Our panel book and Esomar 37

ESOMAR 37

Q1: What experience does your company have in providing online samples for market research? How long have you been providing this service? Do you also provide similar services for other uses such as direct marketing? If so, what proportion of your work is for market research?

Established in May 2024, Riva Research specializes in gathering, analyzing, and delivering insights for businesses. We have earned a reputation as a trusted partner for market research agencies. Our leadership team is composed of industry veterans, each with over 15 years of experience in market research. We are dedicated solely to market research services and do not provide direct marketing solutions.

Leveraging a diverse range of reliable recruitment sources, we currently maintain a panel of over 3.5 million highly qualified active respondents across 36 countries. Beyond our proprietary panels, we offer access to additional panelists worldwide through our extensive network of trusted partners when needed. We excel in recruiting highly specific target audiences, including hard-to-reach respondents. Our commitment to quality ensures high-quality data and consistently representative survey results. Our client base includes more than 100+ market research agencies, media agencies, consultancies, institutions, and end clients.

Q2: Do you have staff with responsibility for developing and monitoring the performance of the sampling algorithms and related automated functions who also have knowledge and experience in this area? What sort of training in sampling techniques do you provide to your frontline staff?

At Riva Research, our tools are developed in-house by our team of IT specialists to ensure the highest quality and efficiency in data collection.

Riva Research utilizes an advanced proprietary Sample Management Tool, designed to construct complex samples based on specific population categories and expected distributions. This tool integrates multiple distribution variables and individual cross-combinations while adhering to panel usage guidelines, such as:

• Limiting the number of survey invitations per panelist per week.
• Avoiding multiple invitations to surveys within the same category.
• Excluding participants from studies they have previously completed.

By analyzing member activity history and project requirements stored in our database, the Riva Research Sample Management Tool accurately predicts both individual and overall sample response rates.

Our IT teams continuously monitor and enhance the performance of our sampling tools, ensuring optimal efficiency. Additionally, we provide ongoing in-house training for our teams, tailored to each country’s cultural sampling specifics. These training sessions are conducted by local experts to maintain the highest standards in market research.

Q3: What other services do you offer? Do you cover sample-only, or do you offer a broad range of data collection and analysis services?

In addition to online sampling, Riva Research offers a full range of services, including survey programming, hosting, translation, coding, data processing, and tabulation.

Our expertise covers quantitative, qualitative, and hybrid research methodologies, ensuring flexibility to meet diverse project needs.

Q4: Using the broad classifications above, from what sources of online sample do you derive participants?

Riva Research operates and manages proprietary panels across thirty-six countries. New participants are recruited through a diverse range of online sources, including strategic partnerships, public relations, advertisements, panelist referral programs, and email campaigns. All recruitment is conducted using permission-based techniques to ensure quality and compliance.

Additionally, we offer specialized panels through regular screenings, catering to specific sectors such as B2B, healthcare, kids & teens, and more.

Beyond our proprietary panels, we provide a tailored solution for reaching niche audiences that are not easily accessible through traditional panels due to their small population size. This approach leverages targeted recruitment via social media to ensure precise audience reach.

Q5: Which of these sources are proprietary or exclusive and what is the percent share of each in the total sample provided to a buyer? (Assume proprietary to mean that the sample provider owns the asset. Assume exclusive to mean that the sample provider has an exclusive agreement to manage/provide access to sample originally collected by another entity.)

Riva Research provides about 60% of the samples from our proprietary panel that we manage ourselves.

Q6: What recruitment channels are you using for each of the sources you have described? Is the recruitment process ‘open to all’ or by invitation only? Are you using probabilistic methods? Are you using affiliate networks and referral programs and in what proportions? How does your use of these channels vary by geography?

We recruit panelists through diverse channels, including search engines, affiliate marketing, referral programs, banner advertising, and social media. While we maintain a balanced mix of sources, the majority of our panelists come through affiliate marketing. Recruitment is open to individuals aged 16+, depending on the specific market. These recruitment methods are consistently applied across all markets.

Q7: What form of validation do you use in recruitment to ensure that participants are real, unique, and are who they say they are? Describe this both in terms of the practical steps you take within your own organization and the technologies you are using. Please try to be as specific and quantify as much as you can.

Registration follows a double opt-in process, ensuring authenticity and data quality. After signing up, panelists must confirm their registration by clicking a verification link sent to their email. This step helps prevent automated bot registrations.

To maintain data integrity, email addresses and IP addresses are verified, and any duplicate accounts are automatically deactivated. Additionally, the registrant’s IP address and browser user agent are cross-checked against the entire panel database to prevent fraudulent entries.

We conduct monthly quality check surveys to identify and remove panel members who provide inconsistent or unreliable responses, ensuring only high-quality participants receive future surveys.

Q8: What brand (domain) and/or app are you using with proprietary sources? Summarise, by source, the proportion of sample accessing surveys by mobile app, email or other specified means.

www.rivaresearch.com

Panel members can access and participate in surveys through various channels, including their account on a desktop, mobile app, email invitations, and the end pages of previously completed surveys. The distribution of participation methods varies by country and profile. On average, approximately 60% of respondents join via email invitations, 5% through the mobile app, 15% via end-page redirects, and 20% directly through their website account.

Q9: Which model(s) do you offer to deliver sample? Managed service, self-serve, or API integration?

We operate exclusively under a managed service model, allowing us to maintain full control over the invitation process and participant selection.

Q10: If offering intercepts, or providing access to more than one source, what level of transparency do you offer over the composition of your sample (sample sources, sample providers included in the blend). Do you let buyers control which sources of sample to include in their projects, and if so how? Do you have any integration mechanisms with third-party sources offered?

We do not offer direct client access, as we operate with a managed service model. We oversee all sources on our end, and if any restrictions are required, clients must notify us in advance. Since we do not provide API services, the control remains with us and is managed manually on a case-by-case basis.

Q11: Of the sample sources you have available, how would you describe the suitability of each for different research applications? For example, Is there sample suitable for product testing or other recruit/recall situations where the buyer may need to go back again to the same sample? Is the sample suitable for shorter or longer questionnaires? For mobile-only or desktop only questionnaires? Is it suitable to recruit for communities? For online focus groups?

Riva Research provides samples from proprietary panels, allowing us to accurately identify respondents and recontact them when needed. With our dedicated panel management system ensuring engaged and honest participants, we achieve high response and recontact rates, making our samples ideal for product testing and longitudinal research.

Our proprietary panels support both quantitative and qualitative research, accommodating various questionnaire lengths and formats, whether mobile-only, desktop-only, or cross-device surveys. If a client-scripted survey includes question types incompatible with smartphones or tablets, our internally developed device detection system ensures that respondents can only access the survey using a compatible device. If an unsuitable device is detected, the respondent is notified and given the option to restart on an appropriate device.

Additionally, Riva Research has extensive experience in recruiting for communities, online focus groups, and qualitative

For highly specific audiences that cannot be reached through traditional panels, we offer a niche sampling solution, leveraging targeted social media recruitment.

We do not use survey routers, ensuring clean and unbiased data collection.

Q12: Briefly describe your overall process from invitation to survey completion. What steps do you take to achieve a sample that "looks like" the target population? What demographic quota controls, if any, do you recommend?

Riva Research utilizes an advanced proprietary Sample Management Tool, enabling the creation of complex samples based on specific population categories and expected distribution. This tool can integrate numerous distribution variables and individual cross-combinations while adhering to panel usage guidelines, such as limiting the number of invitations per member per week, restricting invitations to surveys within the same category, and excluding members who have participated in previous studies.

By leveraging member activity history and project-specific data stored in our database, the Riva Research Sample Management Tool predicts both individual and overall response rates. Each panelist is assigned a probability score indicating their likelihood of participating in the next survey. Using this data, the tool selects the appropriate number of panelists to invite—both in total and for each variable—ensuring that the final survey participants align with the required distribution and meet the target structure objectives.

Riva Research reaches panel members through multiple support channels, including email, surveys published on their website account, or via the mobile app.

All survey responses are evaluated anonymously, meaning that answers are never linked to panelists’ names or addresses during analysis. Data is never shared with third parties and is used exclusively for market and social research.

Additionally, panel members are protected from unsolicited commercial emails or spam, ensuring a secure and trustworthy research experience.

Q13: What profiling information do you hold on at least 80% of your panel members plus any intercepts known to you through prior contact? How does this differ by the sources you offer? How often is each of those data points updated? Can you supply these data points as appends to the data set? Do you collect this profiling information directly or is it supplied by a third party?

At Riva Research, our participants provide key socio-demographic details during registration, including age, gender, education, employment status, income, family structure, household size, and number of children. To meet even the most specific targeting requirements, we utilize over 300 profiling criteria, which are continuously updated and expanded in-house. Members are regularly encouraged to review and update their profiles, with reminder campaigns sent at intervals ranging from every two weeks to a few months, depending on the profile type.

Q14: What information do you need about a project in order to provide an estimate of feasibility? What, if anything, do you do to give upper or lower boundaries around these estimates?

We will require the following information:

• Geographic Scope – Country, region, or city where the study will be conducted.
• Target Group Definition – Specific audience demographics and characteristics.
• Sample Specifications – Required sample size and segmentation details.
• Project Overview – Objectives, study type (quantitative/qualitative), and key requirements.
• Data Collection Methodology – Online panel, social media recruitment, phone surveys, etc.
• De-duplication Criteria – Any exclusions based on participation in previous studies.
• Personally Identifiable Information (PII) Collection – If applicable, details on handling and compliance.
• Device Compatibility – Mobile, desktop, or cross-device survey requirements.
• Screening & Questionnaire Details – Key qualifying questions and survey structure.
• Quota Breakdown – Distribution of respondents across different segments.
• Incidence Rate (IR) – Estimated percentage of eligible respondents within the target audience.
• Survey Length (LOI) – Estimated time required for completion.
• Fieldwork Timeline – Start and end dates for data collection.

Q15: What do you do if the project proves impossible for you to complete in field? Do you inform the sample buyer as to who you would use to complete the project? In such circumstances, how do you maintain and certify third party sources/sub-contractors?

For the vast majority of projects, we utilize our own panels. If we are unable to complete a project, we take all necessary measures to ensure its successful completion. This may include requesting a fieldwork extension from the client, adjusting quotas and screening criteria, or increasing incentives for panelists. However, in certain cases where feasibility requires it, we may collaborate with third-party sources. When doing so, transparency is a top priority.

The Riva Research sourcing team follows a rigorous vetting process to select external partners before integrating them into our supply network. Each partner must demonstrate compliance with our quality standards and ensure their panels are robust enough to meet project requirements.

Q16: Do you employ a survey router or any yield management techniques?

Riva Research invites participants directly to surveys, maintaining full control over the selection process. Our panelists receive invitations through email, mobile app notifications, SMS, and their member account dashboard.

Q17: Do you set limits on the amount of time a participant can be in the router before they qualify for a survey?

Riva Research does not use a router.

Q18: What information about a project is given to potential participants before they choose whether to take the survey or not? How does this differ by the sources you offer?

We provide our proprietary panel participants with the following key information:

• Survey Details – Topic or category of the survey.
• Length of Interview – Estimated time to complete the survey.
• Reward Information – The amount or type of reward offered.
• Survey Instructions – Clear guidelines on how to participate.
• Survey Link – Direct link to access the survey.
• Unsubscribe Link – Option to opt out from future surveys.
• Help Link – Support resources for any survey-related issues.
• Terms & Conditions Link – Access to the full terms and conditions.
• Privacy Policy Link – Information on how personal data is handled.

Q19: Do you allow participants to choose a survey from a selection of available surveys? If so, what are they told about each survey that helps them to make that choice?

Participants have the option to choose from available surveys if they have received multiple invitations. The number of invitations sent to our panelists is carefully monitored to ensure they are neither over-solicited nor under-solicited.

In their accounts, participants can view the following details for each available survey:

• Estimated survey length.
• Incentive offered for completing the survey.
• Survey end date.
• Compatible devices for completing the survey.

Q20: What ability do you have to increase (or decrease) incentives being offered to potential participants (or sub-groups of participants) during the course of a survey? If so, can this be flagged at the participant level in the dataset?

Participants earn cash or loyalty points for each completed survey, which can be redeemed for rewards such as gifts, vouchers, donations, or bank transfers. The incentive amount is determined by the survey length, with adjustments made for significant changes during fieldwork to reflect the effort required.

If we notice a significant variation in interview length, we may modify the incentive to ensure it aligns with the effort involved. We adhere to strict guidelines for calculating incentives based on survey duration, making changes only when substantial variations occur.

Q21: Do you measure participant satisfaction at the individual project level? If so, can you provide normative data for similar projects (by length, by type, by subject, by target group)?

We do not measure participant satisfaction at the project level, but we offer ongoing helpdesk support and encourage panelists to provide feedback. This helps us enhance the user experience and satisfaction. We actively monitor and respond to their feedback.

Q22: Do you provide a debrief report about a project after it has completed? If yes, can you provide an example?

We can provide this information upon request, including details such as invitations sent, channel reports, response rates, qualifications, terminations, dropouts, quota completion, field reports, conversion rates, incidence rates, rejection rates, and the median interview length, among others.

Q23: How often can the same individual participate in a survey? How does this vary across your sample sources? What is the mean and maximum amount of time a person may have already been taking surveys before they entered this survey? How do you manage this?

Participant response rates and activity are stored in our database, ensuring that panelists are neither over-solicited nor under-solicited. Depending on the target group, we typically achieve an average completion rate of 3 surveys per month after sending them approximately 25-30 surveys per month.

Our system allows for exclusions based on factors such as previous category participation, previous project involvement, or the time elapsed since their last completed survey. Riva Research continuously recruits and manages panel members allowing us to have full control over all participant solicitations. Our panels are not accessible through marketplaces, and we do not use a router for survey distribution.

Q24: What data do you maintain on individual participants such as recent participation history, date(s) of entry, source/channel, etc.? Are you able to supply buyers with a project analysis of such individual-level data? Are you able to append such data points to your participant records?

Riva Research has detailed user data available, including registration date, recruitment source, survey participation history, credentials, and more. We can provide our clients with aggregated, anonymized, or pseudonymized demographic information (e.g., age, gender, region) of survey participants. Riva Research strictly adheres to GDPR and local regulations, and under no circumstances will we disclose confidential information of individual members.

Q25: Please describe your procedures for the confirmation of participant identity at the project level. Please describe these procedures as they are implemented at the point of entry to a survey or router.

At Riva Research, quality is a top priority, and we implement multiple checks throughout the entire panel lifecycle to ensure respondents are genuine and unique.

At survey entry, we conduct the following checks:

• Geo IP Check: Verifies that the member is in the correct country.
• Automatic Device Detection: Redirects members to the appropriate entry page if they are on the wrong device.
• Duplicate Check on Cookies: Ensures participants only complete a survey once.
• Speed and Plausibility Checks: Detects and eliminates fast responders or “happy clickers” using trap questions when requested.
• Consistency Checks: Real-time verification of screening question consistency against qualifications.
• Authenticity Checks: ReCAPTCHA on full-service projects.

Q26: How do you manage source consistency and blend at the project level? With regard to trackers, how do you ensure that the nature and composition of sample sources remain the same over time? Do you have reports on blends and sources that can be provided to buyers? Can source be appended to the participant data records?

For most surveys, Riva Research uses its own proprietary panels. Our sampling tool ensures participants are contacted at an optimal frequency, neither too often nor too rarely. For specific needs, we may collaborate with pre-selected external vendors to complete surveys. All external partners are carefully vetted by our sourcing team before being added to our supply network. All vendors providing samples for Riva Research must share industry-standard information about their company, and their sample quality is continuously monitored. For tracker studies, we ensure a consistent distribution of panelists across waves. Quotas per vendor are defined in advance and adhered to during fieldwork. We keep the number of panels involved in each survey to a minimum, and every participant source is logged in our database. Upon request, Riva Research can provide the names of sample sources used for any survey.

Q27: Please describe your participant/member quality tracking, along with any health metrics you maintain on members/participants, and how those metrics are used to invite, track, quarantine, and block people from entering the platform, router, or a survey. What processes do you have in place to compare profiled and known data to in-survey responses?

On a monthly basis, Riva Research measures various key metrics related to panel activity, including:

• Panel Size – Total panelists across different countries
• Participant Activity – Invitations sent, participations, completions, and screen-outs
• Participation Channels – Website, app, email, and end pages
• Point/Incentive Redemption – Tracking of redeemed rewards
• Panelist Behavior – Identifying quality issues and blacklisted members
• Depth of Profiling Data – Analyzing participant demographics and attributes
• KPIs for Target Groups – Tracking performance metrics for specific groups

The Riva Research panel management team closely monitors these metrics and takes corrective action when needed. Members who do not meet our quality standards are blocked from future participation. This includes individuals with inconsistent qualification data, those failing quality checks at registration or survey stages, or those exhibiting suspicious behavior during points redemption.

Q28: For work where you program, host, and deliver the survey data, what processes do you have in place to reduce or eliminate undesired in-survey behaviors?

Riva Research monitors the quality of responses for every panelist throughout their participation in our surveys, using the following checks:

• Speed Checks: Eliminates participants who complete surveys too quickly.
• Variance Checks: Identifies and removes participants with contradictory answers.
• Plausibility Checks: Excludes participants providing illogical or unreliable responses.
• Duplicate Checks: Detects participants with similar addresses, IPs, or identical browser configurations.
• Cookie Check: Ensures that members only participate once in a survey.
• GEO IP Check: Verifies that the participant belongs to the correct panel country.

These measures help us maintain high-quality, reliable data.

Q29: Please provide the link to your participant privacy notice (sometimes referred to as a privacy policy) as well as a summary of the key concepts it addresses.

https://rivaresearch.com/privacy-policy

Q30: How do you comply with key data protection laws and regulations that apply in the various jurisdictions in which you operate?

Our data protection program complies with international and local regulations, including the EU-U.S. and Swiss-U.S. Privacy Shield Frameworks, GDPR, and ISO privacy standards. Panelists must agree to our privacy policy to join the panel, and their consent is logged whenever their data is shared with third parties. This ensures they understand how their data will be used for research purposes. We store panelist data on secure servers, accessible only to authorized personnel, and do not share personally identifiable information without consent. Our websites and servers are secured with an SSL certificate.

Q31: How can participants provide, manage and revise consent for the processing of their personal data? What support channels do you provide for participants?

Participants provide their personal data during registration (profiling questions) and throughout surveys. They can access and update their data at any time or revise consent for processing their personal data. This can be done through various channels, as outlined in the Riva Research Privacy Policy, including an online form, email, or letter. We offer personalized support to our participants via contact form, email, or phone, with assistance available in their local language.

Q32: How do you track and comply with other applicable laws and regulations, such as those that might impact the incentives paid to participants?

At Riva Research, our internal experts are knowledgeable about local and international laws and regulations, ensuring full compliance. Any changes are closely monitored and implemented accordingly. Our panelists' incentive system is based on either a points system or cash payments, depending on the panel they are registered with. Detailed information about our incentive system can be found in our privacy policies.

Q33: What is your approach to collecting and processing the personal data of children and young people?

Children, as defined by the laws of each territory, are not eligible to join our panel or participate in our surveys. However, if we need to contact minors according to local laws, we obtain parental consent before allowing them to enter the survey. We adhere to national and regional regulations, including GDPR, COPPA, ESOMAR, MRS Guidelines, and the guidelines set by national and international market research associations.

Q34: Do you implement “data protection by design” in your systems and processes?

Riva Research ensures that privacy and data protection principles are fully integrated into our processes and systems from the outset. All our technology is developed in-house by our R&D teams, allowing us complete control and the ability to quickly adapt to any changes.

Q35: What are the key elements of your information security compliance program?

Riva Research is not directly certified under ISO 27001 or SOC 2. However, our infrastructure is hosted by third-party providers that comply with ISO 27001 standards, ensuring robust security measures across people, processes, organization, and technology.

Q36: Do you certify to or comply with a quality framework such as ISO 20252?

No, however, we are applying for this.

Q37: Which of the following are you able to provide to buyers, in aggregate and by country and source?

Upon client request, we can provide detailed information on our panel structure, completion rates, and feasibility. Since this data is constantly evolving, we share it only on demand to ensure accuracy and relevance.