Editor’s note: David Bradford is vice president/director of VRROOM, the Virtual Research Room, a New York-based provider of on-line qualitative market research resources.

The growth of Internet usage, combined with technological advancements, has resulted in a rich source for highly targeted market research subjects. Recruiting for online studies has become more sophisticated and diversified than the options available in the early days of Internet-based market research. Recruiting for on-line studies using the variety of options available is not recommended for those unwilling to devote the resources required. The choices available include recruited panels, opt-in e-mail list rentals, numerous Web-based incentive marketing programs, random intercepts of Web site visitors, and Web sites that have collected personal information from their users.

There are advantages and disadvantages to each method of recruiting which determine how appropriate they are for each study.

  • Panels recruited for market research. In the early days of Internet recruiting, panels were created using Web-based advertising, or postings, that offered compensation for participation in on-line studies. This method allowed a market research firm to build large pools of individuals available to respond quickly to the demands of online market research.

It soon proved that these specially constructed panels had certain drawbacks. Advertising to recruit the panel and a system to collect, store and update this information were unavoidable expenses. To keep the panel members satisfied, it was essential to provide them with enough studies, or they were likely to drop out of the program. Many panels experienced rapid growth, but also massive churn rates, as unmotivated prospective respondents moved on to other panels for compensation, or changed e-mail addresses. Some recruited panelists were "professional" survey takers, and would supply whatever information they thought would make them more attractive for studies. Personal Web sites and newsletters promoted these panels as a way to earn easy money.

To prevent oversensitizing panel members, it became important to limit the number or frequency of studies, even if it resulted in higher attrition. The use of contests offering cash awards or prizes instead of paying for a completed study helped establish a fixed incentive cost for a study. However, this reduced the numbers of people willing to participate for a chance to earn something instead of the instant gratification for their time invested.

A number of panels created specifically for market research studies exist. It is important to have a good understanding of how often they update member data, remove duplicate listings, and how it is validated for accuracy of supplied information.

  • Recruiting from opt-in list rentals. As the Internet population increased, a new opportunity for recruiting emerged with widespread use of e-mail. E-mail is a powerful new way to reach the online user, but unsolicited e-mail, or spam, has proved to be a very negative method of recruiting. The acceptable alternative method to reach online users is opt-in lists of e-mail users who sign up for various Web-based services and agree to receive selective e-mails from the provider as they register. A number of highly targeted opt-in e-mail lists are available which can provide individuals willing to participate in online studies. The cost to rent the list adds to the basic costs of recruiting, and may increase the time required for both screening and validation. Due to the privacy agreements associated with these lists, there are usually strict limitations on their usage, and access to personal information is restricted.

If you plan to use such a list for recruiting, investigate the company carefully, find out how long they have been doing this, and verify they are using only opt-in individuals.

  • Recruiting from opt-in panels. The emergence of Internet-based loyalty marketing or incentive programs has resulted in large databases that are rich in personal information making it easy to locate highly targeted individuals. In these programs, users earn points, frequent flier mileage, credits, and other types of Internet currency by visiting Web sites, reading targeted e-mails, and purchasing from participating sponsors. These rapidly growing, self-sustaining programs featuring built-in incentive programs are potential sources of highly targeted online users with multiple filtering attributes. Incentives for market research study participation can provide members with additional point-earning opportunities, and a new revenue stream for the programs. Many of these individuals would be difficult and time-consuming to recruit using other methods.

It is important to determine how reliable these database are, and how fast providers can respond for studies requiring fast turnaround. There is usually a set-up charge to use the panel, and the conversion rate for dollars to incentive points will vary widely. Another consideration is the time and effort required to establish the relationship and negotiate terms for use in market research studies. It is also more complicated to conduct longitudinal studies unless the researcher is able to capture personal information from the respondent.

Recruiting from random Web site intercepts. A valuable way to provide research from existing Web site traffic evolved with the use of random intercept banners inviting visitors to participate in surveys. These banners pop up for the user who visits the site in a preset random pattern. This banner asks if the visitor would like to participate in a short survey. If they accept, they are linked to a page where the user fills out screening questions that can be used to identify and qualify potential respondents from existing Web site traffic. The survey has to be short since most people will not be motivated to participate without compensation. An exception to this is when the individual feels strongly enough about the subject and wants to provide their input. A number of methods exist for capturing this information on an ongoing basis for a variety of applications.


This may not be an effective way to recruit certain types of studies. Unless the site traffic is sufficient, it may not be possible to determine the time required to locate adequate sample sizes. It differs from placing an ongoing invitation on the site to participate in a survey, where there is not random sampling. It is also important to determine where the visitors are in a site when presenting the banner, as people come to the Web site for a variety of reasons that may be important in the design of the study.

Recruiting using Web data capture. As Web sites grow more sophisticated and valuable for a company, an increasingly important source for individuals to study is their site’s visitors. These visitors can be organized and utilized to study a variety of issues including customer service, consumer needs, customer satisfaction, proposed site redesign and developments, core customer concerns, and a multitude of others. Methods exist that will help a Web site better serve its visitors while at the same time building a variety of prospective panels for future studies. These panels will grow ever more important for companies to increase their understanding of these customers in the digital age.

Continue to emerge

Recruiting for online studies is now available from a variety of sources, and new ones will continue to emerge as the Internet grows and evolves. The purpose of a study and the type of individual attributes desired will influence the selection of sources that are available to accomplish the objectives. Validation of any online recruiting source and the prospective individuals it produces will remain an important consideration in online research. Online recruiting requires careful planning and proper allocation of resources to be successful. More sophisticated recruiting methods and advancements in technology herald even greater opportunities for future market research studies with ever-greater numbers of potential respondents.