Online market research is an essential part of any business, as it helps companies gain valuable insights into their target audience, competitors, and industry trends. In today's digital age, there are many tools available to help businesses conduct market research online. In this article, we'll take a look at some of the most popular tools used by market research companies and marketing research companies.

One of the most widely used tools for online market research is survey software. Survey software allows businesses to create and distribute surveys to a large number of respondents, either through email or online platforms such as social media. This makes it easy for market research companies and marketing research companies to gather data on consumer opinions, preferences, and demographics. Some popular survey software options include SurveyMonkey, Qualtrics, and Google Forms.

Another popular tool for online market research is social media listening. Social media listening involves monitoring social media platforms for mentions of a brand, product, or industry. This can help market research companies and marketing research companies identify what people are saying about their brand, as well as gain insights into the conversations and trends in their industry. Some popular social media listening tools include Hootsuite, Sprout Social, and Brand watch.

A third tool that is commonly used in online market research is web analytics. Web analytics tools, such as Google Analytics, allow businesses to track and analyze data on website traffic, user behaviour, and conversions. This can help market research companies and marketing research companies understand how users interact with their websites, and identify areas for improvement.

The online market research also includes web scraping. Web scraping is the process of extracting data from websites. This can be used by market research companies and marketing research companies to gather data on competitors, prices, and product information. Some popular web scraping tools include Scrapy, ParseHub, and Import.io.

Finally, market research companies and marketing research companies also use research panels. Research panels are groups of individuals who have agreed to participate in market research studies. These can be used to gather data on consumer opinions and preferences. Research panels can be accessed through online platforms such as Survey Junkie and Toluna.

In conclusion, there are many tools available to help businesses conduct market research online. Survey software, social media listening, web analytics, web scraping and research panels are some of the most popular tools used by market research companies and marketing research companies. These tools allow businesses to gather valuable insights into their target audience, competitors, and industry trends, which can help inform strategic business decisions. By using these tools, market research companies and marketing research companies can help businesses stay competitive and make data-driven decisions.