Online Respondent Database provides a tremendous scope for conducting both customized and syndicated marketing research studies using internet as the medium.
Interactive and networking power of internet and applications of relational database Management (RDBMS) open up new avenues for conducting marketing Research studies more efficient and cost effective.

To cope with the varying demands of high-tech business environment and to keep pace with the changes in technology in the communication era, it is imperative to develop online research methods catering to multifarious business problems. In the fast track of current information & communication age, online and interactive research methods are bound to offer quick fix solutions to the ever-changing business problems in a short time span.
Synchronization of customized and syndicated Marketing Research solutions online is a very powerful way of extracting and analyzing information now. The speed of computers can be best utilized with computer aided information gathering, processing, analysis tools and other tailor-made solutions.

Syndicated Research reports when integrated into the database management systems giving online interactivity and access to the users, will serve as a 'Goldmine of knowledge' to the decision makers. For example, constantly updated syndicated data regarding the movement of consumer goods through super markets in different geographic locations would supply various information inputs for strategic planning and decision making on marketing of a company's product. Similarly, tracking of changes and trends in consumer's habits and lifestyle using online marketing research methods will help companies to be more competitive.

Again, at an organizational level, combining online database system with MIS and Knowledge Management can generate a wholesome information stream comprising of historical and current data. The speed at which information is being processed and communication sent is going to be the benchmark of competency among organizations in the transient business environment of today.

World wide web offers tremendous scope for customized market research solutions to organizations. With the emergence of e-commerce transactions and internet advertising, a virtual economy has been created pushing the concepts of ‘space and time’ into oblivion.

Marketing Research using online methods are less expensive, less time consuming, and more accurate. Online panel methods, Online Focus Groups, Gallop polls are effective methods to extract information from the target crowd.
Creation of Online Respondent Data-base (ORD) is a powerful method of conducting research though net. The respondents are selected using various segmentation criteria viz, demographic, geographic, psychographic, use-related and the like. Combination of online and offline methods are used to check the profile of respondents before qualifying them as 'eligible respondents' to form the database. .This database is updated periodically by the database administrator to keep the respondent's status live. The right kind of respondents for a product category or service can be selected from the ORD, depending on the nature of study, in order to elicit information inputs. The same database can be used for both customized and syndicated research needs.

Advantages of ORD are many. Basically, it provides easy access to the respondent and eliminates the need of investigators. Clear and effective communication is possible using illustrations and interactive methods. Data collection is fast and less expensive in this method. The scope for bias is also limited in this method and respondents can attend the survey at their convenience. Another notable advantage of ORD is that, manufacturing companies can selectively buy or subscribe the exact number of respondent profiles relevant to their products or services from the ORD vendor and conduct their own customized surveys or studies without the help of a full-fledged marketing research agency. The main drawback is that applicability of ORD is limited only to the net users.