Panels Partnership for NPD and FIRM

MR software company FIRM and US-based consultancy The NPD Group have announced a partnership to develop a new panel management and sample selection platform. The move, described by FIRM's CTO as 'sure to change the entire MR industry', reflects researchers' fast-growing use of external panel providers.

The proportion of MR firms using packaged panel solutions such as FIRM's own Confirmit, as opposed to managing them internally, has risen steeply in the last few years, up from 18% in 2004 to 28% in 2005. FIRM intends to roll out the platform in multiple stages over the next two years, and to keep away from building up and offering its own panel samples. CTO Peter Myklebust comments: 'This partnership enables the leader of the panel management industry and the leader of survey, panel and reporting software to combine resources and expertise which are sure to change the entire MR industry.'

According to Pamela Veraart, NPD's VP Panel Management & Operations, 'It became clear early on that FIRM shares our vision of the future opportunities surrounding the application and management of Online Panels. With a dual corporate CRM and MR industry business model and an existing best in breed data capture tool in Confirmit, FIRM quickly established itself as the leading contender.' Denis Conway, Senior VP at NPD, says all the major panel software companies were reviewed, and in addition to firsthand experience of working with FIRM, NPD were impressed by its 'proven track-record of delivering scalable and robust technology in this space'.

NPD's panels have more than 3 million registered members. The Group works in a broad variety of sectors, including automotive, beauty, consumer technology, entertainment, fashion, food and beverage, foodservice, home, software, sports, technology distribution channel, toys and wireless.

Web sites of the partners are at www.npd.com and www.confirmit.com

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

• NPD Group
• All news