Web traffic
At most firms, analysts set research agendas in close cooperation with clients, design surveys, analyse findings, and write research. They may also conduct the surveys themselves, or they may work with third parties or interns to perform the data collection. Increasingly, analyst firms and their subcontractors employ online survey tools and offshoring to reduce research costs and turnaround time. In some cases, analyst firms are mining new sources of information from research partners, like consumer cell phone bills, RFID-enabled point of sale data, and analytics on Web traffic.