Since very few of us have the option to conduct a census of our customers, prospects or panelists we need to rely on the sampling process. For most consumer and B2B market research studies, one of our goals is to provide data that mirrors the population(s) of interest along the lines of these classification variables. There are two primary methods for meeting this goal \u2013 1) use quotas to ensure representation and 2) use weighting to adjust proportions to mirror the population. Method one (quotas) is done on the front-end while data is being collected whereas response weighting is done post-facto.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Quotas can be set in most online survey platforms<\/a>. Quotas are a method of limiting who responds to the survey (or portions of it) based upon their responses to screening questions<\/a>. Typically screening questions include demographics (e.g. age, gender, income, etc.) or firmographics for B2B marketing research<\/a> (e.g. industry, company size, headquarters vs. field office, etc.) along with some measure of brand awareness<\/a> or usage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n