The Role of Mobile Technologies in Marketing Research

THE ROLE OF MOBILE TECHNOLOGY IN MARKETING RESEARCH

ABSTRACT Marketing Research is systematic gathering, recording and analysis of data about problems relating to marketing of goods and services. Survey related to consumer is essential through out the marketing process starting from new product development to decline stage of a product. The success of survey depends upon effective gathering of information. Effectiveness information is attained only when there is involvement on the respondent side and the enumerator side.
The reliability of the data collection depends upon respondents responses hence the respondents should be given enough time as well as convenience to give the correct response, which can be provided through mobile technologies. The enumerator is concerned about time, cost and effectiveness. The expectations of the respondent and enumerator can be achieved through mobile technologies such as cell phones, WiFi, PDA, iPods etc., The services like SMS, MMS, chatting, e-mail, polling,etc., can be efficiently used for data collection and data analysis can be instantly done through server based scripting. The features of the mobile technology bridge the gap between the researchers and the customers by Easiness, Convenience, Operatives, Accountability and Computability can be easily achieved.
As every technology has its own limitations, India is a country where it lack awareness regarding the Technology and usage of these technologies, among the major sector will be a issue at the moment, but since because of the fast growth of technology will over come this problem in near future. This study highlights the ways and means of using various mobile technologies in the area of Market research and consumer behaviour.

Key words: Mobile technology, Market research, Respondents and Enumerators.

INTRODUCTION
American Marketing Association (AMA) defines Marketing Research as “the systematic gathering, recording and analyzing of data about problems relating to the marketing of goods and services.” It is a systematic and objective study of problems pertaining to the marketing of goods and services. Marketing Research is an integral function of companies which links the consumer, customer and public to the marketer through crucial information which helps the company identify and define marketing opportunities and problems. It helps companies generate, refine and evaluate marketing actions and monitor marketing performance. It improves understanding of marketing as a process. Most importantly it enables companies to collect information to understand customers, competitors and the environment better. This is done either through ad-hoc research studies or through continuous research. The reliability of the studies in both these methods depends on the accuracy of the primary data collected. While collecting primary data, the respondents should be given enough time and convenience in order to elicit accurate responses. But the enumerator, most often concerned with time and cost effectiveness will not be able to give the respondent the time and the convenience required to elicit correct responses. Therefore it can be concluded that an adequate method wherein the reliability levels are high is that which addresses the concerns of both the enumerator and the respondent. This study also highlights the ways and means of using various applications of mobile technology in the area of Market research and consumer behavior.
OBJECTIVES:
• To study the demerits of the traditional method.
• To analyze the growth of mobile technology.
• To enlighten the application of mobile technology in marketing research.
• To assess the benefits of using mobile technology in data collection.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM:-
Companies adopt continuous studies or ad-hoc research as an attempt to combat increasing competition and rapidly changing consumer preferences. Whatever be the type of research, the research design should identify the best method of collecting information from the relevant respondents in the most effective and efficient manner so that the data collected are reliable and therefore the results too.
There are many traditional methods of data collection and each method has its own merits and demerits. Most of the consumer is interested in searching and finding the required product but they are not ready to spend time to give information about their requirement. So it becomes a challenge to marketer to collect information from ultimate consumer. To get valid information the instrument and the source used to collect information must be convenient for the respondent. The search for such technology enters with emergence of mobile technology.
AN OVERVIEW OF TRADITIONAL METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION:
Primary data can be collected through various methods. Each method of primary data collection has its own merits and limitations. For instance, while focus groups provide rich qualitative information, conducting large scale representative studies are inefficient in terms of cost and time.
Survey methods are best for gathering information from a large respondent base. Typically the survey method increases the representative ness in the sample chosen for study. The results of such a study are used by managers for making important strategic decisions. Surveys can be conducted by personal means, through telephone or by using direct mails.
EMERGENCE OF MOBILE TECHNOLOGY:
The advent of information technology has given rise to new methods of data collection. Computer Assisted Survey Information Collection (CASIC) is one such. It is now commonplace for large-scale face-to-face interviews to be conducted using Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI), whereby the questionnaire is a computer program loaded on to a lap-top computer that an interviewer takes out into the field. Respondents ' answers are entered into the laptop and interviews transmitted back to the office via modem.
Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) is widely used. Here the questionnaire is accessed via a computer terminal located in a centralized telephone unit.
Computer Assisted Self-Interviewing (CASI) enables respondents to complete a self-completion questionnaire using a laptop computer. Audio-CASI enables respondents to hear the questions rather than relying on them being read.
CASIC methods offer many advantages for surveys. They:
• Automatically direct the interviewer or respondent to the appropriate questions based on answers given earlier in the questionnaire. It prevents interviewers from making routing errors.
• Allow complex routing that would be impractical on paper questionnaires and potentially error-prone (e.g. missing data, answers to inapplicable questions).
• Interviewer can concentrate on the actual questions and respondents ' answers, if CAPI or CATI, or if CASI the respondent can concentrate on answering the questions.
• In CAPI and CATI warnings can be triggered if improbably extreme values are entered, or if there is an inconsistency between answers at different questions.
• Substantial time savings after the completion of the fieldwork (although more time is needed in the beginning to set up CASIC questionnaires compared to paper ones).
• Data are entered directly into a computer during the interview, so data entry as a separate task is eliminated.
• Web and email-based data collection
Adding to the merits of computers mobile instruments have become an essential product of today’s living. Major percentage of the population has one are more mobile instruments like laptops, mobile phones, iPods. Mobile technology is a powerful tool for data collection in marketing research but it needs to be integrated in the overall research application. Mobile technology is growing in the field of marketing research because of its features .Any type of content such as text, picture or video, group that it needs to contact can be collected. The respondents can be contacted at the place of their convenience convenient time and place.
The applications of such versatile mobile technology are many. Personal digital assistant is a handheld device that combines computing, telephone/fax. Internet and networking features can be efficiently used for data collection. A typical PDA can function as a cellular phone, fax sender, Web browser and personal organizer. Unlike portable computers, most PDAs began as pen-based, using a stylus rather than a keyboard for input. This means that they have also incorporated handwriting recognition features. Some PDAs can also react to voice input by using voice recognition technologies. PDAs of today are available in either a stylus or keyboard version. These can be given to respondents when they are waiting and can be asked to respond to the questionnaire.
There is one another tool called iPod which combines audio video capabilities addition to your text data. iPod is a popular brand of portable media players designed and marketed by Apple Inc. iPods is inbuilt with calendar, contact lists, notes and a musical alarm clock, which makes them more than just a portable music device, along with their huge storage capability. Here the respondents’ response can be recorded with microphone. This is advantageous for in depth interview technique. This can be used as data collection tool for more live data.
Mobile phones have become an essential product and it can be used for data collection with its applications such as blue tooth, MMS and SMS. The advantage of this method is combination of pictures, graphics, video clips and text messages. SMS has a maximum capacity of 160 text characters and cannot exceed 160 bytes. The MMS allows the transmission of up to 100 kilobytes of data. The cost involved is very less and with one message a group of people can be targeted. E- Mails can be used for structural data collection by using appropriate web forms, directly collect and stored in data server which can be instantly analyzed. It is a effective data collection tool. METHODOLOGY:
This study involves a descriptive approach that depicts data and characteristics about the mobile technologies impact on marketing research and how it overcomes the demerits of traditional methods. This study involves secondary data used from newspapers, websites, published reports, magazines etc.,.
GROWTH IN THE USAGE OF MOBILE PHONES:
Number of mobile connections Source: http://www.mobilemastinfo.com/information/history.htm dated 06-04-09 Now mobile technology is booming. Possession of one or more mobile technology products have become must. That is the products have transformed from comfortable products to essential product. Using this technology growth in data collection will be boon to marketing research. This study tries to evaluate the merits and demerits in applying mobile technology for marketing research. DATA ANALYSIS
Traditional method like personal interview, telephone interview, postal method have its own demerits such as routing error, concentration diversion of enumerator in recording the answer from all the information that he obtains from the respondent, concentration diversion on the part of the respondent resulting in inconsistent responses, enormous time consumption are some of the issues to name a few. These can be avoided in technology based data collection.
In case of mobile technology the process of collection and compilation of data is done simultaneously and the collected data are easily carried. There is follow up of respondent information. For instance during their waiting time most of the data can be collected with their consent. The greatest advantage of mobile technology there is no paper work. The advantage of mobile phones is this method is cost effective and reach ability is high.
Research published this year by PricewaterhouseCoopers forecasts that the media industry will see compound annual growth of 24% over the next five years
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6055998.stm dated 06th April 2009).
FINDINGS:
• Mobile gadgets can be replaced with schedule method.
• PDAs can be accompanied with telephonic interview and personal interview and data can be collected and analyzed simultaneously.
• iPods can be applied while conducting in-depth interview
• Mobile phones can be applied for collecting information that involves pictures, graphics, video clips and text messages
• E-mails can be used to gather information from vast geographical area and follow up is always possible SUGGESTIONS:
• Blue tooth technology that is available with mobiles can be used to gather information from large number of people when they assemble at places like trade shows, exhibition, sports event, signals etc.,
• E-mail address can be collected from consumers using a price coupon system and information from them can be collected with the data base collected
• Using the target marketing concepts the mobile technology can be applied to the consumers of the target group to collect information.
CONCLUSION:
Every method has its own advantages and disadvantages. But the analysis of each of the methods points to the fact that data collection using various applications of mobile technology has an edge over the conventional methods in terms of cost effectiveness, time consumption, convenience of time and place and easy accessibility to respondents, ease of data storage in terms of ease and mobility etc. This results in increased accuracy of data collected which in turn yields reliable findings. As awareness levels being low as regards Technology, application of these methods in major sectors will be an issue for the moment. But the growth of telecommunication sector is a positive indicator. The day is not far of when every Indian will possess a mobile phone when these mobile technologies driven market research will hold a sway over the marketing departments of companies linking consumer, company and public to the marketer providing him the most reliable information. References:
1. The traditional methods merit and CASIC have been collected from: http://www.nationalschool.gov.uk/policyhub/evaluating_policy/magenta_book/chapter6d.asp
2. The information regarding survey demerits were collected from http://brent.tvu.ac.uk/dissguide/hm1u3/hm1u3text3.htm
3. How to use mobile marketing for interactive communication (www.mmaglobal.com)
4. History of cellular mobile communications http://www.mobilemastinfo.com/information/history.htm dated 06-04-09
5. The information regarding iPod is obtained from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPod

References: 1. The traditional methods merit and CASIC have been collected from: http://www.nationalschool.gov.uk/policyhub/evaluating_policy/magenta_book/chapter6d.asp 2. The information regarding survey demerits were collected from http://brent.tvu.ac.uk/dissguide/hm1u3/hm1u3text3.htm 3. How to use mobile marketing for interactive communication (www.mmaglobal.com) 4. History of cellular mobile communications http://www.mobilemastinfo.com/information/history.htm dated 06-04-09 5. The information regarding iPod is obtained from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPod