Tag Archives: consumer panels

The Mobile Commerce Generation Gap

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It seems that the younger you are, the more comfortable you are with using your mobile phone for purchases and banking.

Last week we wrote about mobile phone banking and asked for your thoughts. Some folks were all for it. Some were for it but with some reservations. And some were dead set agin’ it, by gar!

We didn’t ask for demographics but, in light of a new survey, it would be interesting to know the ages of the MindField Online members who were for or against. Cnet.com recently reported on a survey done by MasterCard that found that the younger you are, the more comfortable you are with mobile commerce. Here are some stats:

  • 65% of 18-to-34’s said they’d feel more naked without their phones than their wallets, compared 34% of the over-35 crowd.
  • 51% of men vs. 40% of women feel comfortable making a payment using a mobile phone.
  • Most telling: 63% of 18-34’s would feel comfortable using their mobile phones to make purchases, vs. only 37% of those over 35.

So, we’ll ask the question another way: Do you see a difference in attitudes about mobile commerce between you and your parents? You and your kids? You and your spouse? Let us know!

Online Coupons for Real World Savings

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Hey, times are tough. We’re all looking to pinch pennies, and more of us are going online to do it.

According to a recent article on InternetRetailer.com:

74% of consumers search multiple online coupon sources each week, and 25% spend up to an hour shopping for the best online discount deals.

From a dollar off of laundry detergent to a half-price romantic getaway, services like Bing, Groupon, Living Social, RetailMeNot (and on and on and on) are ready to help you save. And we’re definitely hooked. Here are some statistics, according to Bing:

  • 47% use more local deals and coupons than they did a year ago
  • 63% search up to 10 different coupons sites each week
  • 11% look at more than 10 coupon sites
  • 81% of moms search multiple sources each week

According to the survey, about half of us spend more than 15 minutes a week scoping out the deals, and about 25% of us spend between 30 and 60 minutes.

So, how about you? Are you clipping coupons online? Are you doing it more than you used to? Are you saving? Let us know!

Get All Your Shopping 411 with QR Codes!

Look familiar? You may not have paid them much attention, or known what they were, but these funny-looking symbols are the latest thing designed to improve your shopping experience.

They’re called QR scan codes (for Quick Response), and they are the 21st century answer to the traditional bar code. But while the bar code is designed for the seller – to improve efficiency in pricing and inventory – the QR is all for YOU, baby!

All you need is a smartphone with a camera, and an app that costs little to nothing to download. When you’re out shopping and you see the QR code on the label or on the display, turn on the app, point your camera and…that’s it. You are taken to a website that tells you all about the product.

There was a fun little article in the New York Times this week about shoppers in the Home Depot and Lowe’s using QR codes to learn how to select and care for trees for their yards. Which is funny because that is exactly how I used mine!

Another time I was heading downtown for a day of activities. I had one of those local weekly entertainment magazines, but wasn’t thrilled about carrying it around all day. Then I saw the QR code at the top of the “What’s Happening” section. I zapped it, and now I had the entire listing stored in my phone.

So check out the article, and look around the next time you are out. I bet you start noticing these things everywhere! Have you already tried QR codes? Tell us about it!

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!

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!

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!

Year-end Apple Drawing Winners (Finally!)

Maybe it’s the time of year, but it took FOREVER to track down our latest batch of Apple winners for the MindField Online December drawing! Truth be told, we are STILL waiting to hear from a couple.  But we didn’t want to keep you guys waiting any longer, so we decided to post and do an update when we hear from the stragglers.

So, without further ado, meet your MindField Online December Apple drawing winners!

Amanda Chandler

Amanda Chandler of Douglasville GA won an iPod Shuffle!

Michael Gallatin of Ann Arbor MI won an iPhone!

Molly Block

Molly Block of Lake City FL won an iPhone 3G!

Marissa Gold of Milwaukee WI won an iPod Touch!

Jennifer McNally of Asheville NC won an iPod Nano!

Shannon Story

Shannon Story of Aloha OR won an Apple TV!

Michelle Enzinger of Indianapolis IN won an iPod Shuffle!

Debi Fitzsimmons

Debi Fitzsimmons of Corpus Christi TX won an iPod Touch!

Bruce Wade of Round Rock TX won an iPod Shuffle!

Julie Gottlieb of Cincinnati OH won an iPad!

Meghan Gresick

Meghan Gresick of Baton Rouge LA won an Apple TV!

Congrats, Apple winners! Thanks again! And stay tuned for future cool drawings –

only from MindField Online Internet Panels!