Why is Internet-based market research better than the old-fashioned methods?
It is not necessarily better in all circumstances. There are many poor-quality Internet-based research companies as well as good ones, just as there is mixed quality in the conventional sector. Nor is Internet-based market research always an appropriate method. One of the disadvantages of most Internet-based research is that it is often unable to reach the poorer segments of the population (just as conventional research has difficulty reaching particular segments of society). In the case of YouGovPolimetrix, our unique proactive panel recruitment methods mean that we can supply online nationally-representative samples on a daily basis, which makes it highly appropriate for this kind of research. Once the quality of the sample is assured, the online methodology has obvious advantages. It is quicker and more cost-effective, for example – a product such as BrandIndex would be very difficult to provide at an affordable price using conventional research.
It is not necessarily better in all circumstances. There are many poor quality Internet-based research companies as well as good ones, just as there is mixed quality in the conventional sector. Nor is Internet-based market research always an appropriate method. One of the disadvantages of most Internet-based research is that it is unable to reach the poorer or older parts of the population (just as conventional research has difficulty reaching particular segments of society). In the case of YouGov, our unique proactive panel recruitment methods mean that we can supply online nationally-representative samples, which makes it highly appropriate for this kind of research. The samples – as described elsewhere – for BrandIndex are not nationally representative on a daily basis, as clients are more interested in younger and higher-income segments, and our sample for BrandIndex reflects this.
