An online panel is a group of individuals (either professionals or general public) made up of members of a specific category of the population (eg : lawyers, physicians, car dealers, elderly, ...) who participate in market research studies online. Market research is the process of systematic gathering, recording and analyzing of data about customers, competitors and the market. ...

Overview

Online panels can be pre-recruited, using opt-in or double opt-in techniques, or be access panel (list of potential respondents).

These panels can be contacted by different techniques including :

• Direct email
• Phone to web
• Fax to web.

Respondents become "panelists" by completing a profiling questionnaire. The data collected includes demographics, lifestyle characteristics and media habits, which provides a basis for future survey participation.

Online panels yield results within 72 hours, whereas telephone survey results can take 3 weeks. Depending on the nature of the sample source, online research savings are between 50 and 90 percent of the cost of telephone based approaches.^{[citation needed]}

Responses rates vary when polling an online panel, from 3-5% up to 50-60% if the panel is well qualified.^{[citation needed]}

Online panels eliminate the middleman by providing market researchers with the ability to gain full control of very large panels; thereby, permitting more timely and effective research than before. Advantages of an online panel include: achieve depth to respondent profiles with every study; instantaneous results allow researchers to send shorter surveys more frequently; increased customer validation compared to traditional methods.

Various marketing research companies and sample providers possess online panels, both in the business to consumer B2C and business to business B2B arenas. Business-to-consumer (B2C), also Business-to-customer, describes activities of commercial organizations serving the end consumer with products and/or services. ... Business-to-business (B2B) describes relations of commercial partners, without serving the end consumer. ...

Examples of B2C panels

• Harris interactive^[1]
• GMI^[2]
• Greenfield online^[3]
• SurveySavvy.com^[4]

Harris Interactive is a company. ... GMI may refer to: Germania Kettering University (formely the General Motors Institute, located in Flint, MI, USA) ...

Examples of B2B panels

• TNS WorldPanel™ ^[5]
• B2B International^[6]
• Medimix International^[7] - Medical and health care

Medimix International is a global online-based market research company headquartered in Miami, Florida. ...

References

External links

• The Quirks Directory