Data should be the driving force behind your marketing efforts, and collecting customer insights will help you better understand your customers in order to improve product advertising and messaging, and strengthen your overall marketing strategy. Success in marketing is based largely on the return on investment it delivers, and surveys can be a quick and cost-effective way to collect customer insights and improve ROI. Read on to learn more.

The Value of Consumer Insights

Today’s marketing is taking on a more consumer-centric role. Great marketing plans focus directly on the consumer by providing them with the information they want so they can make an informed buying decision. Globally, more than $500 billion is spent on advertising yearly, so using your marketing budget wisely should be a priority.

Consumer insights are data points that can be gathered to help businesses build their brand and sell their products more effectively. This data can help you understand the current market landscape and determine what is important to your target audience.

Some of the most valuable data you can gather will tell you why consumers behave in the way that they do. You can find out how they perceive a brand, which marketing messages speak to them the most, and get feedback on products or campaigns. You can also collect data at various points throughout the customer journey to see how perceptions develop over time.

How to Use Surveys to Collect Consumer Insights

Organizations understand that the most useful data comes from accessible and understandable customer insights delivered on demand. In today’s world, insights are constantly shifting. Information is delivered to consumers at lightning speed, and their opinions and thoughts can change just as quickly. So, it’s necessary to gather consumer insights in a way that delivers results quickly. While traditional market research methods like focus groups have their place, surveys can be a quicker and more cost-effective way to collect actionable data.

Surveys can be administered directly to consumers, no matter where they are located, through web-based links, mobile applications, or text messages. Online surveys are an excellent and affordable option in areas where internet penetration is high or if you are looking to reach wealthy populations. However, in countries where internet connectivity is unreliable or if you are looking to reach a representative sample in emerging markets, surveys sent through SMS are an excellent alternative. SMS surveys are delivered instantaneously to the mobile phone of a potential respondent, and the results come back in near real-time.

A majority of survey-takers note that they want to have a say in a company’s upcoming products and services, and surveys help your customers feel like they’re being heard. As soon as the results of your survey start coming in, you can use the data to shape your future products and marketing campaigns. 

Determining the Type of Cosumer Insight Survey to Use

What type of survey questions you want to ask will often depend on what type of information you’re looking to collect. For example, when you’re launching a new product, you may use a one-time survey to help understand people’s initial thoughts about the product, and how you can improve it.

On the other hand, if you’d like to track people’s perception of your brand over time, you may want to run regular surveys over the span of weeks, months, or longer. You can see if your brand or product is trending amongst competitors, or if your latest marketing campaign had the impact you wanted on consumers.

You can also use surveys to learn more about the specific profile of your target customer, and what they care about the most. You can learn about their interests that go beyond your brand or product, and may even discover a previously unknown demographic that has an interest in what you have to offer.

One-time surveys can be used to complement the data you gather from other sources, like website analytics or point of purchase systems. If you notice people are coming to your product pages and spending time there, but are not actually making purchases, send out a survey asking them what you could do to improve. Take a look at some of the trends on your website, and use these as a basis for your surveys so you can more clearly understand why your customers are taking certain actions.  

Collecting Consumer Insight Data in Africa

Before businesses can put forth a successful marketing plan, they need to understand the different needs of each population they’re looking at. Targeting different populations throughout the world means taking into consideration cultural influences, technological limitations, and differing product use cases.

Using text message surveys to collect consumer insights in Africa can be particularly effective because of the widespread use of mobile phones throughout the continent. The rate of internet penetration is still quite low in some parts of Africa, and while it is increasing rapidly every year, basic mobile phones are available to more of the population than internet-enabled devices. Users don’t have to have a smartphone or internet access to be able to receive an SMS survey. Even if a phone is turned off or out of service when the survey is sent, it will appear in the user’s inbox when service is restored. Surveys that utilize web links that can be opened in basic mobile browsers can also be successful when reaching certain target audiences, and are often less expensive than text message surveys.

Consumer markets are growing rapidly throughout Africa as economies strengthen and people have more disposable income. Tapping into this growing market is essential for many businesses, and mobile-based surveys are an excellent way to gather business intelligence from all over the world. GeoPoll specializes in collecting consumer insights in emerging markets using mobile-based modes, and can reach your target audience quickly to collect high-quality data that drives business growth. Contact us today to learn more.

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Surveys are useful for collecting data that quickly provide conclusive answers to research questions such as, “What products would my customers like to see from my brand next?” If 65% of surveyed consumers say they would purchase jeans over t-shirts, looking into denim production would be a good bet for the company.

Survey data can also be easily cross-tabulated to provide more in-depth data on certain segments of a population. For example, by comparing results by gender you may find that 80% of females would purchase jeans, whereas only 50% of men would purchase jeans from your brand and 50% would prefer you produce t-shirts.

The popularity of surveys is also undoubtedly due to the ease in which they can be deployed, especially in areas where Internet and phone usage is high. Brands often implement post-purchase surveys directly on their website, or email survey links to customer lists. Studies that require random samples can be conducted by automated phone dialers, which is a method used regularly by political polling firms. Using these methods, researchers can often collect a representative sample within hours or days.

Methods for Collecting Survey Data in Africa 

However, conducting surveys in areas that have low Internet or phone penetration can be much more difficult. Collecting survey data from countries in Africa, which have very low landline usage and unreliable Internet connectivity, can take much longer, and researchers may have to use older and more manual methods of data collection. The most common methods for collecting survey data in Africa include:

• Face to Face Surveys: Face to face surveys, also known as in-person surveys, require an interviewer to travel to their survey subject – this may mean going door-to-door to find people willing to take a survey, which in some areas can be a challenge due to lack of infrastructure and long distances between houses. Face to face survey answers can be recorded in several ways, including:
  • Pen and Paper: As the name implies, these surveys are those where questions are read and responses recorded via pen and paper. Survey data collected in this way is often subject to human error and data loss or damage, as wrong answers may be selected during the survey, and paper sheets could be lost or torn. This method requires a researcher to input data into a system for analyzing, which can introduce another layer of human error.
  • Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing: CAPI surveys still require an interviewer to read through survey questions and record answers, but the recording is done digitally via a tablet or phone which has questions and answer options loaded onto it via survey software. This method reduces the chance for data loss or damage, and data can automatically be compiled, eliminating the need for a researcher to go through and record all survey answers once they have been collected.
• Surveys via Mobile Phone: Although landline penetration is low in Africa (roughly 0.46% in Kenya, 7.24% in South Africa, and 0.28% in Nigeria), mobile phone usage has grown. In countries such as Kenya, which has 86 mobile subscriptions for every 100 people, and South Africa, which has 162 mobile subscriptions for every 100 people, mobile is a viable mode to collect survey data in Africa. There are several modes which can be utilized to conduct surveys via mobile:
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  • SMS Surveys: SMS or text message surveys are surveys administered via 2-way textmessage conversation, in which a question is sent to a mobile phone number, and an answer typed in is sent back as a response. SMS surveys are useful for collecting survey data in Africa due to the ubiquity of SMS (all phones have basic SMS capabilities) and the ability for messages to be sent even if phones are turned off or do not have service when the message is sent. The questionnaire length for SMS surveys should be kept quite short, and each question and corresponding answers need to stay within 160 characters to avoid being truncated awkwardly. How SMS surveys are administered in Africa can differ by country – learn more about how GeoPoll’s SMS surveys work here.
  • Mobile Web Surveys: Mobile web surveys are link-based surveys that can be viewed in a basic mobilebrowser. A survey link can be shared via email, text message, or through social media, and will open a mobile browser which contains the survey content. Mobile web surveys can include longer question and answer options as there is not a character limit, however, it is still recommended that the number of total questions is kept to under 20.
  • Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing Surveys: CATI surveys are administered via an interviewer calling a mobile phone number and reading through survey content from a remote call center. These surveys do not have a character limit and can be slightly longer than SMS or mobile web surveys as they are not self-administered. Survey responses are typically recorded via CATI software used by the interviewer. These surveys require that call center employees are trained on how to administer surveys correctly, however, can be administered to populations with low literacy rates.
  • Interactive Voice Response Surveys: IVR surveys are pre-recorded surveys conducted via automated voice call. Respondents key in answers on their phone keypads. IVR surveys can be sent to large numbers of respondents at once as they do not require call center interviewers, but tend to have low response rates due to their automated, pre-recorded nature.

• Online Surveys: Surveys can be conducted online in Africa via online survey software, but due to low desktop computer and Internet penetration rates in Africa respondents are often not representative of an entire population. These surveys can be sent out via email to a targeted list, or respondents can be recruited through social media or other types of online advertising. You should keep in mind that even if a survey is sent via an email link, it is very likely to be opened on a mobile phone rather than a desktop browser. Therefore, when using online survey solutions for collecting survey data in Africa, you should verify that questions show up as expected on a mobile device.

How You Should Collect Survey Data in Africa

The “best” way to collect survey data in Africa depends on many factors, including your research goals, target audience, budget, and timeline. For those looking to collect data that is representative of a large portion of the population quickly and cost-effectively, SMS or mobile web are the best methods. Online surveys are very cost-effective and can be used to reach wealthier populations rapidly. CATI surveys are useful for gathering data from a population with low literacy rates, or when you are looking to conduct a longer survey. Face-to-face surveys can reach any population, including the lowest economic classes, however require a significant investment in both time and money. If conducting surveys via face to face methods, we recommend utilizing a trusted vendor such as GeoPoll who uses proprietary CAPI software to track survey completion rates and data quality while surveys are in the field.

No matter how you collect survey data in Africa, we recommend speaking to someone who has experience in conducting surveys in the countries you are working in. GeoPoll has experience collecting survey data in over 30 countries in Africa and can assist with survey design, sample acquisition through our respondent database, survey implementation, and data analysis. For advice on the best way to collect survey data for your project, download our full guide on conducting research in emerging markets or contact us today.

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

Considerations for Collecting Data in Emerging Markets

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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