Daily Research News Online no. 4567 - Launches for FIRM, Synovate and NPD

Launches for FIRM, Synovate and NPD

September 15 2005

Conference season in the MR world is also product launch season. With ESOMAR Congress next week, and other major events imminent, new or expanded services announced in the last few days include the NPD Group's 'Technology Track', Synovate ViewsNet for Western Europe and a new version of FIRM's ConfirmIt software.

The subscription-based Technology Track will use NPD's existing monthly point-of-sale (POS) data to make tracking the convergence of technologies easier and more efficient. It offers manufacturers and retailers the ability to isolate and track a specific technology that spans product categories: for example, companies that want to track sales of devices with DVD technology can do so with a single report that accounts for players that are self-contained, mobile, portable, or delivered within a television or computer.

At present, the five technologies covered are DVD, Hard Drives, Digital Image Capture, Color Displays and Removable Media. Monthly reports will track unit volume and share, dollar volume and share, and average price, via channel, brand and item-level reports. Group President Leon Shapiro says NPD is evolving its services to meet the ever changing needs of the industry.

Synovate has announced the extension of ViewsNet - its custom online and panel operation - into Western Europe. ViewsNet offers panels available online, by telephone, by mail and face-to-face, with a central operations function to co-ordinates global efforts and a centre of excellence with an ongoing remit to develop and implement best practice for online and panel research. It can be used for complex projects, integrating online and offline methodologies, as well as low cost surveys where there is a need for fast, indicative research.

Michalis Michael, Head of Synovate ViewsNet, says that having operations in America, Asia Pacific and now Western Europe 'ensures that we can supply online and panel research to clients in key global markets'.

Online survey software provider FIRM plans to use events this month and next to launch Confirmit 10, which extends the capabilities of its leading survey, panel and reporting software, as well as Confirmit CAPI, described as 'the century's newest and most productive face-to-face interview platform'.

Highlights include:

Survey design features developed for respondent experience optimization and 100% accessibility compliance enabling businesses to reach more people and drive response rates.
End-client reporting features which give live analytics over the web
a 100% new web-centric platform for CAPI and offline face-to-face interviewing boosting speed and productivity, and
a new platform for panel management and panelist communities maximizing panelist retention and response rates.

VP of Marketing Kjell �ksendal says that 'Due to the increasing popularity of CAWI (Computer Assisted Web Interviewing), traditional CAPI software has not evolved much, if at all, in the last 10 years. With a proven track record as the leading CAWI platform, Confirmit is leveraging on all the benefits from the online world and its flagship web-based software for the introduction of Confirmit CAPI'.

Confirmit 10 and Confirmit CAPI will be launched at the ESOMAR Annual Congress (Sept 18 - 21), AMA Annual Marketing Research Conference (Sept 25 - 28) and CASRO Annual Conference (Sept 28 - 30), in addition to specific public Confirmit launch events in Oslo, London, New York, Chicago, Tokyo and Sydney. More information about Confirmit 10 and these events is at www.confirmit.com/10.

NPD is online at www.npd.com and Synovate at www.synovate.com.

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.