Abstract:

The paper describes the results of one of the first commercial surveys to be conducted in the United Kingdom over the Internet. It directly compares email and postal methods of data collection. The results show a major advantage for email in terms of both speed and cost of data collection. Response rates were similar for email and conventional methods and there was no evidence of lower quality. Recommendations are made for the style of future Internet surveys and circumstances when they might be appropriate. The direct use of the Internet for the New Marketing is also explored.