What Leads to Bad Quality in Online Research Panels? Part I

The Top Reason for Bad Quality in Online Panels? Rushed Recruitment!

Time is often seen as a luxury rather than a necessity in the research world, but speed can cost you the credibility of your insights if you’re not careful. And it all starts with the respondent. In fact, one of the top reasons for bad quality in research panels is rushed recruitment. Here’s why.

Sampling Methods Impact Quality

When faced with time pressures, river sampling is often used as a quick solution. This method drives potential respondents to an online portal through ads and pop-ups on websites or social media where they are screened for studies in real-time. If you’re relying on river sampling alone, particularly for B2B research, you’ll only have minimal demographic information to work from. On the other hand, an established online research panel provider with reach across categories and sectors can offer robust panelist profiles that help you accurately define and drill down to find respondents with the expertise to truly give you the insight you need for better quality data.

Recruiting the Right Online Research Panelists

B2B respondents are notoriously hard to reach; they’re busy, often reluctant to share information, and there may just not be that many potential panelists if you’re researching a niche market. An online research panel provider can save you time here and take that legwork off your shoulders with an already established panel of professionals across categories and sectors from which they can pull. But you must make sure they are using ethical methods to recruit instead of unsolicited or spam techniques or again, quality will suffer. Double opt-in is preferred.

Ignoring Respondent Verification

Another rushed recruitment step that often derails panel quality is ignoring respondent verification. Yet it’s vitally important because if your panelists have been dishonest about their expertise or any profile information, your research is worthless. This happens more than you may think! For example, we use social media verification and ongoing re-profiling of panelists. Online research panel providers should also follow industry guidelines such as ESOMAR 28, as well as privacy guidelines in the countries where panelists are being recruited.

For more information on online research panels, contact IRB today!