Still, there is a lot of confusion about what it actually means.

This article discusses big data, why everyone is talking about it, and its comparison to research-based data.

What is big data?

Big data is a combination of structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data collected by organizations that can be mined for information and used in machine learning projects, predictive modeling, and other advanced analytics applications.

Oracle describes big data as data that contains greater variety, arriving in increasing volumes and with more velocity (the three Vs).

According to Tech Target, big data doesn’t equate to any specific volume of data. Still, big data deployments typically involve terabytes, petabytes, and even exabytes of data created and collected over time.

How do big data and research data compare and contrast?

Whereas big data can tell us what has happened in the past and can make predictions on future events, in itself, it cannot explain “why” it happened. Research data that is more targeted to a specific question and can also include qualitative data can answer “why,” which is a fundamental difference between the two types of research.

Actually, research data can form an essential part of further enriching data sets that contribute to big data.

Rather than getting caught up in the semantics of the differences and which is more effective, the more important question is not how much data you have but what you do with it. The value of information obtained from the two methods of data collection and analysis (whether from large volumes of unstructured data – big data or research-based data) determines the most effective one for your business.

If we were to focus on the desired outcome of a data-gathering project by its ability to drive decision-making, then we see that both big data and data from research are just a means through which we get an outcome. Various other considerations must be made for each, such as the availability of the data in the first place, big data analysis capabilities, and the cost of marketing research, among others.

While research aims at solving particular research questions, big data tries to make sense of the information available where the topic/research question may or might not be in context, ergo sometimes the need to have ‘influencers’ to drive the topic.

Big data takes a lot of time to get output from, while research could be scoped to a particular time, reducing the time it takes to get the insights needed to make a business decision.

What does big data mean for market research data?

The question as to whether big data will render data from direct market research obsolete continues to elicit colossal debate in the research industry. In the developed world, big data is, in many aspects, providing insights that, traditionally, only market research could. In emerging markets, there may not be as much data to prompt the concern about the continued primary role and need for market research.

To answer this question, one must first contemplate the role of primary or secondary research in today’s world. The role of market research is to understand consumer behavior and perception and measure the consumption of goods or services. Or, simply put, the “hows” and the “whys.”

Without context and connections, big data is useless. It is simply megabytes of data that need to be compiled and manipulated to answer a question.

Humans are irrational, and more often than not, why they behave in a certain way or make the decisions they make cannot be explained or even predicted. No amount of machine intelligence through big data analytics will be able to answer the “whys.”

Big data can’t replace the need for market research. Instead, the two complement each other, as each has its purpose and benefits that, if used correctly, can effectively understand consumer behavior.

So, which is more important?

Organizations still strive to understand and respond to shifts in demand and consumer preferences. By having a clear understanding of the capabilities and challenges of big data and research data, businesses can effectively plan their expenditure either on tools to collect and analyze their own big data or go the primary research route by engaging a research agency such as GeoPoll to get a complete picture of consumer behavior and preferences.

Talk to us about your data and research needs.

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In the week prior to the start of the games, GeoPoll conducted a survey to gather information on planned viewing habits, betting activities, and brand/ad awareness surrounding the event. The study was conducted using GeoPoll’s mobile web platform, surveying more than 3,600 respondents in Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, Tanzania, Egypt, Brazil, Colombia and China. The topics covered include:

• Interest in sports and the Olympics
• Intent to watch or follow the games
• How people plan to watch/follow the games
• Most anticipated events and athletes
• Advertisements and brands associated with the games
• Opinions about the decision to move forward with the games despite ongoing concerns related to COVID-19
• Involvement in sports betting and plans to bet on the Olympics

This post details the initial insights from our survey. View and sort the data across demographics using the interactive dashboard below.

Olympics Viewing Interest and Intent

Respondents report strong overall interest in both sports in general and the Olympics. More than 1 out of 4 (29%) rate their interest in the Olympics a 10 (“very high”) on a 10-point scale. More than half (58%) rate their interest an 8 or higher. Respondents in Brazil and China express the most interest, with 76% and 72% respectively rating it an 8 or higher. In Ghana, only 40% rate their interest that high. Men express more high-level interest (62%) than women (57%), and older respondents (ages 36+) express far more interest than respondents ages 16-25 (66% to 56%).

Interest in the Tokyo Olympics shows at least some relation to success in previous Olympics. The chart above shows the percentage of respondents in each country that rated their interest in the Tokyo games an 8 or higher on a 10-point scale in relation to the overall number of medals won by each country in the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro.

When asked to compare their interest in the Tokyo Olympics to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, most (53%) say they are at least somewhat more interested in the Tokyo games. Another 24% say they are equally interested.

The substantial levels of interest overall explain why 46% of respondents plan to watch or follow “a lot” of the games. That number drops down to 37% for younger male and female respondents (ages 16-25). Only 5% across demographics do not plan to watch the games “at all.”

In most countries, the highest percentage of respondents by far plan to watch or follow the games via television. China and Egypt emerge as the outliers. In China, more respondents plan to follow the games using their mobile phones (87%) than television (80%). Most in China plan to follow the games using 3 or more different devices. Across countries, respondents ages 16-25 are more likely to use their phones than the older age groups, and men are more likely than women (61% to 53%).

Out of all the respondents that plan to watch/follow the games to some extent, 56% plan to do it through social media. More respondents plan to watch the games via “Pay TV” (51%) than “Free to Air TV” (50%), and most (56%) claim to know which TV stations/channels will be showing the games. Respondents in China are the most informed, with 87% claiming to know. In addition to social media and TV, many also plan to follow the games using “websites” (40%) and “streaming platforms” (38%). Intended platform usage varies significantly across countries and age groups (see the dashboard below).

Variances between countries are even more pronounced when it comes to favorite events. Football/soccer stands out as the event respondents are most interested in watching in Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, and Tanzania. More than half the respondents in Egypt (54%) pick football as their favorite event.

Kenya’s dominant runners help make “athletics/track and field” the most anticipated event in that country (38%). Athletics is also highly anticipated in Ghana (19%) and South Africa (17%).

China has dominated table tennis more than any other country in any other Olympic sport. More than 50% of respondents in China pick table tennis as one of the five events they are most interested in watching, and 18% select it as their favorite event overall (much more than any other event in that country).

Across demographics, the five events respondents express the most interest in watching include:

When forced to pick one event, nothing comes close to football at 33%.

COVID-19 Concerns and Perceptions

The coronavirus pandemic has cast a dark cloud over the Tokyo Olympics for the past year, leading to eventual postponement in 2020. With COVID-19 cases again on the rise, many Japanese citizens, media outlets, and members of the medical community are calling for the games to be cancelled. Respondents in our study, however, overwhelmingly believe the games should be held in July as scheduled (67%). Men are more likely to believe the games should go on as planned than women (71% to 62%). Only 5% of respondents believe the 2021 Tokyo Olympics should be canceled. Respondents in China, the closest country in proximity to Japan, and South Africa, which is currently dealing with a devastating third wave of the virus, are the most likely to believe the games should be postponed again to a later date (26% and 28% respectively).

Despite Japan setting strict rules for athletes and spectators to prevent the spread of the virus, several cases have been reported in the week before the games, including three members of the South African football squad. It is unclear whether any athletes that tested positive had been vaccinated. In our study, 58% of respondents strongly support requiring all athletes to be vaccinated in order to compete. Attitudes vary significantly by country, however. In Kenya, 70% strongly support mandatory vaccination compared to 32% in Tanzania. Tanzania has the highest percentage that strongly opposes mandatory vaccination at 17%, likely due to the late President Magafuli’s anti-vaccine stance. Older respondents (ages 36 and over) are more likely to strongly support vaccination than respondents ages 16-25 (64% compared to 52%).

Vaccine availability and distribution remain serious issues across the globe, particularly in developing nations, including several surveyed in this study. Despite delayed vaccine rollouts in their country, most respondents in Kenya (72%), Ghana (68%), Colombia (63%), South Africa (58%), Nigeria (56%), and Brazil (55%) strongly support giving Olympic athletes priority access to the vaccine. Older respondents are more likely to strongly support prioritizing athletes than younger respondents (65% to 48%). Tanzania once again has the lowest percentage that strongly support giving athletes priority access to the vaccine (33%) and highest percentage that strongly oppose it (16%).

Betting on the Olympic Games

The global sports betting industry reached a market size of 203 billion U.S. dollars in 2020. Many countries participate in legal sports betting, one of the more recent additions being the United States in 2019. The increased availability and penetration of mobile technology around the world has played a major role in the recent upsurge in sports betting and paints a bright outlook for its future. According to a report by Technavio, the global sports betting market is expected to grow by $144.44 billion between 2020-2025.

In our study, more than half of respondents (53%) say they have engaged in sports betting in the past. Men are much more likely to have engaged than women (60% to 45%). Most men (67%) and women (50%) ages 26-35 have engaged in betting.

In Kenya, like in many other African countries, gambling is classified and positioned as a legitimate recreational and leisure activity. More than 71% of respondents in Kenya report having engaged in sports betting in the past. At the lower end of the range, only 28% of respondents in Egypt have engaged in sports betting. Egypt and Brazil (43%) are the only countries in our survey below 50%.

The sheer volume of events and athletes included in the Olympics presents a variety of opportunities for sports betting. While 41% of respondents across demographics plan to place bets on an Olympic event, 23% say they are “not sure” – suggesting the number of actual bettors could rise. Almost half of respondents ages 26-35 plan to bet (46%) compared to just 38% of the other age groups.

Nigeria and South Africa form two of the largest sports betting markets in Africa. They also express the most interest in placing bets on the Olympics (48% and 46% respectively). At the other end of the scale, only 27% of respondents in Egypt and 28% of respondents in Brazil plan to place bets.

Interactive Data Dashboard

Dive deeper into GeoPoll’s data on the interests, planned viewing habits, and betting behaviors surrounding the 2021 Olympics using the dashboard below. You can view all the data from this study, filterable by country, age group, gender, and question.

Conduct Further Research with GeoPoll

GeoPoll is the pioneer in conducting remote research through mobile-based methodologies in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Our custom research capabilities allow agencies, brands, and international development organizations to conduct one-off or ongoing surveys on any topic, with results delivered in near real-time.

This GeoPoll survey was conducted using GeoPoll’s mobile web platform in the week prior to the start of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics in Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, Tanzania, Egypt, Brazil, Colombia and China, surveying approximately 400 respondents from each country. It is not purely a scientific study as there were no strict measures to limit demographic quotas such as location, gender, and age groups. However, a good mix of young and old, urban and rural, and men and women with a natural distribution was achieved.

To request more information about this study or further studies on Olympics viewership and audience measurement, or to get a quote for an upcoming project of your own, please contact us.

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Market Research

Britannica defines market research as the study of the requirements of various markets, the acceptability of products, and methods of developing or exploiting new markets. Market research investigates and analyzes a target market. Researchers use market research to collect consumer data within a marketplace. It deals with the collection, analysis, and use of market data and market statistics.

Market research allows a company to discover the target market and get opinions and other feedback from consumers about their interest in a product or service.

Researchers use market research to gauge the marketplace’s wants, needs, attitudes, purchase behaviors, and other characteristics. It helps them understand and compare their products and services with their competitors’, industry standards, and thoughts about newly launched products and services. It is also used to explore fresh markets and understand consumers’ needs in the marketplace – both existing and new.

Consumer Research

Consumer research is actually a part of market research. It answers the ‘why’ – identifying the motivation and purchase behavior of targeted customers. Consumer research helps companies and brands understand customer psychology, create detailed purchasing behavior profiles, and provide systematic information about customer needs.

Another way to look at it is that consumer insights extend and enumerate the information gathered during market research to make relevant, specific, and actionable conclusions and predict audience reactions to a company’s brand, product, or service.

Using consumer research information, brands can make changes in their products and services, making them more customer-centric, thereby increasing customer satisfaction.

How They Compare

Market Research is an all-purpose term referring to the practice of collecting and analyzing data to answer discrete business questions, while consumer research is the practice of studying consumer behaviour to derive broader business insights for effective business decision-making.

Tony Oduor, GeoPoll’s Research Manager, summarizes it as thus: market research studies the entire market or a broad segment of the market while consumer research narrows down to a specific brand or product. For example, for a beverage company, market research will show the size of the soft beverage market and the gaps that need to be filled, and consumer insights will point out the most preferred beverage flavor.

Used together, market research and consumer research help brands understand where their business currently stands in the market, as well as what actions they can take to improve their position among consumers.

Conduct Market and Consumer Research with GeoPoll

GeoPoll conducts research for global fast-moving consumer goods brands, media houses, consulting firms, financial institutions, and technology companies. Our team includes researchers experienced in creating innovative solutions for tracking essential metrics such as brand health, testing new concepts, measuring advertisement effectiveness, and more. See our market research solutions and contact our team if you have questions regarding our capabilities.

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Designing surveys capable of generating quality data and actionable insights can be a complex process. In this post we will discuss the steps and strategies involved in effective survey design.

Defining the Research Objectives

The first step in survey design is to clearly establish the objectives of the survey. Researchers need to know what they want to learn before they can figure out how to learn it. The objectives should be attainable, specific (rather than general), and represent the most important takeaways the researcher hopes to receive from the study. Once the objectives are set, they will help guide what topics are included in the survey, what questions are asked, and even how questions are worded.

Choosing Survey Question Types

Before writing the survey questions, researchers first have to decide the types of questions to ask. Survey questions can be divided into two distinct categories: closed-ended questions and open-ended questions.

• Closed-ended questions: In closed-ended survey questions, respondents select from a finite set of pre-defined responses. Examples of closed-ended questions include simple yes/no questions, multiple choice questions, and Likert Scale or ratings questions.
• Open-ended questions: In open-ended survey questions, respondents are asked to reply to each question in their own words in a free-form text box, rather than selecting from a set list of options.

Although open-ended questions provide deep insight into the feelings and thought processes of respondents, they are not as objective or easily quantifiable as closed-ended questions. They also take more time and effort for respondents to answer which can lead to survey fatigue. With these factors in mind, most survey designs primarily consist of closed-ended questions followed by one or two open-ended questions near the end of the survey.

Writing Survey Questions

Taking the time to write clear, concise, well-worded survey questions helps to ensure reliable responses and improves response rates. Although writing well-worded questions is as much an art as a science, the list below offers general guidelines for effective question design:

• Keep wording simple. Use simple words and simple sentence structure. Clear, concise wording asks respondents to do less guesswork and increases the accuracy of the resulting data.
• Keep questions neutral. Avoid opinion, bias or loaded words that might lead the respondent toward a particular response.

• Avoid double-barreled questions. Questions that ask for feedback on two different things within the same question are difficult to answer and analyze.

• Do not use absolutes. Terms such as “always,” “all,” “every,” etc., force respondents to agree or disagree completely without nuance or scale.

• Use reference frames. Make sure respondents are all considering the same time and place when answering a question.

• Avoid negative and double-negative questions. Using negative words like “not” or “prevent” and double-negative questions confuse respondents about whether to answer “yes” or “no”.

• Avoid jargon, technical terms and acronyms. Make sure the entire target audience understands the language level and what the question is asking.

• Anticipate all answer choices. Make sure the answer choices are unique (do not overlap) and include all possible options. If an exhaustive list of options is not known, include an “Other-Specify” option.
• Explain sensitive or unexpected questions. Provide a short explanation to justify why a potentially sensitive question is important to the research and reassure respondents that their responses will remain confidential.

Determining Survey Length and Question Sequence

Even with clear, concise, well-worded questions, respondents will eventually lose interest in or abandon surveys that are too long or disorganized.

Optimal Survey Length

To avoid survey fatigue, keep the questionnaire as short as possible. GeoPoll recommends that from start to finish, surveys take no more than 10 minutes to complete, which usually equates to a maximum of 30 questions. Open-ended questions take longer to complete than close-ended questions, allowing for fewer questions overall. By testing the survey both internally and with a pilot group of respondents, researchers can see if the drop-off rates for their survey are higher than expected and adjust before sending the survey to the full sample.

Question Sequence Guidelines

The order in which questions are asked in a survey can influence how they are answered. It can also impact completion rates. General guidelines to consider when organizing the sequence of questions in a survey include:

• Similar to a natural conversation, start the survey with general impersonal questions that will be easy for the respondent to answer. This helps to warm-up respondents and get them interested and involved in the survey.
• Gradually increase question complexity and specificity but avoid overwhelming respondents by asking multiple difficult questions one after the other.
• Group questions by topic and in a logical sequence (again, similar to the natural flow of a conversation). Questions asked out of context can frustrate and confuse respondents.
• Save more sensitive questions until later in the survey. Research suggests respondents may be more willing to answer sensitive questions after already putting in the effort to answer earlier questions, and if they are offended by a sensitive question late in the survey, it will not influence their responses to previous questions.
• Conclude the survey with more general easy to answer questions such as demographics as a warm-down to leave respondents with a positive final impression of the experience.

Conduct Surveys Around the World with GeoPoll

GeoPoll has experience designing and administering surveys all over the world for clients ranging from global brands and international development organizations to local media stations and NGOs. Survey design can be a difficult task and due to its impact on the outcome of a study, GeoPoll’s research experts offer assistance at varying levels based on each client’s needs. We understand that every project is unique and are committed to using our expertise to guide our clients through key decisions to produce the most accurate insights possible. To learn more about GeoPoll’s survey development processes and various research modes, please contact us here.

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Survey questions can be divided into two distinct categories: closed-ended questions and open-ended questions. Deciding whether to use closed-ended questions, open-ended questions, or a combination of the two comprises a critical step in the survey development process. While designing a survey questionnaire, it is important to understand the benefits and limitations of each question type.

Closed-ended Survey Questions

In closed-ended survey questions, respondents select from a finite set of pre-defined responses. Common types of closed-ended survey questions include:

In each of the closed-ended question types above, respondents are not allowed to provide unique or unanticipated answers. Instead, they are asked to choose from a list of pre-defined options.

The narrow and structured focus of closed-ended survey questions provides quantitative research data that is quickly and easily measured. The data gathered from these questions forms the foundation of all statistical analysis applied to surveys. Because the quantitative analysis methodology is scientific and statistics-based, it yields data that is conclusive and projectable to a larger population.

The drawback of closed-ended questions is that respondents are limited to the responses offered by the researcher. Therefore, the researcher must have a clear understanding of the research topic before drafting the survey, not only to pose the right survey questions but to provide an applicable and comprehensive set of responses to choose from for each question. Without providing a complete and accurate list of survey responses, respondents may be forced to select the best available answer rather than the answer they would prefer, resulting in erroneous information and insights.

In addition to providing the right response options, researchers must also pay careful attention to the wording of each option, the number of options offered, and the order in which the options are read. Studies by Pew Research indicate that all four factors can influence how respondents answer closed-ended research questions.

To ensure that the results of a survey are both quantifiable and accurately reflect the target audience’s true thoughts and experiences, many surveys consist primarily of closed-ended questions that can be quickly analyzed, plus several open-ended questions that provide deeper insights into the topic being studied.

Open-ended Survey Questions

In open-ended survey questions, respondents are asked to reply to each question in their own words. The questions should be written purposefully not to lead the respondent in any particular direction, but rather to give them the freedom to provide unstructured and unguided feedback.

Some of the ways and reasons why open-ended questions are used in surveys include:

Open-ended survey questions provide qualitative research data. They elicit free-form candid responses that are only limited by respondents’ imagination and ability to express themselves.

Although open-ended questions provide deep insight into the feelings and thought processes of respondents, they are not as objective or easily quantifiable as closed-ended questions. Analyzing open-ended research questions requires the researcher to label and categorize responses to identify key themes and patterns – a process known as coding. Coding qualitative data can be significantly more time-consuming and laborious than analyzing quantitative data.

Most researchers find significant value in asking both closed-ended and open-ended survey questions. Understanding the differences between the two helps researchers ask the right questions in the right way to attain more accurate and actionable insights.

Conduct Surveys Around the World with GeoPoll

GeoPoll has experience administering surveys all over the world for clients ranging from global brands and international development organizations to local media stations and NGOs. Our solutions can be tailored to reach any audience via a variety of survey modes, including SMS, CATI, CAPI, mobile web, and our mobile application. We understand that every project is unique and are committed to using our expertise to guide our clients through key decisions to produce the most accurate insights possible. To learn more about GeoPoll’s research modes and data collection processes, please contact us here.

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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.

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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.

Benard Okasi Interview

Benard Okasi is GeoPoll’s Director of Research, and oversees GeoPoll’s research team and data outputs. Below is an abbreviated version of a conversation he had with Roxana Elliott, VP Marketing, about his background in research and how the industry is shifting to mobile methods.

Roxana Elliott: Thanks for joining me! Can you start by telling me a bit about your background and where you worked before GeoPoll?

Benard Okasi: Prior to GeoPoll I was at Synovate, a research company that operates in multiple countries – I started there in 2011 and it was later acquired by Ipsos in 2012. At Ipsos I worked in different positions, moving from a research assistant up to a senior research executive. My role was mainly business development, project management and providing insights to clients through reports with actionable insights. Towards the end of 2014, my main focus was on Coca Cola account, and I was placed at Coke as an implant for a year where my main role was to support the client on the projects that were executed by Ipsos for Coke in the then CEWA business unit team.

RE: Why did you first come to GeoPoll and how long have you been here?

BO: While working at Ipsos, the CEO of GeoPoll gave a presentation to research firms in Nairobi about mobile research and where the future of data collection is heading, which is self-completion surveys through mobile, and GeoPoll is here to help bridge the gap. I was curious about the new way GeoPoll was doing data collection through mobile and not having researchers need to go out and collect data in person. I have now been at GeoPoll for 5 years, I first started as a research executive working on data and client support, then managing our partnership relationships with other research agencies, and now leading the research team.

RE: Can you tell me more about the research team and what your responsibilities are?

BO:The research team now is made up of 15 staff, within which we have a data processing team, data analysts, and media analysts. The data processing team does data cleaning, processing and data quality checks. Our data analysts deal with complex analysis of data – for example if clients need significance testing. The media data team looks at audience measurement data and generates actionable insights for our clients. Most of our team members have a research background and have studied statistics hence able to look into data from a statistical point of view and provide complex analysis when required.

RE: What excites you about working for GeoPoll?

BO: What excites me is the team energy and synergy to support clients – when you look at the speed at which we complete projects, with the combined efforts of different departments, we can deliver projects within 2-3 days or a week. We are also able to sit in a central office and collect data in over 50 countries, which shows what the future is in remote data collection. I love the combined effort of the team, and if there are issues in a project we sit down as a team and come up with solutions and the way forward without delays.

RE: How does what we offer at GeoPoll compare to traditional methods in your experience?

BO: If clients go for traditional research, you can only use past data or say old data to inform on their decisions, and what we’ve found at GeoPoll is that most clients want real time information. With mobile research, we can get a set questions from client today and be able to give clients results tomorrow. GeoPoll plays a key role in delivering quality, timely and cost-effective results to clients.

RE: Have you seen a resistance of people moving to mobile research?

There are tracker projects that have been running using traditional research for a long time targeting general population and because mobile data collection only targets a mobile owned population, some clients are resistant to changing the methodology. But markets are changing quickly as mobile penetration has grown over the years – in Kenya I think mobile penetration is over 90%, so that tells you that the people we are targeting through mobile and the information they give us won’t be different from what we would get through traditional (face to face) research. I think that mobile data collection is the future, and the future is here.

RE: Are there any new products you are working on within the research team?

As we continue to drive real-time data delivery to clients, we have made improvements in our systems, including the creation of dashboards which enable us to have more automated systems so we can deliver to clients even quickly. Clients can go directly to a dashboard and pull data and do extra analysis as soon as it’s collected. This innovation around our deliverables will help clients make decisions right away. For some of our larger clients, our team has been able to work on projects in over 30 countries at once, and we’ve created automated processes to deliver quality data regularly for them which has led us to improve our processes over time.

RE: What do you like outside of work?

I love meeting with friends and driving around, and spend most of my time with my family.

RE: Finally, what do you think it takes to be successful in a researcher?

You need to be open-minded and flexible to succeed, and must put the client first in everything you do. Teamwork plays a key role towards the success of any organization or any team so if teams work together you can achieve anything.

The post Benard Okasi on GeoPoll’s Research Processes appeared first on GeoPoll.

Shannon McCrocklin: Tell me about your background before you came to GeoPoll – what space did you work in?

John Paul Murunga: I am a statistician by training and on top of that an Accredited marketing professional from the Chartered Institute of Marketing in the UK. Before I came to GeoPoll I was working as a marketing research consultant with a focus on commercial or consumer research. Prior to GeoPoll, I worked with Synovate and then Ipsos, and earlier I was with Nielsen. Hence, I am a research industry person out-and-out.

SM: What drew you to GeoPoll and how long have you been with the team?

JPM: I have been with GeoPoll for 4 and a half years, it’s funny how time flies! What first drew me to GeoPoll was seeing how much research was evolving and wanting to be part of the next generation in research. Back then, people would not consider SMS as a method of doing surveys, and online/remote research modes were frowned upon.

Presently we live in a world that is moving so fast, we cannot afford to wait for months to receive information that should inform decision making. Can you imagine waiting for 2 months to identify what your target consumers think about your product offering? We have seen for instance from the COVID-19 pandemic how a week can alter the world as we know it. Research solutions must be timely and be specific to remain useful.

SM: Can you briefly describe your role now?

JPM: Currently, I am the Regional Director for the Eastern Africa region. I oversee a team of dynamic, highly skilled, and motivated professionals whose mission is to support clients across the region with information to inform their decision-making. We work with customers across various sectors, including large multi-nationals, local organizations, and small and medium-sized enterprises. Because our solutions are varied, we are well-positioned to support a diverse range of clients.

SM: What do you most enjoy about working for GeoPoll? 

JPM: I cherish many things about working with GeoPoll – GeoPoll epitomizes what research in the information age looks like. When research is paired with technology, I think that is where the magic happens! This axis constantly inspires me: Quality research-delivered on the back of technology, delivered with speed, at a fraction of what traditional research would cost making it more affordable.

SM: What has surprised you about GeoPoll and the projects we work on?  

JPM: Many things, but early on it was how suddenly, working with the same clients, we were able to be efficient in study design, especially from a questionnaire length perspective. For clients who traditionally would have 40-50-page questionnaires asking all sorts of things, we were able to conduct studies for them with 10-30 very definite questions tailored to specific objectives.

The speed of how projects can be turned around was mind-blowing at the start, but now I am used to it. Can you imagine doing a survey of n=3,000 nationally in 2-3 days, and delivering the results displayed on an online dashboard immediately once data collection is closed? This is work that would take weeks or months in other settings. In face-to-face research, interviewers would still be on the ground, with clients worrying about if an interviewer in fact went to the field. Meanwhile, GeoPoll would have reported the results, and the client made informed decisions for their businesses and moved on to other pressing issues.

SM: What are you excited about in terms of where GeoPoll will go in the future?  

JPM: I think the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the need to infuse technology in research. GeoPoll is at the center of this and we are already pioneering many efficient, forward-looking research solutions for customers across multiple geographies. We will continue developing these as we go into the future as this is the direction the world is taking.

SM: Do you have a favorite project or experience at GeoPoll you’d like to share?

JPM: I have always given this as an example of how best research studies can be executed in today’s world. The project was looking to reach farmers in the Kandahar region of Afghanistan. The end client was in the US; the agency implementing the client’s intervention was in Afghanistan, and I was the project lead was based in Nairobi. We conducted 1,000 successful IVR interviews in the local languages (Pashto and Dari) remotely from our Nairobi operations Hub. This done within 2 weeks, and the client had their study results and went ahead to implement the recommendations from the research.

SM: What’s a fact about yourself that people may not know right away?  

JPM: I love farming and am a smallholder crops farmer. I like giving back to society whenever I can and work with various charity organizations. I am always keen on being outdoors and visiting new places, and this year was planning to do the famous Cairo to Cape route by road joining from Kenya but was hampered by COVID-19. We will be back in 2021 inshallah!

SM: What does it take to succeed in your line of work? 

JPM: There are no excuses, and one must put in the grind – hard work and consistency are key. You also must be widely read and have a flexible mindset, as we work with clients across multiple industries. As a market research consultant, having knowledge of various industries is vital, or else you are not going to have proper engagements. Finally and most important is nurturing human relationships. We are in a people business, and humans require authentic interactions. We must be understanding, communicate effectively, and be empathetic in how we undertake our work.

The post GeoPoll’s John Paul Murunga on the Evolution of the Market Research Industry appeared first on GeoPoll.

Due to the strong interest and participation in Black Friday sale events seen in South Africa in years past, GeoPoll conducted a study on topics surrounding Black Friday to gather data on consumers’ perceptions, engagement, and purchases through the sales events. In this report, we will present the data collected in this study, which was run immediately following Black Friday 2019, and compare the findings to related GeoPoll studies from years past.

Black Friday Study Methodology

Black Friday was on November 29^th, 2019, and GeoPoll’s study on Black Friday ran through Mobile Web from November 30^th to December 1^st, 2019. A screener question was used to ensure all study participants were aware of Black Friday. There were 400 South African respondents that passed through the screener question and completed the survey. These respondents had a nationally representative location distribution, had a 50/50 gender split, and were all 15 years old or older.

In this post, we will compare results from the 2019 GeoPoll study with other GeoPoll studies on the same topic from 2017 and 2018.  Accurate year over year comparisons can be made between all three studies due to identical question wording used across studies and similar samples of respondents for each. For additional information on the methodologies and demographic information from these studies, contact us here.

Black Friday in South Africa

Black Friday Popularity in South Africa

Data from this year’s study on Black Friday shopping revealed that there has been a 16% increase in reported shopping from 2017 to 2019: 76% of respondents in 2019 indicated shopping on Black Friday this year, while 64% in 2018 and 60% in 2017 indicated the same. This shows that despite South Africa’s stagnant economy, consumers are still willing to spend money; on the other hand, the economic flatline could be further encouraging a hunt for deals before the holiday season.

Regardless of the reason for the increase, it is undeniable that there are more South African shoppers engaging in Black Friday sales events year over year. In 2018 and 2019, respondents were asked if they had shopped on Black Friday in years past. In 2018, 72% of respondents indicated shopping in years past, while 84% indicated the same in 2019—which is a 12% increase.

Black November in South Africa

Beyond the increase in shoppers participating, the Black Friday sales events themselves are growing as well. Black November is a term that has emerged to describe the phenomenon of retailers starting their Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales earlier each year. According to PwC, “retailers are extending their Black Friday offerings to a week or more leading up to the day and the days thereafter, including the ensuring weekend leading up to Cyber Monday.”

This year our study asked respondents about their Black November shopping. Respondents who participated in 2019’s Black Friday were asked if they shopped any Black Friday sales that ran before November 29^th; 78% of respondents indicated that they had, which shows that Black November sales were highly popular for both retailers and shoppers in 2019.

Items Purchased on Black Friday

In 2018 and 2019, respondents were asked identical select all that apply questions: “Which of the following items did you purchase during Black Friday this year? 1) household appliances 2) beauty accessories 3) clothing and footwear 4) electronics and accessories 5) food items 6) baby items 7) other.” From 2018 to 2019, all of the categories except for clothing and footwear had an increase in reported purchases. Most notably, beauty accessories saw a 15% increase, electronics and accessories increased by 13%, and food items increased by 16%. Keeping in mind that clothing and footwear only saw a 2% decrease and that this was a select all that apply style question, the data comparison from 2018 to 2019 shows that people are buying a more diverse selection of items during Black Friday sales overall.

Shopping Location

This year’s study asked respondents about the location of their Black Friday shopping to determine if shoppers were shopping more in-store, online, or a combination of the two. Results showed that the vast majority of Black Friday shoppers, 67%, shopped in stores only. A much smaller group of shoppers, 23%, indicated shopping both in-store and online, and only 11% of shoppers indicated shopping online only. Data also showed that 4% more men than women reported shopping exclusively in-store, 6% more women than men reported shopping both in-store and online, and the same number of men and women reported shopping exclusively online. The affinity for in-store shopping is likely due to poor user experience in online shopping in South Africa, which we explore further in the following sub-section.

Online shopping issues in South Africa

Respondents that had indicated shopping online in any capacity were asked a follow-up question about their user experience, “While online

shopping on Black Friday this year, did you experience any issues with webpages that negatively impacted your shopping experience?” 37% of the online shoppers reported that they did encounter issues while online shopping the Black Friday sales. The respondents with technical issues were concentrated in Northern Cape (50% of respondents in this location had issues), Gauteng (45%), and Limpopo (44%). Although the majority of online shopper respondents did not have technical issues, 37% is a significant portion of consumers to be negatively impacted by the online shopping platforms. In order for online shopping to gain more significant popularity in Black Friday sales events, the rate of users experiencing issues needs to decrease in the years to come.

Cyber Monday

Cyber Monday is an online shopping sale event used by retailers as a continuation of the Black Friday sale events. To determine Cyber Monday’s popularity in relation to Black Friday, all respondents were asked if they were aware of the shopping holiday. We found that 63% of respondents were aware of Cyber Monday, compared to 100% of respondents that were aware of Black Friday.

Out of the 63% of respondents aware of Cyber Monday, 65% had shopped Cyber Monday sales in years past. The highest rates were in KwaZulu Natal (76% of respondents in this location had shopped Cyber Monday in the past) and Mpumalanga (72%). Additionally, 6% more males than females indicated shopping Cyber Monday sales in years past.

This year, more males than females also plan to shop Cyber Monday sales. 81% of Cyber Monday aware males plan to shop on the holiday compared to 71% of aware females, which comes out to 10% more males than indicated planning to shop on Cyber Monday than females and a 76% average for all respondents.

Assuming those who indicated planning to shop on Cyber Monday followed through, participation in the sales events would see an 11% increase in 2019 over participation in years past and a 4% increase in male participation in 2019 over years past.

Takeaways

South Africans are interested and engaged with holiday shopping sales in November and December—whether the sales are promoted as early Black Friday sales, Black Friday sales, or Cyber Monday sales. Despite the growth in sales around Black Friday, regularly timed Black Friday sales are still the most popular time to shop. Additionally, the participation in Black Friday shopping is increasing rapidly year over year and even a flat economy in South Africa did not hinder the growth in shopping rates. In years to come, GeoPoll anticipates the growth momentum to carry over to even higher engagement rates in 2020.

In preparation for a busy 2020 holiday shopping season, GeoPoll can help your organization conduct a study of your own. Our team of research experts is a valuable resource for any consumer behavior evaluation study. To learn more about how GeoPoll can help your organization achieve your research goals, contact us today.

The post Data Report: Black Friday Shopping in South Africa 2019 appeared first on GeoPoll.