Survey design is an important part of doing business and market research. Put simply, it refers to the process of creating surveys that get responses.

This is important because it allows you to better understand the market and your customers, so you can make more data-driven decisions, and fix areas that are falling short. Done right, a good survey can be the driving force for huge positive change.

How to design a survey

Planning

The first stage of survey design is all about planning. This is where you’ll decide what you want to focus on, why you’re running a survey at all, who you want to target, and more.

If you don’t get this stage right, you’ll end up with a survey that doesn’t have any clear goals, or fails to achieve its objectives. To get any meaningful feedback from a survey, you need to be clear about what you’re trying to achieve.

This initial stage is extremely important and is not something to skim over or rush through. In fact, the planning stage should take up a large chunk of the overall process.

1. Figure out your goals

The goal of the survey is what gives it structure and influences every part of the process. Here are some examples of goals for surveys:

  • Find out what customers think about your brand versus the competition 
  • Assess the main challenges faced by customers in your industry
  • Learn what customer like the most and least about a specific product

Goals should typically be narrow enough that there is no risk of confusing your stakeholders or your respondents. Narrow goals also avoid overwhelming your respondents with questions.

A clearly defined goal helps the team draw inspiration and stay united and focused. Once you have decided on a goal, you’ll have a much better idea of what type of  questions to ask, the type of respondents you want to reach , and so on.

In other words, you need to set a goal in order for the rest of the process to click into place.

2. Decide who you want to target with your survey

The next stage of the planning process involves deciding who will actually take part in your survey. 

This is called the target population, and it should reflect the goal. For example, if you’re asking how your product impacts a person’s job it’s probably not a good idea to target people under 16, or people over 70 as they are unlikely to be working.

3. Choose the right sample

The target population you choose will often be too large to effectively survey. This means you’ll have to select a sample — a smaller group that represents the larger demographic. You can then take these results and extrapolate them to the wider population.

Done right, this group will be representative enough to act as a miniature version of the whole. Sampling allows you to achieve your goals with a fraction of the cost, time, and resources required to survey the entire target population, which in most cases, would simply not be possible.

4. Pick the right survey method

This stage of the planning process will be driven by your goal and your target demographic. Some examples of different methods include:

Every method has its pros and cons. Online surveys enable you to reach a large number of people quickly, but they’re less appropriate if you’ve got a physical product you want people to interact with. Instead a central location test might be more appropriate in this instance.

Every survey is different. If your target population is mostly people over the age of 65 or in geographical locations where internet access is not widespread, online  surveys will probably not be the best method. Likewise, a central location test might not work well if your target demographic is very busy.

Once you have decided on a goal, established a target population and a sample, and chosen the method for your survey, it’s time to get down to actually creating it.

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Creating your survey

Creating your survey is all about making it as easy as possible for your respondents to read, understand, and answer. If you overwhelm them with information and confusing formats, they’ll quickly give up and you’ll end up with fewer answers and a smaller pool of data at the end.

Here are some ways to make your survey as effective as possible:

Use questions wisely

The best way to ask questions is sparingly. You need to ask enough to gather a good amount of information, but if you use too many you risk driving your respondents away.

It’s always best to start with a clear introduction that introduces the survey, explains the format, and addresses any initial questions the reader might have. You might then start with some screener questions (about age or job title, for example) to filter out any respondents who don’t match the target demographic.

  • Don’t waste questions — only ask when necessary
  • Ask one question at a time, combining multiple questions into one creates confusion
  • Choose the right question type for your audience, mode of survey, and what you’re asking. Options include multiple-choice, open questions, closed questions, ratings, and so on.
  • Keep your questions short, simple, and clear. Avoid using jargon and including unnecessary information.
  • Design and layout is important — make it clear which questions to answer and how

Executing the survey

Once the survey is planned and created, it’s time to actually carry it out. If you have done the earlier stages correctly, this part should run smoothly. However, in practice, errors and unexpected setbacks are common. Here’s how to execute your survey in the best way possible:

Work with trained researchers

If your survey will be carried out in person or on the telephone, it’s important that your staff know how to ask questions. Make sure you’re working with a team that is trained to ask open-ended questions correctly, in a way that avoids confusion or tempts bias.

Pilot surveys

A common practice is to conduct a smaller pilot survey before the main one, which can help identify any problems with the survey and give you an opportunity to make some tweaks before sending it to the full sample group.

Avoiding bias

One of the main challenges when conducting surveys is bias. It’s easy to accidentally lead your respondents down a certain path and encourage them to answer in a certain way, which you must avoid in order to get accurate and valuable results. To minimize bias:

  • Avoid leading questions like comparisons with other companies or products
  • Keep questions as precise and simple as possible to eliminate the risk of misunderstanding
  • Try to predict inherent biases in your target group and work to mitigate them

Analyzing and sharing results

After the survey is complete, the final steps are to analyze and share the results. This is an extremely important step, as this is where you put into practice what you learned and draw value from the survey.

It’s important to categorize and analyze the results properly. This process might be as simple as collecting the results in an excel spreadsheet, or it might be much more detailed, using a range of advanced analysis techniques..

Think about how the survey relates to your overall business and marketing, and how you can act on the insights you gained and use them to achieve your goals.

Create a summary report

A summary report is a great way to share your results with your stakeholders in the business. It’s a document that breaks down what your survey set out to achieve and what the key findings were. We regularly create summary reports, as well longer, more detailed reports for our clients. 

Make sure to clearly show what your aims were and what you learned, and present this in a way that anyone – regardless of market research literacy – can get to grips with. It’s worth working with a good designer to present the findings in the best way possible. At Kadence we have our own design team who help us to create impactful reports that make data easy to understand and act upon.

Survey design can seem like a challenging process, and it does require input and collaboration from many parts of the company.

However, the rewards are worth it. A well-designed survey can provide a much more intimate understanding of your customer base and how your products and services are received. It can yield incredibly valuable feedback and prompt much-needed change.

To find out how Kadence can help your organisation plan more effective surveys and harness data for maximum effect, reach out to request a proposal.

Online research has taken off at a faster rate in China compared to other Asian countries. Network coverage across the country is good and as one of the first markets to facilitate social media commerce, Chinese consumers tend to be digitally savvy. This, combined with their familiarity with multi-functional apps like WeChat, means there’s real scope to use more complex digital platforms for research in the country. Even older consumers can be reached through these means. Relative to other markets, there is a better chance of getting respondents aged 55+ years to participate in online research, due to their steadfast refusal to be left behind by the ‘digital divide’. 

The impact of COVID-19 has further accelerated the adoption of online methodologies. As a result of the introduction of social distancing measures, companies have had to embrace alternative ways of doing research, which have brought with it a number of benefits. 

Firstly, China is vast. We have 660 cities, including 36 first-tier cities and 237 second-tier cities. Whereas offline research can only be conducted in 2 – 3 cities, the geographical scope of an online project can be much broader, allowing for greater representation of the different areas within China, that extends beyond advanced urban centres. This can be incredible valuable, given the fast pace of eco-nomic development in Tier 3 cities and more rural areas. 

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What’s more online research has the benefit of being anonymous, allowing respondents to talk more freely than they might in a face-to-face situation. This makes online particularly good for exploring topics that a respondent may not want to discuss in public, but it’s also a great tool for product or concept testing. Because of the Chinese habit to moderate answers and avoid causing offence, doing this in group settings can be tricky. In contrast, exploring views one-on-one as part of an online community will help you understand what Chinese consumers really think about products or ads.

When, it comes to designing your approach, there are a number of things to bear in mind to make sure you get the most out of online research. Firstly, do ensure the platform that you are using is mobile-first. China as a market experienced the technological ‘leap frog’, so be wary of assuming that everyone has a personal computer or laptop. Also be mindful of the fact that the firewall can make implementing any form of online research a little trickier than usual, especially if you’re launching it from outside of China. Don’t forget to keep testing the viability / stability of your platform. This will ensure that you end up spending more time on the insights, rather than troubleshooting.

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It is undeniable that the China today is a stark difference from the China of recent decades. The rapid pace of change means that research methodologies need to evolve to ensure ways of harvesting insights continue to stay relevant, up to date, and effective. That said for brands, and for market researchers, offline research does continue to provide ways into the cities and allows for the experiential aspect of research to really come to life, particularly if it is ethnographic in nature. ‘Lived experiences’ of consumers are best expressed and understood when offline research is applied. But at the same time, the digital dominance in China presents a real opportunity to leverage this medium as means to communicate and reach the hearts of where consumers are today by speaking their language and connecting with them where they are – their digital world.  

How to conduct online market research in Asia: The Go-To Guide
Interested in understanding how to approach online research across other Asian countries? Download the guide here

Market research in Japanhas been transformed by the emergence of online research. While other Asian markets continue to favour more personal, face-to-face techniques, Japanese culture is perfectly suited to this more arms-length approach, especially when it comes to researching conventional, mainstream audiences. Online research means that Japanese consumers don’t have to personally interact with researchers in person to complete surveys; a factor that circumvents a Japanese antipathy towards personal interactions with strangers. The idea of sharing personal information can make some Japanese consumers deeply uncomfortable and extends itself to a desire to avoid picking up phone calls from unknown numbers, which means telephone research in Japan is difficult to execute, too. 

On the other hand, online research methods remove human interaction from the research process, encouraging participation from respondents who may not enjoy the process of a face to face interview or focus group. Respondents can relax without the pressures of sharing directly with another individual and are more likely to give honest and detailed responses when giving answers at their own leisure. Likewise, online research methods provide a sense of control to the respondent.

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Unlike in a face-to-face interview, every question in an online survey is predetermined, and while this impacts the level of insight a researcher can reach, it provides a safer environment for respondents who are concerned that the spontaneity of a ‘live’ interview may lead them to revealing too much information, or at least a feeling of great social awkwardness.

Unlike in a face-to-face interview, every question in an online survey is predetermined, and while this impacts the level of insight a researcher can reach, it provides a safer environment for respondents who are concerned that the spontaneity of a ‘live’ interview may lead them to revealing too much information, or at least a feeling of great social awkwardness.

What’s more, Japanese infrastructure lends itself to online research. Commute times into Tokyo and other major cities like Osaka and Nagoya are typically an hour in duration, which means that many Japanese have at least 2 hours each day of ‘dead time’. And, with incentives provided to all who take part, online research is arguably one of the best ways to monetise this time. With high quality 3G and 4G networks in existence for years now, this has allowed online research to flourish during the commute.

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Although face-to-face research benefits researchers elsewhere, creating a personal relationship with respondents and opportunities for spontaneous questions that lead to deeper insights, these advantages are negated for researchers in Japan. The dominance of online research in Japan can be surprising to those less familiar with the country, but its capabilities to reach huge numbers of respondents quickly, cheaply and comfortably, mean that it is by far the best option for gaining accurate, primary quantitative data. 

We at Kadence are big advocates of brands creating their own futures, rather than try to predict it. Earlier in the year, before the whole pandemic went global, we brought together trend watching experts from across our global boutique to identify four key trends that we believe will define the next 12 months, inspiring innovation across Asia, the US and Europe, that we outlined in this report.

How to conduct online market research in Asia: The Go-To Guide
Interested in understanding how to approach online research across other Asian countries? Download the guide here

With 51 million active social media users – that’s 67% of the total population and 82% of internet penetration – the growing potential for online research in Thailand cannot be ignored. 

In a country where the prevailing culture means that people can be reluctant to share their opinions in a group setting, the anonymity of online research can be powerful. It provides an opportunity for people to freely communicate their point of view without the boundaries of social restriction, enabling us to dig deeper and explore sensitive topics in a setting where they feel most comfortable – their own home. That said, there are number of aspects to bear in mind to execute online market research in Thailand successfully. 

The first is recruitment. The quality of online panels in Thailand can vary, so we’d recommend using pre-identified respondents for online projects, for example, sourcing them from a customer list, so you can ensure you’re reaching the right people. For complex categories such as durable products or if you need to reach people based on their brand preferences, we’d recommend that the process for pre-identifying respondents has both online and offline elements. Despite sometimes requiring additional investment, the offline element is important in Thailand for recruiting qualified respondents that meet your criteria. In this instance, make sure you working with agency that has a relationship with one of the top-tier panel providers, and has the expertise to design a sophisticated screening questionnaire to ensure you’re reaching the right profile of respondent. We’d also recommend developing enhanced offline quality control processes before the research starts, such as phoning each respondent to check they meet the desired criteria for your project. 

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The second thing to consider is to think about the goals of the project and whether online research will deliver against these. Whilst there are some projects that are better suited to face-to-face, there are others that lend themselves to online. One example is ad testing, particularly when you’re looking to evaluate video ads. Exposure to online media in Thailand is much higher than to traditional media so taking part in an ad testing project at home or on a smartphone mimics the way that consumers behave, allowing us to conduct research in a real-life setting. Another typical and popular use case for online research in Thailand is customer satisfaction research especially in the retail and service industries.

The benefit of using an online approach for this is that the research can be conducted immediately after the product or service is used, helping us to understand reactions in real-time, and guaranteeing greater accuracy.

When it comes to online quantitative research, it is vital that this is mobile optimised. The length of questionnaire should be such that it can easily be done on a smartphone – the penetration of active social media users on smartphone is 71% of the total population. This will ensure a higher response rate from the respondents. 

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For online qualitative research, there’s a big opportunity to harness increased familiarity with the online tools adopted as a result of social distancing measures for digital depth interviews or online focus groups. We’d recommend using these tools over online communities or digital ethnographies in this market, where the fear “losing face” is likely to influence what respondents project about themselves in these environments. 

Online research has great potential in this market and provides a useful alternative to face-to-face research in particular use cases such as ad testing and customer satisfaction. That said, offline recruitment is an important consideration for any online project to ensure maximum success. 

We at Kadence are big advocates of brands creating their own futures, rather than try to predict it. Earlier in the year, before the whole pandemic went global, we brought together trend watching experts from across our global boutique to identify four key trends that we believe will define the next 12 months, inspiring innovation across Asia, the US and Europe, that we outlined in this report.

How to conduct online market research in Asia: The Go-To Guide
Interested in understanding how to approach online research across other Asian countries? Download the guide here

Tulika Sheel, Associate Vice President

Varun Sahai, Associate Vice President 

Sandeep Kaul, Insights Lead 

In India, online only accounts for a small share of the market research market. The overwhelming majority of market research projects here take place face-to-face. But the COVID-19 crisis has resulted in brands beginning to consider online options. 

The dominance of face-to-face market research can be explained by a number of factors, and these need to be carefully understood in order to successfully pivot to an online approach. In metro and tier 1 cities, laptop ownership is commonplace and as a result online panels are fairly well established. But metro and tier 1 cities aren’t representative of India as a whole, and in suburban and rural areas it’s a different story. Panel coverage is limited and this, combined with low levels of literary and a cultural predisposition to trust in-person over digital interactions, means that face-to-face is the preferred approach for conducting research in these areas. 

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What’s promising though is the high levels of mobile penetration in suburban and rural areas. Thanks to new mobile data plans, most households in these areas have access to at least one mobile phone between them, and this only looks set to improve.

So what does this mean for online research in India? The first thing to be mindful of is that there is no one size fits all approach. Of course the methodology used for any project needs to be carefully considered, but in India it’s of crucial importance that you bear in mind the target group of respondents you want to reach and the devices they have access to.

Of course the methodology used for any project needs to be carefully considered, but in India it’s of crucial importance that you bear in mind the target group of respondents you want to reach and the devices they have access to. 

In metros or tier 1 cities for instance, digital depth interviews conducted on a laptop or desktop via Skype will be a good way to reach more niche audiences that can’t be accessed through online panels, for example, people who own a particular model of car or buy a certain brand. 

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For conducting research beyond these cities, you’ll need to turn to mobile – but it’s important to bear in mind that bandwidth can be an issue. Because of this, you should avoid any methodologies that are too heavily reliant on lengthy video inputs from respondents. Instead, online surveys or online communities, which combine text, image-based and short video tasks are a better option. To encourage participation, an app-based platform that is easy for respondents to download, access and engage with should be used. 

With online research proving a feasible option for many types of project, it will be fascinating to see how the market for this develops in India.

We at Kadence are big advocates of brands creating their own futures, rather than try to predict it. Earlier in the year, before the whole pandemic went global, we brought together trend watching experts from across our global boutique to identify four key trends that we believe will define the next 12 months, inspiring innovation across Asia, the US and Europe, that we outlined in this report.

How to conduct online market research in Asia: The Go-To Guide
Interested in understanding how to approach online research across other Asian countries? Download the guide here

I’ve been a market researcher for more than 15 years, during which I’ve done countless projects conducted through online and offline methodologies, both in Singapore, and across Asia. It’s a common research cliché to say that ‘one size fits all’ does not apply in Asia, and that the only unifying factor across all Asian markets is their very uniqueness. As such, I’m happy share my view on why Singapore is a market where brands stand to benefit from online research alongside offline research. 

Singapore is one of the most technologically-advanced countries in the world, with internet penetration not that drastically different from the US and indeed higher than many European nations such as Spain, Portugal and Austria. The government’s ‘smart nation’ ambitions are laid out in a masterplan that constantly gets revisited and progress against it tracked. Digital device ownership is high, and digital literacy is something that’s improving, even amongst elderly Singaporeans. It is becoming a common sight in the suburbs to see older Singaporeans making their way to the local community centre for regular lessons on smartphone usage or getting online, while savvier ones conduct video calls with distant loved ones across time zones, with a smile plastered on their faces. 

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What’s more online research has the benefit of being anonymous, allowing respondents to talk more freely than they might in a face-to-face situation. This makes online particularly good for exploring topics that a respondent may not want to discuss in public, but it’s also a great tool for product or concept testing. Because of the Chinese habit to moderate answers and avoid causing offence, doing this in group settings can be tricky. In contrast, exploring views one-on-one as part of an online community will help you understand what Chinese consumers really think about products or ads.

Online quantitative surveys have always been the norm in Singapore, so it’s good to see an increasing willingness on the part of clients to adopt a similar way to engage and understand local consumers qualitatively. 

From these experiences, we have honed best practices that guide every piece of online work that comes our way. For example, because Singaporeans are generally quite experienced and savvy with tech platforms, we are able to make our task introductions concise, thereby focusing on what we want them to complete or achieve. Also, culturally we may not be as open to casual acquaintances, but the right tonality on the mobile platform will definitely encourage very effusive inputs when it comes to tasks, sometimes even through the form of videos and images! On top of that, working with the right recruiters / fieldwork managers is even more crucial for online fieldwork compared to offline, as they are the crucial link to ensure sustained participation, especially for longitudinal studies (i.e. more than 10 days).

Despite Singapore’s position as a digital leader, over the past 5 years, there have been sporadic episodes of data breaches, even at government agencies, which have affected the daily lives of average Singaporeans. This is on top of the occasional ‘phishing’ instances and increasingly common episodes of white-collar crimes conducted on the digital / mobile platform. 

Though not catastrophic in nature, these instances do reduce overall consumer confidence in digital platforms to a certain degree, while highlighting increasing consciousness amongst consumers about their rights to personal data and digital privacy. This needs to be considered when implementing any form of online research. 

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The impact of this is that we need to think carefully about how we set up a study and what we say to reassure respondents participating in online research. Clarity around what kinds of information will be collected, how it will be used, and giving people the option to opt in and out of some of these, will definitely work towards reducing reluctance to participate, as well as increasing willingness to be even more open towards sharing their thoughts and the data points that we ask of them. It can’t just be a ‘blanket’ set of generic text filled with jargon, because that will not sufficiently explain the importance of them sharing their information, and of us respecting what they have shared. 

As mentioned, offline research is still a popular option in the Singapore and there are a number of reasons for this in spite of the efficiencies that online alternatives can offer. The small size of this ‘red dot’ island nation means that it can be easier and quicker to track hard-to-reach individuals in person rather than online. Offline is often favoured by government-related agencies, because more Singaporeans are choosing to forgo having a landline in their homes, instead relying on a mobile phone number. That means while it used to be possible to achieve representativeness on a neighbour level via the home telephone, going face-to-face is now a more effective method. 

In Singapore we see a matrix of reasons why considering both online and offline research is important. From demographic shifts and technological adoption, to legislation and daily behaviour, we see that the market houses consumers that can be optimally reached through a mix of methodologies. This is the key takeout from my years of experience running both kinds of research across Asia, and underlies my belief that any brand that wants to truly understand Singapore as a market will stand to maximize that understanding if it starts by recognizing the value that combined methodologies can bring.

How to conduct online market research in Asia: The Go-To Guide
Interested in understanding how to approach online research across other Asian countries? Download the guide here

For tens of years, market research in Indonesia has been conducted face-to-face, using pen and paper. Even up until now, face-to-face interviews are still the dominant methodology used for market research in Indonesia. There are many reasons for this – mainly a historical preference for face-to-face and its value in reaching people across the country, beyond the urban areas. However, the need to collect faster responses to inform more rapid decision-making, has brought a new wind of change to the market research industry, especially in the last three years. 

This is where mobile or online surveys have a part to play. Cost efficiency and shorter project turnaround means this online methodology is gaining popularity, particularly as internet connectivity increases across the country. According to a recent study from Google, the number of internet users in Indonesia has reached 175.4 million – a penetration of 64%, up by 17% from the previous year. 96% of these internet users are already using smartphones. These numbers demonstrate that there’s a real potential for mobile or online research in Indonesia. At Kadence, we are at the forefront of this, having built our own proprietary online panel. 

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What’s more online research has the benefit of being anonymous, allowing respondents to talk more freely than they might in a face-to-face situation. This makes online particularly good for exploring topics that a respondent may not want to discuss in public, but it’s also a great tool for product or concept testing. Because of the Chinese habit to moderate answers and avoid causing offence, doing this in group settings can be tricky. In contrast, exploring views one-on-one as part of an online community will help you understand what Chinese consumers really think about products or ads.

When designing the research, the length of the questionnaire should be as short as possible to encourage completion, particularly as many people will be taking part in the research via smartphones. The type of smartphone used will vary widely – so testing across multiple devices is essential. It’s also important to remember that Indonesia is a country with numerous islands and a broad geographical area. Whilst there is internet penetration in rural areas, not all consumers will have the same internet speed or network connection.

Hence, long videos or too many pictures in your survey is not advisable. Finally, when it comes to language, the survey should be written in Bahasa, with English provided as a secondary option. 

To encourage people to fill out the survey, we think beyond in-app notifications, which some users can turn off. We recommend notifying users via text message or WhatsApp instead of via email. Whilst this is used widely across the country, consumers in rural areas of Indonesia still have limited access to email and even those that do have email, are not regularly checking their inbox. 

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Finally, when it comes to monitoring the quality of the data, we recommend tried and tested techniques such as using algorithms to ensure the answers are from genuine respondents and are not randomly answered and also matching the length of an interview and the time gap of the questions selected. Another quality control metric that’s important to consider in Indonesia is that each respondent has a valid ID number that matches their Kartu Tanda Penduduk (a National ID card that is compulsory for all Indonesian citizens), commonly known as KTP to ensure all respondents meet the intended demographic profile for the research sample. 

Online research in Indonesia might still be in its infancy but it has real potential, particularly as internet penetration in the country is growing rapidly. We are looking forward to being at the forefront of this fast-moving development as we seek to meet the evolving needs of our clients. 

How to conduct online market research in Asia: The Go-To Guide
Interested in understanding how to approach online research across other Asian countries? Download the guide here

In Vietnam, face-to-face is the dominant form of market research. This is surprising given that almost everyone in Vietnam – from those in their teens to those in their forties – owns a smartphone, and this is the case regardless of where they live. Vietnamese consumers spend hours of their time online – on Facebook, YouTube, messaging apps, for online shopping and for online deliveries. What’s more, as in other developing markets across Asia, the network connection in Vietnam is good and Wi-Fi is free at almost every café and restaurant. 

This represents real potential for online research in Vietnam – an area that we’ve tapped into here at Kadence. We are one of the pioneers of online market research in Vietnam. We initiated our online market research service with our own panels and platform in 2015 and now, we have the biggest direct panel in Vietnam – with 500,000 consumers. 

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What’s more online research has the benefit of being anonymous, allowing respondents to talk more freely than they might in a face-to-face situation. This makes online particularly good for exploring topics that a respondent may not want to discuss in public, but it’s also a great tool for product or concept testing. Because of the Chinese habit to moderate answers and avoid causing offence, doing this in group settings can be tricky. In contrast, exploring views one-on-one as part of an online community will help you understand what Chinese consumers really think about products or ads.

One factor is the cost competitiveness of traditional approaches. Unlike Europe, the US or Japan, the labour cost in Vietnam is very affordable, meaning that online hasn’t offered a substantial enough pricing advantage to drive rapid adoption. Another factor at play in an assumption that online panels can only reach certain audiences. This couldn’t be further from the truth for us at Kadence. By providing dynamic incentives and recruiting respondents using both online and offline methods, we’ve built a panel of over half a million consumers, with wide coverage of age, areas and social incomes. 

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But whilst marketers in Vietnam have tended to be quite conservative when it comes to their approach to market research, we are seeing a wind of change. Marketers are realising the benefits online research has for providing market understanding quickly and efficiently, and that it can be used as a complement to, rather than a replacement of traditional research. COVID-19 has also played a role. Whilst, the impact of the virus in Vietnam has been less disruptive than in other countries, the demand for online market research shot up while offline research was restricted. As a result of this, many marketers have experienced first-hand the benefits online research can bring in terms of speed, cost, quality and flexible real-time analysis of data. 

Consumers are ready. The infrastructure is ready. Now with ever more local marketers starting to embrace online methods, the door is well and truly open for online market research in Vietnam.

How to conduct online market research in Asia: The Go-To Guide
Interested in understanding how to approach online research across other Asian countries? Download the guide here

As a result of the pandemic, online research is coming to the fore. To help our clients navigate this shift, we ran an Ask Us Anything session to give clients a chance to ask their questions on getting the most out of online research. Almost 200 of you joined us, but for those that missed the session, you can watch the relevant recording for your market below.

Watch the APAC session

Watch the UK session

Watch the US session

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As opportunities for face-to-face research become more limited in the current climate, online research is coming to the fore. To help our clients navigate this shift, we ran an Ask Us Anything session to give clients a chance to ask their questions on getting the most out of online research. Almost 200 of you joined us, but for those that missed the session, we’re sharing the top 10 questions asked in the session, along with our expert advice.

1. Should I be doing research during the COVID-19 crisis?

As a result of the current crisis, we are seeing dramatic shifts in behaviours and attitudes. There’s a tendency to think that this will soon pass and that life will return to “normal”, but the reality is that consumers are going to be adjusting to a new normal. As insight professionals it’s our job to understand the changes we’re seeing so we can advise our clients on how to react accordingly. Arguably, research is now more important than ever before.

What’s more, in some ways, the lockdown situation will actually allow us to delve even deeper into the consumer psyche to understand emotions. One of the age-old techniques we use in qualitative research is the deprivation question, where we ask people to imagine what they would do if a product or service wasn’t available to them anymore. The truth is that this is now a reality for many consumers, and as a result, they’re able to consider and eloquently discuss the role products and services play in their lives in much more detail than before. Added to this, many B2C and B2B respondents now have more time on their hands, meaning that recruitment is actually easier, and we’re seeing greater engagement in the research itself.

2. How do we ensure that current emotions due to the COVID-19 crisis do not affect the way consumers answer?

We can’t ignore the crisis and the impact it’s having on consumers and businesses alike.  As a result of what’s happening, people are re-evaluating what’s important to them and the relationship they have with brands. Their expectation of brands and the role they should play is changing. A classic example of this are the many brands like Brewdog and LVMH that have ramped up their processing lines to produce hand sanitiser for health services. As brands pivot and change their approaches, consumers are naturally going to change their views of those brands. It’s vital to be able to tap into these emotions to understand the expectations that consumers have of brands now and in the future.

3. I usually do focus groups. What should I do now?

Instead of thinking about the methodology you had initially planned to use and how you might replicate this online, take a step back. Return to your project objectives and what you’re trying to achieve.

We see too many clients trying to find a like-for-like replacement when they’re considering online methodologies. If they’re used to running focus groups, some automatically default to an online focus group, but in reality, it could be that another methodology is better suited to their project objectives.

We use two frameworks to help clients think about moving their projects online. The first is to consider the depth of insight you need to obtain. If you’re looking for high level responses to concepts it could be that an online focus group will suffice, but if you really want to drill into who your consumers are and how they engage with your product, digital depths or ethnos could be more suitable.

Different digital approaches deliver different levels of depth and detail of insight

We also encourage clients to think about what they’re looking for from their respondents. Do you  want to engage respondents on a one-off or on-going basis? Do you want your respondents to bounce ideas off one another, or is a one-to-one setting more appropriate?

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These simple questions can be really useful in helping you think about the right methodology, but remember, one size doesn’t fit all. It is likely that you’ll want to use a combination of methodologies to achieve your objectives.  

4. My budgets are being cut. How do I ensure that I get the most out of my investment in online research?

An online approach is incredibly asset-rich. It will give you a host of video, image and text-based content, sometimes giving you more bang for your buck than some offline methodologies.  But to get the most out of your investment you need to think about two key things: moderation and analysis.

For online communities in particular, this is crucial not only to curate the conversation but to help you unearth those nuggets of insight. By moderating and analysing what’s coming out of the community on an ongoing basis, you’re able to dig into areas of interest that emerge during the course of the research and ask new questions as you go to help answer your objectives. This ensures you leave no path unexplored throughout your research.

At the same time, with such an enormous amount of information coming out of online methodologies, you need structure in your analysis to ensure you can build your insights appropriately. We have a range of tools we use in-house to help structure our analysis and thinking, focused on delivering the ‘so what’ to our clients and their stakeholders.

5. How can I balance a tight budget with the need to conduct qualitative research that is more representative of the market?

In this instance we’d recommend an online community approach. If you opt for a less complex and therefore more cost-effective platform, you can invest your budget in a larger, more representative sample. Keep tasks at a high level to ensure the analysis is manageable and consider using polling questions to give you broad-based findings at a quantitative level (sample sizes permitting!)

The one challenge that can come with increasing the size of your community is in being able to build rapport with and amongst respondents. To overcome this think about grouping people so that they can discuss topics in smaller groups within the community (e.g. customers vs. non-customers).

6. What are your top tips for moderating an online focus group?

Firstly, make sure you choose the right platform for your project. There are a range of platforms out there and they all have different functionalities that are suited to different business objectives. Depending on your market, you may choose to go with a text-based approach rather than video, if internet connections are slow.

Whichever one you choose, make sure it’s one that will allow you to see all the respondents’ faces on screen at one time, so that you can read facial cues. To help with this, keep your groups small – we’d recommend a maximum of 6 – 8 respondents.

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Don’t forget that you can use pre-tasks and warm up activities to better understand your respondents and build rapport. Make sure your moderator does their homework upfront, reviewing the screener and learning as much about each respondent before the session begins. Once you’ve done this the medium will soon become secondary as respondents relax into the group. Keep tasks varied within the discussion guide to keep everyone engaged, and finally, as with offline focus groups, the moderator’s energy is crucial, so choose wisely!

7. How can I use online methodologies for concept testing? How does this work with highly confidential concepts?

Online methodologies are a great tool for concept testing – and arguably can provide an even greater depth of insight to inform product development.

Online communities in particular are a great tool for this. Many platforms are specifically built with concept testing in mind and have tools that allow respondents to mark up elements of a concept that they like or dislike, along with a justification. The responses you get here can be even more detailed than in a face-to-face group.

Communities also allow us to iteratively improve the concepts over time. We can rapidly adapt concepts based on consumer feedback and put them back into the community for further comment, allowing us to build and refine the concepts as the research progresses.

The community platforms we use also have in-built features for dealing with highly confidential concepts. Images can be watermarked with a unique respondent identifier and if you’re testing ads, we can set videos to self-destruct after they’ve been watched once. On top of this, we use all the confidentiality procedures we would for concept testing in-person. With such stringent processes in place, we’ve never seen a leak in over a decade of running this kind of research. 

8. Is there a risk of “groupthink” when you bring people together for online research in groups?

There’s a common misconception that online communities only allow you to discuss things as a group. In actual fact, that isn’t the case. There are options to ask questions or set tasks that are completed privately, meaning that respondents aren’t influenced by others in the community.

9. Do online approaches work in Asia?

Absolutely.  The key thing is to find a partner who understands the cultural and digital footprint of the market you’re researching, so that they can advise you on the best methodology to use, based on the respondents you’re wanting to reach.

Digital footprints and internet connectivity does vary from market to market, and within different regions of the same country, but it’s hard to deny the increasing impact of digital and mobile technology across Asia. In The Philippines, the social media capital of the world, video-based tasks could be a great way of conducting research, whereas in China, familiarity with the digital way of engagement – from online communities to Wechat groups – presents an opportunity to engage and reach out to your consumers where they already are. And even in more rural areas you can explore potential probable solutions, such as text-based solutions to communicate with those you want to reach.

The key is to decide whether digital research is the right solution for your research is to understand from your research partner the digital feasibility, connectivity and savviness of your target segments and locations. 

10. I’m wary that with online mythologies I’m too far removed from respondents. I can’t see “the white of the eyes”. How do I overcome this?

We’d argue that online methodologies can actually help you get closer to consumers than you might in some face-to face approaches like focus groups. Particularly when we’re running an online community, we’re engaging with consumers over a number of days or weeks (rather than a few hours)  and in this time we can really build rapport and trust. This results in consumers opening up to us, helped by the ease of talking about their experiences to camera. Often consumers are actually more willing to open up at a personal level when talking to their camera phone than to a person that they’ve only just met!

In fact, we’ve just run a community in the US, looking at how consumers are coping in the pandemic, and we found people pouring their hearts out to us via selfie interviews. This helped us to really understand the issues that matter to them, and the context of those emotions.

If you’ve like to learn more about how online research can help you meet your objectives, please get in touch with your local Kadence office.