Using the Internet for market research: a study of private trading on the Internet

At first sight, the Internet seems to offer the perfect vehicle for the con duct of market research. However, there are challenging methodological diff iculties in using this medium, and there is much yet to be learned. This pa per reviews the potentials and pitfalls involved. It then presents the resu lts of a study of private trading over the Internet and analyses approaches to the risks involved. Even a topic such as one involving a population of e-mail users, which should be ideal for research using the Internet, presen ts difficulties of sampling and self-selection that are difficult to overco me.