Market research glossary
New to the market research world? Keen researcher looking to brush up on your terminology? The FieldworkHub glossary is here to help you understand common methods and concepts used across the industry, so you can gain better understanding of the tools we use that drive smarter business decisions.
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ICC
International Chamber of Commerce. Joint publisher of the ICC/ESOMAR Code of Marketing and Social Research Practice.
Implicit Association Testing (IAT)
A research technique that measures subconscious attitudes and biases by analysing reaction times to different stimuli. It is commonly used in brand perception and consumer psychology studies.
In-Depth Interview (IDI)
Also known as a Depth Interview. An unstructured or semi-structured qualitative interview that probes detailed aspects of attitudes, needs, wants and behaviours. This type of interview is typically undertaken with consumers when the subject matter is sensitive or emotive and therefore inappropriate for larger forums such as focus groups. They are often used in B2B and healthcare market research to gather very specific and detailed feedback from respondents who are experts in their field.
Incentive
A monetary or non-monetary reward given to a market research participant to thank them for giving up their time to take part. Also referred to as an honorarium in B2B and healthcare market research.
Incidence rate
The proportion of the target population that qualify to take part in the study, based on the screening criteria that have been set. This is a key cost driver for market research as it determines the number of people who need to be screened to select the sample. To reduce unnecessary screening, the target population is typically narrowed as far as possible based on information that the research agency already holds about potential respondents such as their age, location, profession or household composition. Note that in healthcare research, incidence rate refers to the rate of newly diagnosed cases in a given period (typically a year). The proportion of people living with a condition, whether newly diagnosed or not, is referred to as prevalence.
Insight
The conclusions drawn from the analysis of research data.
Intercept
An intercept is a form of voxpop used for gathering public opinion. Often conducted in the street and captured on video, interviewers will approach random members of the public to obtain their raw, spontaneous thoughts on a particular topic.