Room for error in Market Research

With all research, there is a given amount of error that needs to be dealt with. Errors may result from the interviewers administering a questionnaire (and possibly leading the respondents) to the design and wording of the questionnaire itself, sample errors and respondent errors. Using the Internet to administer surveys and questionnaires removes the bias that may arise from an interviewer. However, with no interviewer to explain questions, there is potential for greater respondent error. This is why survey design is so important, and why it is crucial to test and run pilots of the survey before going live.
 
Respondent error also arises when respondents become too used to the survey process. There is the possibility of respondents becoming desensitized. There is even a growing trend of professional survey takers, especially where there is an incentive involved. The general industry standard is to limit respondents to being interviewed once every six months.
 
Sample error is a fact of market research. Some people are just not interested in, nor will ever be interested in, taking part in surveys. Are these people fundamentally different, with different purchasing behaviour, from those who do? Is there a way of finding out? To some extent, web analytics, which tracks the behaviour of all visitors to your website, can be useful in determining the answer to this question.
 
When conducting any survey, it is crucial to understand who is in the target universe, and what the best way to reach that target universe is. Web surveys exclude elements of the population, due to access or ability. It is vital to determine if this is acceptable to the survey, and to use other means of capturing data if not.