OnePoint Surveys, which specialises in mobile survey technologies and services, has published a whitepaper in which it highlights the risk that mobile research could become the greatest missed opportunity for the market research industry, if not handled appropriately.

The paper discusses the huge potential for mobile research thanks to the opportunities it generates around reaching people ‘in the moment’, yet stresses that for mobile research to be successful, participants must be presented with the opportunity to take part in the way that they want to, not the way that the industry believes they should.

OnePoint’s chief research officer Dr.Tim Snaith, who authored the paper, says: “For mobile research to take its place as the 5th global research methodology, it’s critical that the mobile channel is understood in its own right. This understanding, and recognising the key principles that will influence its success, and adapting those principles as technology changes, will allow organisations to be able to take advantage of this unprecedented opportunity. Those who fully embrace mobile research will benefit from its distinct success factors; simplicity, cost, convenience and choice for the participant.”

One Point says that in writing the paper, it has drawn on its experiences in assisting those seeking to develop the mobile research methodology, and its knowledge consolidated from around 2,000 OnePoint supported mobile projects, accumulated over three years and across 47 countries.

The whitepaper is available as a free download here.