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Background

Due to current socio cultural changes towards digitization in everyday life, reachability and lifestyle, it has become more and more difficult for the marketing research industry to address respondents that are both willing to participate in surveys and reachable via traditional media. Consumers are no longer clearly classified which makes it harder to make obvious assumptions about consumer behavior. Researchers have to adopt their approaches to keep up with technology as well as coping with these changes in order to find out who customers are and what they want. (1)

Definition and Development

Mobile marketing research describes a method of data collection means by using functions of mobile phones, smart phones and PDAs. It makes use of strengths from mobile communication and applies these strengths to research purposes. (2) Mobile phones are practical, versatile and have already become an indispensible device for communication which is carried along almost around the clock. Smartphones in particular offer many different kinds of applications and fulfill further technical requirements. This is the basis to allow conducting empirical research studies.(3) Besides, the number of mobile phones, smart phones and PDAs is still growing: already in 2006, the number of worldwide mobile phone user exceeded the number of land line users. According to a study of PEW (4), which examined more than 1000 internet leader, -analysts and -executives, mobile devices will become the most often used instrument to connect to internet by the year 2020. For many people the mobile phone is already a kind of "life-support tool”. Therefore, conducting surveys via mobile phones could possibly help to counteract against the generally declining motivation of respondents, as many potential participants enjoy using this technical device. Particularly the very technology-savvy young target group which can be reached only difficultly by traditional media indicates a very high cell phone usage. Therefore this medium is very appropriate to address this kind of people. (5)

Mobile survey methods

Methodology of data collection

According to Maxl, four different kinds of methods are distinguished which can be used as required. These are listed in the following figure.

Figure: Introduction – Mobile-Market-Research Methods (6) 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 contextual 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. (7) 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) in order 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. (8)

Data collection on a technical view

On the technical level, three different possibilities of data collection are distinguished according to Pferdekämper/Batinic. The short messenger 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 are 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 disrupting to complete the questionnaire in order to further process on a different technical device with internet access. (9)

Disadvantages and difficulties of mobile market research

As the mobile market research is just at the beginning of its development, there are still some difficulties that have to be solved in future: The two most striking problems at the moment are the possibilities to access a WAP-Survey via mobile phone, as well as how to reach potential participants regarding the first contact. At the moment, mobile phone numbers do not get registered. Therefore it is not possible to send out invitations for the participation in a survey to a controlled sampling. (11) The probably most important point to be discussed is the representativity of the sampling regarding the quality of data. Based on the total population, those people who don’t own a mobile phone, cannot become part of the sampling. Mobile phone users have to be able to be reached as well as to be willing to take part in the survey. But it is by far not enough to just look at the users of mobile phones. Equally important is to also know the amount of those people who use the SMS service and how many of these people own a web-enabled phone. Only if all these aspects are being noticed, a final conclusion regarding the sampling can be drawn. (13+14) For these reasons a mobile survey does not meet the standards of the statistical representativity. As mentioned in the beginning, the restricted possibilities to access WAP-Surveys are another problem. The amount of those who use the internet via their mobile phone is rather small: (15) According to IFCom only 19% of all mobile phone users do so. (16) But the data acquisition through mobile phones holds more difficulties. On one hand there are high costs for Incentives and an intensive recruitment by the institutes. On the other hand the participants of the survey have to pay the costs for the internet usage via mobile phone. Additionally, there are also technical difficulties that may occur. The high number of different and not-compatible software or the low transmission rate of data are just a few to name. Restrictions concerning the reveal and passing on of mobile phone numbers (because of data protection and the lack of anonymity) are setting limits to the research in this field of study, too. (21)

Advantages and possibilities of mobile market research

Statistical methods in the mobile market research profit from the fact that they do not depend on place or time. (22) This means that surveys via mobile phone can be done anywhere and at any time and are therefore much more advantageous compared to surveys via land line phones. Considering that a high amount of participants of the main target groups can not be reached at home at most hours of the day (23), the chance to get hold of them by mobile phone is much higher. Especially with regard to people under the age of 25 as well as business people, who are often on the way and cannot get hold of easily, the chances of the mobile market research are promising. As most people always carry their mobile phone with them, an immediate transmission of personal impressions of current events, is possible at any time.(24+25) Thus, the so called ‘magic moment’ can be captured, which is often very helpful. Surveys concerning product placement and efficiency of sales promotion measures at the point of sale turned out to be perfectly realizable this way. (28) Looking at the topic “Access possibilities to WAP-Surveys” by mobile phone, as well as at the topic “Getting hold of potential participants”, there are some developments that should be named. The trend towards the increasing distribution of web-enabled mobile phones, and the improved representativity that comes along with it, does still continue: (29) from 2007 to 2008, Nielsen Mobile noticed an increase of the mobile internet usage. With decreasing costs and an improving technology, a further upward tendency can be expected. In addition, the mobile internet usage increases with the rapidly developing distribution of smart phones. According to IM (Mediawork Initiative), already in 2013 more people will log in with their smart phone, than with a PC. (31) Mobile statistics show a high and very fast response rate. As a result of the independency from time and place, answers can be submitted immediately. This also means that results can almost be transmitted in real time. A study from Globalpark shows that approximately 35% of the participants answered a mobile survey within 2 hours.(33) Through the novelty of the form of survey and its playful design, mobile research has a motivating effect on the participants. This applies especially to young, technologically-interested male persons. But also iPhone users are considered to be very communicative. As the devices are easy to handle, the users are more likely and more motivated to take part in surveys.(35+37)