Virtually every industry involved with providing the consumer with a tangible good has a requirement for the data attained through market research, for although it may be a good that is being supplied, there is almost always a service component attached with it. Just like computer hardware always has software that is integrally linked with it, business providing consumers with “hardware” have a service element integrally linked. And in the competition for consumer loyalty, the race for a consumer’s heart and mind only starts once they have purchased a company’s product.
In theory at least, the purpose of all software is to make a process quicker, cheaper, and easier. Consequently, it would be only a matter of time before market research software was developed to overcome the inherent problems associated with traditional forms of market research – phone surveys and door-to-door surveys.
CAPI (Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing) software was developed to make it quicker, cheaper, and easier to conduct surveys, and in its most potent form as a mobile survey application (app), has become the market research software of choice for companies looking to get the most bang out of their market research buck.
Benefits of Marker Research Software
Market research software makes the interviewee feel part of the interview process and helps build and strengthen relations with customers. After all, if a wholesale or retail business of any kind actually makes the effort to “take it to the streets” and interact with clients so as to get their input about their product and their company, then they must really care. An interview with a tablet, smartphone, or phablet is much more fun and interesting than one with a pen and folder.
Above and beyond, any of the vital data gathered from market research, it is the actual marketing aspect of conducting the research that could prove of most benefit to the business instigating the research. Doing so in an interactive, user-friendly manner is of enormous importance.
No Matter What the Industry
In highly competitive industries such as food (think fast food and food at end-user level such as supermarkets rather than at the wholesale level), retail (clothing, sport, footwear, toys, cosmetics), and even some wholesale, service industries such as telecommunications and the Internet, market research is a way of life and the software designed for this purpose enables these companies to view results in real-time, quickly and easily change questions to suit changes in the consumer landscape, and also collate vast amounts of data in a manner that is easy to analyze.
In a very short period, software for market research has made its mark as an excellent solution to traditional market research techniques.
