| Internet has become a major source of information | | | | collect information. |
| in marketing research. Online sources are used to | | | | • Demands More Focus on Processing |
| collect data or cross validate the processed data | | | | As there is a large amount of data available, |
| from more than one source to check the | | | | processing this data into reliable information is a major |
| consistency of the data. However, it posed new | | | | task in marketing research. To interpret, categorize, |
| challenges in the areas of data collection, | | | | arrange and document this information requires more |
| interpretation and validation. | | | | focus and effort from the market researcher. |
| Drawbacks of Internet in Marketing Research: | | | | • Challenge of SEO optimized websites |
| Based on Netcraft's data, Boutell estimates about | | | | Internet is becoming a major tool of promotion for |
| 29.7 billion pages on the Web by February 2007. This | | | | business. This lead to various consequences like |
| giant source itself is a big challenge to find the | | | | emergence of junk websites and money making |
| available right information. | | | | through search engines. This has posed as a challenge |
| Some significant drawbacks of Internet marketing | | | | to the researchers to obtain relevant websites since |
| research are | | | | many good sites do not appear on the top of search |
| • Excess Data | | | | results because low quality sites are focusing on SEO |
| As already stated, Internet contains vast amounts of | | | | to get them ahead. |
| data which is relevant as well as irrelevant to the | | | | • Demands Different Mindset |
| user's requirement. The problem is not the volume of | | | | To access the right information, Internet requires a |
| information but finding the required reliable information | | | | different mindset i.e. more focused and |
| is necessary from the enormous ocean of data is a | | | | conceptualized research is necessary. Earlier, the |
| big challenge. To overcome this challenge the | | | | amount of data available is very less when compared |
| researcher has to be well versed with all the tools | | | | to the requirement. But now, a huge amount of |
| and techniques that are necessary to filter the | | | | information is pouring in from all directions. The |
| unnecessary information. | | | | Internet age market researcher requires a different |
| • Unreliable Data | | | | mindset to process the data using various tools and |
| Internet houses information from all kinds of sources | | | | techniques. |
| ranging from government portals to blogs. Though | | | | However, to overcome these challenges the Internet |
| the information gathered is correct, it is necessary to | | | | market researchers have the search engine and Meta |
| make sure that the source is valid. The quality of the | | | | search engine techniques, which filter the information |
| final marketing research report depends upon the | | | | and give thousands of narrow results, which leads to |
| quality of the information sources that are used to | | | | the target information. |