Modeled after the consumer mail panel, the phenomenon of on-line research is a paradigm shift, destined to supercede all traditional forms of data collection.

With over 60% of all U.S. households having Internet access, and a much higher penetration rate among young people (who still represent the prime sporting goods market segments) on-line panel research is becoming an increasingly viable tool for sports marketing studies. This is especially true when the “projectability” of a study sample is not a requirement.

The virtual abolition of both questionnaire mailing and printing expense makes this new methodology considerably less expensive than its pencil-and-paper forerunner. But the greatest advantage of this emerging research technology is its ability to deliver huge study samples, almost instantaneously!

In the past, the prohibitive costs associated with identifying and reaching tiny market segments rendered many low-incidence product categories in sports and fitness markets “unmeasureable.”

But now, via on-line consumer panel research, ASD can access sufficient respondent samples on very small categories with “micro-incidences.” With a pre-recruited panel of over 500,000 “wired” households, studies that were unthinkable just a short time ago are now quite feasible. Illustrations of these new research opportunities include small populations such as…

Recent Purchasers of…      • Treadmills      • Golf Putters      • Bowling Balls      • Handguns      • Fly Rods Owners of…      • Pool Tables      • Kayaks      • Elliptical Motion Trainers

Frequent Participants in…      • Fast-Pitch Softball      • Paintball      • Artificial Wall Climbing      • Kickboxing      • Lacrosse

And, it is only a small exaggeration to say that electronic data collection is accomplished virtually at the speed of light! Typically, surveys remain in the field for only a week (compared with a month for the consumer mail panel method) while both mailing delays and data entry time are bypassed entirely.