How Market Research Adapts

As online survey respondents evolve, researchers and surveys must adapt.

Given that the market and customer landscape are constantly evolving, market research must also keep pace with this trend. Finding people with the right profile and gaining their engagement in their responses is essential.

Recent surveys indicate that respondents’ attitudes continue to change year after year, including how they respond and the platforms they use. Nowadays, it is increasingly likely that respondents will complete surveys via their mobile devices. Therefore, the structure of the survey itself and its questions must be reconsidered. Recent evidence shows that these respondents have very specific preferences regarding survey design, survey length, and survey questions. In short, respondents are becoming less tolerant of long and tedious surveys that are not optimized for mobile use.

These changes and adaptations focused on the audience are important because researchers compete for respondents’ time and answers. So, what can researchers do to attract and engage respondents? The first step is understanding who the respondents are and what they want.

What Trends Are We Seeing with Mobile Surveys?

According to data from Cint, the number of respondents answering surveys on their mobile devices increased from 34% in 2019 to 37% in 2020. Desktop completions decreased proportionally, dropping to 57% in 2020 from 61% in 2019.

Additionally, they reported that the mobile conversion rate also improved in 2020. The conversion rate is defined as the proportion of people who started a survey to the number who completed the survey. The mobile conversion rate improved to 97%, up from 86% in 2018. This improvement occurred across all genders, countries, and ages.

Therefore, optimizing surveys for mobile devices has been a topic in market research for some time. With the number of respondents answering surveys on mobile devices increasing each year, this topic has become increasingly important.

The Needs of Mobile Survey Respondents

It is important to consider the needs of mobile respondents for several reasons, especially to ensure that your survey is viable. What makes mobile respondents different? Compared to the general respondent population, mobile respondents tend to be younger and more likely to be female. Mobile users also have different attitudes, as they are (predictably) more inclined to adopt new technologies. This is not necessarily related to age: when weighted by age, the result is the same. Thus, a survey that is not optimized for mobile devices may inadvertently skew results by alienating these populations.

Unfortunately, this is likely already happening in many cases. Research shows that cell phone users are less likely to complete a survey than desktop users. This indicates that researchers should optimize their surveys for mobile devices to improve representativeness and reduce participant and panel attrition.

How to Adapt Market Research to Increase the Number of Mobile Respondents?

Increasing the response rate to mobile market surveys requires careful consideration of survey design and an understanding of the particularities of user behavior on mobile devices. Here are some tips to improve the response rate for mobile surveys:

Responsive Design: Ensure that your surveys are fully responsive, meaning they automatically adjust to fit the user’s device screen, whether it is a smartphone, tablet, or desktop computer.
Simplify the Design: On a smaller screen, clean and simple design is more effective. Avoid complex questions or those that require a lot of time to answer. Keep questions short and direct.
Microsurveys: Consider conducting “microsurveys,” which are very short surveys designed to be completed in a few minutes. This respects the user’s time and makes it more likely that they will complete the survey.
Personalize Your Surveys: Personalized surveys tend to get higher response rates. Use what you know about your respondents to personalize questions whenever possible.
Leverage Mobile Device Technology: Take advantage of the unique capabilities of mobile devices, such as geolocation, to make surveys more interactive and engaging.
Avoid Downloads: If possible, make your survey accessible via a mobile browser to avoid the hurdle of requiring users to download an app to participate.
Incentivize Participation: Offer incentives for completing the survey, such as rewards, discounts, or access to exclusive content. This can be especially effective for longer surveys.
Test the Survey: Before launching the survey, test it on various devices and screen sizes to ensure it is user-friendly and free of technical issues.

Adapting your market research surveys for mobile devices is an important strategy for reaching a wider audience and achieving a higher response rate. However, it is important to remember that the quality of the questions and the value the survey offers to respondents are the most critical factors for success.