About Dunwoody reporter. (Sandy Springs, GA) 20??-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 2, 2021)
FEBRUARY 2021 ■ www.ReporterNewspapers.net Doing Business | 5 Doing Business | Sandy Springs startup aims to revolutionize market research “Market research” and “customer en gagement” are terms that may conjure up images of focus-group meeting rooms and dinnertime robo-calls. A Sandy Springs startup aims to revolutionize the indus try with an app that instantly pays vetted users to answer questions in real time via their cellphones. In the IQ system, companies cannot not only ask questions or offer surveys, but also ask for photos and videos, and target users based on their locations at the moment. Want to see where every user wearing a certain brand of sneakers is on a live map of metro Atlanta? Want to send a coupon to every user at the big game? Those creative uses and more are possible through the IQ app. Meanwhile, every user who responds gets part of the $l-per-answer fee, either to their bank account or to their favorite charity. (Disclosure: The Reporter previous ly partnered with IQ to conduct reader sur veys on topical issues.) After several years of development, IQ says it has over 1 million users and is in a higher-profile phase. The Reporter asked CEO and founder Keith Rinzler about the startup. For more information, see lQ.com. Tell us about the app. How does it work? IQ is not simply a survey app. It’s a rev olutionary market research and custom er engagement platform that is changing the way companies conduct consumer re search and interact with customers. IQ al lows companies to engage with an audi ence in real-time based on who they are or where they are by sending questions, sur veys, pictures, videos, polls or promotion al offers to their mobile phones. Consum ers love engaging with IQ because we are the only company operating in the analyt ics and insights marketplace that pays con sumers instantly per response. We started building IQ nearly six years ago, but we’ve really taken off in the past two to three years. We've experienced in credible growth, are being used on a regu lar basis by many of America’s largest com panies, and have over 1 million consumers who have signed up to be paid instantly for their responses. How did you come to be based here in San dy Springs? My family has been in the Atlan ta area for five generations, so starting a business here made all the sense in the world. There’s so much talent in the At lanta area, and it’s only growing year af ter year. Thanks to Georgia Tech and initia tives like the Georgia Research Alliance, It’s one of the best places to start a tech busi ness anywhere in the country. As for Sandy Springs, it’s a terrific central location with in the greater Atlanta area that’s easy to access for all of our team members. What do you offer that other demographic com panies don’t? For starters, even com pared to market research competitors that have strong demographic pro files of respondents, our platform is particularly targeted and precise. But we've been working on the IQ platform for years, and every client has their own favorite feature. A number love our highly sophisticated geotargeting capabilities that let you zero in on customers who have vis ited their stores within a specific time pe riod. Others appreciate our commitment to data quality and making sure there are no “bots” or professional survey takers on the platform who are more concerned with making money than answering truthfully. And then there are those who appreciate the radical simplicity and transparency of our platform - there’s clear pricing, no con tracts, and literally anyone can use it to get answers to their questions by visiting lQ.com. The list goes on, in cluding real-time respons es that produce mean ingful results in minutes instead of days, the abili ty to re-contact the same respondents to dig deeper on insights, and the abili ty to get feedback on vid eo, audio, image and even get consumers to send you pictures. On the oth er hand, for people who answer questions, they love getting paid instantly for each question they an swer and they have the op tion to donate the money they earn to char ities. It’s a win-win for everyone involved. What types of businesses are using the service? Our clients come in all shapes, sizes and sectors. They include Fortune 500 compa- Continued on page 6 SPECIAL Keith Rinzler, CEO and founder of IQ. INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS it'swhatwedo. JK Perimeter Community IMPROVEMENT DISTRICTS For over two decades, the Perimeter Community Improvement Districts has invested in access, mobility, and sense of place projects to create a signature destination for corporate headquarters, hospitality, and retail. Learn more about how we improve quality of life in Central Perimeter, visit perimetercid.org
