Online research is a research method that involves the collection of information from the internet. With the advent of the internet, the traditional pen-and-paper research techniques have taken a backseat and made room for online research.
Online survey research is much more impactful than the traditional means, considering the ease of access and cost savings they come with. The response rates received for online research are much higher than the others as the respondents are assured that their identity will be protected.
There’s a constant progress in the field of online survey research with the progress that’s happening in the field of internet and social media. Social media has been a catalvst in the entire process of online research in terms of the access to the database and the experiments that can be conducted on this platform.
Online surveys, polls, questionnaires, forms, focus groups, are various tools of online research that are vital in gathering information essential for market research. The internet has created amazing avenues for small and large businesses for conducting market research with zero to minimum investment. Online research can be carried out for product testing, the targeting of an audience, database mining, customer satisfaction et al.
Researchers and statisticians collect data from respondents using various online research techniques. The are often called internet research or web-based research methods. Man of these research methods are already being used in one way or the other but are being revived for the online mediums. The latest in this line of online research methods is social media research as it offers extended levels of complexities and thus, new avenues for research are created.