consumer research
DESCRIPTION
Consumer Research. Consumer Research Paradigms. Quantitative Research. Qualitative Research. Quantitative Research. Descriptive in nature. Enables marketers to “predict” consumer behavior. Research methods include experiments, survey techniques, and observation. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
CONSUMER RESEARCH
Consumer Research Paradigms
Quantitative Research
Qualitative Research
Quantitative Research
Descriptive in nature.Enables marketers to “predict” consumer
behavior.Research methods include experiments,
survey techniques, and observation.Findings are descriptive, empirical and
generalizable.
Positivism
A consumer behavior research approach that regards the consumer behavior discipline as an applied marketing science. Its main focus is on consumer decision making.
Qualitative Research
Consists of depth interviews, focus groups, metaphor analysis, and projective techniques.
Administered by highly trained interviewer-analysts.
Findings tend to be subjective.Findings not usually generalizableSmall sample sizes.
Interpretivism
A postmodernist approach to the study of consumer behavior that focuses on the act of consuming rather than on the act of buying.
The Consumer Research Process
The six major steps in the consumer research process are: defining the objectives of the research collecting and evaluating secondary
data designing a primary research study collecting primary data analyzing the data preparing a report on the findings
The Consumer Research Process
Develop Objectives
Collect Secondary Data
Design Qualitative Research
• Method• Screener questionnaire• Discussion guide
Prepare Report
Analyze Data(Subjective)
Conduct Research(Using highly trained interviewers) Exploratory
Study
Prepare report
Analyze Data(Objective)
Collect Primary Data(Usually by field staff)
Design Quantitative Research
• Method• Sample design• Data collection instrument
Developing Research Objectives
Defining purposes and objectives helps ensure an appropriate research design.
A statement of objectives helps to define the type and level of information needed.
Secondary Data
Data that has been collected for reasons other than the specific research project at hand.
Collecting Secondary Data
Secondary information is any data originally generated for some purpose other than the present research objectives.
Provides clues and direction for the design of primary research.
Primary Research
Original research undertaken by individual researchers or organizations to meet specific objectives. Collected information is called Primary Data.
Major Sources of Secondary Data
Internal sources include company profit-loss statements, balance sheets, sales figures, sales-call reports, invoices, inventory records, and prior research reports.
Internal Sources
Statistical Abstract, updated annually, provides summary data on demographic, economic, social, and other aspects of the American economy and society.Country and City Data Book, updated every three years, presents statistical information for counties, cities, and other geographical units on populations, education, employment, aggregate and median income, housing, bank deposits, retail sales, etc.
Marketing Information Guide provides a monthly annotated bibliography of marketing information.
Other government publications include the Annual Survey of Manufacturers; Business Statistics; Census of Manufacturers; Census of Population; Census f Retail Trade, Wholesale Trade, and Selected Service Industries; Census of Transportation; Federal Reserve Bulletin; Monthly Labor Review; Survey of Current Business; and Vital Statistics Report.
Government Publications
A.C. Nielsen Company provides data on products and brands sold through retail outlets (Retail Index Services), data on television audiences (Media Research Services), magazine circulation data (Neodata Services, Inc.), etc.Market Research Corporation of America provides data on weekly family purchases of consumer products (National Consumer Panel); data on home food consumption (National Menu Census); and data on 6,000 retail, drug, and discount retailers in various geographical areas (Metro Trade Audits).Selling Areas-Marketing, Inc., provides reports on warehouse withdrawals to food stores in selected market areas (SAMI reports).Simmons Market Research Bureau provides annual reports covering television markets, sporting goods, proprietary drugs, etc., giving demographic data by sex, income, age, and brand preferences (selective markets and media reaching them).Burke Marketing Services, Inc., provides TV campaign testing in controlled marketing labs, marketing modeling, retail store audits, physiological measures of advertising stimuli, pre- and post-TV copy testing, and customer survey research.Markets Facts, Inc., provides consumer mil panel, market test-store audit services, shopping mall facilities, WATS telephone interviewing, and ad hoc survey research.Other commercial research houses selling data to subscribers include the Audit Bureau of Circulation, Audits and Surveys, Dun and Bradstreet, Opinion Research, Roper-Starch, and Arbitron.
Commercial Data
Designing Primary Research
Quantitative studies more likely for collecting descriptive information.
Qualitative studies may be used to get new ideas.
Quantitative Research Designs
Method
Sample Design
Data Collection Instrument
Data Collection Methods
Observation
Experimentation
Surveys
Observational Research
Helps marketers gain an in-depth understanding of the relationship between people and products by watching them buying and using products.
Helps researchers gain a better understanding of what the product symbolizes.
Widely used by interpretivist researchers.
Experimentation
Can be used to test the relative sales appeal of many types of variables.
Only one variable is manipulated at a time, keeping other elements constant.
Can be conducted in laboratories or in the field.
Surveys
Personal Interview
Telephone
Online
Data Collection Instruments
Questionnaires
Attitude Scales
Personal Inventories
Discussion Guides
Validity
The degree to which a measurement instrument accurately reflects what it is designed to measure.
Reliability
The degree to which a measurement instrument is consistent in what it measures.
Questionnaires
Used primarily for quantitative research.Can be sent in the mail, or administered
by interviewers in person or by telephone.
Can be disguised or undisguised as to its true purpose.
Questions can be open-ended or closed-ended.
Attitude Scales
The three most frequently used scales are:
Likert scales: easy for researchers to prepare
and interpret, and simple for consumers to answer.
Semantic differential scales: relatively easy to construct and administer.
Rank-order scales: subjects rank items in order of preference in terms of some criteria.
Example of a Likert ScalePlease place the number that best indicates how strongly you agree or disagree with each of the following statements about shopping on-line in the space to the left of the statement.
1 = Agree Strongly2 = Agree3 = Neither Agree or Disagree4 = Disagree5 = Disagree Strongly
_____ a. It is fun to shop online._____ b. Products often cost more on-line than they are worth._____ c. It is a good way to find out about new products._____ d. I’m afraid to give out my credit card number on-line._____ e. I can shop whenever I want--even at 2 o’clock in the morning._____ f. Some Web sites really encourage you to browse._____ g. It’s easy to compare different makes and models one-line.
Rank-Order ScalesA. Please rank the following e-mail providers in terms
of ease of access by placing a 1 in front of the service you think is best, a 2 alongside the second best, and continuing until you have ranked all six service providers.
_____ America Online _____ AT&T Worldnet_____ Netscape _____ Juno_____ Microsoft Explorer _____ Erols
B. Rank the following computer manufacturers in terms of hotline help by placing a 1 next to the one who provides the best telephone help a 2 next to the second best, until you have ranked all six.
_____ IBM _____Hewlett Packard_____ Dell _____ Gateway_____ Compaq _____ NEC
Qualitative Data Collection Methods
Depth Interviews
Projective Techniques
FocusGroups
Metaphor Analysis
Depth Interviews
A lengthy non structured interview between a respondent and a highly trained interviewer.
Interviewer minimizes his or her own participation after establishing the general subject matter.
Can provide marketers with valuable ideas about product design and provide insights for positioning or repositioning the product.
Focus Group
A qualitative research method in which about eight to ten persons participate in an unstructured group interview about a product or service concept.
Focus Groups
Consists of 8 to 10 respondents who meet with a moderator-analyst for a focused group discussion.
Respondents encouraged to discuss their interests, attitudes, reactions, motives, lifestyles, feelings about the product or product category, usage experience, etc.
Respondents recruited on the basis of consumer profiles, based on specifications defined by marketing management.
Projective Techniques
Research procedures designed to identify consumers’ subconscious feelings and motivations. These tests often require consumers to interpret ambiguous stimuli such as incomplete sentences, cartoons, or inkblots.
Projective Techniques
Consist of a variety of disguised “tests” that contain ambiguous stimuli.
Sometimes administered as part of a focus group, but usually used with depth interviews.
The theory is that respondents’ inner feelings influence how they perceive stimuli.
Metaphor Analysis
Based on belief that metaphors are the most basic method of thought and communication.
Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET) combines collage research and metaphor analysis to bring to the surface the mental models and the major themes or constructs that drive consumer thinking and behavior.
Consumer values also play an important role in understanding consumer behavior.
Sampling Plan Decisions
Whom to survey?
How many?
How toselect them?
Analysis
Qualitative Research: Moderator or test administrator usually analyzes responses.
Quantitative Research: Researcher supervises the analysis. Open-ended responses are coded
and quantified Responses are tabulated and
analyzed
Conducting A Research Study
Researchers often adapt the research process to the special needs of the study.
Together with the marketing manager, the researcher specifies the parameters of the population to be studied.
A qualitative study might be undertaken first to gather information about the target population's attitudes and concerns about certain items.
Then a quantitative study may be conducted to confirm and attach “hard” numbers to the findings.