Seldom is there a customer experience that doesn’t have an underlying emotional dimension. Harnessing this fact is an issue that Big Data has yet to fully resolve. However, for decades those in the consumer behavior camp have understood this. The emotional component to a decision or experience is...read more

When is two not better than one? In survey design two is certainly not better than one. In this case it refers to the use of double-barreled questions. Those with little research training often do not realize they are combining two distinct elements into one question. The best practice is to...read more

While we highlight the most popular posts from a given month in our newsletter, one of my favorite activities is to look back and see what posts were the most popular overall each year. Keeping with tradition, here's a look back across the 20 most popular posts of 2012!   Customer Loyalty Month: 25...read more

I recently taught a session of introduction to quantitative methods. The students brought up several excellent questions including a series on data types. There is no way of escaping at least a cursory chat on data types if you are involved in either consumer or B2B market research. The...read more

At one point we all learned our ABCs. With the pace of change currently increasing in the marketing research world we are now in need of a refresher. In this case the A and B refer to the concept of A/B testing and the C is the outcome of that test, better known as the Champion. A/B testing has long...read more

As a market research professional and long-time survey guy, I have come across many clients who could be classified as unwieldy. Although I have nothing against them personally, their thoughts about survey development and the kind of information needed are enough to make one flinch. A few...read more

Level 1 Evaluation relates to the feedback of the participants to the training event. Typically the participants are given "smiley sheets" to indicate their level of satisfaction with the program. As discussed in the earlier post, many categories are evaluated during level 1 evaluation. They include...read more

Ah the sweet life…marketers in the entertainment, culinary and travel industries do their job with vigilance to remind us what the good life really is. In order to do this effectively, the researchers that support these marketers need to embrace lifestyle questions in our consumer surveys. Hard core...read more

I recently called my credit card company to activate a new card.  When I called, I asked about paying bills online and then got off the phone.  Not thinking much more about the call (I was only activating a credit card) I then later received an email from my credit company asking me to take a survey...read more

Are scales developed in North America valid for global use? With the barriers to reaching international audiences lowering due to increased Internet penetration it is time to reflect on the validity of our research as a global tool. The one size fits all approach to survey development is in...read more