The GfK Global Online Panel
Our GfK Global Online Panel provides access to a ready source of respondents in 27 countries. They allow the creation of representative samples of the population and are especially useful for the identification of niche samples. They facilitate speedy accurate research at a significant cost advantage to the traditional methodologies.
GfK follows ESOMAR best practices and consequently all our panelists "double opt in” to take surveys from GfK. They supply us with much information about themselves, which we keep to facilitate targeting of niche samples. We recruit them from participants in our offline surveys and from the websites and lists of literally hundreds of companies with whom we have partnered.
GfK provides clients with access to the highest quality panels. The key characteristics of our GfK Global Panels are:
Multi – sourced
Panelists are recruited online via a wide range of permission e-mail recruitment, affiliate networks and web site advertising, avoiding potential bias associated with panel recruitment from a single source or single methodology. We recruit from literally hundreds of web sites as well as from our face to face and telephone surveys.
Research only
GfK panelists are only contacted by us for the purposes of conducting market research. Our panelists are not exposed to third party advertising or direct marketing campaigns, nor is their personal data sold to third parties.
Carefully managed
Panelists are invited to take surveys based upon a set of panel management rules. These rules are designed to minimize possible biases and to provide a positive experience for the panel member. Each panel has a dedicated panel support team available to provide help and assistance to the panelists.
Continuously recruited
We continually recruit new members to our panel. This ensures that the panel is dynamic in nature and reflects any changes in the online population that might be occurring.
Deeply Profiled
At recruitment, we collect a large amount of personal and household information. This pre-screened information allows us to build representative samples and target low incidence/hard to reach groups. Once these respondents have double opted in and started to take surveys we then offer panelists the opportunity to expand their profile information by completing separate business sector profiling surveys.
Privacy & Data Protected
Each panelist, whether they are a member of a GfK proprietary panel or one of our many custom proprietary panels, is treated with a high degree of concern for privacy and procedures are carefully followed to ensure respondent privacy is protected. These include compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, United States/European Union Safe Harbor principles, and Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA). In addition, we fully subscribe to the privacy policies outlined by CASRO, the standard for all market research organizations [www.casro.org], as well as the European ESOMAR code (http://www.esomar.org/).