Lightspeed Unveils Panel Roll Out Plans

Online panel specialist Lightspeed Research has launched a new panel in Belgium which will enable respondents to conduct surveys in either Flemish or French, according to CEO for Europe David Day, who discussed the firm's plans and strategies with DRNO.

The Belgian panel follows the introduction of one in Austria earlier in the year, and it is anticipated that both will reach membership of around 10,000 double opt-in panellists by the end of 2008.

In addition, Day told DRNO that recruitment is already under way for panels in the Republic of Ireland and Switzerland, which are planned for launch at the end of the year. Looking to 2009, the firm also intends to increase its Nordic presence by adding panels in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and in Russia.

When researching markets for potential new panel locations, Day says that the number one factor is that each region has good Internet penetration. 'We examine each opportunity from a cost perspective,' he explained. 'However, in Eastern Europe where it is still relatively cheap to conduct research by phone, we have to weigh up what percentage of the population is online and consider the figure against the cost structure within each marketplace.'

The company also takes into account countries where Internet penetration is patchy - such as China - as panel representation can be skewed, with only the more affluent, urban or younger members of the community being in a position to take part.

Increasingly, Lightspeed is focusing on enriching its panel demographics with additional data covering areas such as media consumption and financial services purchases. Panel members are coded using geodemographic profiling systems such as Experian's MOSAIC and CACI's Acorn definitions, which Day says results in both cost and time savings for those clients who have already pre-determined their target segments.

As the company grows, Day believes it is becoming increasingly important to service clients from their local market, and accordingly the firm has recently promoted Senior Project Manager Corinne Cortier to an operations management role in Paris, and intends to recruit her equivalent in Germany, Italy and Spain in the near future.

With all these plans in progress, Day says that despite the current shape of the economy, he anticipates a lot of growth still to come in Western Europe - particularly in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and in the Netherlands. 'In the past, firms like ours have 'over-performed' because of the transfer to online methodology. While growth is slowing down, in emerging areas such as mobile there is still a lot of headway to be made.'

Web site: www.lightspeedresearch.com .