7 Marketing Research

1
Data Collection

• 7 - Marketing Research
• on the Internet

2
Characteristics of the Internet

• Characteristics of Internet Users
• Less affluent
• More women users than ever before
• 80 of internet users are under age 50
• 39 of internet users are university graduates
• The most significant growth in internet users are
  among non-univ. graduates

3
WWW Information for Marketing Decisions

• Cyberatlas
• New Media Research
• AdCount
• HERMES
• Project 2000

4
Primary Research on the Internet

• E-mail Surveys
• Web-based Surveys
• On-line Focus Groups

5
Comparison of Information Sources
6
Secondary Research on the Internet

• Custom Search Service
• Agents
• Free Information Providers

7
How to Search for Information

• Search Engines
• Use of Multiple Sources
• Search for Words and Phrases

8
Where The Users Are
South America
Africa
Asia/Pacific
Europe
U.S. Canada
Middle East
9
Data Collection

• 8 - Qualitative and Observational Methods

10
Marketing Research Data Matrix
Primary
Secondary
Qualitative
Quantitative
11

• Qualitative Methods
• Recommended to capture the basic feel of a
  problem prior to conducting more analytical study
• Observational Methods
• Limited to providing information on current
  behavior, but measures the real thing

12
Qualitative Research Methods

• Exploratory
• Conducted primarily to explicitly define the
  problem and formulate hypotheses
• Orientation
• To learn more about target consumers (e.g.
  culture, language)
• Clinical
• To gain insights into topics that are difficult
  to measure in a structured research

13
Qualitative Research Methods

• Four major constraints
• Volume of data
• Complexity of analysis
• Detail of clarification record
• Time-consuming nature of efforts required
• Computer technology helps alleviate these
  problems and increase the use of qualitative
  research

14
Individual In-depth Interviews

• Non-directive interviews respondent enjoys
  maximum freedom
• Semi-structured or focused individual interviews
  cover a specific list of topics or sub-areas
• Individual in-depth interviews (3 techniques)
• Laddering
• Hidden-issue
• Symbolic analysis

15
Focus Group Discussions

• Widely used. Offers participants more
  stimulation than an interview makes new ideas
  and meaningful comments more likely
• Issues to be addressed
• Outline the intended direction of the discussion
• Explain how participants were recruited
• Reeducate observers on the concepts of random
  selection, statistical reliability, and
  projectability of research results

16
Types of Focus Groups

• Exploratory Focus Groups
• Used in the exploratory phase of the market
  research process
• Used for generating hypotheses
• Clinical Focus Groups
• Based on the premise that true feelings and
  motivations are subconscious in nature
• Experiencing Focus Groups
• Researcher can experience the emotional framework
  in which the product is being used

17
Key Factors for Focus Group Success

• Planning the agenda
• Recruitment
• Moderation
• Analysis and interpretation of the results

18
Tips for Running Successful Focus Groups

• Plan the process in detail.
• Be sure to get the right people.
• Use moderators who bring objectivity and
  expertise in the process.
• Moderator and client should coordinate their
  efforts at all stages.
• Conduct focus groups only when necessary to
  achieve objectives.
• Client observers should be thoroughly briefed
  about research objectives before the session
  starts.
• Moderator should base his/her conclusions solely
  on learned interpretations of participants
  input.

19
Trends in Focus Groups

• Telephone Focus Groups
• Video Conference
• Two-way focus groups

20
Projective Techniques

• Respondent is asked to comment upon rather
  unstructured or ambiguous object, activity
• Various categories of projective techniques
• Word association
• Completion test
• Picture interpretation
• Third person techniques
• Role playing

21
Limitations of Qualitative Methods

• Results may be misused or misinterpreted
• Results not necessarily representative of the
  whole population
• Moderator or interviewer's role is extremely
  critical, can lead to ambiguous or at times
  misleading results

22
Observational Methods

• Casual Observation
• Systematic Observation
• Direct Observation
• Contrived Observation
• Content Analysis
• Physical Trace Measures
• Humanistic Inquiry
• Behavior Recording Devices

23
Limitations of Observational Methods

• Cannot be used to observe motives, attitudes or
  intentions
• More costly and time consuming

24
Recent Applications of Qualitative and
Observational Methods

• Get inside minds of shoppers by providing tape
  recorders and having them record their thoughts
  while shopping
• Virtual Customers system for evaluating service
  quality
• On-site observation
• Analyzing brain waves (magnetic resonance imaging)