Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall Basic Marketing Research: Using Microsoft Excel Data Analysis, 3rd edition Alvin C. Burns Louisiana State University Ronald F. Bush University of West Florida Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Four Alternative Data Collection Modes Use a person to ask the questions, either face-to-face or voice-to-voice, usually with some assistance from a computer Use a computer to actively accomplish the questioning Require respondents to fill out the questionnaire themselves, without computer assistance Use some combination of two or more of the above modes Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Person-Administered Surveys A person-administered survey is one in which an interviewer reads questions, either face-to-face or over the telephone, to the respondent and records the answers Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Person-Administered Surveys: Advantages Person-administered surveys have four unique advantages. They offer: Feedback Rapport Quality control Adaptability Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Person-Administered Surveys: Disadvantages There are drawbacks to using human interviewers including: Human error Slowness Cost Interview evaluation (respondent’s concerns that they are not answering “correctly”) Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Computer-Administered Surveys A computer-administered survey is one in which computer technology plays an essential role in the interview work, often, but not always, completely eliminating the need for a personal interviewer. Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Computer-Administered Surveys: Advantages There are five advantages of computer-administered surveys: Speed Error-free interviews Use of pictures, videos, and graphics Real-time capture of data Reduction of anxieties caused by interview evaluation (respondent’s concerns that they are not answering “correctly”) Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Computer-Administered Surveys: Disadvantages The primary disadvantages of computer-assisted surveys are: They require some level of technical skill Costs may be significant Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Self-Administered Surveys A self-administered survey is one in which the respondent completes the survey completely on his or her own. It is different from other survey methods in that there is no agent- human or computer- administering the interview Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Self-Administered Surveys: Advantages Self-administered surveys have three important advantages: Reduced cost Respondent control No interview-evaluation apprehension Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Self-Administered Surveys: Disadvantages The disadvantages of self-administered surveys are: Respondent errors Lack of supervision High questionnaire requirements Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall Mixed-Mode Surveys Mixed-mode surveys, sometimes referred to as “hybrid” surveys, use multiple data collection methods It has become increasingly popular to use mixed-mode surveys in recent years due to efficiencies of computer-administered methods and the communication preferences of respondents Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Mixed-Mode Surveys: Advantage The advantage of mixed-mode surveys is that researchers are able to use the disadvantages of each of the various modes to achieve a better data collection result Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Mixed-Mode Surveys: Disadvantage The important disadvantage of using mixed-mode, or hybrid, data collection methods is that complexity will increase Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Descriptions of Data Collection Modes Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Descriptions of Data Collection Modes, Continued... Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Central Location Telephone Interviewers are well-trained professionals Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Descriptions of Data Collection Modes, Continued... Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Deciding Which Survey Method To Use When deciding on a data collection method, most marketing researchers will ponder four questions: How much time do I have for data collection? How much money do I have for data collection? What type of respondent interaction is required? Are there special considerations to take into account? Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

How Much Time Do I Have for Data Collection? Traditionally, if the short time horizon is the overwhelming consideration, telephone surveys were often selected due to their speed Today, online surveys are exceptionally fast and can accommodate all but physical handling of research objects In-home personal interviews and mail surveys are poor choices when time is critical Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

How Much Money Do I Have for Data Collection? With technology costs dropping and Internet access becoming commonplace, online survey research options have become attractive when the data collection budget is austere Other data collection methods that are relatively inexpensive include: central location telephone surveys, mail surveys, and other self-administered methods Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

What Type of Respondent Interaction Is Required? The type of interaction with the respondent affects the collection method decision. If respondents need only verbal communication, telephone interviewing will work. If the respondent needs to view photos of a logo or magazine ad, mail surveys or online surveys may be considered. Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

What Type of Respondent Interaction Is Required?, Continued... If the respondent is required to handle, touch, feel, or taste a product, the mall-intercept company services are reasonable. If a respondent is required to actually use a product in a realistic setting, in-home interviews may be the only data collection method that will work. Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Are There Special Considerations to Take into Account? The incidence rate which is the percentage of the population that possesses some characteristic necessary to be included in the survey, i.e. registered voters In low incidence situations a data collection method that can easily and inexpensively screen respondents is desired Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Are There Special Considerations to Take into Account?, Continued... Data collection method choice is sometimes influenced by cultural norms and/or communication or other systems that are in place. In Scandinavia, residents are uncomfortable allowing strangers in their homes. Therefore, telephone and online surveying is more popular than door-to-door interviewing. Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Advantages & Disadvantages of Data Collection Methods Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Advantages & Disadvantages of Data Collection Methods, Cont. Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Advantages & Disadvantages of Data Collection Methods, Cont. Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Choice of Survey Method Choice of survey method can be made by answering the question, “What data collection method will generate the most complete and generalizable information within the time horizon and without exceeding the allowable expenditure for data collection?” Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

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