Get Canadian market info on-line
Compusearch Micromarketing Systems and Data, Toronto, has launched DemographicsCanada.com, which provides instant access to Canadian demographic and market information. The results can be shown in report form or as thematic maps. Subscribers will be able to request a wide range of reports and maps based on census information, population and household income trend analysis, consumer spending data and other market information defined by any geographic level, including custom radii around a street address. The interactive application permits customization, including the ability to p!ot specific locations on a map, generate market ranking reports comparing selected variables in up to 16 different geographic areas of the subscriber’s choice, and incorporate the user’s company logo on every report.
New DIY Internet survey tool from Greenfield
Greenfield Online, Inc., Wilton, Conn., has launched QuickTake.com, a do-it-yourself Internet survey tool. Audience reach can be as small as a proprietary workgroup or as large as the Web itself. Responses from up to 1,000 individuals are automatically tabulated and returned in real time. QuickTake is designed to provide decision makers with a fast, inexpensive way to test ideas, concepts and packaging or capture consumer/employee opinions
On-line vendor adds new research report sources
Internet research buyers will now have access to over 500 research reports and newsletters from 50
research publishers through AllNetResearch.com, Darien, Conn. AllNetResearch.com provides Internet market research reports and newsletters from research organizations in North America, Europe and Australia. Current publishers include International Data Corporation (IDC), Cahner’s In-Stat Group, ActivMedia, U.K.-based Fletcher Research, Computer Technology Researchers, Simba and Plunkett Research. Other recently added publishers include Australia-based APT Strategies, Zona Research and eMarketer. AllNetResearch.com covers reports on Internet demographics, geography, e-commerce, telecommunications, finance and advertising. Prospective Internet research buyers can conduct keyword searches for reports on-line, retrieve descriptions of publications and tables of contents, as well as buying and shipping information.
Service grabs price data from Web sites Liaison Technology, Austin, Texas, has launched the Dexter Price Tracker service, which captures current pricing data from the Internet through a Live Data ASP (Application Service Provider), allowing purchasing and merchandising managers to automatically extract live product and pricing data from any on-line seller’s Web site into their business or desktop applications. Dexter Price Tracker utilizes Liaison’s Live Data ASP model and the Dexter technology to collect Web content, convert it into usable data, and automatically deliver the data to business applications. The product allows users to receive the selected data as often as they want it. Users can add, subtract, or change data collection criteria and can trace all activities through an automatically generated audit trail. The product is available on a monthly subscription basis. Users download a Price Tracker Client free of charge and subscribe based on the number of products tracked monthly.
New kidswear market info from NPD
To help manufacturers and retailers monitor key trends in the childrenswear industry, The NPD Group, Inc., Port Washington, N.Y., will expand its retail point-of-sale information service (POSTS) to include the total childrenswear market. Th POSTS Childrenswear reports, available in March, will be based on actual scanner data from mass merchant retailers including Wal-Mart, Kmart and Target; and upscale retailers including Federated Department Stores, Saks Inc., Dayton Hudson DSD, Kids ’R’ Us, J.C. Penney, and other leading retailers. Data represent more than two-thirds of childrenswear sales across both channels. Once the information is aguegated from participating retailers, NPD projects the data on total sales within each channel.
The service will provide comprehensive analysis on brand movement, product performance, sell-through, price points and brand sensitivity to pricing changes. Data on all children’s apparel will be tracked by channel, product category and brand. Reports will be available for each channel.
In spring 2000, NPD will release a research report covering childrenswear licensed brands and characters. The study will incorporate areas such as brand awareness, brand purchasing, overall satisfaction ratings and future purchasing intent. It will provide insight on why consumers purchase particular chitdrenswear brands and licensed apparel products. Key questions about the role of licenses and brands in the consumer purchase decision, the influence of media, the longevity of licenses and children’s influence on clothing purchases will be answered in this study. This survey will be fielded via the NPD Online Panel. visit
New releases from Raosoft
Raosoft, Inc., Seattle, has released Raosoft InterForm99 for the Internet, a software program that provides Web form design for data collection of questionnaire-type applications. Response counts can be tracked also during data collection. Forms can be posted to any standard Web server. The company has also released SURVEYWin Version 4.2 for Windows 95198 and NT for improved electronic form design and more statistical analysis. Data may be collected by LAN or intranet, diskette, or e-mail. Non-expert users may design complex questionnaire-type applications for data collection forms for multiple types of electronic data collection and obtain reports afterward.
IRI product measures category management effectiveness
Consumer packaged goods manufacturers, retailers and brokers sPend a tremendous amount of time and effort creating category management plans - both analyzing the information and executing the plans in the store. To help streamline this process, Information Resources, Inc., Chicago, has released Version 2.1 of its Account Traffic Builder, a part of its Consumer Knowledge Suite of products based on the company’s consumer purchase panel data and census scanner information.
A leading reason that manufacturers are successful in category management is the level of consumer insights they bring to their plans. In fact, a recent survey by IRI’s Neo, Inc. consulting unit reported that providing consumer insights was the number one reason retailers named specific manufacturers as leaders in category management support.
With updated data and expanded outlet coverage, Account Traffic Builder Version 2.1 tracks changing consumer habits while providing clients with a comprehensive category management tool. Account Traffic Builder (ATB) provides a category scorecard on how consumers’ purchasing behavior changes across time and provides information on an account specific basis.
The new version of Account Traffic Builder provides manufacturers, retailers and brokers with the most current analysis of their category management plan. The product’s new enhancements include: updated consumer purchasing dynamics and account-level census store data; expanded panel coverage for 19 markets; new consumer measures of buyer closure - the percent of households buying the category at the account, trip incidence - the number of category trips, and trip conversion - the percent of category trips at the account; additional outlet tracking into alternative channels.
SPC product from SPSS
SPSS Inc., Chicago, is now shipping QI Analyst Enterprise 4.0, a new statistica! process control (SPC) product that helps manufacturers leverage their data and experience to solve business problems. QI Analyst Enterprise uses a common database to communicate information across the organization in real-time. This SPC software enables enterprise-wide process monitoring and analysis, helping manufacturers reduce scrap, reduce rework, minimize customer returns and increase production yield. Manufacturing analysts often turn to SPC software to understand process capability and monitor process performance. However, manufacturers that limit analysis to the back office often miss key opportunities for process improvement.
Because the new QI Analyst release is geared toward enterprisewide implementation, it makes everyone, not just analysts, accountable for improving the process. Now, information can be efficiently delivered enterprise-wide, so process experts have the right information they need to make changes to the process at the right time. In addition, the new distributed architecture simplifies large-scale implementation because it integrates with other IT systems, is flexible for customization and communicates easily with shop-floor equipment. QI Analyst Enterprise includes two modular products with specific features that for specific uses. QI Analyst Controller is a full version of the software that offers complete functionality for setup, monitoring and analysis in the back office. QI Analyst Workstation is typically used on the shop floor and enables local data entry and viewing.
New survey of individual investors
Rivel Research Group has published a survey of active and substantial individual investors (those
personally managing equity portfolios in excess of $50,000, not including money invested in mutual funds or a 401k) that outlines the scope of their Web usage as well as the size of this market. Entitled "Individual Investors and the Internet," this proprietary research was completed among a nationally representative sample of these individuals in December.