Traditional qualitative interviews can be expensive and time consuming. Quantitative methods can be faster, yet often miss out on emotional factors behind decision making. In the February e-issue of PharmaLive, SKIM’s Megan Long shares in-the-moment research, an innovative method that seamlessly blends qualitative and quantitative, emotional and rational.

In-the-moment research reveals hidden physician prescribing behaviors

“Access to information at the moment of decision making is continuously altering the consumer decision pathway and the ubiquity of personal technology is accelerating these changes. In 2014, 57 percent of Americans owned a smartphone, a number which is expected to grow exponentially in the coming years. With the growth of smartphone use, respondents will soon be unwilling to take surveys lasting longer than five minutes and they will less often take those surveys on screens larger than 5 inches. Yet many companies and market researchers are still playing catch up. The consequence of this new “5×5” reality requires a completely new approach to connecting with consumers through mobile research.

Conducting research with mobile devices is not a new concept in market research. However, much of the research currently conducted using mobile devices simply applies traditional methodologies to mobile surveys, modified for a smaller screen. A true in-the-moment mobile methodology leverages the penetration of mobile devices in everyday life to gain deeper insights into the changing pathways to decision. In-the-moment mobile research can be used to understand what customers are thinking at the moment they make their decision, an area in which traditional market research methods fall short.”

Read the rest of the article on PharmaLive.com