also chance to plan the next stage of the project.
< Back to 2011 news
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