There’s a nascent methodology that’s already being used for market research. In fact, you may be a research subject without realizing it.
Right now so-called “passive data collection” is primarily the domain of big technology players and technology-savvy companies, but that’s going to change in a big way.
Passive data collection essentially means collecting data from respondents’ mobile device without them doing anything active to provide it (presumably there is opt-in language somewhere in those complicated privacy policies).
What kind of data can be collected? Things like mobile device usage data, information about and from installed applications, geolocation and more.
The information that can be collected via passive data collection is extremely valuable to marketers. Consider:
- Learning more about the daily travel patterns of consumers to understand better when they are close to a particular physical location such as a retail store
- Knowing which types of consumers use particular apps, for how long and at which times of day
This passively-collected information is even more powerful when combined with a follow-up survey, giving marketers the ability to understand consumers even better.
All this must be done with respondents’ full knowledge, of course. As with all technology innovations, there are inherent privacy concerns.
But the information to be gained from passive data collection is too valuable to be ignored.
Get ready for passive data collection. The train is out of the station and is barreling down the tracks picking up speed.
About Dana Stanley
