Substantial new ‘Net panel launch by ComScore 25/10/00 New research company ComScore Networks aims to shift the focus of Internet research from browsing to buying with its research service on online consumer spending. This service is intended to cover everything from where participants browse, to what they buy and how much they spend online. The company believes that this represents the first real research service to offer truly comprehensive reporting. As such, users will be able to analyse detail such as the latest and biggest online categories, and the best advertising websites as assessed by incoming revenue. ComScore has reportedly raised an additional $30 million to bring this service into being in the near future. The research itself is believed to be partly founded on a panel of volunteers recruited by the offer of a free Internet service. Within this, volunteers download a Java applet that tracks their consumer activity and reports it back to the company. An estimated 1 million people have already signed up to the panel, making ComScore's panel 11 times larger than its nearest rival, Competitor PC Data Online Reports. Kurt Holstein, Executive Vice President, is bullish about strong improvements in the research performance. "We're seeing a 200 to 300 percent improvement in click-through, average profit per customer and average total sales. This gives you a much higher-resolution view of competitors' customers and the prospects you're all fighting over." Holstein also believes that the panel is part of a significant sea change in the way research is conducted. He comments that "This is like the revolution that occurred in packaged goods in the early 1980s, when IRI [Information Resources Inc.] and ACNielsen developed store-level scanners that tracked actual purchases. This led to a revolutionary improvement in consumer understanding and product and market plan development."