MADISON, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Madison, Wis.-based software firm Digsite launched version 2.0 of the first and only social-media-inspired tool for in-depth online market research. The user-friendly research platform gives businesses and agencies a fast, affordable and convenient method for engaging with customers in private online communities to gather insights to inform business decisions, marketing and product development.
Digsite 2.0’s updates include: improved tablet and mobile experiences with automatic screen resizing, as well as enhanced audio, video and photo uploads; augmented survey tools to support multiple question types; and additional engagement features such as comment-tracking and notifications.
Sub-Zero, Organic Valley, Palermo’s Pizza and Nationwide Learning are among the companies already leveraging Digsite to connect with their customers and gather insights. These companies also played a valuable role in the evolution of the Digsite platform, with their feedback helping Digsite determine which features should be included in version 2.0.
Digsite, which is the only social-media-style research platform on the market, has been transforming the online focus group category since its launch in October 2014. Because it functions like the social media platforms people already feel comfortable using, the process of creating a Digsite research project is simple and straightforward for businesses, agencies and customers alike – no technical expertise or programming is required. An alternative to traditional focus groups and long-form surveys, Digsite makes it easier to gather richer insights over days, weeks or months. It also costs about 40 percent less than traditional methods, which helps companies maximize their research budgets.
In short, Digsite’s benefits include:
- Providing a cost-efficient way to gather customer feedback across multiple geographical locations
- Offering an intuitive, social media-style interface across devices (mobile, tablet and PC)
- Enabling iterative insights that allow businesses to learn from customers, then make adaptations and test again
- Sharing video and images, conducting surveys and marking up pictures, enabling participants to mark up images for insights and ideation
- Delivering a private and secure forum where participants are anonymous and businesses own the data
- Letting companies connect more effectively and efficiently with customers by facilitating engaging, two-way online discussions
Companies or agencies may use Digsite as their primary research tool or in conjunction with in-person focus groups, quantitative surveys or other research methods. Users can invite their own participants into a Digsite community from an email list, website or social media site or have Digsite recruit participants to match their criteria. Businesses needing assistance to create and implement their Digsite communities can work with Digsite Partners. Digsite Partners – experienced qualitative research consultants trained on the platform – help companies design their research projects, qualify participants, set up communities, moderate discussions and handle reporting as well as data analysis.
Digsite also aligns with the expectation today’s social-media-savvy consumers have about being able to play active roles in online communities. Thanks to the social nature of its research interface, Digsite lends perfectly to fostering meaningful conversations between businesses and customers – ultimately making customers feel more like participants vs. respondents when it comes to completing surveys and sharing feedback.
The idea for Digsite was born during the recession, when Digsite CEO and co-founder and longtime market researcher Monika Wingate saw how businesses still needed customer feedback to guide their decisions but no longer had budget for it. To collect customer insights, she began experimenting with existing social media platforms and quickly identified a void – and opportunity – in the marketplace.
“There were public social media sites and various online research tools,” Wingate said. “But there wasn’t anything that could foster the level of community interaction unique to social media while also providing the privacy, security and tools needed for market research.”
Wingate hired a team of developers to build Digsite to be that missing platform.
“Digsite is the first ever and only social-media-inspired qualitative research tool out there,” Wingate said. “It gives businesses and agencies a truly interactive and affordable way to connect and engage with their customers. Furthermore, it allows them to gather the in-depth insights and feedback they both need and want, which can then be used to determine their business decisions, growth strategies and marketing efforts.”
Annual subscriptions for Digsite start at $1,500. To learn more or request a demo, visit www.digsite.com.
About Digsite
Digsite is the first social-media-inspired platform to offer a secure, affordable way to conduct online qualitative research to guide business decisions, marketing and product development. Digsite is accessible by mobile, tablet and PC, making it easy for companies to connect with their customers – anytime, anywhere. To learn more, visit www.digsite.com.
