Shanghai, China – January 15, 2012 — GMO Internet Group company, GMO Research and Horizon E-lab Ltd. today announced plans to establish a joint venture company headquartered in Shanghai, China, in April this year. GMO Research and E-Lab will provide Internet research services to the China market through the new company, to be named GMO E-Lab Marketing Research (Shanghai) CO，LTD.
GMO Research is already a trusted online research brand in China. The company provides online research in the China market to market research and consulting companies in both China and Japan. It also operates China Cloud Panel™ a research panel comprising 1.6 million members that is managed with the same strict quality management standards applied to its panels in Japan.
In the new Joint Venture company, GMO Research will partner with E-lab, already one of the major providers in the Chinese research market. E-lab strives to bring innovation to the market in China through online research and the introduction of new research methods such as social media research.
GMO Research has chosen to partner with E-lab in this new joint venture to further improve the quality of its China panel and to contribute to expansion of the Chinese online research market.
The new company will offer the same high quality services already provided in Japan by GMO Research by employing the company’s proven research processes, panel quality management methods, operational management and the ChinaCloudPanel. These strengths will be brought together with E-lab’s local knowledge, operating methods, marketing strength and business operating expertise.
“We are excited to establish an offical presence in one of the most significant markets for online research worldwide and we plan to rolling out services through the new joint venture for the China market this month”. says Shinichi Hosokawa CEO of GMO Research. “I am confident the combination of GMO Research’s high quality research panel and E-Lab’s proven track record in the Chinese market will enable GMO E-Lab Marketing Research to become number one in Greater China and Hong Kong within three years.”
Market research spending in China is growing at around 10% a year (the average market growth rate between 2008 and 2011) and currently totals around USD1.3 billion a year (ESOMAR Global Market Research 2012). Over half of that amount is attributable to growth of the online research market. GMO Research believes that there is still a lot of growth potential in the market and we expect to see rapid expansion going forward.
Company Overview
| (1) Company Name | GMO E-Lab Marketing Research (Shanghai) CO，LTD. |
|---|---|
| (2) CEO | CEO Shinichi Hosokawa General Manager: Allen Chow |
| (3) Address | Room 1907, ＃755 Huaihaizhong Road, Shanghai, China |
| (4) Established | April 2013 (tentative) |
| (5) Business Description | Internet Research |
| (6) Capital | 1,500,000 yuan |
| (7) Fiscal Year Close | December 31 |
| (8) Shareholder Composition | GMO Research Pte. Ltd 60% Horizon E-lab Ltd 40% |
About E-Lab
Horizon E-Lab, founded in 2010, and affiliated to Horizon Research Consultancy Group, is committed to providing clients with high quality, innovative and interactive research experiences. In 2011, Horizon E-Lab successfully and independently developed brand new online research platform, E-Lab. Backing on Web 2.0 and multimedia interactions technology, this platform provides an integrated and interactive marketing platform whose key goals are to help clients develop products and improve brands. Please visit http://www.horizon-china.com/cn/ldxyw/elab.html for more information.
About GMO Research
GMO Research is a full service agency specializing in the Asia Market. In our research solution platform, we provide online panels, social research, mobile research, Eye Tracking, and MROC solutions among other services. GMO Research specializes in assisting international companies with research projects in Asia. Please visit http://www.gmo-research.jp/en/ for more information.
About GMO Internet Group
GMO Internet Group is a comprehensive provider of industry-leading Internet solutions including domain name registration, cloud-based and traditional hosting, ecommerce, security, and payment processing services that each hold the top share of their respective markets in Japan. Other key business areas for the Group include online securities/FX trading, Internet advertising, search engine marketing and online research, and smartphone game development and publishing. GMO Internet, Inc. (TSE: 9449) is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Please visit http://www.gmo.jp/en for more information.
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