Mobile marketing research
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mobile marketing research is a method of data collection using the functions of mobile devices, like mobile phones, smartphones, and PDAs. With increasing members of the public having access to personal mobile devices in the 21st century, mobile marketing research developed as a way to utilize mobile communication for research purposes.[1]
Due to trends towards digitization at the turn of the 21st century, the marketing research industry found increasing difficulty reaching respondents via traditional media, making it harder for marketing researchers to make assumptions about their behavior. Researchers adapted their approaches alongside these changes.[2]
Definition and development
In the 21st century, mobile device use is common in most countries.[3] Researchers noticed this trend in the early 2000s and began adapting their marketing research approach, responding to predictions that mobile devices will become the most often used instrument to connect to the internet by the year 2020.[4]
A Pew Research’s Internet & American Life study in January 2014, 58% of adults in the US had a smartphone,[5] up from 56% in May 2013. In other parts of the world, like Central and Latin America, many people never had a PC, but they now have a smartphone. For instance, in Chile, more than 85% of the participants of an online panel had a smartphone in 2014, whereas only around 60% had a desktop.[6]
Some marketing methods include conducting surveys via mobile phones, in part to reach a younger audience.[7][8] Although, generally, researchers found that the proportion which prefers to answer through smartphones is significant across many countries.[9]
Mobile survey methods
Methodology
According to Maxl, four different kinds of methods are distinguished which can be used as required. These are listed in the following figure.
Push studies without contexts (A) are conducted independently from time and location. This can be CATI- or CACI studies as well as surveys by SMS or MMS. In cases of these research methods, the feedback impulse actively comes from the researcher. With pertinent. push studies (B) the researcher prompts the respondent to give appropriate feedback once it is recognized that he/she is located in a particular environment or is in a certain situation.[11] Pull studies are characterized that participants call in the questionnaire themselves. In many cases, short notes draw attention to a survey or an evaluation. Such communications may be placed in certain contexts (C) (e.g. on receipts, advertisements, or product packaging) to encourage participation. Non-context-sensitive pull studies (D) are not relevant for marketing research since they provide only general feedback, which has no relation to a fixed object of research. Therefore, they are hardly controlled and evaluated.[12]
Data collection on a technical view
On the technical level, there are three different possibilities of data collection. The Short Message Service (SMS) outlines one possibility, which can be used as a basis to conduct interviews. This is very suitable for ad hoc surveys if particular key questions have to be answered. For Java applications, the participants receive a link to a WAP page where an application is to be downloaded. The survey software is immediately installed on the mobile phone and the survey can be filled out straight away.
Furthermore, surveys can be accessed via the mobile internet. The webpage is also called in via WAP push. Questionnaires are created and designed in different formats. This allows disruption to complete the questionnaire to further process on a different technical device with internet access.[13]