Understanding the Marketing Research Process
Phases of Marketing Research
Step 1: Define the Need
The need for information arises within a company. This could be to solve a problem, take advantage of an opportunity, or find answers to inform decisions. The decision-maker and the researcher must be in agreement.
Problem-solving involves:
- An objective
- Two or more alternatives to achieve the objective
- Uncertainty about the most suitable alternative
Examples of problems: Whether or not to change packaging, a name change, or defining the consumer’s profile.
Solving Problems
To solve problems, one should ask questions that meet the information needs of each company. Consider these key questions:
- What’s the problem?
- Who should fix it?
- What is the status of the problem?
- Why is this a problem?
Decide on the Type of Research Design
After defining the problem, determine the type of research design. This research may have the following characteristics:
- Exploratory: Initial approach and problem definition.
- Descriptive: Outlines the characteristics of the phenomenon under study.
Formulate Hypotheses
Hypotheses express the company’s doubts on the research topic. To formulate hypotheses, it’s important to:
- Present them in the simplest way possible.
- Consider the research problem and objectives.
- Set a small number of hypotheses, ideally in interrogative form.
Define Variables
Identify the variables needed to solve the problem. These are classified into groups based on how they are measured:
- Performance: Past, present, and future intentions (e.g., mobile phone usage).
- Demographic Attributes: Age, income type, personality.
- Activities/Opinions: Preferences, beliefs.
- Motivations or Needs: Entertainment, etc.
Getting the Information
Determine the source of the information. Identify sources, establish ways to obtain data (sampling), and decide how it will be managed.
Resources
Primary Sources: Those created firsthand for a specific study. This can come from consumers, suppliers, competitors, and distributors. Methods to obtain this information include:
- Surveys
- Interviews
- Observation
- Experimentation
The Survey
Data collection through questionnaires to a limited number of individuals. It is the most used method.
- Phone Survey: Making calls to specific people in a determined time frame. It’s cheaper and faster, enabling direct communication, but doesn’t allow for visual aids.
- Mail Survey: Sending a questionnaire to certain individuals to be answered and returned. There’s a risk of non-response.
- Personal Survey: Face-to-face questions. It has the highest response rate and is the most reliable and flexible, but also the most expensive.
The Interview
A conversation between two people to exchange information, opinions, and ideas. It can be:
- Structured: The interviewer asks questions from a script.
- Semi-structured: Some deviation from the script is allowed.
- In-depth: A general script is developed, but the interviewee is allowed to speak at length, expressing their opinions.
Observation
Data is collected by observing individuals in a specific situation. Only what is seen is recorded, not deduced behavior. It’s conducted by trained personnel using tools like cameras and recorders. The information is of higher quality and is often used with other methods.
Experimentation
Consists of testing a solution on a small scale. It’s used to test new products, pricing, etc.
Secondary Sources: Those that already exist. These are not suitable for the investigation itself.
- Internal: Information created within the company in the past.
- External: Market research from multinationals that measure product sales, for example.
Sampling (Data Collection)
Sampling involves selecting a set of elements from a population to obtain information. This sample must be representative and is less costly than surveying the entire population.