Outsell warns panel buyers to ‘beware'
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UK-- Despite progress on the issue of online quality, buyers of online panel services still need to be on their guard, according to a study by Outsell.
In its report on online panel suppliers, Outsell warns that despite measures put in place by associations and some suppliers to improve quality, “it's still a ‘buyer beware' situation”.
Lead analyst Louise Garnett, who authored the report, told Research: “Vendors are really keen about all of this but it always takes a while for the buyer to grasp the issues and embrace new habits. We've seen it at the higher end of the market, but some of the smaller companies and people who aren't research professionals may not be as aware of the issues. There's a broader audience who are just doing what we call ‘good enough' research, who don't have that level of sophistication. I think we're heading in the right direction but it gets down to buyer education.”
Buyers should make use of the guidelines offered by associations and be aware of the automated quality technologies that many suppliers now use, said Garnett. “Use the tools that are out there to help you be able to ask the right questions and insist that your supplier answers those questions,” she said.
Garnett predicts that marginal players in the panel market who fail to assure quality will eventually be forced out of the market.
Author: Robert Bain
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