Larry Bronwell of the US Market Research Association told only half the story with his recent comments highlighting potential problems, but there is also lot of good work going on in the sector.
While I agree with him that "problems arise when amateurs hop on the online research bandwagon without the expertise that a professional researcher provides", singling out online research is unfair. It's as susceptible to flaws as any offline tools and techniques deployed without due supervision.
Of course, the industry decries online agencies which produce shoddy and poorly conceived work and not only because clients suffer. Cowboys also run the risk of alienating online respondents who are more likely to reject poorly constructed surveys especially if there is no decent incentive or content in return for their time.
The hallmarks of quality online research, which can protect it from such a fate, are an investment in both quality design and online usability. Creative programming and the use of up-to-date technology to engage respondents is also critical to the ongoing success of the methodology.
In terms of applications, rather than taking market share from focus groups, computer aided telephone research is the most likely traditional methodology to suffer because of the rise of online, due to comparatively lower cost and faster turnaround.
Larry's defence of focus groups was entirely justified on the grounds that they offer a distinctly useful kind of insight. However, online research and focus groups aren't mutually exclusive. With the arrival and rapid advances in focus-group software, online is fast becoming a medium that can accommodate traditional face-to-face interviewing.
Although methodologies requiring free-form questioning and interviewer interaction won't be affected immediately, traditional qualitative methodologies such as depth interviewing and focus group will increasingly be conducted online.
If we all pull together now we'll benefit from a well-adjusted mature online research market. Respondents may be more receptive than they are to current fieldwork and data collection and entry will become even less expensive and more accurate. Online may therefore encourage more organisations to invest in research and that can only be a good thing.
Jon Gumbrell is managing director at online market research agency The iD Factor.
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