The Brain Squad is INSTORE’s monthly survey panel, made up of owners and top managers of jewelry retail businesses across the country who have volunteered to participate. Each month, members are emailed a short survey consisting of multiple-choice and short, open-ended questions. Responses are used in departments and feature stories throughout INSTORE.
ABOVE: Jeff Vierk of Vierk’s Fine Jewelry in Lafayette, IN, sports his INSTORE Brain Squad t-shirt on vacation.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How long will it take to respond to surveys?
If you thoughtfully answer every question, a survey can take four to 10 minutes to fill out. If you answer only multiple-choice questions, you could be finished in 60 seconds or less.
What kind of questions are on the surveys?
Questions cover month-to-month business and product trends, plus big-picture strategy and policy issues. In a single survey, you might be asked for your fastest-selling jewelry lines, methods you use to motivate and energize your team, and your wildest dinner-table stories about your business.
➤ See a sample of a recent Brain Squad survey here.
Will my information remain anonymous?
Individual responses remain anonymous on multiple-choice questions. Text-based questions are frequently published along with your identifying information in INSTORE. While you are allowed to request that your response to an individual question remain anonymous, the best strategy is — if you don’t want it published in print or online, don’t share it.
So what’s in it for me?
➤ Valuable data no one else has. Each time you complete a Brain Squad survey, you can see all responses from your fellow panelists (without identifying information included). You’ll get tons of useful ideas, many of which INSTORE doesn’t have space to publish.
➤ The thrill of seeing your name in print. And, if we include you in one of our feature departments, also your face, your staff and your business. Not to mention, as a Brain Squad member, you’ll be heard loud and clear by INSTORE editors on the issues that matter most to you.
➤ A better INSTORE, hence a better jewelry industry. Each edition of our magazine relies heavily on Brain Squad content. Which means each new person who contributes makes INSTORE a better, more useful resource for all jewelry retailers.
➤ Plus, a really cool t-shirt. Once you answer your first Brain Squad survey, we’ll send you a free t-shirt. Wear it proudly as a sporty symbol of your jewelry nerd-hood. See a few samples below.
➤ Read our February 2023 cover story on the birth and growth of INSTORE’s Brain Squad.
➤ See why Brain Squad members love participating in our panel.
➤ See what keeps some of our longer-term Brain Squad members answering surveys each month.
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BRAIN SQUAD T-SHIRT GALLERY (10 IMAGES)
