If conventional methodologies have effectively run their race then perhaps it is time to introduce a privacy friendly opt-in database that is not only representative but also capable of providing the basis for a large number of market research exercises over a 12 months period.
Online research has been effectively ruled out by many serious research users (for other than customer research) until now due to unreliability of online access panel databases, the inability of researchers to randomly contact respondents online (Spamming), dubious databases based on respondent self selection and lower than acceptable internet penetration. All of these and many more issues are being addressed by the Esomar professional Standards Committee ay the present time.

As noted in Research World, Feb. 2005:

“Online consumer panels are becoming increasingly important in market research… the rising refusal rate in telephone and personal interview makes it more difficult and expensive to recruit for a single survey but also less reliable from a methodological perspective.”