The research house believes that the mySurveyAsia panel will realise particular benefits in terms of the speed and efficiency of its customised market-research interviews.
"It's such an advantage in terms of speed and efficiency that it opens the doors to doing research in new and innovative ways," said TNS associate director Stephen Yap. "And because all members of the panels are recruited and opted in - that's the key difference with a list."
While similar panels are already popular in the US and UK, they are still relatively rare in Asia. Yap would not comment, but TNS is expected to roll out the platform to other regional markets in due course.
"What this means is response rates are extremely high and we can essentially guarantee that field work will take place extremely quickly," continued Yap. "It shortens the turnaround time from weeks to days."
He pointed to ad-testing as one area which could benefit, given that the practice is relatively rare in Hong Kong because of the long lead times required for conventional face-to-face focus groups.
"Previously, when you wanted to do ad-testing, it would take a minimum of two to three weeks," said Yap. "With this panel, we can embed streaming TVCs and images and, in the US, we've had projects done in a weekend."
For respondents, Yap believes that the panel offers a number of advantages over phone and face-to-face interviews. "It's much less intrusive and you can do it from anywhere at your own pace," pointed out Yap. "Also, it's good for categories where the subject matter is sensitive."
Added TNS managing director Wander Meijer: "As we have seen in other highly advanced research markets such as the US, Japan and Australia, online access-panel based research is the way of the future given its tangible benefits for researchers and respondents alike."