No industry is short of abbreviations and acronyms. Those working in the field for 10+ years may use these repeatedly not understanding that a newcomer to the industry may have no clue as to what you're talking about. Market research is no different, so here are a few acronyms we commonly use with a short definition of each.
DNQ (Did Not Qualify)
This is a term often used in a survey or recruitment log in which the respondent file is noted to indicate the disqualified based on the requirements of the study (possibly things like age, product usage, awareness of brands.)
OQ (Over Quota)
This 2-letter acronym is used to show that a specific group of recruited individuals is over sampled for your focus group or survey. OQ might be referenced in a situation where you wanted only 100 completes from a specific county but received 104.
DMA (Designated Market Area)
This term is often used in terms of sampling. A DMA makes up a geographies major media market and consists of several counties and populations. Locally, the Syracuse DMA is made up of a 7-county area.
RDD (Random Digit Dialing)
A form of telephone surveying in which each of the digits are chosen at random. By using this methodology the call center will achieve a representative sample of listed and unlisted numbers.
HUT (Home Usage Test or IHUT - In-Home Usage Test)
This is a methodology in which a moderator or interviewer visits the home of the participant to observe or ask questions about a product or service in his or her natural environment.
This blog was based on a post from MarketingResearchAdvisor.com in June 2016. Drive Research is a market research company near Rochester, NY. Questions about market research or how we can help you collect data, obtain insights from customers, and take action to increase revenue streams? Visit our contact us page.