For B2B Market Research Professionals

The Online Panel Quality Wars: All Market Researchers Benefit — Especially B2B Tech

by Brad Bortner, November 20, 2009

At the same time that online quantitative research has taken off, dubiousness abounds about the representation of the online panel sample. Buyers ask: Are panels representative of the markets researchers use them for? What can we do about the moral hazard . . .

For B2B Market Research Professionals

What Type Of Market Research Online Community Vendor Should Tech B2B Market Researchers Use?

Three Choices Exist, Dependent On Budget, Usage Pattern, And Support Needs

by Brad Bortner, November 19, 2009

Market research online communities (MROCS) are the next wave in qualitative research, due to their combination of new qualitative research capabilities and ability to provide cheaper faster results. There is, however, buyer confusion about what type of . . .

For Consumer Market Research Professionals

Case Study: How Fox And Microsoft Used Mobile Research To Measure Movie Advertising Impact

Mobile Research Helped Gain Insight In The Buildup Of Movie Promotion

by Reineke Reitsma, November 10, 2009

Fox and Microsoft Advertising collaborated on a project at the end of 2008 to better understand the impact of and the interaction between the different media channels used to promote movies. They used MESH Planning's mobile research methodology, called . . .

For Consumer Market Research Professionals

The Marketing Of Market Research: Successful Communication Builds Influence

by Reineke Reitsma, November 4, 2009

One of the biggest challenges that market researchers face is to show the added value of market research to the company and to gain influence at the executive level. To increase visibility, market researchers need to communicate constantly, consistently, . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Assumption Personas Help Overcome Hurdles To Using Research-Based Design Personas

by Jonathan Browne, November 4, 2009

Forrester recommends that customer experience professionals use personas founded in ethnographic research to guide the design of products, channels, and messages. However, some organizations struggle to use personas effectively. To overcome common barriers . . .

For B2B Market Research Professionals

Do B2B Customer Satisfaction Right In Tech

Implementing Four Key Disciplines Will Save You Time And Money

by Brad Bortner, October 27, 2009

Business-to-business (B2B) customer satisfaction research is not some sort of rare, exotic research. The same benefits of highly satisfied consumer customers will come to those who execute on actionable B2B customer satisfaction research, including enhanced . . .

For Consumer Market Research Professionals

The Forrester Wave™: Full-Service Market Research Online Community Vendors, Q4 2009

Communispace And Vision Critical Lead In A Space That's Heating Up

by Tamara Barber, October 22, 2009

In Forrester's 46-criteria evaluation of six full-service market research online community (MROC) vendors, we found that Communispace and Vision Critical led the pack because of the former's commitment to high customer service and deliverables and the . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

Targeting Small Business Tech Buyers: The Power Of Owner Personalities

Factoring For Small Business Market Heterogeneity

by Tim Harmon, October 15, 2009

The siren call of the small business (SB) market's sheer size, along with its propensity to lead technology investment in an economic recovery and its increasingly advanced technology adoption patterns, is a compelling target. But the small business market . . .

For Consumer Market Research Professionals

Market Research Online Communities Gain Visibility And Uptake

Demand For Flexibility And Quality Opens The Door To New Vendors

by Tamara Barber, October 7, 2009

Market researchers are aware of and interested in using market research online communities (MROCs). However, according to results from Forrester's Q3 2009 Global MROC Online Survey, many don't know exactly how to bring online communities into their research . . .

For Interactive Marketing Professionals

Use Online Communities For Strategic Insight

Member Opinions Will Strengthen Your Marketing Strategies

by Lisa Bradner, August 12, 2009

Community input offers marketers an intimate — and continuous — understanding of brands, but only if you're willing to listen closely to what members have to say. If you're ready to improve your brand strategy using community insights, partner with market . . .

For Consumer Market Research Professionals

The Opportunities And Challenges Of Mobile Research

Mobile Research Adds "Anytime, Anywhere" To The Research Mix

by Reineke Reitsma, July 20, 2009

Mobile research is still limited in uptake, but it will gain momentum in the years to come as mobile Internet penetration grows. Its mobility and flexibility offer consumer market research professionals new ways of setting up research and gaining insight . . .

For B2B Market Research Professionals

A Simple B2B Segmentation To Increase Revenue

by Brad Bortner, July 1, 2009

A usable market segmentation analysis is one of the keys to any market-driven company's success, yet many segmentations fail. This is troubling not only because these types of failures tend to be expensive, but also because the need for organizational . . .

For Consumer Product Strategy Professionals

Building The Perfect Bundle

Use Quantitative Methods To Pinpoint What Consumers Want And How Much They Will Pay

by Doug Williams, June 29, 2009

Bundles have emerged as a strong opportunity for service providers to drive acquisition and improve customer retention, but only 20% of US online consumers subscribe to voice, broadband, and pay-TV service from a single provider. Today's consumers have . . .

For Technology Sales Enablement Professionals

Help Sales Teams Connect With Buyers By Mining Quantitative Survey Data

How Surveys Like Forrester's Business Data Services Can Inform One-On-One Sales Conversations

by Eric G. Brown, Emily Van Metre, June 11, 2009

Sales teams know plenty about your offering and capabilities — and little about the people they try to sell them to. Valuable sales conversations, the kind that your top salespeople have that bring in the lion's share of your revenue, start with a good . . .

For Consumer Market Research Professionals

Case Study: How Todobebé's Community Transformed Into A Valuable Research Resource

Research Panel Built From Community Provides Insights On Hispanic Moms

by Tamara Barber, May 22, 2009

Todobebé's network of Spanish-speaking mothers of young children exemplifies how Web 2.0 is expanding the possibilities for engaging and researching hard-to-reach audiences. After 10 years of building relationships within this unique consumer group, the . . .

For Consumer Market Research Professionals

Maximize Consumer Market Research In A Recession

Strategies To Optimize Available Budget And Increase Organizational Awareness

by Jacqueline Anderson, May 15, 2009

With many research budgets being cut this year, it's critical to maximize the budget that's still available. It's also critical to let the organization know exactly how useful its investment in research is. Simple steps taken by the research team can . . .

For B2B Market Research Professionals

Watch Out For The Landmine Of B2B Online Research

Challenge Vendors, Consider Geography, And Confirm ID To Succeed

by Brad Bortner, April 17, 2009

Business-to-consumer (B2C) online panels have taken off in the US and are gaining steam elsewhere. But business-to-business (B2B) online panel growth has been more fitful because there are fewer business decision-makers who wish to join panels, and incentives . . .

For B2B Market Research Professionals

Market Researchers Demand High Panel Quality

New Initiatives Can Help With Quality — Particularly With B2B Sample

by Brad Bortner, April 3, 2009

The rapid embrace of online panels as a primary method of quantitative research in the US and Europe is a Faustian bargain. Online panels enable cheap, fast insights, but the quality of respondents is a concern. This concern is exacerbated for B2B, where . . .

For Interactive Marketing Professionals

Return To The Behavioral Bandwagon

Online Ad Targeting In Europe Is Finally Rolling — And Just In Time

by Nate Elliott, March 31, 2009

With the economy in trouble and interactive marketers working hard to justify their budgets, online ad targeting can provide a vital boost in campaign performance. Spurred on by new offerings from Google and other vendors, marketers' use of online ad . . .

For Consumer Market Research Professionals

A Consumer Market Researcher's Introduction To Product Strategists' Segmentation Best Practices

by Reineke Reitsma, March 10, 2009

In most companies, the development of a customer segmentation is the responsibility of the market research department. A good segmentation is used by the whole organization and especially guides product managers, developers, and marketers. To increase . . .

For B2B Market Research Professionals

Fused Research Modes Will Save You Money

How To Master The Faster And Cheaper Imperative In Stark Economic Times

by Brad Bortner, February 24, 2009

The economy is both eroding financial wherewithal to conduct market research and putting a larger burden on market research professionals to identify successful markets. While vast economies have already been realized in quantitative research using online . . .

For Consumer Product Strategy Professionals

The Consumer Product Strategist's Guide To Segmentation Analysis

Don't Leave Segmentation To The Market Research Department Alone

by J.P. Gownder, January 15, 2009

Segmentation analysis is the hardest task in market research — and it's the most important research that consumer product strategy professionals will use. Segmentation means not treating consumers as one unified market with identical needs, desires, and . . .

For Consumer Market Research Professionals

Past, Present, And Future Of Market Research

Current Trends Shape Future Market Research Environment In Europe

by Reineke Reitsma, January 7, 2009

Over the past 10 years, the Internet has changed the role of market research agencies, survey respondents, and consumer market researchers. Overall, the market research industry has seen steady revenue growth year-over-year, and offline research in Europe . . .

For B2B Market Research Professionals

Role Insights: Market Researchers Struggle For Strategic Relevance

Align With Internal Clients' Business Needs And Prove Value To Be Valued

by Heidi Lo, Brad Bortner, January 7, 2009

Results from Forrester's Q2 2008 Global Market Research Organizing For Influence Online Survey show that many market researchers have not been able to position their market research groups as strategic partners within their organizations. Market research . . .

For Consumer Market Research Professionals

Predictions 2009: What Happens In Market Research?

When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Innovative

by Brad Bortner, December 2, 2008

Tough economic times will actually serve to turbocharge the "faster, cheaper, better" changes that have been revolutionizing the business of market research — but expect an increased emphasis on "cheaper." To save dollars in 2009, more firms will use . . .