Market Research Firm Resources

Amplitude Research is one of the leading full-service market research firms specializing in consumer, b2b, and technology online market research surveys. Our experienced staff, top quality web panels, and proprietary survey technologies deliver high quality results customized for the needs and budget of each client.

Market Research Firm Resources   |   Glossary of Market Research Terms > >  

Market Research Firm Resources   |   Sample Market Research Questions > >  

Our market research firm is expert in all kinds of survey projects ranging from ad testing and brand awareness to retail market research and new product launches. Examples of the types of studies we can administer include:

Market Research Methodologies

Our marketing research firm is highly skilled in all types of data collection including online, mail, and telephone surveys. We differentiate ourselves from other market research firms through our high level of personalized service, expert survey administration, proprietary software technologies, and sampling expertise.

Most high quality market research firms belong to one or more professional organizations. For example, Amplitude Research is a member of the American Marketing Association (AMA), Marketing Research Association (MRA), Interactive Marketing Research Organization (IMRO), and Marketing Research Association of South Florida. Both the MRA and IMRO publish and administer standards of professional conduct for all market research firms that are member organizations. They also provide members with updates on legal issues affecting our industry.

The following are links to external sources of statistical and general market research information:

Market and Survey Researchers - published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition. Provides detailed information on the occupational outlook for persons working as market and survey researchers.

How to Conduct Market Research - published by Business.gov, Small Business Guides. Includes a step-by-step guide to conducting market research, sources for market research data, and links to business data and statistics.

Market Research/Statistics - published by the Internet Society. Resources for Internet statistics, trends, and demographics.

Healthcare Statistics & Market Research - published by Health Forum, LLC, an affiliate of the American Hospital Association. Keep up with the latest hospital trends with reliable data from the American Hospital Association.

Market Research Statistics on the Computer Industry - published by Information Technology Trends, Inc. Market research statistics on the computer industry.

Amplitude Research has provided this Sample Size Calculator as a public service. For ease of use, we have assumed: (A) a 95% confidence level, which is typically (but not always) used by market research firms, (B) a sampling error at its most conservative response distribution of 50%, and (C) a survey population assumption of 20,000 (number of people in the group you are studying).

This calculator is designed for market research estimates where the survey population is in the nature of a nationwide, regional, or metropolitan area survey population, or in other consumer studies or b2b research where the targeted survey population is 20,000 or more. Larger survey populations may result in slightly higher margins of error, although the differences would be insignificant in most cases. Population size is likely to be an important factor when the survey population is relatively small and a known group of people. In fact, our market research firm could have selected a population size less than 20,000, but used 20,000 as the cut-off given the very small changes in margin of error as the population increases above this number. For example, a sample size of 600 out of a survey population of 20,000 results in a 3.9 confidence interval, while a survey population of 100,000 results in a 4.0 confidence interval, and a survey population of 1,000,0000 also results in a 4.0 confidence interval.

Please trace across each row based on the Sample Size (number of completes) to determine the Confidence Interval (margin of error) in the confidence level column.

Market research firms are often asked about the meaning of "sampling error". For those not familiar with sampling error / statistical theory, the margin of sampling error can be thought of roughly as a gauge of how much the survey results could potentially differ from what would be obtained if every possible person who could qualify for a study was surveyed.

Because study results are based on a sample, it is helpful to keep in mind that a "margin of sampling error" is associated with each percentage from the survey. "Sampling error" decreases as the number of surveys completed increases. At the same time, for a given sample size, sampling error is highest for percentages from the survey near 50% and decreases as percentages get further from 50% (e.g., 10% or 90%).

For example, for a random sample of 400 survey respondents among a nationwide population, the sampling margin of error is plus or minus (+/-) 4.9 percentage points for percentages from the survey near 50% and +/- 2.9 percentage points for percentages from the survey near 10% or 90%.

For those interested in slightly more technical detail, a sampling margin of error must have a "confidence level" associated with it. The "95% confidence level" is what is typically used by market research firms (or assumed if a confidence level is not formally stated). A sampling margin of error at the "95% confidence level" can be interpreted roughly as providing a 95% probability that the percentage from the survey plus or minus (+/-) the margin of error contains the "true" value. (The "true" value would be known only if the market research firm surveyed everyone in the target market rather than just a sample.)

In addition to sampling error, results obtained by market research firms may be subject to various sources of non-sampling error (e.g., non-response bias, respondent misinterpretation of question wording, unique aspects of different research modes – telephone vs. mail vs. web, etc.). The degree of non-sampling error is not represented by the sampling margin of error and is usually unknown.

Services Provided by Market Research Firms

Some market research firms are highly specialized with regard to the types of studies they will administer. At Amplitude Research, we have experience in many different kinds of research studies with a focus on consumer market research, b2b market research, low-incidence surveys, and census match studies. Our market research firm offers a broad range of market research services including survey design, questionnaire writing, sample selection, quota management, statistical monitoring, survey administration, and comprehensive data analysis and market research reports.

Most market research firms provide data cleaning as part of the data collection process. Services provided by our marketing research firm include straight-line checks, manual review of comment fields, and examination for contradictory responses. Our online surveys also include use of Amplitude's proprietary timers that record the completion times of each respondent and establish a baseline minimum for completion. Let us demonstrate why our hands-on approach to data collection and data cleaning results in superior survey data.