Philadelphia firm offers multiple response tracking system
Group Dynamics in Focus, Bala Cynwyd, Pa., now offers View Trac, a response tracking system. The View Trac response tracking system equips every respondent with an input device that allows feedback in three different forms. A computer program records reactions instantly. Group Dynamics in Focus is the only East Coast market research facility equipped and certified to operate this system. The technology has many applications, says Merle Holman, Group Dynamics in Focus president. “They range from actual products and product concepts, to media previews and infomercial response testing. The applications extend to political candidates testing content and image, to attorneys and mock juries, to personnel interviews and evaluations, to any business situation where participants have found themselves unable to document meaningful reactions. And this system can be used in a variety of testing environments—one-to-ones, focus groups or theater-like settings.”
Columbia updates Perception Analyzer
Columbia Information Systems, Portland, Ore., has released WinPA Version 5.3, a new version of its Perception Analyzer system. By providing new ways to summarize groups of related questions and present that information on a single screen, the Perception Analyzer lets the moderator or facilitator look for trends and patterns in the results. Summarizing the results of questions, from a few to over more than 20, on one graph eases interpretation and group discussion of results. Updated features include new summary types, new editing features and new graphic displays.
Price of Internet search tool halved
The Web Tools Company, Vermillion, S.D., has cut the price of Mata Hari, its Internet search tool, to $34.95, a reduction of 56% from the product’s initial $79.95 release price. All prior purchasers will be rebated the difference. In addition, Mata Hari now “talks” to over 140 different search engines, a feature which that is part of the new version 1.02 upgrade that also adds other features like the ability to force Boolean operation from any search engine. These search capabilities have been packaged into 42 different channels - or search service groupings - to make it easier for the neophyte to advanced Internet user to find information.
Ranking system for banks, credit unions
A ranking system for financial institutions is now available on the Web at no cost. Using a simple five-star Quality Ranking and Best Rate Awards, RateNet evaluates 35 key financial ratios and provides a daily ranking of 11,000 institutions for deposit and lending rates nationally, statewide and locally.
Best Rate Awards are evaluated daily on RateNet for 29 banking products, including mortgages, auto loans, credit cards, money markets and certificates of deposit. Blue (daily), silver (quarterly) and gold (annual) awards are assigned to institutions offering above average rates in their market with a Quality Ranking of at least four stars. A detailed explanation of each institution’s Quality Rank is explained in RateNet's Financial Reviews, a five-page report published by IDC Financial Publishing. The in-depth reports provide unique insights into the current financial condition of any institution, as well as its operating and financial strategies.
Quality Rankings, Best Rate Awards and individual rates are available on RateNet for over 11,000 institutions in 175 markets nationwide at no cost. RateNet is published by DataTrac Corporation, a privately held market research firm in Milwaukee, Wis.
Senecio adds Java applets to its CATI software
Senecio Software, Inc., Bowling Green, Ohio, is now shipping ePoll, a Web survey package, as part of its line of computer-assisted interviewing software. This Java applet is capable of serving complex, adaptive questionnaires over the World Wide Web. In addition to the software, Senecio is also offering on-line market research services, including questionnaire construction, Web survey hosting and custom programming services.
The ePoll Java applet survey engine, in tandem with Senecio's questionnaire editor, enables anyone to serve their ePoll-ready questionnaire over the World Wide Web in minutes. Key features include integration with other surveying modules, integration with database records, professional questionnaires, multilingual questionnaires, and secure answers.
Joint venture yields new electric markets survey
RLW Analytics, Inc., a Sonoma, Calif., energy information services firm, has formed a joint venture with Pine Company, a Santa Monica, Calif., research firm, to provide a syndicated survey of electric market changes and developments. The quarterly survey for the business and consumer markets, titled The RLW/Pine Electric Markets Survey, provides market intelligence for companies competing in the deregulated electric business. Data and analysis includes market share, churn, customer satisfaction, barriers to market entry, advertising awareness, building characteristics, load profiles, and more. The data is collected from a national sample of approximately 4,000 respondents. In addition to reporting on data and trends, the survey offers discussion on the implications of the findings. Market share information for each electric provider is presented by geographic region and building type, and can be integrated easily with other available demographic and firmographic information.
Develop product, company and domain names on the Internet
The Namestormers, an Austin, Texas, name generation firm, is now offering an Internet-based interactive service for creating product and company brand names as well as Web site domain names. For $15, anyone can access the new Namewave service and generate up to 200 name ideas. Users select the appropriate subject categories from Namewave's list of choices. Namewave immediately generates up to 40 names for review. Once a user has completed his or her review, another 40 names can be generated using the same or a different set of subject categories. This process can be completed up to five times for a single $15 fee. Namewave can also check favorite names against a database of existing .com domain names for availability.
Free focus group checklist
InModeration, a Philadelphia qualitative research firm, is offering a free eight-page focus group checklist. The InModeration Focus Group Checklist contains over 65 suggestions on how to implement successful focus groups. The following topics are covered: ways focus groups can enhance marketing efforts; key steps to running a successful focus group; and advantages and limitations of focus groups. The checklist also has tips on moderator selection, effective observation, and participant recruitment and selection.
New PR measurement tool
Ketchum Public Relations Worldwide Research and Measurement Department is offering the Ketchum Relationship Index, a new public relations measurement tool designed to enable organizations to gauge their success in enhancing relationships with their employees and customers. The Index consists of three data collection components: 1) qualitative research with employees to initially explore their satisfaction and loyalty levels, followed by 2) quantitative research with employees to more precisely measure and document their actual satisfaction and loyalty levels, leading to 3) quantitative research with customers to measure and document their actual satisfaction and loyalty levels. Once that information has been collected, factor analysis and perceptual mapping are used to show which factors most influence employee satisfaction and dissatisfaction and which factors most influence customer satisfaction, dissatisfaction and retention.
One-stop GIS software Web site debuts
AppsData - Desktop Mapping Applications & Data Superstore has opened on the Web. The site is designed to be a one-stop store for users to find desktop mapping software. The software is indexed by base product, industry, and application. Users may also do a keyword search of product descriptions. Orders may be placed via credit card on-line or by fax, or by check through the regular mail. Orders are immediately e-mailed to vendors for processming.
On-line energy information database
AEP Communications, Columbus, Ohio, a subsidiary of American Electric Power, is now offering Datapult, a new portfolio of energy information services designed to help commercial and industrial customers track and manage energy consumption. Datapult monitors electricity, gas, water, steam, compressed air, temperature and other information. Datapult comprises four major elements: Datapult Information Source gathers data tailored to the customer's needs; Datapult Central, AEP's secure Internet site, displays the information by entire company, business unit, site or process; Datapult Analysis analyzes energy use for critical events and providing access to special analysis tools for the customer's use; once critical events are identified, Datapult Notification will alert customers via pager, e-mail, electronic signal or fax.
Software package predicts buyers' responses
DSS Research, Arlington, Texas, is offering Dominator 2000, a software program that analyzes and predicts buyers' responses to changes in the product or services offered in the marketplace. The software is based on conjoint analysis data which places specific value or utility on each feature that describes a product or service. Different utilities are calculated for each demographic, geographic or psychographic segment, so their preferences can be analyzed along with the total group. As the product or service is described on each of the key features, the overall desirability of that product is estimated and compared to all other products in the market simulation. Dominator 2000 enables users to: forecast the effects on market share of changes to existing products; create new products by varying cost, benefit and other characteristics; design a product line that minimizes cannibalization of current products, while maximizing total market share; develop products for specific market segments; determine which product design concepts work; assess the impact of new competitive products. access the help files.
New financial samples from Polk
The Polk Company's Research Sampling Group has introduced new selections from its databased samples specifically intended for financial marketing research. The files feature data derived from several new questions recently added to Polk's Survey of America. Consumers are asked how they buy stocksl/bonds and mutual funds, what their typical one-time investment is, how much they plan to invest in the future and which firms they use for mutual fund investing. Survey of America reaches approximately 1.5 million individuals each month. In other news, the Research Sampling Group is now offering 24-hour turnaround on standard non-automotive orders.
OLAP interface, sampling software from SPSS
SPSS Inc., Chicago, has announced the SPSS for Express interface. This new, no-charge interface, which provides another data connection between SPSS and OLAP software products, is available on the SPSS Web site. SPSS for Express enables users to access data contained in Oracle Express for use in data analysis and by data mining software from SPSS. Also new from SPSS is WesVar Complex Samples 3.0, which provides statistical results from data collected by complex sampling, such as in public opinion polls. While most analysis software calculates statistics as if all elements of the population had equal and independent chances of being drawn, WesVar Complex Samples uses information about the sample design to produce correct estimates of statistics and their standard errors. It features the replication method for variance estimation. Formerly available from Westat, a Washington, D.C.-area research firm, WesVar Complex Samples 3.0 was developed by Westat and SPSS Inc.