Catch Them on that Mobile Phone! 25/9/2000 Top quality in record time was the outcome of a new type of market research jointly carried out by Swedish companies Europolitan (mobile phone operator) and Wireless Opinion (market research company) using mobile phones and text messages. This new method of market research uses text messages (Short Message Service SMS) to send the respondent an SMS question that is then answered the same way. The technique is based on Wireless Opinion's technical platform, which can use both SMS and WAP to conduct research. The aim of the market research was to study Europolitan customers' mobile phone habits, as well as an array of new mobile phone services. The method's superior speed became apparent when 50 % of those questioned in one of the groups studied answered within an hour of the questions being sent to their mobile phones. According to Lena Vogelius, CEO and founder of Wireless Opinion, "The high level of participation we achieved would be very unusual for a traditional market research campaign using mailed questionnaires or interviews. In our former lives as traditional market researchers, we noted that it was becoming increasingly difficult to get people to answer questions via mailed questionnaires and telephone calls. This also coincided with an increasing demand among clients for speed. But now mobile technology has changed all that, as if by magic. Not only are people willing to reply, but they do so promptly." Petra Danielsson, head of market research at Europolitan, added, "It is absolutely vital to Europolitan to get to know its customers' opinions on everything from price to the functions of the services. This new method allows us to form a rapid idea of what the customer thinks about everything from newly launched services to the activities of our competitors. We can then use this information to act in the manner most beneficial to our customers."