Publishing & Directory Services: Typical Engagements
Readership Study: Consumer Computer Magazine
ConStat conducted research to assess readership of the magazine and subscribers’ reactions to editorial articles appearing in the publication each month. Extending for more than eight years and consisting of 350 telephone interviews conducted on a monthly basis among subscribers, the research followed strict guidelines to ensure adequate representation of readers based on geography and employment status.
Measuring readers’ use of PC-related products and services was also an integral component of the research. Conducting the study on a monthly basis allowed the survey to be customized each month in response to the most recent edition of the publication and to address salient, computer-related issues on a real-time basis.
Results from the research provided our client with critical feedback on articles appearing in their publication as well as direction regarding future editorial content. Based on the tenure of the study, we were able to provide the client with normative data that enabled them to assess the relative strength of current articles and future editorial ideas. Product usage information gathered as part of the survey also provided an essential sales and marketing tool for the client in its attempts to attract advertisers.
Possession and Usage Measurement: Printed Yellow Pages
A leading directory publisher requested that ConStat use its possession and usage measurement system to provide relevant information regarding consumer usage of its product. Many advertisers rely on information regarding household possession and usage of this company’s various directories in a given market to make their advertising decisions.
To measure directory possession and usage, a total of 300 randomly dialed telephone interviews were conducted with consumers residing within the zip codes that define the product’s distribution area.
The company used the information obtained through the research to create competitive scoping and pricing strategies, thus differentiating themselves from the competition while offering advertisers an alternative to the incumbent directory.
Feature Development: Local Search & Software
A leading software firm commissioned ConStat to complete a combination of focus groups and in-depth interviews designed to help them uncover their product’s most compelling features and identify a set of technical issues that would drive the attributes of future versions.
Conducted in New York, Chicago and San Francisco, the study focused on third-party application development. Several of these focus groups were conducted with professional software developers with a goal to identify their baseline interest in the tested product, as well the likelihood that they would write software applications in support of it. ConStat engaged these developers in a discussion regarding their technical requirements for writing such software, which included conversations on necessary APIs, the system’s ability to handle XML and the availability of the product’s source code.
Qualitative Prototype Test/Feature Evaluation: Online Directory
An online directory developer wanted to perfect their online directory concept prior to pitching the idea to potential investors. They asked ConStat to conduct in-depth qualitative interviews with potential users in order to evaluate the prototype. Respondents were recruited by telephone to a central location to participate in a one-hour personal interview. During this interview, respondents were able to experience the prototype firsthand and then respond to questioning by an experienced moderator.
Results of the research were used to refine the features and functionality of the early prototype. Additionally, the findings were used to assist with the development of a questionnaire that ConStat later used to conduct further quantitative research. The quantitative research enabled the client to prioritize feature development and target messaging.
Name Evaluation: Online Directory
A major telecommunications company was interested in learning feedback on consumers' Internet usage in regard to searching for local business information online, assessing reactions to the company's proposed online directory, and exploring the importance of online brand names and URLs. As an initial exploratory step, ConStat proposed qualitative research consisting of eight focus groups comprised of males and females 21 to 60 years old who used the Internet to look up local business information.
Research indicated Internet users found the client's online directory to be close to their ideal after considering the features they used and desired in currently available online directories. The characteristics of an effective URL were also explored and example names elicited for an online directory comprised of a business directory, a residential directory, city guides and shopping guides. These characteristics were then used to evaluate four alternative URLs under consideration, providing the client with the direction needed to select a name to pursue for its online directory.
Attitude & Usage Study: Local Media and Information Sources
ConStat conducted an ongoing tracking study for a consulting firm specializing in Yellow Pages, electronic directories, and local media. Conducted on an annual basis, the study entailed 500 telephone interviews with consumers 18 years of age or older in the top 20 MSAs who have recently shopped at a business in their local area. The purpose of the research was to understand how the use of local media to support shopping decisions has been evolving over time. The study investigated consumers' attitudes toward different media used for seeking information when shopping locally and assessed the sources of information used for the most recent purchase in each of three areas.
Results of the study showed a consistent progression away from traditional Yellow Pages directories to online sources including online directories and, in particular, search engines such as Google and Yahoo! Further supporting the rise of the Internet as a local information source during this same period, ratings of directories as a source of information for local shopping also declined. These and other findings provided our client with critical information they were able to use in advising their clients regarding the future of the Yellow Pages, electronic directories and local media.