nQuire Partners for 'China's Largest Mobile Panel'

Chinese mobile crowdsourcing company Wei Chai Shi and market research agency nQuire have partnered to create what they describe as China's largest mobile research panel, along with a DIY tool offering researchers immediate responses.

nQuire opened its office in Shanghai earlier in the year, to offer a faull range of qual, quant and secondary research, along with training for companies wishing to set up their own internal market intelligence departments. Wei Chai Shi already has one million members, and through the partnership, the two firms plan to recruit around 500,000 mobile panelists for surveys and focus groups by the end of the year.

In addition, the companies are working on a DIY research tool, through which researchers will be able to ask up to ten questions and receive immediate responses from a targeted group of panelists.

Charles Pei, CEO of Wei Chai Shi, says his firm's focus is on disseminating research activities to its mobile crowdsourcing base, in order to keep them engaged. nQuire China's President, Tom Fuller, adds that the partnership will also be exploring opportunities in mystery shopping and store auditing. The as-yet unnamed mobile panel offering will be available from May.

Web sites: www.weichaishi.com and www.nquirechina.com .