Frequently Asked Questions

quantilope differentiates itself from other market research companies through its unique combination of speed, substance, and empowerment. Our end-to-end platform maps the entire market research process from the research question to the questionnaire design, professional panel management, in-depth analysis, and data visualization - meaning that you’ll never have to work with multiple vendors on a single research project again. Our advanced automated methods include Conjoint, MaxDiff, TURF, Implicit Association Tests, Van Westendorp/PSM, Key Driver Analysis, A/B Test, Penalty Reward, Segmentation, and NPS®. Each method is customizable to easily provide high-quality insights to any of your business needs, while quantilope’s Success Lab (our team of certified research consultants) is available to provide on-going project support.

An agile toolkit is a set of custom methods and tests that can be personalized, conducted in a specific order, and adapted to your specific company/market needs. Rooted in automation, agile toolkits enable you to run iterative learning loops in every stage of your product and campaign development where the results of the previous step are directly included in each subsequent step.

quantilope supports researchers at every level. We work with veteran market researchers, brand insights teams, and marketing departments across all industries. Our Success Lab (quantilope’s team of certified research consultants) provides platform training - and for newer users - are available to provide ongoing project support on research design, method set up and optimization, platform and sample management, data analysis, reporting, and general system inquiries. 

quantilope’s Insights Automation Platform is fully automated making it capable of providing answers to your advanced market research questions in less than one week. These quick turn around times are dependent on a collaborative relationship with our clients. As soon as we have your research questions, objectives, and stimuli we can send projects live. Our platform automatically begins analyzing and visualizing data as soon as the first few respondents come in. Once projects are live, the typical turnaround time (based on project complexity)  is 1 - 5 business days. 

quantilope’s platform provides three tiers of service, designed to support researchers at every level. Our service levels include:

Do it Yourself (DIY) - Clients are provided with platform training and are then given full access to run their projects independently of quantilope’s research consultants. A DIY approach is well-suited for established market researchers who require minimal support. 

Assisted Service - A DIY approach with access to quantilope’s Success Lab. The Success Lab provides panel management, platform onboarding, training, and continuous project support while clients build, field, and analyze their own projects and create their own insights dashboards. 

Managed Service - Clients provide project input (research question, target audience, stimuli, etc.) while quantilope’s research consultants build, field, analyze, and create insights dashboards for each project. 

Our panel providers are ISO-certified and members of the following associations: AAPOR, MRIA, AMA, ARF, and BVM. quantilope’s data quality process includes recruitment consistency, technical checks, quality checks, automated checks, and fraud/customer feedback. Association affiliations and processes may vary depending on partner and country.

Depending on the size, type, and fit, we offer either a free limited trial or a free pilot study. For qualified companies, pilot studies include a single project using one of quantilope’s advanced automated research methods.

quantilope’s platform is panel agnostic meaning that you can connect any panel to the platform. You can bring your own panel, connect an external panel, work with one of our certified global panel partners, or add links to social media networks and newsletters to connect to your consumers without using a panel. All panels are linked directly into quantilope’s platform. 

quantilope is an automated, end-to-end platform mapping the entire market research process from the research question to the questionnaire design, professional panel management, in-depth analysis, and data visualization. Advanced clients are encouraged to take a DIY approach, while newer researchers are supported by quantilope’s Success Lab (our team of certified research consultants) or choose to have their projects fully run by quantilope through the ‘Managed Service’ route.  

quantilope’s platform automates advanced research methodologies including Choice-Based Conjoint, MaxDiff, TURF, Implicit Association Tests, Van Westendorp/PSM, Key Driver Analysis, A/B Test, Penalty Reward, and NPS®. Each is customizable with a simple setup process to easily provide high-quality insights to all of your business needs.

We also offer both brand and ad automated tracking capabilities to effortlessly monitor changes to your brand and campaign perception, performance, and consumer behavior patterns over time. You can read our full list of additional features on our features page here.

We have a dedicated science team who continuously tests our automated methods against manual analysis during their development and implementation into quantilope’s platform. We test multiple different use cases including simple, complex, and edge cases, integrating quality KPI’s to control for proper method application and to provide recommendations and guardrails (e.g. on the design). 

Each questionnaire can be exported into a Word document including all questions, answer options, and routing conditions. Raw data can be exported in Excel or SPSS, and charts images can be exported into PowerPoint. 

quantilope’s multi-country feature allows you to connect with consumers in different languages and across multiple regions/countries. You can upload your translated survey directly into quantilope’s platform or work with one of our translation partners to do the work for you. quantilope’s multi-country feature allows you to compare results from consumers in different markets to instantly highlight significant differences. 

Absolutely! You can invite your own customers, for example by sharing a link to your study through email, newsletters, or on social media networks.

Yes, you can code open-ended responses with quantilope. These responses will be displayed in a word cloud where terms that are frequently mentioned are displayed larger than the terms mentioned less often.

You can also define keywords (e.g. brand names) and display the percentage frequency of such keywords in a chart. When doing so, quantilope’s platform will also take different spellings/small typos into account.

For more complex open responses, data can be exported, manually coded and then re-imported as a nominally scaled variable into the platform.

Quantitative research is the process of gathering and analyzing numerical and quantifiable data from a robust and representative sample of people. It involves quantifying opinions or behavior via large scale surveys, the exact sample size being relative to the population size of the audience in question. A large sample results in findings with a relatively high level of reliability, so that insights can be extrapolated and generalized to the population as a whole.

Quantitative research methods are used when data is needed from a large sample to inform further research or business decisions. The focus is not necessarily on the depth or quality of answers, but on quantifying people's opinions based on pre-set questions. The pre-set questions might require knowledge-gathering exercises (e.g. qualitative research, or extrapolation of existing data) so that the questions meet the survey objectives and are relevant to the way respondents might think about the issues being researched. Quantitative research can be used to provide a snapshot of consumer opinions or it can be longitudinal, tracking opinions over time.

A quantitative research approach is characterized by a highly structured questionnaire, primarily comprising closed questions (with yes/no or scaled answers), with some open-end answers where further explanation is needed. The (usually large) sample is representative of the target audience of interest (e.g. car users, chocolate eaters, parents). The resulting findings are subjected to statistical analysis that make the data representative of the population as a whole.

With the help of automation and AI, quantitative data can be easy to measure. Automation enables traditionally complex quantitative methods to analyze automatically and provide insights in easy to read charts. The best AI will analyze data and produce high quality findings that can be applied to any business issue.

Quantitative insights will tell you how many people think or behave a certain way and how this differs by subgroups within the sample. For example, X% of people in the US watch TV more than 10 times per week; Y% of those are using streaming services. 28% of people say clothing brand A is sophisticated and 65% say it is too expensive for the quality, while 52% think that clothing brand B is sophisticated and 40% say it is the optimal price.

A consumer research process will differ by organization and by that organization's starting point. If an organization knows very little about its target market, it might start by analyzing secondary data (data that already exists) to explore sales patterns and get a feel for consumer preferences. The research process will be guided by the company's business and research objectives; in some cases quantitative research will be most appropriate, while in other cases qualitative research will be required.

A consumer research panel is a group of specially selected respondents who are sent multiple research surveys to complete. The nature of the surveys will differ by business, so the individuals selected for each survey will also differ. Respondents fulfill certain age, gender, geographical, social and attitudinal criteria to quality for each survey, depending on the target market being sought out. The advantage of a consumer research panel is that respondents don't need to be recruited from scratch each time a new survey is launched, and the quality of their responses has likely been vetted.

Consumer research questions can be anything related to consumer behavior and attitudes. They will vary wildly by business, but for the sake of variety, here are a few examples: 'What percentage of people's household income is spent on holidays?' 'Which are the most compelling aspects of a brand of fruit juice, and how do consumers rank those aspects in terms of importance?' 'How should I price my brand of pasta to maximize profit and remain competitive?' 'What does the target market think of the two advertising concepts we've come up with?' 'Which of three products are consumers most likely to buy?' 'What would happen to sales if we added vitamins to our bread?' 'What would happen to sales if we changed the price of our toothpaste?' 'How loyal are customers to my brand?'

DIY market research cuts out the middleman and brings businesses face to face with consumers via a consumer research platform. As with traditional market research agencies, sampling is dealt with using consumer panels, but it is up to the client to create their own questions, write the survey and send it out to respondents using an online platform or panel provider. Often DIY research companies provide guidance with questions and phrasing. Responses are returned via the platform and, using automated analysis tools, presented as findings to the client. Clients have the freedom to choose the analysis tools so that their data is interpreted in the way most useful to their business.

Product innovation requires understanding the needs of a market and establishing which needs are unmet. This is done via surveys, qualitative research, and sometimes observation. Watching a consumer use a product can be as informative as asking them to talk about it, as any issues with usage are witnessed firsthand, and consumers might not be aware their product could be replaced with something better.

Qualitative research focuses on the nature and quality of consumer insights rather than on quantifying them. Qualitative studies take relatively small sample sizes and ask open-ended questions to gain spontaneous thoughts, views, and reactions to the subjects in question. Interviews take the form of a discussion, using a discussion guide or list of subject matters so that respondents have a degree of freedom in the way they answer. Samples are reflective of the client target market, ensuring respondents meet specific sample criteria in terms of age, gender, lifestyle and behavior.

Qualitative research is used when a business wants to delve in depth into specific issues. They might want to establish what the key issues are for consumers in a certain product area, understand how their products are used, what the decision-making process is, or ask respondents to use a product and give unprompted feedback. Qualitative research often deals with feelings and emotions.

Quantitative research methods are varied; they depend upon the subject of the research and the sample being interviewed. Online surveys form the majority of quantitative studies these days, either via email, social media or websites. Postal, telephone and face-to-face interviews are the other main data collection methods. Once data is collected, analysis methods are used to extract the information needed (e.g. how popular is my new business idea? Which are the different consumer types in my market? How important are the different factors that make up customer service?) Analysis looks at correlations between findings, tests causal relationships, finds patterns and makes predictions. Analysis methods include Conjoint Analysis, MaxDiff, Key Driver Analysis, Market Segmentation and TURF Analysis, just to name a few.

Quantitative research can be used in all business-to-consumer, B2B and public fields. Whenever consumer/user understanding is required, quantitative research can help guide the way. Common areas for quantitative research include marketing, advertising, brand research, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, pricing research, opinion polling, new product development, usage and attitude surveys, and so on. The list really is endless!

The two main methods of sampling for quantitative studies are probability and non-probability sampling. Probability sampling uses the theory of probability to randomly select a group of people from a large population. It assumes that the way they respond will be indicative of the overall population's views. Non-probability sampling involves respondents being selected based on the subjective judgement and experience of the researcher, who might want to include certain quotas in the sample so that specific types of respondent (e.g. in terms of behavior and attitude) can be interviewed.

Yes, and they often are. Using a combination of quantitative and qualitative research gives a well-rounded picture of the research subject, providing both breadth and depth. While qualitative research explores the nature of pertinent issues, quantitative research quantifies them. Qualitative research might also identify consumer types, while quantitative research sizes them. The result is a deep knowledge of all the facets of a subject, as well as how frequently they occur in the sample.

Consumer research methods aim to understand the customer of a particular business. The research method used depends on which aspect of the consumer is of focus: their views on life in general? Their views on brands of tomato ketchup? Their behavior within a category? The broader and looser the issues to be researched, the more likely it is that qualitative research will be needed to pin down the specifics. Once tighter parameters have been established (e.g. moving from 'life in general' to specific aspects of home, politics or entertainment, depending on your area of interest), a business might want to use quantitative research to quantify those views. It might also use secondary research (data that already exists, either within the business or available from government departments and market intelligence agencies) to extract knowledge without having to include it in a dedicated research program.

Consumer research is important because a business can only create a relevant and attractive offer if it understands what drives its target market. Rather than using gut instinct or anecdotal evidence, a business serious about meeting customer needs and maximizing profits will use high quality consumer data to create new products and adapt existing ones. And it's not just about getting the product or service right; research also helps businesses create advertising and marketing that talks to the customer in an inspiring and motivating way.

A consumer research platform is a website where businesses and consumers come together for the purposes of research. Researchers or businesses themselves launch surveys and consumers use the platform to return their responses. The responses are then analyzed using analysis software and findings are presented in chart form.

Consumer research solutions combine survey design with methodologies to answer the specific questions that a business has. If your business has a question, you can bet that another business has had the same question before you - so research solutions suggest specific lines of enquiry that you might want to pursue within a certain area of your activity (e.g. business strategy, product planning, communications, product performance monitoring). The solutions also include the methodologies that best suit those research questions; these could be Conjoint Analysis, MaxDiff, TURF or others.

Product innovation involves creating something new: either an entirely new product, or revising an existing one to make it more attractive to existing or potential customers. Product innovation involves finding needs gaps in the market and creating solutions that meet those needs - e.g. a lawnmower that picks up grass cuttings as it mows, or a toothbrush that cleans itself after each use.

Product innovation research aids the development of new products. There are often several stages to it, and the product innovation process might include all or some of them. At the very start, a company might interview respondents about, or observe them using, products from the category of interest. After this, brainstorming or ideation sessions - either in focus groups or by asking individuals in the target market to come up with ideas - help feed into the early days of the product development process. Concepts that include ideas from the ideation stage are then drawn up, and presented to respondents for their feedback. Finally, once concepts with potential have been identified, product prototypes are made for respondents to use and critique.

The most common qualitative research methods are focus groups, in-depth interviews, and ethnographic research. These can be done face to face or online. Focus groups involve 5-8 respondents discussing and debating relevant subjects, while in-depth interviews are typically done with individuals or pairs. Pairs can be useful when discussing joint purchase decisions, or interviewing friends together for certain subjects. Ethnographic research means the researcher can 'live' an experience with a respondent - e.g. accompanying them on a shopping trip, watching TV with them to understand reactions to advertising, or watching them use a product. Online qualitative research often takes the form of video clips or video diaries, enabling the respondent to answer open-ended questions in their own time.

Qualitative research questions are typically open-ended and exploratory in nature. They don't seek to put a numerical measure on consumer opinion but instead ask about its nature. For example: 'how do people decide which shampoo to buy and what is the role of shelf display and packaging?' 'Which issues do people consider when planning to get a pet?' 'What would women like to see from a new women's magazine?' 'How would people like their hair to feel and look after styling it?' 'What is the image of brand X vs. brand Y?' 'What does this advertising campaign make people feel?' 'What are the different consumer profiles in the skincare market - what are the values, attitudes, and goals of each group?'