INDEPENDENT NEWS

Info CM Research Launches Interactive Tools

Published: Tue 23 May 2000 10:23 AM
(Note release and media backgrounder both in this posting.)
MEDIA RELEASE
May 23, 2000
NFO CM RESEARCH LEADS UNDERSTANDING OF INTERACTIVE WORLD
NFO CM Research today launched some of New Zealand’s first customised interactive research tools designed to help companies understand consumer behaviour on the world wide web.
As a leading market research company NFO CM Research’s online tools will assist in revolutionalising the way companies conduct future business ‘on the net’.
NFO CM Research senior account director and interactive research expert Galina Mitchelhill says the tools measure more than just the number of hits a company’s website receive. They also have the ability to measure the satisfaction, preferences, and decision-making process of visitors about a company’s website.
“The Internet is spawning new markets; new ways of distributing, marketing and selling products and services and new ways of reaching out to target audiences,” she says.” These innovative research tools will enable companies to better understand attitudes and behaviours of online consumers and thus market more effectively to them.”
Ms Mitchelhill says there are numerous advantages for conducting online-behavioural research online over offline research methods.
“With these online tools we can target hard-to-reach people, namely early adopters and in particular the youth market, with the medium they prefer to use - the Internet,” she says.
“We are also matching the behaviour of online consumers by interviewing and researching them in an online environment.”
Further advantages include offering respondents real time results, the ease of subject recruitment and the respondent-friendly environment the Internet allows.
“For example, recruits can answer surveys and participate in online discussions when it suits them, they do not have to take precious time away from work or home life to attend a discussion group or answer a survey,” Ms Mitchelhill says.
The interactive tools include both quantitative and qualitative research methods such as web-based surveys, focus groups and discussions called NFO//net.survey, NFO//net.gauge, NFO//net.focus, and NFO//net.discussion.
The customised interactive tools are available to NFO CM clients who will use them for a variety of applications including concept tests, web site evaluations, new product tests, package design tests, customer satisfaction, segmentation, purchase tracking and advertising effectiveness.
To date, companies have been limited in assessing the effectiveness of their distribution, marketing, communication and selling strategies on the Internet and the user-friendliness of their websites.
Developed and used in the United States for five years by the NFO group’s dedicated group of internet research professionals, the tools have already been employed in more than 2000 studies by companies such as Proctor and Gamble and Sony.
“The online tools have been tested and validated internationally by the NFO group and have proven to deliver consistently reliable results at speed,“ Ms Mitchelhill says. “This includes the ability for New Zealand companies to be able to benchmark their own sites against ‘best of breed’ sites internationally on many different factors.”
The international NFO group is one of the world’s first research companies to provide insight into the fast emerging Internet market and is leading the world in developing effective interactive research tools to understand the online communities.
NFO Worldwide is a leading provider of research-based, marketing information and counsel to the worldwide business community. With more than 15,000 full and part-time employees and operations in 38 countries, NFO provides clients with trusted insight into the behavior, attitudes and opinions of customers around the globe. NFO is the largest custom marketing research firm in North America and is among the top three in the world, serving 4,000 clients in key sectors such as consumer packaged goods, healthcare, financial services, high-tech/telecommunications, travel & leisure, automotive and business-to-business. Together with its affiliated companies, NFO is the world’s largest provider of Internet-based custom marketing research. NFO is a member of The Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG). Visit NFO Worldwide on the Web at http://www.nfow.com
Released on behalf of Company by Porter Novelli New Zealand (Auckland) Ltd.
For further information please contact:
Galina Mitchelhill NFO MC Research 09 525 0934
galinam@cmresearch.co.nz
or
Bridget Reaney Porter Novelli New Zealand (Auckland) Ltd. 09 373 3786
bridget@porternovelli.co.nz
MEDIA BACKGROUNDER
May 23, 2000
NFO CM RESEARCH INTERACTIVE TOOLS
With rising computer penetration and the advent of new Internet access devices on the horizon, interactive market research is now an essential tool for good online business practice.
The explosive adoption of the Internet among New Zealanders is accelerating and matching this speed of change is the demand for understanding of these online consumers.
The NFO CM Research interactive research tools have been developed with numerous scenarios a business may face when entering and competing in the interactive space in mind.
As a result, these tools are customised to fit a variety of business applications including concept tests for new products, web site evaluations, customer satisfaction, segmentation, advertising effectiveness, attitude and usage.
NFO CM Research senior account director and interactive research expert Galina Mitchelhill says NFO CM Research’s customised interactive research tools have many advantages over other online research tools including the ability to benchmark client’s results and websites against best-of-breed sites in a category.
“Another key differential setting NFO apart from other companies offering online research is our five years of experience in the interactive area,” Ms Mitchelhill says.
“We can ensure there is no sacrifice in the quality of results achieved just because the research methodology is conducted on the net like other online research tools.
“Research results can also be quickly turned around and photos, diagrams, logos and advertising visuals can be used in the questioning.”
Further advantages of the NFO CM tools include the ability to offer the marketer real-time results. Marketers can see results to their questions and receive insight into making better decisions just moments after a survey is launched.
The new interactive tools include quantitative research methods such as web-based surveys, and website assessments called NFO//net.survey, NFO//net.gauge.
NFO//net.survey
NFO//net.survey allows surveying to be conducted over the world wide web, is pre-programmed with questionnaire flow-logic and has all the functions of CATI technology (computer aided telephone interviewing).
The CATI functions include question sequencing, automated skip patterns and rotations of questions, piping, self-correction and data cleaning.
NFO//net.survey also allows audio, pictures, or short videos to be run as part of the questionnaire. A client can receive feedback on a new logo or advertising material by actually showing the respondent online the stimulus.
For the first time, this technology also matches the consumers behaviour - online consumers can respond online to surveys at whatever hour of the day or night that suits them.
NFO//net.gauge
The website is one of the most tangible offerings an online business has and NFO CM Research has developed a second online quantitative tool to assist in understanding interaction between a consumer and a website called NFO//net.gauge.
The customised system profiles visitors to a site, measures visitor satisfaction, and assesses the site itself.
NFO//net.gauge also answers key marketing questions such as; 'How do I know I'm getting a good return from the investment I've put into my web site?'.
Most importantly, NFO//net.gauge allows sites to be benchmarked to best-of-breed sites internationally.
Sites in this benchmark include Amazon.com, Hallmark, Gap and Dell.
The benchmark comparison provides feedback on individual components of the website as well as a broad overview of consumers perceptions of the site.
In addition, this evaluation can plot-produce a prioritised map for resource allocation. For instance, the tools identifies areas of a site requiring priority attention versus those areas that risk being potential over-investments.
NFO//net.discussion and NFO//net.focus
Complementing the quantitative online tools are NFO CM Research’s qualitative research tools, NFO//net.focus and NFO//net.discussion.
NFO//net.discussion is a discussion format tool using an online bulletin board as the discussion platform. A question is posted on the 'board' and selected respondents are invited to respond to the question.
The researcher can follow up responses with individual dialogue with each respondent and then further questions can be posted for the same respondents’ answer.
This means ideas can be developed as the research is rolled out and the research feeds directly into the idea development.
NFO//net.focus has the ability to moderate focus groups online, and is particularly beneficial if respondents are spread apart geographically. It is extremely successful in discussing issues with 'hi-tech' respondent types.
More information on NFO CM Research’s interactive tools can be found on the NFO CM website at www.cmresearch.co.nz/products_frame.html
NFO Worldwide is a leading provider of research-based, marketing information and counsel to the worldwide business community. With more than 15,000 full and part-time employees and operations in 38 countries, NFO provides clients with trusted insight into the behavior, attitudes and opinions of customers around the globe. NFO is the largest custom marketing research firm in North America and is among the top three in the world, serving 4,000 clients in key sectors such as consumer packaged goods, healthcare, financial services, high-tech/telecommunications, travel & leisure, automotive and business-to-business. Together with its affiliated companies, NFO is the world’s largest provider of Internet-based custom marketing research. NFO is a member of The Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG). Visit NFO Worldwide on the Web at http://www.nfow.com
Released on behalf of Company by Porter Novelli New Zealand (Auckland) Ltd.
For further information please contact:
Galina Mitchelhill NFO CM Research 09 525 0934
galinam@cmresearch.co.nz
or
Bridget Reaney Porter Novelli New Zealand (Auckland) Ltd. 09 373 3786
bridget@porternovelli.co.nz

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