Exclusive | Mobile based research has good scope in India: YOC's Malte Friedrich-Freksa

The rapid spread of mobile telephony offers researchers a new and exciting means of data collection as compared to online data collection and the more traditional paper based surveys. Media behavior is changing from digital online research to market surveys on smart phones. This has forced market researchers and firms in this activity to rethink and integrate mobile based research with digital market research. Says Malte Friedrich-Freksa, YOC, Germany, “the mobile based data collection techniques are well developed internationally compared to India where it is at a very nascent stage. But the mobile market in India is one of the biggest which would offer a good scope for mobile data collection in another year or two.” Malte Friedrich-Freksa serves as Head of Market Research at YOC, one of Europe’s leading Mobile Marketing companies. Malte is specialised in Online and Mobile Research with an emphasis on modern data analysis. 

 

Perhaps the most exciting aspect of mobile phone based research is the potential it offers for collecting entirely new types of data sets.  Current best practices in questionnaire design and data collection methodology are based on the traditional development economics field survey.  With the proliferation of mobile telephony comes the possibility of collecting high frequency data market researchers without requiring a massive inflow of new research funding to the discipline. 

 

Internationally the size of mobile data collection market is about 5 per cent in the USA or Europe. “It is still an emerging market,” says Malte Friedrich, “but if you can estimate how big is the mobile market, you can get a sense of how big the mobile based research and data collection can be.” 

 

However mobile date research is more complicates because of different mobile devices used by consumers, different operating systems and technology platforms. Adds Malte Friedrich,” market research companies have to work with different technologies so collecting data on mobiles is tough. On the other hand simple characteristics of mobile like it is always on and independent of time & space makes it convenient for researchers.” 

 

The growth areas in mobile based data collection is unarguably Asia as countries like Japan, South Korea and China has a massive use of mobiles. “These are the most developed markets followed by North America and Europe. India too has great potential going ahead,” says Malte Friedrich. This form of data collection has been accepted by mobile advertisers and marketers, eCommerce companies and publishers more than product manufacturing companies. 

 

Phone‐based enumeration of relatively complex economic surveys in low income countries is not only feasible, but also, under the right circumstances, superior to traditional data collection methods.  Relative to a traditional survey, the cost savings of a phone survey are substantial.

In addition, the centralized nature of phone‐based data collection allows for rapid detection and correction of errors. Adds Malte Friedrich,” for a country like India, mobile could play a key role as an instrument in research data that is collected.