Market Intelligence:
Online vs. Traditional Surveys

Online surveys seem to have the edge over traditional written methods when it comes to the quality and completion rates of open-ended responses.

A paper published in the Journal of Online Research described a study that compared open-ended responses from a web-based survey and a paper-pencil survey. The study found that respondents who chose the web-based version responded to open-ended questions with more words, unique concepts and sentences.

Application of a grade level analysis also showed an entire grade level difference in the sophistication of the responses (9th grade for the web-based study and 8th for the paper-pencil study). You can download this and other articles dealing with online research at www.ijor.org.

In exchange for panel participation, TheVetZone (www.thevetzone.com) gives veterinarians easy-to-use marketing, publicity and promotion tools to help grow the veterinary practice. You have access to more than 2,000 veterinarians and team members, and the number grows everyday. Response rates run approximately 30 percent, giving you fast and accurate results in the animal health care industry.

You can read the most recent e-newsletter from TheVetZone at: http://www.thevetzone.com/newsletter/Summer2004.htm

Dental Advisory Board
We're currently launching our second panel, Dental Advisory Board (www.dentaladvisoryboard.com) to allow quick access to professionals in the dental industry.

Read about Dental Advisory Board in Dental Economics, a major dental trade publication.
 

New Offerings

We're proud to announce the release of DataZone Research & Consulting's groundbreaking report, Profile of the U.S. Small Animal Veterinarian. This comprehensive report features:

* Detailed market segmentation of the small animal veterinary market based on practice types, economic factors and attitudes
* Self-evaluation of veterinarians' strengths and weaknesses in running their practice
* Views on animal health companies' efforts to support the industry
* Personal values and attitudes
* Motivations to become a veterinarian, job satisfaction, stress level and feelings about free time
* Personal information and demographics
* Economic data, including average length of office visit, client base size, number of patients seen in the average week, average client transaction and gross practice revenues
* Bonus Feature: As part of profile, selected veterinarians also had the opportunity to participate in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). The MBTI is one of the most widely utilized assessment instruments throughout the Fortune 100, and offers valuable insight regarding communicating with veterinarians.

You can read more about the report at:
http://www.datazoneresearch.com/savprofile.html

The report is available for purchase to industry suppliers for $4,500.

We will be hosting an upcoming free web conference where you can access topline findings from the report. If you are interested in participating in the webinar, please
e-mail debbie@datazoneresearch.com.

Research Terms De-Mystified

How many different types of questions can you ask?
This month's definitions help answer that question.

Closed-Ended Question - a question that requires participants to
answer selected and predetermined responses (e.g., strongly agree, agree, neither agree nor disagree, disagree, strongly disagree)

Double-Barreled Question - a question that attempts to measure two things at the same time; a source of measurement error

Filter Question - a question which is used to move a respondent from one question to another; a question that is used to remove a respondent from a survey or interview; also known as a "funnel question"

Funnel Question - a question used in a questionnaire or schedule that moves an interviewer or respondent from one part of a survey to another (e.g., "Are you a registered voter?" If the respondent says yes, certain questions are asked; if not, then other questions are asked)

Probe Question - a question used in a questionnaire or schedule that requires the participant to explain an earlier response, often in the
form of "why do you think this?"

Screener Question - one of several questions usually asked at the
beginning of an interview or survey to determine if the potential
respondent is eligible to participate in the study; see also "funnel
question"

(Definitions courtesy of the Institute for Public Relations'
Dictionary of Public Relations Measurement and Research).
http://www.instituteforpr.com/best_practices.phtml?article_id=dictionary

Useful Bookmarks

Statistical Resources - http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/stats.html- From the University of Michigan, this site provides links to a wealth of statistical information available on the Internet, including categories for demographics, business and industry, finance and currency and sociology.

Specialty Dictionaries - http://www.yourdictionary.com/specialty.html - If you're trying to decipher technical jargon or other specialized vocabulary words, try this resource for access to dozens of specialized dictionaries.

Social Statistics Briefing Room - http://www.whitehouse.gov/fsbr/demography.html- Courtesy of the White House, this site offers statistics on line about life here in America, including household income, wealth and poverty.

The Last Word


"Constantly talking isn't necessarily communicating."

Jim Carrey (1962- )
Canadian actor, as Joel Barish in
'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'