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Unlike other forms of communication used for marketing, the World Wide Web provides a two-way flow of information. As on-line marketers, we can provide a wealth of data via the Web. But we also have the ability to obtain information from existing and potential customers with less effort and cost than is possible in the physical world.
The beauty of Web-based survey instruments stems from the interactive and digital nature of the medium. The two-way interaction gives researchers the freedom to design questionnaires unlike any that are possible on paper.
For example, I once designed a Web-based survey that included a button respondents used to replicate the length of time they believed it took their computers to download a page from a Web site. Comparing to their written estimates of the time, I discovered that the push-button times were much closer to the actual delay periods I had programmed into the Web site.
Perhaps more intriguing for inquiring marketers is that the computer technology behind on-line surveys can display images that respondents can manipulate. For example, a picture of a car can be displayed in a variety of colors or with an assortment of options selected by the respondent in real-time. Similarly, pop-up definition boxes and relational navigation links can make the survey more understandable for respondents and more simple to complete.
Interactive surveying's flexibility allows us to expand the information we collect to gain a better understanding of the market. Moreover, the digital nature of the Web lets us compile and analyze that information quickly and...