Gongos Research Launches SmartFly(TM) Beta

AUBURN HILLS, MI--(Marketwire - Sep 5, 2012) - Gongos Research launches SmartFly™ Live Mobile Ethnography Beta, as announced today by Vice President, Research Innovation Greg Heist. This new smartphone-based qualitative method allows market researchers to interact live with consumers in 4G-enabled environments. To date, the platform has been tested in research for a global skincare company, an in-vehicle study, and will be leveraged for a major retailer in September.

"SmartFly opens a new window to consumers' worlds in a way that we've yet to achieve with mobile and traditional methods," says Heist. "It will change the way we conduct ethnography, taking full advantage of the efficiency and immediacy afforded by the device that has become an extension of us as humans -- the smartphone."

Similar to traditional in-person ethnography, SmartFly illuminates the whys behind in-the-moment consumer behavior. The difference -- and advantage -- of live mobile ethnography, however, is its ability to minimize the "observer effect," where a third-party presence in home environments can alter the authentic behavior of respondents. 

Beyond in-home ethnographies, SmartFly will support and augment additional qualitative research methods, such as in-store evaluations, at-event sponsorship assessments, and lifestyle exploration via journals and bulletin boards. SmartFly further supports the company's triMobile approach to research, which provides full-spectrum mobile research via mobile surveys, mobile-enabled iCommunities, and mobile qualitative methods.

Until 4G-enabled smartphones and LTE networks expand nationwide, SmartFly will be available on a limited basis. In the interim, Gongos Research offers coverage in select major markets through the use of company-owned hot spot technology.

Based on a desire to create impact for its clients, Gongos Research uses both innovative and foundational approaches to consumer research. Its research practice areas blend a hands-on, yet consultative style to synthesize findings and shape consumer stories. Proprietary offerings, including gongos Mobile and Consumer Village, are guided by its research innovation team which continually develops new ways to gain consumer perspective in a changing world.

Gongos Research has worked with companies such as Hallmark Cards, MasterFoods, Best Buy, U.S. Bank, Visa, GM and Chrysler. In 2007, the company was first named to the Inc. 5000 list of "The Fastest Growing Companies in America," and is among the Honomichl Top 50 U.S. marketing research organizations. For further insight into the Gongos culture, visit gongos.com.