Study examines buying process for heating and air conditioning systems
Arlington, Texas, research firm Decision Analyst has.released its American Comfort Survey Replacement Report, a look at heating and air conditioning replacements from the homeowner’s perspective. Decision Analyst surveyed over 10,000 homeowners to identify those who recently replaced one or more major components of their home comfort systems. The report beans with homeowner brand awareness and continues through the entire replacement process, including brand selection, contractor selection, shopping time, decision criteria, price, warranty, high efficiency, sources of information, contractor sales practices, satisfaction, and after-sale service. The report includes breakouts on air conditioners, furnaces, heat pumps, and boilers as well as detailed information on accessory items such as thermostats, zoning systems, air cleaners, humidifiers, and so on.
New version of ACA from Sawtooth Software
Sawtooth Software, Sequim, Wash., is now offering ACA (Adaptive Conjoint Analysis) v5 for Windows. ACA v5 offers a point-and-click graphical interface and improvements such as: level text is no !onger limited to just 64 characters; header text can be customized for each ACA question; the level order presentation within an attribute can be randomized; new drag-and-drop control for ranking questions has been added; the maximum number of levels is increased from nine to 15; the number of levels taken forward to pairs is no longer limited to five.
ACA v5 lets users conduct interviews using any computer running Windows 95 or better. It is typically used for CAPI, central site, or disk-by-mail interviewing. The progam/files to mn an ACA survey can fit on a single floppy diskette (1.44 MB). ACAv5 is part of the SMRT software suite, which also includes CBC (Choice-Based Conjoint). A free demo version lets users compose surveys but won’t collect data. It includes a tutorial with data to practice data analysiS. Installing this demo will not conflict with other Sawtooth Software programs, including existing installations of
SMRT.
New Web testing suite from NetRaker
NetRaker Corporation, a Sunnyvale, Calif., research farm, is now offering NetRaker Suite 3.5, the newest version of its Web testing product. NetRaker Suite 3.5 delivers the following new features: NetRaker Clickstream tracks Web site customers as they move through a site and provides visual analysis of navigational paths to identify problem spots in real time; Auto NetRaker Experience Recorder builds on the NRER technology to enable users to record videos of visitors as they move through a site whether client staff is available to watch participants or not; and Custom Ratings, a new question type that enables researchers to create almost every scale or semantic differential required, including 1-5, 1-7, 1-10, 1-6 as well as textually labeled scales such as "Never/Rarely/Sometimes/Often/Always."
MARS adds sponsors to pharmaceutical study
Aventis Pharmaceuticals Inc., has joined other charter sponsors for the second annual MARS pharmaceutical OTC/DTC survey. New York-based MARS (MultimediaAudience Research Systems) is a division of Kantar Media Research. Among last year’s charter sponsors who renewed for the 2002 study are: BBDO (Bayer), Carat (Pfizer), Mindshare (Bristol-Myers Squibb), Initiative Media (Merck), and The Media Edge and Media Planning Group (Glaxo SmithKline).
Over 100 magazines and national newspapers, Web sites and portals will be measured. Magazines measured range from large consumer titles to smaller niche titles. This study provides an opportunity for smaller magazines (presently unmeasured) to be measured in a syndicated setting. MARS will also measure cable TV viewing across more than 30 cable networks. The questionnaire will be mailed to a sample of over 40,000 people specifically stratified according to a list of variables that are related to health and medical issues. The 2002 study began fieldwork in January and the results wil! be available April 15.
Clementine updated
SPSS Inc., Chicago, has released Clemenfine 6.5, the newest version of the firm’s data mining software. Clementine 6.5 includes a new Clementine Application Template (CAT) for customer relationship management. CATs are complete, pre-built project outlines tailored to specific data mining applications.
Clementine takes a visual, interactive approach to data mining. Users build a map of their data mining project - called a "stream" - by selecting icons - called "nodes" - that represent steps in the process. CATs contain pre-built streams, sample data and user guides designed for specific applications. Clementine 6.5 also includes CATs for analysis of Web site data to improve site efficiency and analysis of customer data in the telecommunications industry.
Other new features in Clementine 6.5 include: a new sequence algorithm; enhanced Web mining CAT; operation reordering - Clementine now automatically reorders operations to push more of Clementine’s execution into the database; and expression builder, a mouse-driven tool designed to reduce reduces errors by freeing users from typing complex or lengthy expressions.
Scott-Levin debuts online research services for drug companies
Scott-Levin Linx, a new series of online market research services designed to answer business questions for the pharmaceutical industry, is now available from Scott-Levin, a Newtown, Pa., health care market research and consulting firm. Scott-Levin Linx offers: rapid response research, which provides quick design, collection and analysis for time-sensitive projects, from surveys on awareness/trial/usage to product prone and development to name testing; promotional concept/detail aid testing, which delivers customer reactions to promotional themes, advertising copy and positioning strategies; detail follow-up and recall, which measures physician recall and reaction to detailing activities (personal details or e-details); and launch capture analysis, which measures and analyzes brand awareness, usage and uptake during product launches.
MMI study incorporates proprietary susceptibility data
Market Measures Interactive (MMI), Livingston, N.J., will now incorporate Herndon, Va.-based Focus Technologies’ proprietary susceptibility data into its annual Antibiotic Resistance Study, as a result of a new strategic alliance between the two companies. The alliance lets MMI integrate a 12-month, national data feed from Focus’s The Surveillance Network (TSN) - a proprietary antibiotic resistance database - into its report. The MMI study will feature top-line information from TSN, including the rate of key organisms, as well as their resistance to the drugs most frequently included on hospital panels.
Briefly...
Schlesinger Associates has opened a new four-room focus group facility on North Michigan Avenue in Chicago. The facility also offers quantitative services, online focus groups, and national recruiting. Dan Andrews is facility director.
Stamford, Conn., research firm InsightExpress has formed a strategic partnership with Saskatoon, Saskatchewan-based Itracks, a provider of qualitative market research tools, which enables Itracks customers to create their own Web-based surveys; field their surveys to 200 target audiences; and analyze the results in real time.
Precision Research, Inc., Chicago, has launched, a new Product Retrieval Department, which will help clients find products for a study, find a competitor’s brand, and handle consumer complaints. The department will be managed by Carol Andrews. The service includes locating, purchasing, and shipping the product to the client’s desired location.
London-based Web usability testing firm Netusability has launched its Customer Experience Platform, a selection of Web site monitoring, usability testing, and online analytics software and services for businesses with an online channel.