Consumer surveys

Consumer surveys are statistical surveys focusing on the measurement of aspects of consumer behavior, [[consumer attitudes etc.

Surveys can be conducted using a number of different mehtods, each with their own advantages and disadvantages:
 * Automated telephone surveys
 * Mail surveys
 * Telephone surveys

Survey methods
There are several ways of administering a survey, including:

Telephone surveys

 * use of interviewers encourages sample persons to respond, leading to higher response rates.
 * interviewers can increase comprehension of questions by answering respondents' questions.
 * fairly cost efficient, depending on local call charge structure
 * good for large national (or international) sampling frames
 * cannot be used for non-audio information (graphics, demonstrations, taste/smell samples)
 * three types:
 * traditional telephone interviews
 * computer assisted telephone dialing
 * computer assisted telephone interviewing
 * Mail
 * response rate 5% - 30%
 * the questionnaire may be handed to the respondents or mailed to them, but in all cases they are returned to the researcher via mail.
 * cost is very low, since bulk postage is cheap in most countries
 * long time delays, often several months, before the surveys are returned and statistical analysis can begin
 * not suitable for very complex issues
 * no interviewer bias introduced
 * large amount of information can be obtained: some mail surveys are as long as 50 pages
 * response rates can be improved by using mail panels
 * members of the panel have agreed to participate
 * panels can be used in longitudinal designs where the same respondents are surveyed several times

Online surveys

 * can use web or e-mail
 * web is preferred over e-mail because interactive HTML forms can be used
 * response rates sometimes 90% before 2000, but have been dropping fast since then (now 2% - 30%)
 * often inexpensive to administer
 * very fast results
 * easy to modify
 * response rates can be improved by using Online panels - members of the panel have agreed to participate
 * if not password-protected, easy to manipulate by completing multiple times to skew results
 * data creation, manipulation and reporting can be automated
 * data sets created in real time
 * some are incentive based


 * Personal in-home survey
 * respondents are interviewed in person, in their homes (or at the front door)
 * very high cost
 * response rate 40% - 50%
 * suitable when graphic representations, smells, or demonstrations are involved
 * suitable for long surveys
 * suitable for locations where telephone or mail are not developed
 * Personal mall intercept survey
 * shoppers at malls are intercepted - they are either interviewed on the spot, taken to a room and interviewed, or taken to a room and given a self-administered questionnaire
 * response rate about 50%
 * socially acceptable - people feel that a mall is a more appropriate place to do research than their home
 * potential for interviewer bias
 * fast
 * easy to manipulate by completing multiple times to skew results
 * Methods used to increase response rates
 * brevity - single page if possible
 * financial incentives
 * paid in advance
 * paid at completion
 * non-monetary incentives
 * commodity giveaways (pens, notepads)
 * entry into a lottery, draw or contest
 * discount coupons
 * promise of contribution to charity
 * preliminary notification
 * foot-in-the-door techniques - start with a small inconsequential request
 * personalization of the request - address specific individuals
 * follow-up requests - multiple requests
 * claimed affiliation with universities, research institutions, or charities
 * emotional appeals
 * bids for sympathy
 * convince respondent that they can make a difference
 * guarantee anonymity

Purposes
Surveys are conducted for a number of reasons associated with advertising, customer satisfaction,customer relationship management, marketing etc