Data is very important to a wide range of individuals; whether business owner, head of an organization, student or researcher, they all need data. A very peculiar method of research used to collect data from a predefined group of respondent is called a survey. A survey is very helpful when trying to obtain information and insight into a topic of interest. Surveys are conducted for various purposes such as academic research, market research, product review and so many others.

For over a decade, online survey has become one of the most popular sources of data collection. The process is done through a structured questionnaire that focuses on a target audience. The questionnaire is filled by the target audience over the internet and the data is stored in a database. This data is analyzed using the survey tool and reviewed by a trained expert.

As with any technology related field, growth is inevitable. This is also applicable to the field of online surveys. Emerging forms of online survey platforms whose benefits trumps that of the traditional online survey is gradually taking over. This article will be focusing on the omnibus online survey and its advantage over the traditional online survey.

Omnibus Survey

The Omnibus survey like any other survey is conducted for the purpose of market research. It is usually sponsored by multiple organizations. This method of survey is a quantitative market research method in which multiple research firms can obtain data from the same target audience or a wide range of subjects in the same interview. The market research firms involved then share the cost of conducting the research.

Omnibus survey can also be employed in reaching specific audiences like certain age group, educational background, nationality, income group, etc. Omnibus survey is a shared cost survey and for this reason, it has a very cost effective way of obtaining valuable, original information about people and their opinions irrespective of distance. Using Omnibus survey is the most favorable choice when a limited budget is involved.

A Practical Way to Look at It

For a 12-question omnibus survey;

Organization 1 buys 4 questions to measure customer response to certain products.

Organization 2 buys 4 questions to find out the age group of potential customers

Organization 3 buys 4 questions to find out the favorite social media platforms of potential customers.

In this case each market research firm involved has exclusive access to the 4-question answers purchased by it. This means that market research firm 1 cannot have access to the information about the age group of potential customers and vice versa. Omnibus survey is programmed such that its surveys are answered by a large number of respondents.

Traditional Online Survey

Unlike an Omnibus survey, a traditional online survey is sponsored by one organization. This organization can work with a third party market research firm to design a questionnaire which ranges from 10 – 25 questions. The traditional online survey is not a shared cost survey and therefore, compared to the omnibus online survey it is not cost effective.

Another factor that differentiates a traditional online survey from an omnibus online survey is that their respondents are often a specific target market rather than a general population. In traditional online surveys, because the organization sponsors the entire survey they tend to ask more questions compare to an omnibus online survey.

You can watch this video for more details on how omnibus online surveys differ from the traditional online survey. As the choice of online survey to use vary in terms of objectives, and other factors, some popular objectives for traditional online surveys include:

1. Improving retention rates through the measurement of customer satisfaction.
2. Improving morale by measuring employee engagement.
3. Improving new products and services by engaging and understanding target consumers.

Benefit of Omnibus Online Survey over Traditional Online Survey

1. On every omnibus survey, demographic questions are added without incurring any cost to you. This allows you access to information about your respondents demographic group (i.e. age, gender, country, etc.).
2. An omnibus online survey is a shared cost survey and this makes it a more cost effective option relative to the traditional online survey.
3. Another benefit of the omnibus online survey is the quick timeline. In most cases, results can be obtained in 24 to 48 hours. On the contrary, it can take a few days to a few weeks to obtain results. Therefore, if you need results in a short period of time you can consider the omnibus online survey.

Your choice can be greatly determined based on different factors like your objective, time line, budget and others. It is safe to say there are no better surveys as they all have their benefits which all depend on what you need. You can check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survey_data_collection#Online_surveys for more details on online surveys.