The internet is a fantastic thing – it has helped us in so many aspects of our lives, including business. Today, data is the next big thing in the world of business, and there’s no better way of getting data than scouring the depths of the web. After all, the amount of data on the internet is growing exponentially.
There are many ways data can be used to enhance business results. One of the areas where data leaves countless opportunities is market research – and the most effective way to extract large amounts of data for research is web scraping, a technique enabled by web proxies.
Here’s how they work and a few reasons why you should use proxies.
What are Proxies and How They are Generally Used
Web proxies are servers that let people send requests through them. At the same time, the IP address used for that request comes from the proxy. In other words, when you send requests to a website, it will see the IP of the proxy and won’t be able to trace the action back to you.
Neat, right? Well, there’s more. We mentioned in the beginning that proxies are essential for web scraping. Scraping is the automated extraction of designated datasets on the web.
Proxies allow them to function effectively as sites won’t block your scraper and help it go around any geo-block. At the same time, proxies let you run any number of sessions on a specific website. Here are the five reasons why you should use proxies for market research.
1. Proxies Guarantee Accurate Data
Data accuracy is essential for market research. To make the right predictions and find what your target market looks like, you need high-quality data that’s accurate. Proxies guarantee that all the data you need will be gathered.
You won’t miss out on any important piece of information, letting you get a clear picture of how the market looks. At the same time, proxies combined with scrapping make sure that you get usable data in a structured fashion.
2. You Can Track Your Competition
When looking at a target market, you need to take into account the competing companies. In other words, you need to know what your competition is doing right or wrong. Proxies allow you to collect data about brands, their prices, discounts, marketing keywords, and so much more.
You can learn why others are doing so well and establish a similar approach with improvements to reach your target market. Your competitors have likely protected their sites from scraping, but with a good proxy server, you can access vital information about different aspects of their work.
3. Analyze Pricing and Find a Gap
We mentioned gathering pricing information can be useful to keep tabs on your competition. You can see the average prices for a certain product and how they relate to sale numbers, as well as how much others are charging for similar products.
This information lets you always stay competitive with your prices. In certain business industries, it’s not about quality or branding. People sometimes simply want to get the best deal possible. Proxies can let you increase your sales quickly.
4. Gather Valuable Demographics
Demographics are the key for extensive market research. You need to know your target market, who the people interested in your service/products are, their pain points, what they do, where they live, their habits, and so on.
Keeping up with trends in terms of interests change quickly. You need to do similar scraping repeatedly to compare results and notice trends early on. Since proxies allow unlimited data extraction, they are perfect for this job.
5. Discover Negative Brand Mentions Early
Knowing how your competition stands on the market is a good thing. However, you also need to know where your brand stands. The internet is a large place, and you can’t always find what people are saying about your brand, but with proxies and web scraping, you can. It’s important to find those negative brand mentions for two reasons:
- So that you can address them early on, respond to them and try to fix the damage as much as possible.
- So that you can know what people don’t like about your brand and change this in the future.
Customers are always right. Make sure to address the issues they have with your brand and make a more positive reputation online.
Summary
Given the fact that modern market research practices are deeply tied to having the right data, it’s important to find an effective way to extract accurate data. If you are interested in starting using proxies for market research, we suggest you check Oxylabs’ market research web page. At the same time, proxies can protect your brand and prevent anyone from figuring out your plans to attack the market. Read More 5 Affordable Marketing Tools Every Small Business Can Opt For
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