Market Research and Sampling: How to Select the Right Panel for Strategic Results?

Sampling methods are a powerful tool for companies seeking to conduct qualitative market research, correctly analyze collected statistics, and draw informed conclusions about target consumers’ expectations and behaviors. And depending on the desired objectives, the methods to follow are different!

The challenge? If there’s an error in the methodology followed or poor panel selection, the results obtained may lack reliability and cannot be generalized to a large population. Most importantly, they can lead to errors in the adopted marketing strategy. By selecting a sample truly representative of the target population, you obtain valuable information to improve your marketing campaigns and achieve your business objectives.

Decoding of different sampling methods, concrete cases of implementing quantitative studies with Trustt, methods to use based on expected results, and relevant questions to ask depending on the information sought.

Sampling: Definition and Benefits of Sampling Methods

Definition of Sampling Methods

Sampling methods refer to various techniques used to select a representative group of the target population to conduct market research, test products (sampling), or measure the effectiveness of marketing campaigns or claimed benefits. The results obtained from these samples can then be extrapolated to represent the entire target population.

Also called sampling (or sampling in English), it involves the selection of a small group of individuals (or panel), as part of a market study. This group of people (of variable size) represents a reference population to whom surveys, polls, or product/service tests are submitted. Sampling allows conducting surveys and obtaining results and statistics that can be generalized to the target population.

To better understand the subject of this article, here are the definitions to remember:

• Population: This is the target of the study, in other words, the total number of people the survey is about.

• Sample: This is a subset of a target population, which reliably represents the entire population on a small scale.

• Sampling: This is the type of method or process used to select the sample (whether by a polling institute, organizations, or a dedicated tool).

The Benefits of Sampling Methods: Customer Knowledge and Marketing Strategy Success

Sampling takes several forms, but addresses essential needs for businesses: knowing consumers, defining personas, and obtaining key information to make the best possible decisions for marketing strategy.

Brands can, for example, ask people about the purchase frequency of a product X, compare the profiles of responding consumers, determine the potential of a new concept, or test a product or service during its creation phase.

The benefits:

• A better understanding of the market: sampling methods help brands better understand their target market (and define their personas). By analyzing data and statistics from a small representative sample, it is possible to identify trends, preferences, and behaviors of potential customers. This in-depth market knowledge allows adapting the offer and communication, better meeting customer expectations, avoiding commercial failures and bad publicity.

• More reliable results: using sampling methods ensures the reliability and accuracy of results. By selecting a representative sample of the target population (and your personas), brands ensure they obtain significant data, even on a small group. This helps avoid biases and errors in the results.

• Informed Decisions and Better Decision-Making: Companies that adopt appropriate sampling methods will ultimately make informed (and effective) marketing decisions. In the end, (and effective). With reliable and representative data, it is possible to develop a marketing strategy based on concrete and relevant data. This allows forresource optimization, improved campaign effectiveness, and maximized return on investment.

• Cost Reduction: By selecting a representative sample rather than studying the entire target population, brands limit expenses related to mass data collection and analysis. Problem? Market studies are expensive to conduct (at least €4000 when using a polling institute, private research agencies or organizations)! However, marketing, influencer, and product teams need to be constantly “fed with field feedback to” thoroughly understand the constantly evolving expectations and habits of consumers. Since “it is necessary to” regularly analyze consumer opinions on products, it’s safe to say that this can quickly become extremely costly for companies!

• Improved Data Quality: Sampling methods contribute to improving the quality of collected data. By selecting a representative sample, companies ensure that the information gathered will be relevant and reliable, facilitating the analysis and interpretation of results. Higher quality data allows for making appropriate marketing decisions and optimizing campaign performance.

By using the Trustt ambassador program, it is possible to create quantum studies throughout the year, on demand, and according to needs (and at a lower cost!).

How?

By using application forms addressed to consumers and/or content creators during product or event missions on Trustt, to ask targeted questions. The challenge is twofold: asking the right questions to collect data (consumption habits, trusted brands, average budget, etc.), and selecting the ideal panel of ambassadors to test the product or attend the event.

The advantages?

Trustt allows brands to conduct custom market studies throughout the year to better understand their targets, collect detailed opinions in bulk, deploy brand awareness, gain visibility on social networks and ultimately, expand their community.

An example of information collected by a cosmetics brand through an application form via Trustt (1353 female respondents, between 26-35 years old and consuming organic and natural brands)

The Different Sampling Methods in Marketing

There are two main types of sampling methods for conducting market research: probabilistic methods (also called random) and non-probabilistic methods (or non-random).

Probabilistic (Random) Sampling Methods

This approach allows obtaining representative samples of a target population. We distinguish notably simple, stratified, or cluster random sampling.

1. Simple Random Sampling: With this type of method, each element or candidate from the reference population has an equal chance “of being selected to constitute the panel. With this probabilistic method, the selection is therefore completely random. This technique eliminates potential biases, but can result in a group of” elements (respondents) that are not representative of the target consumers.

2. Stratified Sampling (or Stratified Sampling): The panel selection is random (or probabilistic), but within predefined and small groups.

With the Trustt tool, if a brand wants to obtain data on purchasing habits for dietary supplements of a certain group of people (active women, living in cities, aged 30-45), it will be relevant to ask the right questions in the mission application form (campaign):

• Age
• Profession: executive, student, retired, etc.
• Place of residence: city or countryside

Then, you just need to ask the questions on which you want to obtain statistics:

• Do you consume dietary supplements? If yes, how often?
• What is your monthly budget for dietary supplements?
• Which brands have you already purchased?
• What benefits are you looking for? (Anti-fatigue, beauty, sleep, etc.)

You will obtain precise results, available on the Trustt dashboard, and usable by different teams in the company. By applying filters, it is then possible to analyze the responses of people who are in the target group.

To have the product tested by a specific segment among the respondents, you just need to define the criteria of the people sought as screening questions, to quickly select them, send them the product, and benefit from their detailed opinion.

3. Cluster sampling: with this type of probabilistic method, the first selection of elements is done on homogeneous groups, called “clusters”. The final selection of the sample is then done randomly among these clusters. Each person in the target population thus has an equal chance “of being selected in the” sample.

With Trustt, suppose a cosmetics company wants to collect opinions on its anti-aging cream from women between 40 and 45 years old. The brand can select from the panel of candidates women of this age range, then choose a certain number randomly to constitute its sample. It can then send them the product to test, and benefit from “a complete feedback directly on the product page of its website or those of resellers.”

The brand may also want to know information about the average budget of these same women: it just needs to add a question to this effect in the application form.

An example of statistical data obtained by a cosmetic brand using Trustt on 371 female respondents aged 18 to 40 years:

Non-probabilistic (or non-random) sampling methods

Among the non-random methods, we find convenience sampling, quota sampling, judgment (or reasoned) sampling, snowball sampling and voluntary sampling.

1. Convenience sampling: in this case, the elements of the sample are selected based on their “availability” or for “practical” reasons.

If a brand wants to collect opinions on its new products from content creators (influencers) during an event on a specific date, it can use the Trustt event mission feature. It will simply need to select, from among the candidate content creators, those who are indeed available on the day of the “event and who meet its criteria (age range, audience size, types of content shared on social networks, etc.).”

2. Quota sampling: the selection is made by subdividing the population according to certain criteria. This can be sex, “age, consumption habits, average budget allocated for a category of products or services.”

With the Trustt solution, a dietary supplement brand that wants to have its products tested by people of different age groups while collecting information on product selection criteria can thus:

• Launch a product mission (also called a campaign);

• Ask, in the application form: the person’s age + what are the criteria that influence the choice of a dietary supplement when purchasing (organic label, composition, place of manufacture, packaging, price, etc.) – all questions being modifiable as desired.

The brand can then choose quotas for each combination of age range and the organic label selection criterion, ensuring that each quota is equal.

For example, if the brand wants to conduct a study on 30 people, it can select: 10 people aged 18 to 35 who responded “the Organic label”, 10 people aged 35 to 45 who responded “the Organic label”, and 10 people aged 45 to 60 who responded “the Organic label”.

The objective? Accurate and usable data, and comprehensive feedback on the product from people of different ages who are already sensitive to the “organic” label.

3. Purposive or judgment sampling: in this case, participants are chosen based on their knowledge, understanding of the “study subject or their objectives. This is also referred to as” “judgment sampling”. The drawback? This sample is rarely representative of the entire population.

4. Referral or snowball sampling: with this type of method, people already recruited are “invited to contact people in their network to propose joining the” sample. This is a useful selection method when it’s difficult to recruit new participants.

With Trustt, it is possible to ask candidates, in the mission instructions, to mention the existence of the ambassador program in their social media posts and to talk about it to their contacts. The goal? To recruit new people who are members of the same “community”!

5. Voluntary sampling: here, individuals voluntarily offer their services to participate in the study in question. This non-probabilistic method is often used in situations where it is difficult or unethical to impose participation on individuals, for example, in psychological experiments or pharmaceutical product trials.

Questions to Ask the Sample to Improve Market Understanding

The questions asked to individuals in the selected sample should allow brands to obtain clear and precise statistics, in order to draw conclusions and implement appropriate marketing actions.

Learn More About Consumer Needs and Behaviors

• Why are you attracted to one product over another in a store? (options)

• What motivates you to buy organic products? (Behavior change, pregnancy, environment…)

• Do you do online research?

• Where do you make your purchases for such a product? (Brand website, reseller sites, store, parapharmacy, etc.)

• We are expanding our XXXX range, which product would you like to see added? (Day cream, makeup, X dietary supplement, new format…)

Learn More About Purchase Barriers

• What are the reasons why you haven’t considered purchasing a product from the XXX brand?

• What are your barriers to purchasing an XXX product? (Price, lack of sensory appeal, texture needs improvement,…)

• What are your barriers to purchasing a zero-waste product? (Not practical, solid cosmetics crumble, packaging doesn’t hold up, texture isn’t pleasant…)

• What are your barriers to purchasing an X dietary supplement (Fear of effects, lack of confidence, unfamiliarity with ingredients, etc.)

Learn More About Appropriate Communication

• What type of content would you like to see on our XXXX account? (Inspirational, informative, user experience, texture, live product testing, behind-the-scenes manufacturing…)

• Which media do you use to discover new cosmetic brands? (Instagram, TikTok, community media, advertisements…)

Learn More About Commercial Performance

• Based on the packaging, what does the product inspire in you? (Effective, attractive, sensory, good value for money…)

Sampling is therefore a key tool for brands that want to know in detail about consumer behaviors, but also to obtain segmented and representative statistics of the target population. It’s also a way to engage members of their communities and involve them concretely in the development of the brands that inspire them!