Using mobile to collect customer feedback... the next big trend

1. The Future
of Mobile in
Customer
Insight
September 2012
Background
The growing popularity of mobile has been hard to miss. Whether it’s the increasing number of smartphones available on the
market, an app for any number of daily tasks, or an ever increasing number of brands optimising their websites, mobile is reaching
every single customer touch point, including customer insight.
The very latest consumer mobile tracking results from eDigitalResearch and IMRG show that over half of all UK adults now have
access to a smartphone, whilst 1 in 5 own a tablet device. The world has gone mobile and therefore it is imperative that all customer
channels are sufficiently optimised for use across all touch points, including all customer feedback mechanisms and insight
programmes.
The developing use of mResearch
Having tracked the importance of mobile channels with consumers since October 2009, eDigitalResearch understood early how
essential mobile optimised research resources really are.
6%
Since then, eDigitalResearch have
put into place numerous systems and 5%
practices to help offer clients the very
best in mResearch, helping them to 4%
provide a seamless, real time feed- Tablet
back solution to their customers. 3%
Smartphone
Other mobile
2%
One of these developments was the
introduction of a mobile detection tool. 1%
Integrated into the eDigitalResearch
HUB analysis and reporting system, 0%
the device detection technology auto- Jul-11 Aug-11 Sep-11 Oct-11 Nov-11 Dec-11 Jan-12 Feb-12 Mar-12 Apr-12 May-12 Jun-12
matically senses how a consum Figure 1: Respondents accessing eDigitalResearch surveys through a mobile enabled device
er is accessing a survey – whether that’s
a mobile, tablet or other digital device – and presents to them a relevantly optimised survey.
As it currently stands, around 10% of all eDigitalResearch surveys are completed on a mobile device, a number which has more than
doubled in a twelve month period from July 2011 alone.
With that in mind, eDigitalResearch recently undertook a consumer survey to better understand mobile survey respondents, gauge
the popularity of using mobile devices for research purposes and truly understand what they have come to expect from a mobile
optimised research programme.
eDigitalResearch | The Future of Mobile in Customer Insight
All rights reserved
This document is for information purposes only
©eDigitalResearch plc 2012

2. Methdology
A mobile optimised survey was emailed to a nationally representative sample, with specific instructions to complete the survey on a
mobile or tablet device. 649 responses were collected in total; 392 were completed on a smartphone and 257 on a tablet device. This
provided the opportunity to understand, not only the future use of mobile devices in customer insight, but also how smartphone and
tablet owners are currently using their mobile devices to take part in research.
Key Findings
Almost three 72% ‘strongly 28% of
82% of respondents will
quarters (72%) of agree’ or ‘agree Functionality is
respondents are visit an alternative
respondents have that it is more more important to
likely to take part website if they
previously convenient for mobile users than
in surveys from come across a site
completed a them to take a layout and design
their mobile in the that isn’t mobile
survey on a survey on their
future* optimised
mobile device mobile device
The Future of Mobile in Customer Insight
Results show that mobile devices (smartphones and tablets)
Have you previously taken part in any surveys on a mobile are likely to play a growing role in customer insight and it is
device? therefore imperative that brands and agencies work together to
create a seamless and robust mobile optimised insight strategy.
Yes, many Yes, one or two No
Of those who completed the survey on their smartphone or
tablet device, almost three quarters (72%) of them had already
completed a survey on their mobile or tablet, demonstrating the
importance of putting into place practices and procedures for
28% surveying mobile customers ensuring an engaging experience.
36%
Nearly three quarters (72%) agree that it is more convenient for
them to take part in research from their mobile rather than a
PC or laptop and the majority (82%) of those surveyed would be
likely to take part in research from their mobile device in the
future*. It is therefore important to encourage mobile use in
customer insight for those who are willing to take part by clearly
36% labelling that the option is available to respondents.
Over a quarter (28%) said that if they went to a website that was
not mobile optimised they would go to an alternative website
that is, reinforcing the importance of having a mobile insight strategy.
Further analysis of the results clearly shows that, like mCommerce strategies, researchers need to ensure that customer insight is
available through various touch points, channels, platforms and formats to suit a variety of respondent preferences, whether they
own a mobile device or not.
Flash Player
Key feedback from respondents shows that as mobile devices, such as iPhones and iPads, grow in popularity, a lot of users are
struggling to complete certain surveys that rely on Flash Player. 15% of mobile device users specifically commented that they have
had issues in the past completing surveys, especially for those tablet owners who are increasingly replacing their laptop or PC use
with a portable tablet computer.
At eDigitalResearch, all surveys we operate are W3C AAA compliant, meaning that our products do not rely on flash, or any other
kind of third party software or platform to work seamlessly across devices, whilst still providing clients with the ability to create a
completely customisable and engaging survey.
The introduction and gradual uptake of HTML5 by market research agencies is likely to limit this issue in the future. However, in
the meantime, agencies need to be increasingly aware that more and more smartphone and tablet users are likely to be accessing
surveys from their mobile devices across a number of different operating platforms, and therefore need to be accommodating certain
restrictions and limitations as a result of this within their overall mobile strategy.
*Rated 8-10 on a 1-10 scale where 10 is ‘Very likely’
eDigitalResearch | The Future of Mobile in Customer Insight
All rights reserved
This document is for information purposes only
©eDigitalResearch plc 2012

3. Best Practice
With the majority (82%) of respondents likely to take part in more research from their mobile in the future, it is imperative that
brands and agencies work together to correctly optimise research surveys for use on a mobile and create a seamless insight
experience. A mobile device is the one thing that a consumer is likely to always carry with them and therefore mobile surveys should
be quick, easy and engaging to complete.
Unsurprisingly, like mobile shoppers, mobile survey respondents rate functionality and usability above the design, layout, look and
feel of a survey.
Almost three quarters of respondents (71%) believe that it is ‘very important’ that pages load quickly. In comparison, just 15% feel
that a survey design that looks appealing is ‘very important’, and similarly just 15% think that it is ‘very important’ that a survey
design reflects a brand.
However, it is clear from the results that smartphone and tablet users expect a survey to be adequately optimised. Of those
surveyed, almost 10% specifically stated that they would expect all surveys that they receive to be optimised to allow them to take
part in research anytime and anywhere. And a considerable proportion of those surveyed (53%) also thought that it is ‘very
important’ that a survey page is optimised so that it correctly fits a smartphone screen, whilst another 36% feel that this
feature is ‘quite important’, meaning that there is no need for constant and unnecessary zooming and scrolling around the screen.
It is therefore important that brands take into account several key features when optimising their surveys for use across all devices,
from survey length and question design to styling options and font size.
Clear, large font that is easy to
Condensed and read, even when the screen is
unambiguous question text ‘dimmed’
with simple and easy to
understand answer set
Content that does not rely on
flash player
A layout that has been clearly
optimised and fits the screen
Easy to select options
More ‘complicated’
Limited number of text boxes
questions, such as drag ‘n’
to negate the amount of typing
drop, are removed from mobile
required by respondents
optimised versions of a survey
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