ESOMAR 37 Questions & Answers

What experience does your company have in providing online samples for market research?

Yamada Research has operated since 2009, providing online research services across Asia, the UK, and Europe. Yamada currently supplies samples for market research purposes only and has no plans to diversify beyond this focus.

Please describe and explain the type(s) of online sample sources from which you get respondents.

Rather than relying on algorithms, Yamada employs project managers who perform sampling manually. Every new hire completes a documented three-month training programme, supported by regular refresher courses.

What other services do you offer? Do you provide fieldwork, tabulation, or analysis?

Alongside sample, Yamada provides field services, data tabulation, and advanced data analysis — including cluster analysis, segmentation, regression analysis, and multi-factor analysis — through to final reporting.

Using the broad classifications above, from what sources of online sample do you derive participants?

Yamada relies primarily on its proprietary sources. It periodically obtains sample from trusted partners and, for employee surveys and satisfaction studies, works from client-provided data lists.

Which of these sources are proprietary or exclusive and what is the percentage share of each in a typical sample?

The individuals who make up the Yamada Research database are our sole and exclusive property. We rarely request contributions from external collaborators.

What recruitment method do you use? Describe the specific method(s) used to recruit participants.

Yamada recruits openly rather than through probabilistic methods. To reduce any bias that may result from a particular source of recruitment, the composition of recruitment affiliates is varied regularly.

What data quality and validation methods do you use to verify participant identity at registration?

Automated checks cross-reference submitted information against internal databases and known bad actors, using IP address checks, digital fingerprinting, and verification of physical details.

What is the general or main sample source from which participants are drawn (e.g. proprietary panel, domain)?

Yamada Research is accessed via our member website — www.yamadaresearch.com and www.ymdonline.com — as well as by email invitation.

Which model(s) do you offer for sample delivery — managed service, self-serve, or an API?

Yamada offers managed-service delivery exclusively, ensuring every survey is sampled with the care and consideration it deserves.

If sample is blended from multiple sources, how do you maintain transparency about its composition?

Sample blending is used only for specialised needs. Only sample providers who have been verified through the Yamada Research supplier onboarding system are used.

What types of research and applications is your sample suitable for?

Yamada accommodates recall studies, varying questionnaire lengths, and multiple devices, as well as qualitative research including focus groups and online communities.

Describe the process from receiving an invitation to completing a survey.

Sample selection is driven by survey criteria and participation history. The most efficient sampling technique is determined at the project's inception.

What profiling information do you hold on participants, and how current is it?

Members can complete over 800 profile fields. Yamada uses its MiniPoll tool for real-time profiling questions, with custom pre-screening added when a project requires it.

What information do you need in order to give an accurate feasibility estimate?

To provide a feasibility estimate, Yamada needs the target completion count, specifications, incidence rate, fieldwork timeline, quotas, survey duration, and technical details. Where incidence is unknown, it can typically be gathered within 24 hours of the initial quote.

What do you do if you cannot complete a project as originally scoped?

When Yamada cannot complete fieldwork alone, it engages third-party providers filtered through the same quality standards, with automated scripts detecting any potential overlap between sources.

Do you use a survey router or yield-management system?

We don't use survey routers.

What time limits, if any, does the router apply?

Not applicable — Yamada does not operate a survey router.

What information about a project is given to participants before they take part?

Before starting, participants are shown the survey length, topic, reward amount, deadline, and recommended equipment. Any additional instructions specific to a given survey can also be displayed.

How do participants choose which surveys to take?

Individual members receive targeted invitations based on eligibility and profiling, and can view all of their invited surveys on the member dashboard.

Are you able to adjust incentives during fieldwork, and can you report incentive levels?

Yamada can adjust incentive offers during fieldwork and, where feasibility deviates significantly, can identify participants' incentive levels within the final dataset.

Do you measure participant satisfaction, and how?

Surveys include a feedback section that feeds a normative database, organised by survey length, research design, and subject matter.

What information do you provide in a post-project debrief?

Post-project debriefs cover incidence rates, quota fulfilment and screen-out behaviour, and any anecdotal feedback — provided routinely or on request.

How do you manage how often a participant may take part in surveys?

There are no strict caps, though over-invitation is carefully managed. Lockout periods are applied on a case-by-case basis for specific topics or timeframes.

What participation and history data do you maintain on each individual?

Yamada records each panel member's involvement individually, tracking participation history, entry dates, sources, and channels.

What procedures do you use to confirm participant identity at the point of a survey?

Every online survey Yamada hosts is put through rigorous data-integrity procedures, regardless of whether Yamada also supplied the sample. Respondents who repeatedly deliver poor-quality data have their accounts deleted.

How do you ensure consistency when sample is drawn from more than one source?

Third-party respondents undergo the same masking and quality control as proprietary members. Sources are tagged internally but not disclosed to clients unless requested.

How do you track quality and the ongoing health of your sample?

Custom scripts monitor response consistency against previous surveys and profile data. A respondent is removed from our panel if we detect too many quality problems.

What processes do you use to reduce poor in-survey behaviour?

Semi-automated and manual checks identify random responding, logical inconsistencies, excessive non-response, inaccurate or incomplete answers, and speeding.

Please provide a link to your privacy notice.

The Yamada Research privacy policy sets out how we collect, use, and protect personal data, and is accessible throughout the membership website.

How do you comply with applicable data protection laws and regulations?

Yamada works with a dedicated Data Protection Officer to ensure compliance across jurisdictions, with leadership meeting the DPO monthly to keep standards current.

How do participants manage their consent and personal data?

Members manage their information through the profile section, or contact member support by email for consent adjustments and data-access requests.

How do you keep up to date with the laws that apply to your business?

Yamada is a member of ESOMAR and stays current with the publications and recommendations it produces in order to maintain regulatory compliance.

How do you handle the collection of data from children and young people?

Yamada maintains a sub-panel of more than 50,000 children aged 6–15. Parental permission is required before conducting any online survey with minors.

How is data protection by design and by default implemented?

All of Yamada Research's systems adhere to the most recent GDPR and data-protection requirements, and members are assigned anonymised, encrypted IDs for each survey.

How do you comply with information security requirements?

Yamada is certified to ISO/IEC 27001 for information security management and employs firewalls, encryption, IP-based permissions, CCTV, and physical access controls across its secure servers.

Is your company certified against any quality framework?

Yamada has maintained its ISO 9001:2015 certification every year since 2009 and is also certified to ISO/IEC 27001 for information security. We are currently working toward ISO 20252, the international market research quality standard.

What metrics can you report, and can they be broken down by country and source?

Yamada uses a range of reporting and business-intelligence tools. Exportable metrics include completions, conversion rates, pricing, and costs, aggregated by client, supplier, or location.