First launched in 2016, GeoPoll’s mobile application is a robust platform that can conduct surveys with text, video, and picture questions, quickly disseminate information, and gather pictures and other location-based data from individuals in specific areas. The reconfigured GeoPoll app provides respondents with a more seamless registration and survey-taking experience which will enable GeoPoll and our partners to more easily conduct app-based research in the coming years. Some key features of the new GeoPoll Application include:

• Device agnostic: GeoPoll’s application is built to work with any device, including older phone operating systems and varying screen sizes.
• Low data usage: The GeoPoll application is lightweight and uses little data, making it friendly for anyone to download and use, even those with limited airtime and low wifi coverage
• Seamless user registration and survey-taking flow: The registration process has been streamlined to verify new user accounts quickly and effectively
• Detailed location tracking: Using GPS data, the GeoPoll application can target surveys or other tasks to very specific areas, and can provide location information of our respondents with partners
• Multi-lingual: GeoPoll’s application supports multiple languages and alphabets including English, Arabic, French, Portuguese, Spanish and Swahili, as well as country-specific languages such as Tagalog, Urdu, Oromo, Amharic Latin, Kinyarwanda, Indonesian and Turkish.
• Video and picture support: Surveys can include video and picture content which respondents react to, and respondents can also upload their own photos and videos of products, billboards, retail stores, and more

Developed by GeoPoll’s tech team and drawing from both the best practices of modern design and feedback from users, the new mobile application is more user friendly and will provide GeoPoll partners with better survey functionality. The GeoPoll Application is a complement to other GeoPoll research methods including CATI voice calls, SMS, and mobile web links.

In addition to traditional survey functionality, the GeoPoll Application allows clients to build panels over time to track brand health, product usage, and consumption behavior, direct respondents to visit retail locations or billboards to report on them, and much more. For those looking to gather real-time insights in emerging regions, the functionality of the GeoPoll Application opens up a range of possibilities.

The new GeoPoll Application will be initially launched in over 40 countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, giving our partners greater access to more surveying capabilities and an ever-growing app userbase. To learn more about GeoPoll’s capabilities or get a quote for your next research project, please contact us today. To download the app and take surveys in exchange for payment through airtime credit or other methods, visit this page.

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In the US and Europe, data collection methods are well-established and market research is a multi-billion dollar industry, but lack of infrastructure has prevented traditional research methods, such as face to face or phone interviews, from succeeding in emerging countries. However, over the past decade there has been a growing demand for better data from countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, and new technologies such as the mobile phone have enabled more research to take place. Collecting data from around the world is now more possible than ever, but researchers must understand the fundamental differences in conducting research in emerging markets versus in the developed world.

Considerations for Collecting Data in Emerging Markets

While mobile penetration is high across many emerging markets and internet usage is growing, landlines are extremely scarce, and desktop computers are not used by a large portion of the population. In Africa, recent data indicates that mobile accounts for over 60% of total internet usage, while desktops account for only 34%. This statistic varies widely by country, and in less-developed countries in Africa or in rural areas, mobile accounts for even more of the total internet share.

Traditionally, market research in emerging markets has been scarce, and studies that are completed have been done so with face to face methods that can be costly and time-consuming. The growth in mobile phone and smartphone usage in the past decade has changed this by enabling mobile-first research methods such as remote text message surveys, automated or interviewer-led voice calls, and mobile web surveys. When collecting data through mobile surveys and other mobile methods, researchers must be aware of the following best practices for conducting research in emerging markets:

Language and Wording Considerations:
Many emerging markets have multiple official languages and hundreds of regional dialects. Make sure to research the most common languages in the specific area you are collecting data from, and be open to running your questionnaire into more than one language. Wording for each question is also important, and should be tested before the full project is started. For example, GeoPoll has found that the best way to obtain respondent age is to ask “In what year were you born?”

Questionnaire Length:
When collecting data via mobile phone, overall questionnaire length and the length of individual questions is imperative. Questionnaires should be kept short and simple, as many respondents will be completing surveys on basic feature phones. GeoPoll recommends a total questionnaire length of 15-20 questions, for a 10 minute survey. If being sent by text message, questions and answers should fit within 160 characters. It is recommended that longer surveys are split into multiple surveys that can be run as a panel over several days.

Mobile Data Usage:
While marketers are often interested in testing messaging via photo or video sharing, in emerging markets the high cost of mobile data/internet usage must be taken into consideration. Images should be optimized so they are low in size while still being high enough quality to view, and videos should be limited to no more than 2 per survey. GIFS are a good alternative to videos, as they are small in file sizes while still containing multiple frames of content.

Compensation:
Compensation should be considered for all respondents, both to demonstrate that researchers value the respondent’s time and to improve response rates. Mobile airtime credit and mobile money are common and well-received forms of compensation in many emerging markets, and compensation levels can start at around $0.50 for a short mobile-phone based survey. If you are running a mobile survey, check that your survey provider can provide a direct incentive quickly deposited into the respondent’s account.

New technologies have opened up many possibilities for conducting research in emerging markets, but you must be aware of the nuances around data collection in these areas. GeoPoll is a full-service market research company with an active panel of respondents in more than 60 countries, and a robust multi-modal mobile survey platform. To speak to a GeoPoll expert about your data collection needs, please contact us today.

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