Groundbreaking study from Cint into market research habits across the world
Despite the growth of do-it-yourself (DIY) market research over the past decade, many individuals undertaking consumer research are still unaware of it, according to a survey carried out by Cint, a provider of solutions for accessing consumer opinion. The survey of 486 marketing professionals who regularly perform market research in the US, UK, Spain, Sweden and Germany was undertaken to understand current trends in the sector as well as awareness of available sampling techniques.
To find out more about Cint’s range of consumer insight solutions, please visit www.cint.com.
The survey identified fundamental objectives for the use of market insight. The primary reason stated was to “increase sales” with nearly half of those in the US citing this as the goal for their activity, followed by “brand awareness,” which was the most popular response in Sweden. “New product development” was the least likely quoted reason overall, although this was most relevant for those in the UK, where over one in five (22%) surveyed used market insight for this purpose.
Undertaking market insight via the internet was significantly favoured by those polled, demonstrating how technology has evolved the sector. When undertaking market research, 56% overall preferred using “online surveys,” with this figure particularly high in the US (68%) and the UK (50%). However, the study suggested that the use of smartphones for undertaking consumer research is still in its infancy, with only 4% of respondents overall opting for this technology – the least likely to do this being those in Germany at 2% and the most being respondents in Spain at 7%. Despite technological advances, “face-to-face” group market research was the second most popular method of obtaining information, particularly in Sweden where this was favored by 27% of those polled followed by the UK at 26%.
The survey was carried out by Cint, a global provider of market insight, which offers businesses and brands access to the opinions of over seven million people in 50 different countries. These individuals are recruited through hundreds of different panel owners like publishers, local media outlets, brands and non-profits.
Cint specializes in DIY research, whereby marketers and brand managers can deploy an online survey in less than seven minutes to individuals that match their exact profiling requirements. However, this research found that there is still little awareness of this method. Only 22% of all respondents stated they had used the DIY method of research before, with this figure increasing to 38% in Spain, but lowest in Germany, where only one in 10 stated they had previously used it. The most likely response when asked why DIY was not used as a tool was “I don’t know what it is,” implying that a lack of awareness, rather than any negativity about the method, is holding people back.
Bo Mattsson, founder and CEO of Cint comments: “DIY research is a relatively new concept in some sectors. Since launching our first DIY solutions back in 2005, we have seen a marked increase over the past few years from various markets. This survey shows that there is still an education process required for awareness to be raised, however. While some markets are beginning to embrace new technology as a method for obtaining consumer insight, this is by no means a universal trend.”
“When undertaking this survey, it was essential to reach the right individuals. We easily identified thousands of professionals in each target area through Cint Access, the DIY market research software. It is important for us to understand the preferences and requirements of our potential clients, and in turn, these are the individuals who should be utilizing such tools in order to obtain the opinions of their target markets, to develop their marketing strategies more effectively.”
To find out more about Cint’s range of consumer insight solutions, please visit www.cint.com.
For further press information please contact Victoria Harris or Georgina Dunkley at Punch Communications on +44 (0) 1858 411 600 or cint@punchcomms.com