All posts by mindfieldonline

Marketing Goes Mobile

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Do you engage in m-marketing? No, I didn’t stutter. It stands for mobile marketing, and you likely are engaging in it more often than you think – and enjoying fewer of its benefits than you could be. Intrigued? Read on…

According to an article at AllThingsDigital.com:

 With the age of the PC declared officially over–smartphones outsold PCs for the first time in 4Q 2010–American retailers are all asking the same question: When will the m-commerce tipping point arrive? The answer is, it’s happening now. But to emerge as true mobile commerce winners, smart marketers will still need to overcome numerous barriers to mass consumer adoption.

Those barriers include a basic ignorance of what m-marketing is all about. It’s more than just purchasing online, it’s the whole shopping experience: searching, reading ads, comparing, downloading coupons, and so on. There are vendors at every step of the way trying to make the process easier for you (and make a buck, naturally.)

Technology is also a question mark. Many people think you need a full-blown touch screen iPhone to do this stuff, and that’s not the case. Second is cost: people assume that they can’t afford the data plan that this requires. Today, the wireless companies are at war with each other, and those costs are coming down.

So, what do you think?  How much of this process do you take part in? Are you finding that it improves your shopping experience? Are you burning up minutes in your data plan? Let us know – but no brand names, please!

A Word from the Panel

Once again, we have updated our collection of positive Facebook fan comments page here at the blog. We call it Panelist Reviews. After seven months, and more than 7700 Facebook fans, it’s really gratifying to see the nice words keep coming. So THANKS! Check ’em out here!

Smartphones for Smart Shoppers

There’s a reason why search companies, advertisers, payment processors and local merchants are so interested in smartphones. It’s because they’re turning out to be powerful and popular tools for people looking to search locally, act quickly and improve their shopping experience.

That’s the setup for a recent article at GigaOm.com. A recent survey of over 5,000 smartphone users* turned up some interesting statistics on these three points, Searching Locally, Acting Quickly, and Improving the Shopping Experience:

  • 95% of smartphone users have searched for local retailer info
  • 88% act on that info within one day
  • 77% visited search engines to get their info
  • 79% use their phone while in the store
  • 75% use their phones in the store to make their purchases

Think about that last one… you’re in the store browsing the selection of, let’s say, vacuum cleaners. You are visiting some online consumer site that compares all the models in front of you. Then, you skip the checkout line altogether and make your purchase online!

Confused by all of this “digital online window shopping?”  You aren’t alone. Everybody from Google to Wal-Mart to Sally’s Cat Toy Emporium is trying to get a handle on this new way of shopping! All we can say is Stay Tuned!

* Including many MindField Online panelists…so, while we would love to hear your thoughts on online shopping, please don’t talk specifically about the survey!

There’s an App for That!

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Once upon a time (like, two years ago!) “apps” were the fried mozzarella sticks you ate while you were waiting for your dinner at Friday’s.  Well, no more. Today apps (for application software) are the hot convenience item, thanks to the explosion of smartphones.  Personally, your humble author has music, movies, maps, job search, games and weather apps clogging up his smartphone – but there are a million more out there.  As the popular tagline  goes, whatever you need to make your daily life a little more convenient – “there’s an app for that!”

According to mobile app developer ShoutEm.com…

  • 5 billion apps were downloaded in 2010. By 2013, it will be over 20 billion!
  • The average smartphone user spends over 11 hours a month using apps.
  • iPhone and Android owners use an average of 15 apps
  • Blackberry owners use an average of 8 apps
  • The top categories of mobile apps include social networking (Facebook, etc.) with 60 million users and maps with 40 million users.
  • The highest rated apps are Angry Birds (game) and Google Maps. Seriously, do you know any Angry Birds addicts? They are CONSUMED!

What do you think? Are you an app freak? Which ones are your favorites? Which ones are a waste of time? Anyway, for more fun app facts, and a look at future trends, check out ShoutEm’s infographic here.

New and Improved Survey Invitations!

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UPDATE! A happy MindField Online panelist has given a thumbs-up to the new email invitation. Check it out at the bottom of the post!

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Original post:

Hey gang: MindField Online has refreshed and re-formatted our email survey invitations! This cleaner, more concise invitation emphasizes the information you ARE interested in, without making you wade through the information you usually skip over anyway!

So, here’s a sneak peek at the top section of the new invitation, along with some explanations of the new look:

A: Right off the bat, this is your quick participation link to the survey. Just click and you’re on your way!

B: No guessing about your time commitment… here’s a quick estimate! If you qualify and complete, this is how long we expect the survey to take using standard systems.

C: How much money? THIS much money!

D: Your cashout progress. If you need $5 to cashout, and you have a balance of $4…that’s 80%!

We hope you like the new invitation, and find it informative and easy to use. If you have suggestions for further improvements, let us know!

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We just received an early review on the new email format! Jim in California says:

“…it is absolutely excellent!   Giving real time member status info is a great feature, as is the layout of info describing the study available and the “what’s new” corner.  Moreover, being able to reply directly to the email, as I am now doing, simplifies communication by 100%.  Others require having to login and hunt around for particular page where any inquiry must be entered.  Thank you for all of that.”

Thanks Jim – we think the rest of the MindField Online family will like it, too!

Fabulous Facebook Fans Update!

Hey guys: After 6 months and almost 6800 fans, our post celebrating MindField Online Internet Panels’ fabulous Facebook fans has graduated from “post” into a top-navigation “page!” From now on, “Panelist Reviews” will sit at the top of the page just waiting to be admired. We will keep updating it periodically, and we’ll let you know. Here is the link. And thanks again to the best Facebook fans in the world!!

Happy Birthday Jay!

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This is a special note celebrating the birthday of McMillion Research Vice President Jay Mace, who turns 42 this week.

Now, 42 is not a milestone or anything, but we didn’t have a Facebook page when he hit the big 4-0! So please indulge us for a moment.

Jay has been with McMillion Research/MindField Online since 1992. He has been a key player in the growth and development of the company, helping us to become one the most successful consumer research firms. Jay wears a lot of hats, but much of his job is about troubleshooting the process, doing what he can to make it smooth and satisfying for members like you.

A married father of two boys, Jay plays indoor soccer, listens to Elvis and is downright obnoxious about his beloved Steelers. And in the course of 20 years, Gary and Sandy McMillion say that Jay has become like a son to them.

Please help McMillion Research and MindField Online wish Jay Mace a very happy birthday!

Take the MindField Online Nickel Tour!

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Over at the MindField Online Facebook page, we commonly hear, “I’m new—how does this whole thing work?”  That’s a pretty broad question, so we usually answer, “There’s plenty of info to be found at our website, www.mindfieldonline.com -check it out!”

But exactly what you will find has been a mystery, wrapped in a riddle, wrapped in an internet – until now!  So, keep your hands and feet inside the tram as we take an informative, exciting (but mostly informative) tour of the MindField Online Internet Panels website!

Home Page

What kinds of people make good MindField Online Internet Panels members? Awesome people, for sure, but for more specifics, click HERE.

How it Works

Would you like a simple, easy to understand explanation of how the whole MindField Online thing works? Sure you would. Here’s THIS instead!

IQD

Other than farm fresh ingredients, what steps does MindField Online Internet Panels take to ensure the quality of our data? Find out HERE.

FAQ

Check out the answers to some frequently asked questions HERE. Then, take a moment to realize “So THAT’S what FAQ stands for!”

About

Because corporate histories are so darn exciting, click HERE to learn more about MindField Online and parent company McMillion Research.

Register

Want to find out more about becoming a panelist for MindField Online Internet Panels? HERE is the place to find it!

Privacy

Concerned about your privacy online? Hey who isn’t? Check out all the ways MindField Online goes about protecting your personal info HERE.

Sweepstakes

SWEEPSTAKES! Who is eligible? How do you enter? What are the rules? What’s all that fine print say?

And that brings us back to the lobby. We hope you have enjoyed your tour of the MindField Online Internet Panels website! Thanks for your attention. Please exit through the giftshop…

Lost in the Mail?

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Attention MindField Online Users:  Stand by for some highly technical yak having to do with email providers.  Do you use any of the following email providers?

@aim.com

@alltel.net

@aol.com

@bellsouth.net

If so, keep reading…

Some email providers tend to “rate limit” our emails frequently due to a number of reasons. This is in spite of our “white listing” provisions and your “double opt-in requirement.”  This means our emails to you are often delayed and sometimes never received.

What’s this mean to you? It means you miss survey opportunities and/or come into a study late – which makes your opportunity of qualifying more difficult.  If you are an email user of one the providers listed above and you ALSO have a secondary email, we would like to encourage you to log into your account and provide a different email for your MindField Account.  This will allow you to avoid any delays that may be created while they censor our sends.

Meet the Panelists: Molly

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Molly

Molly lives in Florida and has been a member of MindField Online since 2004. As she puts it: “It’s been a great experience. I love completing MindField surveys and, over the years, I have been able to voice my opinion and thoughts about all kinds of products!  It’s exciting – almost like being in on a big secret!”

Molly is a stay-at-home wife with a disability that keeps her from working and driving. But she’s no shut-in – she’s fully wired and web-savvy! She’s got the time and a real enthusiasm for surveys.  And she LOVES to hear the UPS truck rumbling down her street bringing the latest test product from MindField Online!

What does Molly like about MindField Online? Obviously, she likes qualifying. And when she doesn’t, “it’s disappointing, but I know that I will be entered into a sweepstakes nonetheless for my time and effort. It’s never a waste of time!”

As for compensation, she likes MindField’s low payout threshold. “But I like to let my account build into a nice fat check. And the checks ALWAYS come, very promptly and without fail.”

Molly was also excited to learn that MindField Online had started a blog and Facebook page, and “friended” us right away. This automatically registered her for our December Apple drawing, and led to a big Christmas surprise: winning an iPhone 3G! “I was shocked! It took years, but I FINALLY won one of the famous MindField Online sweepstakes! ALL of my friends and family are envious!”

Well, thanks for your years of loyalty, Molly – and your incredible enthusiasm. Enjoy your iPhone, and keep spreading the word about MindField Online Internet Panels!

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Hey folks, do YOU have a fun MindField Online story like Molly’s? Leave us a note in the comment section below!