Email is not the channel for getting survey responses in emerging markets

Traditional digital communication channels, such as email and web apps, often fail to reach a representative sample of the population and struggle with low response rates. This gap in the market research process can lead to skewed data and a lack of insight into key customer segments.

Before

After

After using WhatsApp with Yazi

Yazi solves this by using WhatsApp, the most popular messaging app in Africa, with a penetration rate exceeding 90% of the digital population in many countries.

How it works

Whether you're delving into the nuances of human behaviour with qualitative research, seeking data-driven answers through quantitative methods, or capturing lived experiences via diary studies, our platform is engineered to meet a broad spectrum of research needs

Create your survey

Launch in WhatsApp

Get results

Create your questions in Yazi's webapp similar to Google Forms or SurveyMonkey.

Launch survey in WhatsApp and invite participants to complete

Receive data visual report & raw data in CSV with demographic profile of respondent s.

Launch on your own WhatsApp number

Launch your research in WhatsApp, invite your participants to complete it and collect answers in multiple formats.

  • Setup your own WhatsApp number: Yazi issues you your own WhatsApp number with custom messaging and onboarding
  • Invite participants: Send automated survey invitation message and research updates
  • Panel Management: Track survey progress, monitor response quality, payout and manage incentives
  • Variety of data: Capture videos, image, voice notes , open text and multiple-choice answers
  • Learn More

Use Yazi for different use cases

Whether you're delving into the nuances of human behaviour with qualitative research, seeking data-driven answers through quantitative methods, or capturing lived experiences via diary studies, our platform is engineered to meet a broad spectrum of research needs

Diary Study

Understand user behaviour over time with longitudinal studies

Qualitative Research

Gather rich, contextual data for comprehensive insights.

Quantitative Research

Collect statistically significant data for robust conclusions

Don’t Take Our Words For It - Listen To Our Clients

Discover why leading agencies and researchers trust Yazi for their data collection needs. Hear directly from our satisfied clients who've experienced the transformative power of our platform.

Nathan Mengel

Lead Venture Manager, The Delta

"Yazi's targeted approach was essential in validating our concept for a project aimed at SMEs. Their efficient data collection and ability to access the right market segment provided us with the crucial insights needed to validate and refine our product strategy, especially in understanding operational, pricing, and competitive dynamics."

Marichen Herholdt

Product Designer, Byte Orbit

"Yazi was a game-changer for us! It helped us connect with a typically hard-to-reach audience via WhatsApp, opening up a whole new segment for our research. It was quick, cost-effective, and highly personalised. We received our results in less than 24 hours! Yazi saved us loads of time and empowered us with valuable insights to make informed product development decisions based on a deeper understanding of our audience."

Oliver Latouf

UX Researcher, Olympus Bank @Old Mutual

"Yazi's WhatsApp platform has been such an amazing resource for our team to utilise. It granted us swift and direct access to our target market, significantly enhancing our product development process. Tim from the Yazi team was particularly helpful, offering guidance on question design and research methodology. Thanks to Yazi, we were able to refine our marketing strategy, positioning, and communication effectively."

Rowan Clarke

PhD Candidate, Harvard Business School

"Working with Yazi, and particularly with Tim, showcased the platform's remarkable flexibility and problem-solving prowess. Tim's foresight and ability to anticipate our project needs were exceptional. Yazi's adaptability was key in managing the dynamic demands of academic research, proving invaluable in my studies."

Features

Experience the full advantages of using Yazi for your survey in emerging markets

Discover the best tool for data collection in emerging markets

4 types of questions, plus collect qualitative data: Images, Videos and voice notes

Conditional Logic

Skip logic and question routing built into platform.

Data can be locally stored

Custom database can be setup in South Africa, EU, UK - no data leaves borders.

Notifications & Reminders

Prompt participants to complete or re-do surveys.

Data quality checks

Survey responses run through auto-quality checks. See here for more.

Benefits of Using Yazi in Emerging Markets

Discover the transformative impact of three key benefits—exceptional response rates, comprehensive representativeness, and real-time analytics. Make informed, agile decisions like never before.

Survey

Engage audiences effectively with an industry-leading response rate of 62%.

Learn More

panel Management

Manage your panel: Bulk invites, Progress tracking, Incentives, Quality controls and more.

Learn More

ANALYSIS

Live view of data: AI Open text categorisation, Cross-section, Filter and more.

Learn More

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Frequently Asked Question

We have gathered the answers to common queries about how Yazi facilitates revolutionary market research through WhatsApp, alongside a host of other insightful information.

01.

How does Yazi Work?

Yazi is a Market research platform built on top of WhatsApp. You have the ability to script, design, edit, launch and analyse your results on our webapp. The questions are sent via WhatsApp and the participants interact with them there as if it is a normal conversation.

02.

How is Yazi's Data Protection?

Yazi prioritises data privacy by anonymising information, employing robust encryption, and allowing database access only to authorised personnel through password and 2FA protection. We adhere to stringent security standards including ISO/IEC 27001, NIST, PCI SSC, and GDPR, ensuring no data sharing with external third parties. Our comprehensive Data Security Program encapsulates physical and logical security measures, data access controls, encryption, along with data backup, recovery, and a well-structured incident response framework. In adherence to GDPR's principles, we process user data with utmost transparency, and address data deletion requests promptly as delineated in our Terms of Service, providing you with control over your data.

03.

Why WhatsApp

Our WhatsApp surveys boast an impressive response rate of 62%, showcasing superior engagement compared to traditional online surveys, especially valuable in reaching individuals with limited internet access. The low data cost of 10 cents per survey, alongside the prevalent use of WhatsApp in South Africa with a 95% penetration rate, facilitates nationwide representation, reducing financial and phone storage barriers.

The familiar and user-friendly nature of WhatsApp enhances participant comfort, while its pause-resume functionality ensures convenience in survey completion. Moreover, the recent WhatsApp API upgrade enables rich data collection through various media forms without incurring significant data costs, paving the way for nuanced longitudinal studies. This platform's habit-forming nature, reinforced by personal engagement from our researchers, makes it an exemplary channel for continuous and detailed market research.

04.

How is Yazi's data quality?

  • Speeding - A completion time that is too fast indicates the respondent has not sufficiently comprehended the questions.
  • Gibberish checker - Checking that open text answers are not “gibberish” and can be understood as a sentence.
  • Straight-lining checker - Checking that the sequence of answers does not follow the same pattern - e.g. A, A, A, A, A, A
  • Red herring question - Intentionally placing “oddball” questions into the survey to see if the respondent was paying attention. We also ask questions that correspond with previous answers but are categorised or worded slightly differently.
  • Evidence question - Where we specifically need an audience that exhibits a certain behaviour or matches a certain demographic, we ask respondents to send a picture that proves they match/meet requirement.
  • Panel recalibration & assessment - We recycle demographic and behavioural questions every 4 months to compare against historical answers.
05.

What types of Questions do you support? 

Question Types Supported: 

  • Multiple Choice
  • Image
  • Video
  • Voice Notes


Limitations:

  • Grid Questions
  • Ranking Question
06.

How many questions can I ask via WhatsApp?

At Yazi, we employ a multifaceted approach to recruit diverse and reliable survey participants. Our strategies include:

  1. Social Media Engagement: We actively recruit through various social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter/X, and TikTok. This broad approach helps us reach a wide demographic spectrum.
  2. Partnerships: We collaborate with companies possessing extensive databases of customers or members. Through these partnerships, we invite individuals to participate in our surveys, ensuring a rich pool of respondents.
  3. Local Presence: In an effort to connect with communities, we've placed QR codes in spaza shop locations across South Africa. These QR codes direct individuals to our WhatsApp number, facilitating an easy sign-up process.
  4. Referral Program: We believe in the power of word-of-mouth. Hence, we have a referral program where existing participants can refer friends, family, and their network. We incentivise these referrals to encourage a broader participation.
  5. Demographic Information Collection: To mitigate bias and the incentive to provide untruthful responses, we gather demographic information before showing participants our surveys. This ensures the quality and reliability of our data.