Strategir evolves product testing with 3D virtual environments & multichannel surveys

Stratégir was one of the first organizations to develop virtual 3D shopping environments that use mobile eye tracking and life-sized shelves to realistically test products and packaging. Their methods offer survey respondents an extremely realistic virtual shopping experience, and allows for very accurate data collection. The organization is constantly improving its surveying technology and uses it to conduct surveys face-to-face (CAPI via PC or tablet), over the phone (CATI) and most recently via auto-complete surveys online.

In 2011, the Stratégir team was using CAPI and CATI software which had stability and security problems. The data that was being gathered through each platform was stored in separate databases which considerably complicated their data analysis process. To add to their problems, the dated software was no longer able to keep up with market evolution or where Stratégir’s virtual technology was headed.

The team set out to find a new technology partner for survey software that would complement their increasingly complex virtual technology and would be flexible and powerful enough to accommodate their modern data collection methods:

• Some respondents needed to be recruited on the street (respondent qualification), often in areas without internet collection.
• Some qualified candidates were later interviewed in a recreated shopping environment. An interviewer would use a hand-held device to record their current purchase habits, preferences and feedback.
• Other qualified respondents were given products to take home and they were called on a daily or weekly basis to gather product usage and satisfaction data.
• Each individual respondent’s data would need to be gathered into a central database that compiled cases from every possible point of contact (on the street, in a controlled product-testing environment, over the phone). The data would then be analyzed as quickly as possible to report insights back to their clients.

A thorough evaluation of the Voxco software platform finally put to rest their search for a solution. Stratégir determined that Voxco Multimode could achieve their current data collection methods. Most importantly, it would keep up with the constant technological evolution of their own 3D simulation software.

Voxco Multimode effectively offers many advantages over its competitors:

• Data centralization: Multimode uses one core database that connects data gathered face-to-face with data from telephone or online surveys. This allows for easy roll-outs of massive multi-platform data collection campaigns (eg. Future phone interviews can be scheduled on the street by in-person interviewers)
• Simplicity of implementation: the intuitive Voxco software adapts easily to the complex requirements of Stratégir.
• Powerful questionnaire management: the flexible scripting functionality allows the simple integration of some very complex studies in a short amount of time. Modifications can be made to questionnaires at any time that are immediately pushed live.
• Multi-device interviewer capability: Face-to-face interviewers could use PCs, tablets or smartphones to conduct interviews, even when they were offline. Regardless of the device, the questionnaire and the backend logic were identical.

Since partnering together, Stratégir has further expanded its data collection methods to self-completion surveys via respondents’ mobile and web devices, and Voxco is keeping pace with Voxco Online.

Voxco Multimode solution allows for not only significantly enhanced productivity and efficiency in Stratégir’s existing data collection process, but a real opportunity to reach more respondents for more clients using their cutting-edge 3D product-testing technology.

Their Director of Operations considers Voxco an integral partner and a “growth enabler” for the organization. As Stratégir plans the constant evolution of its own technology, they rest comfortable knowing that their survey software partner will be keeping pace.