Darren Noyce MMRS

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Setting up your own online panel

• Darren Noyce MMRS
• Managing Director
• SKOPOS market insight
• SOS Bureau (online fieldtab/panels)
• Euro-Panel (online consumer access panel)

MRS Online Panels Course 15th November 2005
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OPENING THOUGHT Online Panels Just a
temptation? Or a necessary tried and trusted
method?
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Focal Point

• Online consumer access panels
• Not bespoke or niche panels (owned by client)
• Research-only, quality focussed
• Owned and operated by a Research Agency
  (Supplier)
• Like the Euro-Panel

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www.Euro-Panel.net est. 1999
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Topics

• What is an Online Panel? What are the issues?
• Purpose/application
• Stages
• Recruitment/build
• Maintenance
• Replenishment
• People
• Tools

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What is an online panel?
MRS Online Panels Course 15th November 2005
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• What is a panel?
• Definition according to Quirks (American
  Research magazine)
• Panel a survey in which the same respondents
  are interviewed several times over an extended
  period. Also called longitudinal analysis. Group
  interviews (focus groups) are sometimes called
  panels (of people).
• Panels have existed for a long time,
• But what then is an ONLINE panel?

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• What is an online panel?
• Definition according to Darren Noyce, SKOPOS
  market insight
• Online Panel a managed community of net users
  that have explicitly agreed to take part in a
  variety of regular online surveys.
• Online management communication (email)
• Online surveying
• If utilised, online panel incentive schemes
• If required, online reporting

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• What are the issues?
• Sample source and a method in one
• Representivity, representivity, representivity
• Size
• Maintenance/management
• Opt-in
• Coverage
• Panel v Pool of respondents
• Use and associated use of the panel. Research v
  marketing

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Representivity What is a representative online
panel? Does such a thing exist? Is it a panel
that enables random samples to be
representative.? Of the General Population? Of
UK Net Users? Of active/regular net users? Of the
target audience? Or do we just mean that is a
large and broad cross section of society are
members? A pool rather than a true panel? Does
it matter? The sample not the panel should be
representative of target audience
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Purpose/application
MRS Online Panels Course 15th November 2005
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• Purpose/application
• Why do you need an online panel?
• What would it be used for?
• Why not just use someone else's?

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• Why might an agency need an online panel?
• The Euro-Panel was developed in 1999, as a
  means to access and control the strengths of
  internet-based surveying (rightly believing it
  would be a force in the future)
• access (to online method and samples)
• control (of sample and data collection)
• strengths/benefits of online research, e.g.
  speed
• Maybe also for
• Comprehensive range of data collection methods
• Market forcesdemand, competition
• Improved revenues (profit?)
• Better, more productive research.?

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ADVANTAGES OF ONLINE PANEL RESEARCH

• Speed fast data collection/delivery of results
• Often cheaper field costs (potential savings
  compared to offline 50)
• No expensive printing
• Reduction of artificial situation, more honest
  results
• Great for multiple/repeat studies standardised
  procedure, low labour expenditure

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DISADVANTAGES OF ONLINE PANEL RESEARCH

• shorter max. questionnaire length
• limit on open questions
• representativeness of results among groups with
  low online affinity, e.g. seniors above 60 years
  (not a problem with most consumer target groups)

• advantages clearly outweigh disadvantages..

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Online vs. Offline
For countries with Net Penetration Above 35 of
Adults Below this more difficult to generalise
online results, e.g. for older population
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Stages
MRS Online Panels Course 15th November 2005
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• Stages
• Set up/planning
• Build, recruit, register
• Maintenance
• Refreshing and replenishment
• The online surveys themselves

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• Stages
• Set up/planning
• Be sure
• you really need your own panel
• you know what you want to achieve specification
  and outcomes/benefits
• you understand the issues surrounding the
  implementation of panels their limitations
• you have the resources and personnel

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• Stages
• Build, recruit, register.
• Sources
• Do you recruit using your own devices/resources
  (cheaper)?
• Or do you work with partners/suppliers (higher
  cost)?
• Do you just use online methods (pop-ups, email
  invites, links)?
• Or do you also use telephone, face to face and
  postal surveys?
• Pros and cons to all, good mixture is best.
• Reduces impact of a single sources weaknesses
• MAKE SURE YOU OR YOUR PARTNERS CONTROL
  RECRUITMENT
• INDIVIDUALLY AND ACTIVELY only via one-to-one
  communication, individually. Avoid banners and
  other self-recruited techniques.
• otherwise too many survey professionals, too
  many heavy net users, duplicates, rogues, etc.

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• Stages
• Build, recruit, register.
• Procedures
• You should work with double opt-in to remove
  potential for trouble
• You will need a registration survey balance
  comprehensiveness with completion rates
• You need to determine invite/access method to
  reach registration survey
• Open panel, or invite-only?
• Quality or quantity?

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• Online panel best practice
• Recruitment of respondents for quality
  research-only panels should be
• active, invite-only
• invites as randomly distributed as possible
• as spread as possible (i.e. wide coverage
  within audience)
• online AND offline.
• To decrease self-selection problems, professional
  respondent problems, and improve the
  generalisability of the samples
• But costs and convenience often lead to the
  creation of open access registration systems..
  Leading to uncontrolled pools rather than panels

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• Stages
• Maintenance/management/communication
• Panel Managers are responsible for
• ensuring no-one over/under surveyed
• checking surveys prior to implementation
• responding to queries
• communicating news and results to panel (e.g.
  newsletters)
• monitoring response rates

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• Stages
• Refreshing and replenishment
• The panel should be updated/refreshed
  (re-registered) regularly
• at least annually
• Churn will lead to periodic need to top-up or
  replenish the panel
• Usual recruitment methods should be used

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• Stages
• The online surveys themselves

Use of images
Matrix Style Question
Verbatim capturing
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People
MRS Online Panels Course 15th November 2005
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• People
• Knowledgeable, skilled researchers to provide
  the context and objectives
• Panel build team to recruit and set up
• Panel managers to maintain/replenish panel
• Project/sales managers to quote and manage
  projects
• Survey programmers
• Data Analysts/Processors

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Professional Standards

• Key staff should all be members of Professional
  Bodies
• Abide by Codes of Conduct and Guidelines

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Tools
MRS Online Panels Course 15th November 2005
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• Tools
• Secure large servers
• Quality, easy to use Software/interfaces,
  ideally including
• Email management
• Incentive scheme/system management

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• Tools
• Well developed, easy to use Software/interfaces.
  .
• SKOPOS use OPST (Online Panel Site/Survey Tool)
  from Globalpark
• Market leader in Germany
• Tim Macer review at http//www.meaning.uk.com/art
  s/112.html

..the panel management module is amazing!
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• Tools
• Software/interfaces..
• SKOPOS use OPST and SurveyCenter from Globalpark

You can recruit and build your panels develop
and run your online projects, with one single
interface.
Includes Email broadcast/management, Bonus system
and Prize Draw modules
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FINAL THOUGHT One panel to rule them all? Or
a worldwide fellowship of (quality) panels?
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Setting up your own online panel

• Darren Noyce MMRS
• Managing Director
• SKOPOS market insight
• SOS Bureau (online fieldtab/panels)
• Euro-Panel (online consumer access panel)

MRS Online Panels Course 15th November 2005