Technological advancements have completely changed the world as we know it. What used to be the traditional door-to-door research strategy has moved online. It is interesting to witness the evolution of surveys.
Let’s take a deeper look at the evolution.
In 1920, American psychologist Daniel Strach developed market research strategies, including the legendary door-to-door surveying technique. Agents were required to go to each door and ask people what newspapers and magazines they read. They were then asked if they could recall any ads from those publications and if they left any impressions on them.
Next came George Gallup. He introduced a new concept that you can predict general attitudes by surveying a small population. He tested this concept when in 1936 he predicted that Franklin Roosevelt would win as his survey findings indicated him to be a public favorite. This result challenged the legitimacy of The Literary Digest as it contradicted the prediction.
Influencer marketing is not new, they had it back in the day too- just differently. The US government wanted to influence the general public by explaining the war to them and recording their reactions. This activity was intended to explain the gravity of the situation and motivate Americans to go to war.
The audiences were divided into focus groups where they were made to listen to broadcasts and asked to press buttons that would indicate if they liked or disliked something. The idea was coined by Paul Lazarsfeld. The audiences were then interviewed to learn why they pressed the buttons they did. This was when they learned what qualitative data is and how to extract it.
Do you believe every product has a soul? Ernest Dichter said it first. He claimed that every product is bought for the values it comes with. He would conduct in-depth consumer interviews and try to find out their desires that could later be used by brands for their marketing strategies.
In the late 90s ,market research steered towards qualitative and quantitative research. Paul Green is a prominent name from this era. He used statistics to make highly accurate predictions about consumer behavior.
Next, we learned that consumers should be segmented into current and previous customers, and identify who could be future consumers. This was put forth by Jerry Yoram Wind and Richard Cardozo.
Fast forward to Martin Fishbein, who added human emotions to the mix. He argued that human emotions should be used to understand customers, and this model is very popular in the marketing world to date.
Everything changed when the first website went live on the Internet in 1991. It became much easier for market researchers to track consumer behavior online then. Not even an entire year later, a third-party cookie was launched, which allowed advertisers to quietly observe what consumers were doing online and what they were interacting with.
This gave birth to targeted ads, as these advertisers knew what the audience was looking for and gave them just that. Then, in 1995, web owners were more than eager to find out the patterns on their websites, and Analog, the first web log analysis, came along.
Analog analyzed all website visitors, the number of views each page had, and the audience’s location. Marketers used this information to their advantage and revamped their marketing strategies.
With the internet maturing every passing day, so did market research tools. Here are some tools and techniques that have caused ripples across the market research industry:
Net Promoter Score was introduced in the early 2000s and soon became a go-to metric for measuring customer satisfaction and loyalty. While traditional customer satisfaction scores reflect how happy customers are at a specific moment, Net Promoter score, compared to customer satisfaction analytics, dives deeper—revealing long-term brand loyalty and the likelihood of customers recommending a business to others.
Then came video conferencing, and many online platforms such as Zoom and Skype gained traction. Marketers used this to conduct focus group interviews and gather qualitative and quantitative insights without meeting the participants.
Platforms dedicated to surveys, such as SurveyCrest and Google Forms, became popular. These platforms have made online surveys a breeze. They allow researchers to create, distribute, and analyze surveys in a fraction of the time.
Social media is most people’s second home, which has led to the development of social listening tools. Tools like Sprout Social and others started tracking online conversations. Now, brands could monitor what sentiments customers have for their brand and are quick to address customer concerns.
Knowing how users behave on your website is a gold mine. User behavior analytic tools can track all user activity, such as clicks, time spent, and scrolls. Using these analytics, marketers can understand where users lose interest and how they can use surveys to improve the user experience.
Now, AI has stolen the show. Artificial intelligence and machine learning have revolutionized data analysis. Brands, using AI, can now make smart use of predictive models that help forecast behaviors and improve their marketing accordingly.
With the evolution of market research, online surveys are the preferred choice for every marketer and why wouldn’t it be, the benefits are endless.
Traditional surveys used to be long and tedious, but now they can be created in minutes. The best part is that you don’t even need a large team—just a good internet connection.
Surveys used to cost a lot of money, and now they’re as cost-effective as they can get. You can also reach a lot of respondents without increasing the costs.
Previously, several limitations plagued the survey process, such as location, costs, and more. This is no longer the case.
Now participants can take the survey whenever and however they want. They can either do it from the comfort of their home or on their way back from work. This allows people to feel unrushed, and thus the response rates are higher with more honest answers.
As soon as respondents click submit, you can automatically read their responses, and the software can even categorize their data to determine the results, generating real-time customer feedback and insights.
No more copious amounts of paper. Surveys have moved online. A few clicks on a gadget and you’re done. This makes online surveys a more sustainable option.
Market research has come a long way, with several bumps in the road. From clipboards and in-person interviews to real-time analytics and AI-based insights, things have changed a lot. It’s not just about convenience; it’s also about accuracy, speed, and reach. Here is a table to outline how market research has transformed.
| Then | Now | |
| Data Collection | Face-to-face interviews, paper surveys | Online surveys, live polls, web forms |
| Focus Groups | In-person group discussions | Remote focus groups via video conferencing tools |
| Customer Feedback | Lengthy feedback forms or verbal feedback at physical stores | Net Promoter Score (NPS), instant reviews, star ratings |
| Reach | Limited to local/geographic access | Global access through digital platforms |
| Speed of Insights | Days or weeks to collect and process data | Real-time analytics and dashboards |
| Cost | High (travel, logistics, printing, etc.) | Low to moderate (subscription-based platforms) |
| Tools Used | Clipboards, voice recorders, and manual spreadsheets | Google Forms, Typeform, SurveyMonkey, Hotjar, Zoom |
| Testing Strategies | Controlled, small-scale experiments | A/B testing, multivariate testing, heatmaps |
| Participant Diversity | Limited to local demographics | Diverse participants across regions and backgrounds |
| Reporting & Analysis | Manual data entry and reporting | Automated reports with AI-driven insights |
The world continues to change and evolve, and so will market research, but what will happen next? Things are only getting exciting. Let’s see what we can expect in the future of marketing research:
The evolution of market research from knocking on doors to using AI to decode human behavior truly reflects how far we’ve come. What once was a tedious process can now be done and dusted in a couple of hours. All credit goes to the thinkers, builders, and tech enthusiasts.
While the methods have changed, the end goal hasn’t. The goal is to understand people and why they do what they do. If you want assistance with your surveys, feel free to contact us! We have all the resources you need to create the perfect online survey. You can start by reading our blog on considerations when designing your first online survey.
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