Survey Results Spotlight: NPD Online Research

NPD: New Product Development, You Too Can Be Part of!

NPD Online Research say that each year, they collect more than thirteen million completed surveys. For the benefit of their members, they publish some of these results on the NPD website with easy to read graphs.

The data that NPD Online Research collects comes from online surveys they conduct, as well as Point of Sale (POS) data directly from retailers. The POS data shows what customers purchase, and online surveys complement this information with details such as who is buying these products and why they chose one particular brand over another. NPD does research on a variety of products including apparel, Food and Beverage, Consumer Electronics and Toys.

Example of a Survey Result

If a panelist wanted to see the results of a survey they completed through NPD Online Research, they would click on the “Survey Sez” link (https://www.npdor.com/English/surveyresults.asp) and be brought to a page with results from a few different studies, displayed with colour graphics and results that are simple for anyone to understand.

Once on this page, panelists can click on links to obtain more information. So after clicking on the above link to get to a recap of a few studies, one would choose the survey they would like to read more about (for instance, leisure) and click the link. In this case, the following would appear: https://www.npdor.com/English/surveyresults.chart2.asp

Results Explained

For the leisure study then, the graph on the original “Survey Sez” page provides a fairly detailed picture of the submitted responses. It appears that the greatest number of respondents (99%) have watched television in the past year, and the least have visited a social networking site, in this case the total was 74%. Reading was a close second, but only magazines and newspapers. Respondents who read a book in the last year were further down the list.

Following the link to the second link for more information, another graph appears showing that two-thirds of respondents (66%) believe that spending time on things they enjoy is important to a person’s overall happiness. When asked if they plan to spend the same amount of time next year on leisure activities than they did in the current year, about the same amount of panelists (61%) said they would spend about the same or didn’t know the answer. A higher number said they would spend more time (30%) on leisure activities next year than less (only 9%).

How Results Are Used

Publishing results helps panelists see that the surveys they participate in make a difference. Results from studies like the above topic on leisure activities can have an impact on many businesses. Since this information is available to anyone, one could imagine a bookstore owner promoting more magazines and newspapers than books to increase sales. Or a shoes store promoting proper footwear for both running and walking since it appears people will spend the same amount of time or more on these activities next year.

While some studies are conducted for a specific business or product, some survey companies conduct their own polls just to get a pulse of the nation. These results can benefit anyone from business owners as in the above example to university students looking for information for their research paper.

Participating in studies like these is easy – click the button below to become a member of NPD Online Research.