by Suwattana Sawatasuk

Marketing Research  The systematic design, collection, and analysis, and reporting of data relevant to a specific marketing situation facing an organization.

Marketing Research Process 1. Defining the problem and research objectives 2. Developing the research plan for collecting information 3. Implementing the research plan—collecting and analyzing the data 4. Interpreting and reporting the findings

1. Defining the Problem and Research Objectives  What information is needed?  Set the research objectives:  To gather preliminary information that will help define problems and suggest hypotheses: exploratory research  To better describe marketing problems, situations, or market, such as the market potential for a product or demographics and attitudes of consumers who buy the product: descriptive research  To test hypotheses about cause-and-effect relationships: causal research

2. Developing the Research Plan  Researchers must determine the exact information needed, develop a plan for gathering it efficiently, and present the plan to management  Research plan consists of sources of existing data, specific research approaches, contact methods, sampling plans, gathering new data instruments  The research plan should be presented in a “written proposal”

Primary and Secondary Data  Primary data: information collected for the specific purpose at hand  Secondary data: information that already exists somewhere, having been collected for another purpose

2.1) Gathering Secondary Data  External information sources: commercial data services and government sources such as …

2.2) Primary Data Collection Research Approaches:  Observational research: gathering primary data by observing relevant people, actions, and situations  Ethnographic research: a form of observational research that involves sending trained observers to watch and interact with consumers in their “natural habitat”

2.2) Primary Data Collection (con’t) Research Approaches:  Survey research: gathering primary data by asking people questions about their knowledge, attitudes, preferences, and buying behavior  Experiment research: gathering primary data by selecting matched groups of subjects, giving them different treatments, controlling related factors, and checking for differences in group responses

2.2) Primary Data Collection (con’t) Contact Methods:  Mail, Telephone, and Personal interviewing  Focus group interviewing: personal interviewing that involves inviting six to ten people to gather for a few hours with a trained interviewer to talk about a product, service, or organization. The interviewer “focuses” the group discussion on important issues  Online Marketing Research: collecting primary data online through Internet surveys, online focus groups, Web-based experiments, or tracking consumers’ online behavior

2.2) Primary Data Collection (con’t) Sampling Plan:  Sample: a segment of the population selected for marketing research to represent the population as a whole  3 decisions: 1. Who is to be surveyed (what sampling unit)? 2. How many people should be surveyed (what sample size)? 3. How should the people in the sample be chosen (what sampling procedure)?

2.2) Primary Data Collection (con’t) Research Instruments:  Questionnaires: closed-end questions, open- end questions  Mechanical instruments: checkout scanners, eye cameras

Planning Primary Data Collection Research Approaches Contact MethodsSampling PlanResearch Instruments ObservationMailSampling unitQuestionnaire SurveyTelephoneSample sizeMechanical instruments ExperimentPersonalSampling procedure Online

3. Implementing the Research Plan  Involves in collecting, processing, and analyzing the information

4. Interpreting and Reporting the Findings  Involving the interpreting the findings, drawing conclusions, and reporting them to management

Customer Insight  Fresh understandings of customers and the marketplace derived from marketing information that become the basis for creating customer value and relationships.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)  Managing detailed information about individual customers and carefully managing customer “touch points” in order to maximize customer loyalty.

Project Assignment: Marketing Research  Define the problems & set the research objectives  Plan the research:  sources of existing data  specific research approaches  contact methods  sampling plans (who, how many, how)  gathering new data instruments