1. Chapter 2 Consumer Research

2. What Is Consumer Research? The systematic methods used by marketers to study consumer decisions and exchange processes.

3. Understanding The Consumer zInformation about the purchase situation zInformation about the buyers zInformation about product use zInformation about customer loyalty zInformation about market segments zInformation about customer satisfaction

4. Sources of Information zSecondary data Information or statistics not gathered for the immediate study at hand. zPrimary data Information or statistics originated by the researcher for the purpose of the investigation at hand.

5. Methods of Gathering Primary Data zObservation of consumers yVia human observers vs. mechanical methods yDisguised vs. undisguised observation yNatural vs. contrived observation zConsumer Surveys: Personal; intercept; telephone; mail; on-line zFocus groups zExperiments: Lab; field zTest markets zConsumer panels: True vs. omnibus panels

6. Current Issues in Consumer Research zUsing the Internet yTracking Internet visitors yOn-line surveys yData acquisition yReceiving advice zDatabase marketing yMaintaining specific information on prospects zData mining ySifting through mounds of data for meaningful relationships

7. Station Break zFirms today are increasingly developing profiles of their customers in their databases. zLearn more about database marketing by visiting www.db-marketing.com and www.neovista.comwww.db-marketing.com www.neovista.com zWhat do you think about the privacy issue associated with database marketing?

8. Ethical Issues in Consumer Research zProtecting participants zAvoiding deception zInforming participants zHonoring promises of confidentiality

9. Ethical Issues: Protecting Participants Researchers have the obligation of protecting participants from any physical or psychological harm.

10. Ethical Issues: Avoiding Deception Consumers are often victims of deceit practiced by some unscrupulous marketers and fund-raisers who, under the guise of conducting research, attempt to sell them something or solicit donations to some cause.

11. Station Break zMany companies conduct focus groups which involve children. zVisit the web site of FocusVision at www.focusvision.com It is a company that employs children to moderate focus group sessions. www.focusvision.com zDiscuss the ethical issues you feel are associated with such practice. zDo you approve of kid-moderated focus groups? Why or why not?

12. Motivation Research Explores the why aspects of human behavior with qualitative rather than quantitative research approaches.

13. Revealing Respondents’ Hidden Motives zProjective Techniques ySubjects project themselves in a scene to interpret it hence reveal their own feelings. zAssociation Tests yThe immediacy of subjects’ responses to stimulus words or phrases works to curtail their self- censorship. zOther Techniques ySubjects’ picture choices reveal their stereotypical perceptions.

14. Forms of Projective Techniques zThematic Apperception Test (TAT) ySubjects interpret a photograph depicting a consumer-related activity zCartoons ySubjects interpret a drawing or provide a missing portion of a dialog between its characters zVerbal Projectives ySubjects interpret, explain, or complete a situation described verbally to them

15. Forms of Association Tests zFree Word Associations ySeeks immediate word responses that a subject utters after hearing a stimulus zControlled and Chain Word Associations ySeeks to discover subjects’ specific consumption habits or associated thought patterns zSentence Completions yIncomplete sentences are completed with first thought that comes to a subject’s mind

16. Other Motivation Research Techniques zPicture-sorting Technique ySubjects’ stereotyping is revealed as they sort out a stack of specially designed pictures zShopping List Technique ySubjects surmise the type of person who buys items appearing on a shopping list zZaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET) ySubjects provide pictures that express their feelings about a topic or situation