Transcript marketing research

Chapter 6:
Getting the Marketing Information
We Need
Obtaining Good Information
 information is key to sound decision making
 there is an important distinction between data and
information
 marketing research involves the development,
interpretation, and communication of information
to support strategic marketing
 marketing information may be collected by a firm
or by a research supplier on its behalf, or may
come from a marketing information system
Scope of Marketing Research
 Marketing research projects are designed to
provide managers with answers about:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
What’s happening in the market
Whether new products are attractive
Customer and non-customer characteristics
What factors influence buying decisions
Whether prices and advertising are attractive
Whether they like dealing with us
How solid our customer relationships are
Qualitative or Quantitative?
 qualitative research is growing in popularity as a
means of obtaining deeply-held opinions; includes
focus groups and individual depth interviews
 many marketing research projects involve
conducting a survey, by administering a
questionnaire to a sample of respondents
 surveys produce quantitative data
 surveys may be conducted in person, by phone or
the Internet, in shopping centres, or by mail
Observation and Experimentation
 these are less widely-used research methods
 observation involves collecting data usually
without the knowledge of the subject; may include
watching consumers as they shop or collecting
data electronically (e.g. on the Web)
 experimentation involves the manipulation of one
of more variables so as to observe the effect;
examples include the use of test markets and of
simulations
Planning the Research Project

a typical marketing research project will
involve a series of stages:
1. defining the objectives of the client
2. conducting a situation analysis
3. conducting an informal investigation
4. conducting the formal investigation;
collecting the data
5. analyzing data and preparing a final report
6. following up
Approaches to Marketing Research
 the marketing decision maker must decide
whether he or she needs to collect primary data
or secondary data
 primary data are collected specifically for the
project while secondary data already exist,
having been collected for another purpose
 syndicated data are collected by a research
supplier and may be sold to a number of
different clients
The Research Project
 Conducting a typical research project will
involve several steps:
1. Decide whether primary data are needed
2. Decide how to collect the data through qualitative or
quantitative methodologies
3. Design a questionnaire or interview guide
4. Select a sample
5. Collect the data
6. Proceed to data analysis and preparation of a report
Figure 6-1 Marketing Research Procedure
Data-collection Forms
 questionnaires and other forms are used to record
responses and other data
 questionnaire design is often a source of bias
 the wording of questions must ensure that they
are understandable and not leading
 questions may be in a variety of formats
 the layout of the questionnaire affects responses
 questionnaires are pretested to identify problems
Planning the Sample
 in survey research, it is advisable to select a sample
that is as representative as possible
 sample selection often contributes to bias
 ideally, we would like to have a random sample,
but this is usually not possible
 most marketing surveys use convenience samples
 sample size must be large enough to represent the
population and to allow the client to have
confidence in the results
Information in Databases
 marketing data are available from many
sources and are stored in computer databases
 data may be obtained from sources within and
outside the firm, including customer purchase
records
 customer loyalty programs contribute valuable
data on purchases made
 other valuable data are collected by automated
systems such as scanner-equipped checkouts
Marketing Information Systems
 generally computer-based and involves the
production, analysis, storage, dissemination,
and retrieval of information to support
marketing decision making
 it generates reports and studies as needed
 it integrates old and new data to update
information and to identify trends
 it analyzes data using mathematical models that
simulate the “real world”
Who Does Marketing Research?
 may be done inside or outside a company
 some large firms have small marketing
research departments which supervise the
work of outside consultants
 there are many research consultants and fullservice supplies across the country
 more and more companies are realizing the
importance of research to provide the
information needed for decision making
Issues in Marketing Research
 The main issue facing marketing research is
the protection of consumer privacy
 Canada has enacted privacy legislation that
affects how research may be conducted
 At a practical level, researcher must address:
Integration of data sources
Obtaining a deeper understanding of consumers
Gaining greater acceptance of research