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Nevertheless, it should be noticed that Internet research is likely to become the most preferable source of information since more and more people gain access to the Internet who surf Internet for the information on brands, products and services, so that traditional research may slightly lose its strength in the near future. It is projected that $488.9 million will be spent on online research in 2002, according to Inside Research, what is about four times more than was spent in 1999. (Promo staff, Promotion Research: Good Measures) There are companies that have already begun input research into their own promotions where "sweeps entrants are asked for household information, prize preferences, shopping behavior, and other insights easily aggregated and analyzed online." (Promo staff, Research: Reaching Beyond Scanners) The companies entering into BtoB (business-to-business) or BtoC (business-to-consumer) online commerce receive an instant access to communicate with its customers directly. "Pete Blackshaw, CEO of Planetfeedback.com says that the Internet is one of the world's most powerful focus group." (Promo staff, Research: Reaching Beyond Scanners) He also points out that "marketers will end up spending far less on market research because the cost per transaction is much lower". Best Practices LLC, a firm specializing in research and consulting, has recently made a statement in Broker magazine that online research is an excellent way to learn deeper about the customers if the companies are aimed at successful market research. "In the areas of gathering information, using e-marketing allows companies to track, capture and internally distribute customer information, as well as share information across service and marketing functions." (Broker Magazine, Net Research Allows for Target Marketing) The leading companies as a result are interested to build own databases for instant access and analysis of the data allowing the marketers to be prepared for a change and make more accurate strategic decisions than ever before.
