Market Research Techniques
Primary Sources
Internal primary sources gather information from company data, while external sources utilize data from the business environment. Quantitative methods offer structured, statistically representative results. Qualitative techniques, conversely, don’t employ statistical treatment for population representation but provide richer descriptive data. Quantitative techniques use numbers for classification, correlation, and comparison, yielding objective, accurate, and reliable information. Qualitative analysis serves as a valuable precursor to quantitative analysis, identifying key research variables.
Quantitative Methods:
- Instant Methods: Ad hoc surveys (personal, telephone, postal), omnibus surveys, experimentation, and observation.
- Intermittent Methods: Consumer panels, establishment panels, and audience measurement.
Qualitative Techniques: In-depth interviews, group meetings, and projective techniques.
Secondary Sources
These readily available data offer immediate access and cost-effectiveness, establishing the initial research framework. However, they may be outdated, imprecise, or presented in unsuitable units. Verify quality and accuracy before using secondary data as primary data alternatives.
- Internal Sources: Company reports, departmental reports, accounting information, customer feedback (suggestions and complaints). Data mining analyzes large information volumes to uncover company and product behavior patterns.
- External Sources: Public (e.g., NSI) and private (e.g., trade journals, market research firms). These can be free or subscription-based.
Documentary Analysis
Preliminary studies conducted by company managers based on readily accessible secondary sources. These require experience and skill to analyze sales trends, competitor information, and design qualitative techniques to determine the target market.
Quantitative Techniques
- Observation and Experimentation: Observing changes in marketing variables when modifying others. Used for causal or descriptive studies (e.g., price changes). Limitations include consumer expectations skewing results, lack of variable control, short-term validity, and high cost. Applications include determining market share variations, package impact, and advertising campaign effectiveness.
- Panels: Regularly gather primary quantitative information from the same sample population to track trends.
- Establishment Panels: Commercial establishments providing regular sales data.
- Consumer Panels: Consumers providing regular purchase information.
- Audiometric Panels: Determine television program and channel viewership.
Qualitative Techniques
Direct and indirect methods gather non-numeric information from small, non-representative groups. This qualitative data, valuable for its quality, can be used for preliminary studies or to contrast quantitative results.
- In-depth Interviews: Professional conversations on a specific topic to understand event causes or future marketing action possibilities. Involves objective setting, planning, interviewee selection, execution, and result analysis.
- Group Meetings: Apply group dynamics techniques to gain valuable information on market research topics. Involves objective setting, planning, participant selection, execution, and result analysis.
- Pseudo-Shopping: Simulates purchases to assess vendor or service provider attitudes towards customers. Used in franchises, banks, insurance, etc.
- Expert Interviews: In-depth interviews with experts, influencers, or leaders, often using the Delphi method, puzzles, or brainstorming. Involves questionnaire distribution, analysis, clarification, and result interpretation.
- Projective Techniques: Elicit information through spontaneous responses to stimuli. Used to supplement group meetings or interviews. Examples include incomplete sentence tests or word association.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Links maps with databases, enabling area selection and data retrieval. While underutilized, GIS offers significant potential for competitive advantage by providing precise data on competitor locations and customer demographics.