eWorld Research: Delivering effective online market research in Latin America.

Both Internet marketers and "bricks and mortar" companies rely on eWorldResearch for fast and accurate online research in Latin America.

From in-depth usability studies that help companies evaluate their web sites to traditional consumer surveys using online technology, eWorldResearch delivers valuable marketing information to its fast-growing list of clients.

Founded by brothers Ivan E. Casas, CEO, and Eric Casas, president, eWorldResearch is a global company based in Miami Beach that specializes in diverse industries, including e-commerce, television and media, and consumer goods.

eWorldResearch's associates have conducted market research in many Latin American countries, the Iberian Peninsula and the United States for clients like Yupi.com, Ciudad Futura, Cartoon Network and TNT.

"Our clients seek to capitalize on the upsurge in Internet usage throughout Latin America," says Ivan Casas. "To answer such demand, we want to expand our services as quickly as possible. We are seeking a venture capital partner so that we can address the large demand and become a major player in the Latin market. Contacts toward that end have already started."

Both Ivan, 33, and Eric Casas, 31, have an international background, having lived in Latin America, the United States and Europe. "Our knowledge of the Spanish and Portuguese-speaking online world is particularly extensive," says Ivan Casas, who was formerly director of Latin America market research for Time Warner/Turner Broadcasting in Atlanta. He has an MBA from North Carolina State University.

Eric Casas previously worked for Nortel Networks' Research and Development Center in RTP as a software engineer. Casas, who holds an engineering degree in computer science from North Carolina State University, recently worked in Nortel's Caribbean and Latin America engineering division.

"We are developing innovative online marketing research products and services that target the Latin American and global Internet community," he says.

Online Latin American market research offers many advantages, including the ability to easily reach any geographic region, according to Ivan Casas. "Pricing is another clear benefit," he says. "Our studies are significantly less expensive than traditional research. We also offer faster turn-around times. In some cases, companies can get information in 'real time' if needed."

Traditional market research does not address the key online issues faced by today's e-businesses, adds Casas. "For dot.com companies, this is the logical way to conduct market studies," he says.

eWorldResearch provides several services, customized for the specific client requirements:

* Consumer-driven web site performance research. Users are asked to rate the site on ease of use, content, aesthetics and other factors through several techniques such as online surveys, usability lab testing or online focus groups.

* Online consumer panels. Users with a certain profile, such as professional Argentines below age 35 who own a computer, are recruited and asked to evaluate a client's products and services.

* Virtual focus groups, led by a moderator who directs the online "chat" to key client topics.

* Online surveys, which involve sending electronic questionnaires to consenting consumers or intercepting them in a site and inviting them to a web page that contains a questionnaire.

* Usability lab testing. This involves a user's in-depth evaluation of a client's web site at one of eWorldResearch's facilities in Latin America or the United States.

For example, eWorld Research's cofounder, Ivan Casas, helped Cartoon Network Latin America test the efficiency of its website. "We brought in users to a lab, and guided them through the site with a moderator," says Ivan Casas. "We videotaped the web pages as well as their facial reactions, using picture-in-picture technology. The test provided the client with very good qualitative results."