It is easy to calculate the advantages in price for market research done online when comparing postal questionnaires, telephone interviews and field studies, but the quality of the data received should also be considered. We recently performed a comparative study of online tracking and telephone tracking, for a period of three months in 65 categories, and could not see any significant differences in the results between the two methodologies. However, we receive a greater number of replies and more exhaustive answers online, resulting in data of a higher quality which makes it possible to track smaller brands than before. This partially depends on an online questionnaire’s ability to let the respondent answer questions a few at a time and when it fits into his/her schedule.

When starting tracking for a new customer, we begin by creating questions in accordance to the Nepa Model. The model facilitates the ability to formulate questions so that the tracking results can be compared over time and over category boundaries.

The next step is to create a selection representative of age, gender and region from panels consisting of over 250 000 respondents. The panelists are invited to participate in a survey via a link sent to their e-mail address.

Our system analyzes the results as soon as the respondents have delivered their answers. Misspelled answers are interpreted, re-coded and added to the brands that the system can identify with full certainty. The system is a learning structure, meaning that it filters out the brand names that have not previously appeared in the tracking, leaving them for re-coding. This means that data for new brands are obtained quickly.

Finally, the results are complied and delivered according to the specifications of the customer.