Although not every project lends itself to an agile approach, the space and demand for more nimble research is growing. In this post, we explain the methodologies, benefits, and applications of agile market research.

What is Agile Market Research?

The “agile” approach was created by software developers and is distinguished by its iterative nature. While in the traditional development approach the full parameters and scope of a project are defined upfront and executed straight through to product launch, the agile model starts small and proceeds in stages or “sprints,” with the outcome of each sprint informing the design and development of the next.

By continuously evaluating requirements, plans, and results, agile developers are able to catch errors and make changes quickly, ultimately shortening time to deployment and improving quality.

Agile market research applies agile software development methods to the practice of market research. For years, market researchers have been pressed to deliver insights faster while maintaining the quality of data collected. Instead of waiting weeks or months to find out how consumers feel about their brand, ad, or products, companies want answers in hours or days. To meet these demands, insights teams are increasingly adding agile methodologies to their research toolkit.

To be clear, agile means more than just fast. The agile approach focuses more on efficiency and effectiveness than speed. It leverages technology to gather feedback quickly and iteratively throughout the research process. Stakeholders can test and learn in real-time whether questions, hypotheses, target audiences, concepts, ads, etc., are working or not and make changes or decisions before committing further time and effort in any one direction.

By absorbing the learning as the study moves along, stakeholders are better positioned to make swift, decisive actions than if they try to digest all the data and insights at the end.

Agile Market Research Application

Agile research methods work best for studies that are tightly focused and clearly defined. Instead of conducting a few large market research campaigns per year that take a lot of time to develop and execute, teams who employ agile market research methodologies conduct smaller-scale and more focused projects as often as needed. Projects with broad objectives or multiple agendas are often better served by a more traditional approach.

Starting small with tightly focused objectives enables researchers to map the iterative process in a way that precisely outlines the sprints but leaves the content of each one flexible. This provides leeway to continually tweak the specifics to incorporate the learnings from each cycle as the study unfolds (e.g., adding questions, rewording questions, altering the concepts/ads tested, etc.).

Adopting Agile Market Research Methodologies

The shift from traditional research methods to an agile approach can be a significant undertaking. Within an organization, it often requires stakeholders to be more involved throughout the research process. Rather than handing the specs to the research team and waiting for the insights, stakeholders should be prepared to engage with the findings during each sprint, consulting with the research team about what is learned and what it means for the next round.

Adopting agile methodologies can also require an adjustment in the tools used to conduct and share research. Whether teams are adding new technologies or vendors or simply deploying their existing solutions in different ways, agile research requires tools that enable teams to collect data, analyze it, and report findings quickly and efficiently.

Automated platforms and AI offer significant advantages for increasing the speed and flexibility of the entire research process, from project design through final analysis and reporting. Online dashboards enable stakeholders to stay involved throughout the process by providing real-time visibility into the research findings.

Conduct Agile Market Research with GeoPoll

GeoPoll is the pioneer in conducting remote research through mobile-based methodologies in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Our central technology platform, multiple research modes, quality control processes, and interactive data dashboards deliver reliable, robust data and analysis to clients around the globe in real-time. To learn more about our research capabilities and agile methodologies, contact us.

The post Agile Market Research Methodologies and Applications appeared first on GeoPoll.

The recent widespread adoption of mobile technology has allowed researchers to reimagine traditional in-person methodologies, including ethnography. The global impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have accelerated that trend. Using mobile devices and apps, researchers can now virtually walk in the shoes of their subjects, expanding the application and benefits of ethnographic research.

Defining Ethnography

Researchers use ethnography to understand how people behave in the real world. The theory is that respondents will act and react more authentically in their natural setting than in a research lab or in front of a one-way mirror. By observing respondents in their natural environment, researchers can gain a reliable understanding of their actions and expressions to generate rich, behavioral insights. They can observe dynamics they may not have uncovered simply by asking.

Ethnography is a form of qualitative market research. In an ethnographic study, researchers use observations and interviews to glean insights about a consumer’s lifestyle, environment, and everyday behavior. For example, a researcher might interview a consumer in their home, office, a shopping market, etc., to observe how the consumer interacts with a product and uses it within the context of their everyday life. This method provides researchers with a unique understanding of the consumer’s perspective.

Traditional in-person ethnography is a time-consuming method, however. Researchers must embed themselves in a setting with each respondent long enough to gather sufficient observations to gain a representative picture. A significant amount of time and expense is also required to travel between each setting/respondent, limiting the scope of a study.

Mobile Ethnography

Ethnography as a whole is a relatively recent form of research. It got its start as an anthropological research tool with anthropologists immersing themselves in a society for months or years to study a particular people or culture. Upon adoption into commercial market research, however, ethnography transformed to meet the tighter timelines of the business world.

Even in market research, in-person ethnography typically requires more time than many other forms of research. Researchers have to travel to and develop a rapport with respondents and then process and analyze their observations before sharing results with clients. Scope and scale remain issues for commercial in-person ethnography.

The development and penetration of mobile technology, and smartphones in particular, present new opportunities and capabilities for ethnographic research. Through a smartphone camera and smartphone apps, researchers can remotely observe respondents in almost any environment at any time. Remote observation limits the time and costs associated with travel, allowing researchers to study more respondents in less time.

Many consumers, especially younger consumers that have grown up with smartphones, have become accustomed to sharing feedback through their smartphone camera, making mobile ethnography a more discreet way to observe the consumer experience than traditional methods. This can shorten the amount of time required to develop a rapport with respondents, enabling researchers to further expand the scale of their study.

Application of Mobile Ethnography

Smartphones enable a variety of use cases for mobile ethnography in market research. Some common examples include:

• Product testing: Smartphones allow researchers to observe consumer interactions with a new product, from opening the box, to setup, to use in their everyday life. They can observe the consumer’s emotions through those processes, any issues they might have, and if they are using the product as intended. Ultimately, that feedback can help companies improve their products.
• Target customer identification: Observing consumers in their natural environments helps researchers uncover their behaviors, attitudes, and needs. Consumers often are not able to articulate what they want or need when asked directly, but through observation researchers can gain an understanding of how consumers live and develop insights about their needs. Those insights help them to identify and define who their customers are.
• Mobile diaries/longitudinal studies: Numerous mobile research applications allow respondents to capture and upload their thoughts and experiences over an extended period of time via video, photos, audio, screenshots, texts, emails, etc. Researchers can follow and report on those experiences as they are uploaded to gain a thorough picture of the complete customer journey.
• Retail shop-alongs: Consumers can take researchers along via their phones to observe their entire in-store shopping experience. Whether recorded or in real-time, researchers can witness all the elements within a store that contribute to the buying decision, including the store layout, advertising, staff interactions, etc.

Mobile ethnography can be conducted asynchronously, in which respondents capture and post feedback on their own, or synchronously with a researcher observing a respondent’s behavior and environment through streaming video in real-time. In either format, researchers can provide guidance and/or pose specific questions for respondents to address, or simply passively observe respondents in their natural setting.

Benefits of Mobile Ethnography

Mobile ethnography provides several advantages to in-person research:

• Omnipresent: Consumers can take their phones almost anywhere and almost always have their phones with them
• Global reach: Consumers from around the world, including emerging markets, can take part in any given study
• Cost: Virtual observation significantly reduces researcher travel costs
• Scale: Many respondents can record their experiences at the same time increasing the number of behaviors observed and overall scale of a study
• Time: Researchers do not have to spend time traveling and can view and share video/results with stakeholders in real-time
• In the moment: Instead of relying on consumer’s memory and articulation about past experiences, researchers can observe their behaviors as they happen
• Discreet: Mobile techniques minimize the presence and intrusion of the researcher

In summary, mobile ethnography is an innovative market research methodology that harnesses the always on and always available aspect of mobile phones to help researchers and companies understand how consumers truly behave in their natural environment.

Conduct Mobile-Based Research Around the World

GeoPoll has experience transitioning face-to-face research to remote methodologies and has the existing infrastructure to support robust data collection. Our team are experts in remote data collection methodologies and can quickly transition an in-person study to a remote, mobile-based methodology. To speak to a member of our team about your project, please contact us today. For more information about GeoPoll’s research methodologies and conducting research throughout Africa, Asia, and Latin America, download our guide to research in emerging regions.

The post The Application and Benefits of Mobile Ethnography appeared first on GeoPoll.

Sample size is a research term used for defining the number of individuals included in a research study to represent a population. The sample size references the total number of respondents included in a study, and the number is often broken down into sub-groups by demographics such as age, gender, and location so that the total sample achieves represents the entire population. Determining the appropriate sample size is one of the most important factors in statistical analysis. If the sample size is too small, it will not yield valid results or adequately represent the realities of the population being studied. On the other hand, while larger sample sizes yield smaller margins of error and are more representative, a sample size that is too large may significantly increase the cost and time taken to conduct the research.

This article will discuss considerations to put in place when determining your sample size and how to calculate the sample size.

Confidence Interval and Confidence Level

As we have noted before, when selecting a sample there are multiple factors that can impact the reliability and validity of results, including sampling and non-sampling errors. When thinking about sample size, the two measures of error that are almost always synonymous with sample sizes are the confidence interval and the confidence level.

Confidence Interval (Margin of Error)

Confidence intervals measure the degree of uncertainty or certainty in a sampling method and how much uncertainty there is with any particular statistic. In simple terms, the confidence interval tells you how confident you can be that the results from a study reflect what you would expect to find if it were possible to survey the entire population being studied. The confidence interval is usually a plus or minus (±) figure. For example, if your confidence interval is 6 and 60% percent of your sample picks an answer, you can be confident that if you had asked the entire population, between 54% (60-6) and 66% (60+6) would have picked that answer.

Confidence Level

The confidence level refers to the percentage of probability, or certainty that the confidence interval would contain the true population parameter when you draw a random sample many times. It is expressed as a percentage and represents how often the percentage of the population who would pick an answer lies within the confidence interval. For example, a 99% confidence level means that should you repeat an experiment or survey over and over again, 99 percent of the time, your results will match the results you get from a population.

The larger your sample size, the more confident you can be that their answers truly reflect the population. In other words, the larger your sample for a given confidence level, the smaller your confidence interval.

Standard Deviation

Another critical measure when determining the sample size is the standard deviation, which measures a data set’s distribution from its mean. In calculating the sample size, the standard deviation is useful in estimating how much the responses you receive will vary from each other and from the mean number, and the standard deviation of a sample can be used to approximate the standard deviation of a population.

The higher the distribution or variability, the greater the standard deviation and the greater the magnitude of the deviation. For example, once you have already sent out your survey, how much variance do you expect in your responses? That variation in responses is the standard deviation.

Population Size

The other important consideration to make when determining your sample size is the size of the entire population you want to study. A population is the entire group that you want to draw conclusions about. It is from the population that a sample is selected, using probability or non-probability samples. The population size may be known (such as the total number of employees in a company), or unknown (such as the number of pet keepers in a country), but there’s a need for a close estimate, especially when dealing with a relatively small or easy to measure groups of people.

As demonstrated through the calculation below, a sample size of about 385 will give you a sufficient sample size to draw assumptions of nearly any population size at the 95% confidence level with a 5% margin of error, which is why samples of 400 and 500 are often used in research. However, if you are looking to draw comparisons between different sub-groups, for example, provinces within a country, a larger sample size is required. GeoPoll typically recommends a sample size of 400 per country as the minimum viable sample for a research project, 800 per country for conducting a study with analysis by a second-level breakdown such as females versus males, and 1200+ per country for doing third-level breakdowns such as males aged 18-24 in Nairobi.

How to Calculate Sample Size

As we have defined all the necessary terms, let us briefly learn how to determine the sample size using a sample calculation formula known as Andrew Fisher’s Formula.

1. Determine the population size (if known).
2. Determine the confidence interval.
3. Determine the confidence level.
4. Determine the standard deviation (a standard deviation of 0.5 is a safe choice where the figure is unknown)
5. Convert the confidence level into a Z-Score. This table shows the z-scores for the most common confidence levels:

6. Put these figures into the sample size formula to get your sample size.

Here is an example calculation:

Say you choose to work with a 95% confidence level, a standard deviation of 0.5, and a confidence interval (margin of error) of ± 5%, you just need to substitute the values in the formula:

((1.96)2 x .5(.5)) / (.05)2

(3.8416 x .25) / .0025

.9604 / .0025

384.16

Your sample size should be 385.

Fortunately, there are several available online tools to help you with this calculation. Here’s an online sample calculator from Easy Calculation. Just put in the confidence level, population size, the confidence interval, and the perfect sample size is calculated for you.

GeoPoll’s Sampling Techniques

With the largest mobile panel in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, and reliable mobile technologies, GeoPoll develops unique samples that accurately represent any population. See our country coverage here, or contact our team to discuss your upcoming project.

The post How to Determine Sample Size for a Research Study appeared first on GeoPoll.

Whenever a company or organization is looking to launch a product or start developing a new idea, it is essential to conduct concept testing to identify the perceptions, needs, and preferences of their target audience. By testing a concept before launching, businesses can see if their concepts will resonate and adjust them if needed, saving valuable advertising spend and ensuring a higher return on investment.

Uses of concept testing

Concept testing can be used to make important decisions that form the backbone of a product or service offering, advertising campaign, or even the branding of an entire business. Businesses, and even humanitarian organizations, can apply concept testing in virtually endless scenarios. Here are a few examples of concept testing use cases:

• Pricing: Whether you are pricing a new product or reviewing your prices, it is essential to test how customers may react to price changes and identify how much they value your product. Concept testing can help determine how you should charge for your product.
• Branding and messaging: Concept testing helps identify the optimal messaging that resonates with users and allows them to understand how to appeal to customers. For example, by testing multiple concepts, brands can pinpoint the most effective logo and brand colors, website design, and ad messaging.
• Package testing: Packaging, especially for FMCG products, plays a vital role in sales. Concept testing can demonstrate how consumers perceive products from their packaging and if it’s visually appealing and considered high quality by the target audience.
• Market measurement: Concept testing provides understanding of potential and current customers and the different customer segments. Knowing what demographic groups likes a concept the most and why can help product marketability and refine go-to-market strategies.
• New products or services: Concept testing is widely used by companies to make decisions while developing new products, to find out which features interest customers most and which need to be removed or reworked. Testing products and features help create useful products for the users and reduce the pain points customers face with existing features.

Methods of concept testing

There are several different kinds of concept tests, which can each be adapted to the test purpose. Below are the most used concept testing methods:

1. Single concept evaluation (Monadic) – In a monadic test, respondents complete a full evaluation of a single concept. Since the respondents see only a single concept, it is possible to go in-depth while keeping the survey short and then ask follow-up questions about the various attributes of a concept. If there are several concepts to test, the sample is broken into multiple groups with each group analyzing one concept. As a result, monadic concept testing requires a large sample, which may be costly and time-consuming.
   • Example: A brand might ask respondents to give their opinion on a proposed packaging concept and follow up with questions such as how the design compares with packaging for competing products, what they like or dislike about it, and how they feel about the colors and fonts. If there are several packaging designs, they would have to ask the same questions to different groups for each respective design.
2. Multiple concept evaluation (sequential monadic) – In sequential monadic concept testing, respondents are presented with each of the concepts and then complete full evaluations for each of the concepts. As the respondents see all concepts, multiple concepts can be tested in a single round by a smaller sample, thus saving time and money, while providing feedback on differences and preferences between multiple designs. However, there is a risk of having long questionnaires, which may affect the completion rate.
   • Example:  The brand in the example above might show all the packaging designs, one at a time, to the same respondents and have them evaluate all of them. As a control for bias, the respondents can still be broken into groups with each group viewing each of the designs in varying order.   
3. Concept selection (comparative) – In a comparative survey methodology, respondents are presented with options to choose from in order to identify the strongest concept. Comparative tests give clear results and an easy way to determine which concept is the winner. However, it can be difficult to tell why respondents choose one concept over others, as there is little context provided as to why respondents chose one option over another.
   • Example: Still using our example, in comparative testing, the brand could send images of all the packaging designs to all respondents and simply ask them to choose the design the prefer best and proceed with the winning package. 
4. Concept selection and evaluation (comparative-monadic/protomonadic) – The comparative monadic methodology is a sequential combination of the monadic and comparative methods. Respondents first choose the concept they like best and then complete a full evaluation of that concept. The protomonadic methodology yields useful diagnostic data, and the extra step provides context as to why the preferred concept was chosen.
   • Example: GeoPoll worked with a major international development organization in testing the best name for a local youth program in Africa. We sent the various proposed names to different groups of respondents via mobile web links, asking them to choose the best option, and followed up with questions to establish why the respondents made their respective choices.  

Here is a comparison table of the four concept testing methods:

How GeoPoll Conducts Concept Testing via Mobile

GeoPoll works with leading global organizations to test new concepts via video and picture surveys through mobile web links, mobile app surveys, and mobile-based focus groups. Our extensive respondent database enables the creation of inclusive samples from any target audience, and our unique mobile platform provides accurate, real-time data to make decisions on the go. To request detailed, tailor-made information, please contact us.

The post What is Concept Testing Research? appeared first on GeoPoll.

Research Methodologies

Self-Administered Surveys 

A survey is a series of simple questions that build on each other and are designed in a specific order to explore one or more topics. Depending on the survey, questions and responses can be text or multimedia. Self-administered surveys are surveys that are completed by the respondent and are often sent to and completed by SMS, web link, or mobile application. 

Respondents can complete surveys via Short Message Service (SMS or text message) one question at a time. This method is ideal for some populations, such as those found in countries in sub-Saharan Africa or Latin America, because it does not require respondents to have internet connectivity. 

Surveys can also be internet-based via a web link, mobile web link or a mobile application. With mobile web links, respondents with internet-capable phones click on a link within an initial SMS message and then complete the survey in a basic web browser. Mobile web supports video/picture questions, and question formats such as matrices which are not supported in SMS surveys.

Respondents who own smartphones can complete surveys through a mobile application which, with the respondent’s consent, has additional capabilities for GPS location, passive data collection and picture taking. Mobile applications can also facilitate tasks such as retail audits or billboard monitoring. 

Interactive Voice Interviews (IVR) are a self-administered audio interview, in which respondents listen to audio pre-recordings and answer questions using their dialpad. This method is useful for reaching illiterate populations through voice calls, without needing to train call center interviewers, however response rates can be lower than when using CATI, a method outlined below.

Interviews through CATI, CAPI, or Pen and Paper  

Similar to surveys, interviews are a series of questions that explore one or more topics. One major difference is that the interview methods discussed here are interviewer-administered, rather than self-administered. Depending on the targeted population and the amount of time needed for data collection, interviews can be done in person or over the phone. Interviewers must be trained, fluent in the respondent’s language of choice, and familiar with their cultural context.

Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI), is done over the phone with the interviewer based in a country-specific call center. This methodology allows for interviewers with multiple language capabilities to easily speak with respondents across a large or hard-to-access region more quickly than is possible using face-to-face interviews. 

For in-person interviews, Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) facilitates face-to-face data collection in the field through a mobile application and removes the need for paper questionnaires or manual data collection. Pen and paper interviews are still used in some contexts but are inefficient and can lead to data input errors or interviewer error.

Observative Research

Observation is a qualitative methodology where researchers witness a respondent’s natural behavior in their usual environment. Depending on the goal, a researcher may engage with the situation or remain at a distance and only watch. The benefit of this methodology is that researchers can understand how a respondent actually acts, rather than what they self-report.

Observational research may be used as a precursor to a survey when researchers need more information about a specific question. Or, observation might be used if researchers are concerned that self-reported behaviors may differ from a person’s actions, even if this inaccuracy is unintentional. 

Focus Groups

A focus group is a small group of people (usually 6-8) who represent a larger group. In traditional focus groups,  respondents meet in one location with a researcher for up to two hours and discuss specific research topics. Similar to surveys or interviews, the researcher will lead respondents through a series of predetermined questions. This methodology allows for discussion and collaboration between respondents.

Digital focus groups can also be administered through either computer-based chats, often called Market Research Online Communities, or using mobile-based group chats, such as ones GeoPoll has facilitated with brands including Unilever. 

Big Data Analytics

Analysis of large amounts of data is a useful way to understand patterns and trends. Gartner defines big data as “data that contains greater variety arriving in increasing volumes and with ever-higher velocity.”  Big data can be valuable in identifying certain types of consumer insights. It can lead to robust decision-making around consumer needs or satisfaction and help predict future opportunities for innovation. However, the large amount of information is not infallible. Just as important is the interpretation and application of this data. While big data analysis tries to make sense of large amounts of information, market research methodologies like surveys and interviews can answer a specific research question. 

Market Research Methods During COVID-19

In-person research is one of the most traditional types of data collection and still remains popular today. However, the worldwide outbreak of coronavirus has made in-person research impossible, and researchers must find other ways to collect data that keep both themselves and their respondents safe. 

Using the aforementioned remote methodologies, which include SMS, mobile web link, CATI, and mobile-based focus groups,  data collection is still possible and safe during coronavirus. GeoPoll has experience transitioning face-to-face research to remote methodologies and has the existing infrastructure to support robust data collection. Our team are experts in remote data collection methodologies and can quickly transition an in-person study to a remote, mobile-based methodology. To speak to a member of our team about your project, please contact us today. For more information about GeoPoll’s research methodologies and conducting research throughout Africa, Asia, and Latin America, download our guide to research in emerging regions. 

The post Market Research Methods appeared first on GeoPoll.

What is A Sample Frame?

The sample frame is the specific source of respondents that is used to draw the sample from. This could be a map from which specific areas are outlined, a list of registered voters, a phonebook, or another source which specifically defines who will and will not be included in the sample. The sample frame should be representative of the sample universe, which is the broader definition of the sample makeup. For example, if a researcher is looking to study attitudes of students at a specific university, the definitions may look like the below:

• Sample Universe: Current students at University X
• Sample Frame: List of all 10,000 currently enrolled students provided by the admissions office
• Sample: 400 randomly selected students from the list of enrolled students who participate in the research study.

In a general population study, the sample frame may be ‘all households in Country A,’ from which a researcher can randomly select which households take part in a study.

Sampling Error or Non-Sampling Error

When speaking about a sample frame and it’s representatively of the overall population being studied, we must also consider who is not included in the sample frame. Often those who did not participate in a research study are just as important to consider as those who were represented, as without them, key items may be skewed or missed. There are a few types of sampling error, also referred to as non-sampling error:

• Coverage Error: When a sampling frame does not sufficiently cover the population required for a study there is a coverage error. For example, if a national survey is being conducted by telephone and the sample frame is taken from a phonebook, but not all households are listed in the phonebook. A telephone or internet survey will also exclude those who do not use telephones or the internet.
• Nonresponse Error: This error describes those who were contacted for a survey but were unable to or did not want to participate. This could include those who are selected for a telephone or in-person interview and do not pick up the phone or answer their door, or those who answer but refuse to participate.
• Interviewer Error: This error occurs when an interviewer incorrectly records a response for a participant of a study. This is a form of interviewer bias that can be introduced in telephone and in-person interviews. This bias could be due to voice tone or other characteristics and may influence a respondent’s likelihood to participation or their actual answers. For example, GeoPoll has found that females may be more comfortable answering questions from female interviewers.
• Processing Error: This error refers to the technical processing of a study’s data points and errors that occur as data is collected with the use of a technology platform, or during data entry as well as data coding, cleaning, and editing.
• Response Error: This error describes those who participate in a study that either intentionally or accidentally provide inaccurate responses to a study’s questions. This can occur for a variety of reasons related to the comprehension and memory of a study’s participants. Additionally, response error can occur due to social desirability bias that can be introduced into a study when a participant answers in a way they believe would be more acceptable and accurate to their conceptualization of a study’s objective or in a way that abides by social norms. Social desirability has the potential to be introduced into any study, but if often apparent in studies covering sensitive or taboo topics for a particular society.

The above errors can be mitigated through careful sample frame selection and testing of various modes to reduce non-sampling errors. For interview-administered surveys, rigorous training of interviewers is needed to help reduce the influence of biases. For self-administered surveys, understanding local context while in the design stage is important to be able to formulate questions that can be understood clearly and accepted as valid areas of inquiry by the population of interest.

GeoPoll Sample Frames

The creation of a sampling frame for GeoPoll projects depends on client needs, project specifications, and other factors including survey mode. While sampling frames are unique for each project, there are a few common sampling frames that we use which are outlined below.

• Mobile subscribers within a certain country: GeoPoll primarily conducts research through mobile-based methodologies including voice calls and SMS messages. Due to this, sample frames for our studies are often those who have access to a mobile device within each country. GeoPoll reaches mobile subscribers in two primary ways: Partnerships with mobile network operators which enable us to call or send messages to their opted-in subscribers, and Random Digit Dialing (RDD). Using an intelligent RDD process, GeoPoll is able to randomly generate valid phone numbers that match the format of those in each country.
• Census data: GeoPoll also relies on census data and census estimates both to inform nationally representative demographic breakdowns and to create sample frames when conducting in-person research. The availability of up-to-date census data varies by country and requires a researcher to understand what information from reputable sources is available. One resource that can be used to look at each country’s local bureau of statistics and at the U.S. Census Bureau’s International Data Base.
• Aid Beneficiaries: When working with international development clients, GeoPoll is able to survey aid beneficiaries if given their contact information. This requires organizations to provide GeoPoll with a list of beneficiaries’ phone numbers or other contact information.

Determining the appropriate sample frame and other sample criteria for any one project is a complex process that cannot be represented in full here, however, we hope we have given you some insight into how GeoPoll approaches sampling. To learn more about GeoPoll’s processes please contact us here.

The post Sample Frame and Sample Error appeared first on GeoPoll.

In addition, global businesses often find it difficult to break into markets that operate so differently from those in more developed regions. Poor infrastructure, disparate access to technology, and a reliance on informal trade to sell goods make the African landscape unique. The diversity of the continent, which is made up of 54 countries ranging from more developed nations such as Tunisia to the extremely poor such as South Sudan, also makes it difficult to understand the continent in its entirety. A lack of readily available market research compounds this problem. Below we go through some of the challenges and opportunities surrounding market research in Africa.

Challenges of Market Research in Africa

Market research is used by companies looking to gain a better understanding of a market and consumer base, but in Africa, research is challenging to conduct due to multiple factors, including:

Disparate Communications and Technology Access: Access to communications tools such as mobile phones and the Internet is varied across Africa. While both basic mobile penetration and smartphone penetration rates are growing among wealthier and urban populations, in rural areas, mobile phone penetration often remains low. Access to the Internet also varies widely depending on the population studied. Access to technology limits the modes through which research can be conducted in Africa, especially when researchers are looking to gather a nationally representative sample or one that reaches lower socioeconomic groups.

Infrastructure Challenges: Inadequate roads and maps and a lack of access to clean water and electricity in certain areas can pose a challenge to researchers, especially those looking to conduct face-to-face research. It can take months for a team of researchers to cover the vast areas of land necessary to gather an adequate sample size in many countries in Africa, especially when collecting data from rural populations.

High Number of Languages and Cultural Context: There are estimated to be at least 1,500 languages spoken throughout Africa, with many people speaking multiple languages or dialects that can be extremely specific to a region. This diversity means that research often needs to be conducted in multiple languages at once. Additionally, certain populations in Africa have a distrust for outsiders that can further hinder market research efforts. Due to these factors, in-person or telephone enumerators must be specifically recruited and trained for the population they are interviewing.

Opportunities for Market Research in Africa

Despite these challenges, there is a need for more accurate market research data for the global and local corporations moving into the region to understand their specific markets and audiences. While getting a full picture of the sub-Saharan African landscape for fast-moving consumer goods products would be a challenge, companies can gain insights on specific segments, such as the Kenyan landscape for beverage products. To conduct effective market research in Africa, researchers should keep the following guidelines in mind:

Narrow audience targeting: Due to the diversity of Africa as a whole, applying a research study to the entire continent is unlikely to yield useful results unless they are split into smaller sub-populations. Researchers should focus on a specific country, a region such as East Africa, or demographic group, such as urban youth populations. Those who are looking to conduct broader studies should ensure their sample sizes are large enough to compare results by country, region, or demographic group.  

Consider methodology and mode challenges: Researchers should consider what methodology will best suit their project and the population they are trying to reach. Projects with higher budgets and those looking to reach rural or illiterate populations may be better suited to an in-person method such as CAPI (Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing) or voice call method such as CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing). Those with lower budgets may choose to conduct research via SMS or online through web-based links. Focus groups administered either in-person or via online or mobile-based focus groups may also be appropriate for certain projects.

Hire local experts: Leveraging the experience of local market research firms is extremely valuable when researching in Africa. Market research companies who operate out of the countries they conduct research in will have a stronger knowledge of the local market than outside groups, and often have their own trained enumerators. GeoPoll has offices and call centers throughout East, West, Southern, and Central Africa, and can bring valuable local knowledge to any research project.

Conduct Market Research in Africa

GeoPoll has a wide range of experience conducting research throughout Africa utilizing our database of respondents and mobile-based research methodologies. To learn more about GeoPoll’s capabilities in Africa, please contact us today.

The post Market Research in Africa appeared first on GeoPoll.

The volume of information available on a particular topic may be overwhelming at the beginning of the secondary research process. Research questions should be used to guide the researcher as they focus on finding project-specific information. The best source to answer a particular research question may vary widely, and a single project will likely require more than one source. This post will focus on various sources of secondary research that may be used to compile the answers to research questions.

For more information on the market research process and special considerations for emerging markets, download our free, 30-page guide here.

Internet

The Internet is one of the most powerful tools for conducting secondary research today. Through online research, one may uncover case studies, news articles, government websites, or statistics from previous market research projects. If the information available stems from a reputable source, then it can be incorporated to answer the project’s research questions.

Many search engines, like Google, provide users with “advanced search” capabilities. Using search tools can help narrow down search results to what is truly relevant to the research questions.

Academic journals and books

Universities and educational institutions often place a high level of importance on conducting unique research. Google’s advanced search feature is helpful for filtering results for articles and papers published through academic journals.

Information found in academic journals may be one of the best sources available online today because all published papers must be vetted thoroughly for accuracy before they appear online.

Some prominent academic journals specific to the marketing industry include, but are not limited to, the following,

• Journal of Consumer Research
• International Journal of Research in Marketing
• International Marketing Review
• Journal of Consumer Culture

Aside from academic journals, books may be relevant to accomplishing research goals, depending on the project. Relevant information that answers research questions could be available in a formally published version of a book.

Also, be sure to keep in mind that some books are published only as electronic books. In this case, the book can be viewed similarly to any other online source—the only difference would be that it requires up-front payment for access.

Internet advertising analytics

Many organizations are also passively collecting information on their consumers through pay-per-click advertising. Everything from Google search advertisements to Facebook display advertisements provide a vast amount of information back to the user running the ads. Advertising data is typically useful for understanding consumer behavior, but can provide various additional information, like overall drive in revenue and return on ad spend.

Collecting data for analysis from digital advertising platforms is an effective method of secondary research and can provide thousands of insights that may answer specific research questions.

Professional associations

Professional associations are organizations that bring industry professionals together for the progressive development of the industry as a whole. Typically not for profit, the webpages for professional associations may contain valuable information that aligns with a project’s research goals and lead researchers to other sources they may not have discovered yet.

The American Association for Public Opinion Research, the World Association for Public Opinion Research, and the American Evaluation Association are examples of professional associations that may be helpful for secondary market research.

Data

Many companies are constantly, oftentimes passively, collecting information on their consumers through technology. Whether it is information on when particular products are purchased or information provided by consumers at point of an e-commerce sale, brands typically have large sets of data that can be utilized to answer market research questions—granted this information may need to be re-organized. Digging through data points that a company already owns is a method of secondary research if it is analyzed for the purpose of answering research questions.

Depending on the information available, data can answer questions like:

• What time of day are customers most likely to make purchases?
• Where do the majority of our customers live?
• Which products from Q3 were most profitable?
• Which color product, red or blue, sold more units in the past fiscal year?

Challenges of collecting secondary research in emerging markets

Of course, it depends which market is being analyzed, but, generally speaking, conducting secondary research in emerging markets presents a unique set of challenges for research teams. Emerging markets typically have less readily available previously conducted research—especially research that will answer specific research questions. Information that is commonplace in well-established markets may not be readily available for the consumer base in the area of interest. In this section of the report, we will cover some challenges to conducting secondary research in emerging markets that your research team should be prepared to encounter during market research projects.

Language differences

Depending on the market, research on the area that has been previously conducted may be published and available but written in a foreign language. In a case like this, researchers would have to use expensive custom translation services just to be able to decipher if the source is relevant to the project, which is not a realistic practice.

Governments and unreliable information

The government in the country of interest may not gather accurate information on their citizens. Many organizations find this a hindrance to their research capabilities in those areas. For example, the United Nations has been struggling to evaluate the performance of the Millennium Development Goals project of the 1990s and early 2000s due to the lack of accurate census data provided by many countries’ governments.

Information that is relatively reliable in many countries, like census data, may not be reliable—or available at all—in certain emerging markets. In Africa, for example, not even half of births are recorded by the government and in Afghanistan the census from 1979 is the most updated information available.

Lack of Investment

Seeing as emerging markets are newly becoming profitable on a larger scale, many bigger companies are just now beginning to funnel money into research on consumers. As the big brands move in, the infrastructure for secondary research will develop alongside it. Until then, there will be limited information available from other research projects and most research will need to be conducted as needed.

Not enough information

It is probable that each market research project only face a couple of the challenges outlined above. Even if reliable, relevant information that answers research questions is found for the market of interest, it is likely that some further research, beyond secondary research, will be necessary for a comprehensive market research project. 

GeoPoll Market Research

GeoPoll is an organization that facilitates primary research in emerging markets across the globe. Secondary research is an extremely important step in the process of data collection for each of our clients’ projects. This is because comprehensive secondary research allows for the narrowing down of what questions need to be answered through the primary research process. Our free, downloadable, 30-page Guide to Conducting Research in Emerging Markets is a wonderful resource for learning more about the market research process.

GeoPoll staff are research experts that assist clients with primary research from the planning stage to the evaluation stage. If you are interested in conducting a custom research project, GeoPoll could be your project’s best aid. Contact us today to learn more about our product offerings and services.

The post Sources of Secondary Research and Considerations for Emerging Markets appeared first on GeoPoll.