Qualitative marketing research

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Qualitative marketing research involves a natural or observational examination of the philosophies that govern consumer behavior. The direction and framework of the research is often revised as new information is gained, allowing the researcher to evaluate issues and subjects in an in-depth manner. The quality of the research produced is heavily dependent on the skills of the researcher and is influenced by researcher bias.

Contents

Data collection

Qualitative marketing researchers collect data ranging from focus group, case study, participation observation, innovation game and in-depth interviews.

Focus group

The focus group is marketing research technique for qualitative data that involves a small group of people (6–10) that share a common set characteristics (demographics, attitudes, etc.) and participate in a discussion of predetermined topics led by a moderator. There are opportunities to conduct focus groups with the use of focus group software. [1] There are many types of focus group as well, but they always involve discussion among the group(s). The problem of the focus group is the issue of observer dependency: the results obtained are influenced by the researcher or his own reading of the group's discussion, raising questions of validity. Non-verbal cues, which may contradict the views participants articulate, are important and can easily be missed if the researcher is not familiar with visual cues, body language and other non verbal cues. [2] In cross-cultural focus groups, researchers must taken into account cultural norms of communication and interaction patterns. [3]

Qualitative case study

Qualitative case study methodology provides tools for researchers to study complex phenomena within their contexts. Because it only studies one case, so it is very up-close, in-depth. It contains high levels of internal validity (the extent to which one is able to say that no other variables except the one being studied caused the result), but the external validity is low. Customer behaviour is a good example for qualitative market research.

Participation observation

Participation observation is watching participants' behavior in real world settings without trying to manipulate their actions. [4] This method is high in external validity but low in internal validity.

Innovation game

Innovation game refers to a form of primary market research developed by Luke Hohmann where customers play a set of directed games as a means of generating feedback about a product or service. A facilitator explains the game(s) to be played and controls the paces, monitors the participants' levels and manages the time. There are many types of innovation games, such as 20/20 vision, me and my shadow, and buy a feature.

In-depth interviews

In-depth interviews, also called IDIs, have been an integral component of market research since its inception in the 1920s. This method is useful when you want detailed information about a person’s thoughts and behaviors or want to explore new issues in depth. One can get unique points from each respondent, and their answers will not be influenced by other people as in a focus group. In-depth interviews are typically held one-on-one between the respondent and the interview via a telephone, conducted in person, by email, or through an online platform (increasingly common).

The primary advantage of in-depth interviews is the amount of detailed information provided as compared to other data collection methods, such as surveys. Another advantage is reaching respondents that are geographically dispersed, which cannot occur in a focus group. This method is often used to refine future research or provide context to future studies. The primary disadvantage of in-depth interviews is the time to conduct, transcribe, and analyze. As such, this method could have higher costs associated with it than other methods.

Uses

Qualitative market research is often part of survey methodology, including telephone surveys and consumer satisfaction surveys. We apply the qualitative market research when:

Differences between consumer and B2B qualitative research

Qualitative research is used in both consumer research and business-to-business (B2B) research. However, qualitative research methods are used depending on whether consumers or business decision-makers are being inter-viewed. In consumer research, a range of qualitative methods are used, particularly in-depth interviews, focus groups and ethnographic observation. [8]

In B2B research, focus groups and ethnographic observation are used far less frequently due to the nature of business decision-makers, and in-depth interviews are most frequently used in B2B research: [9]

Typical general procedure

  1. Setting the question
  2. Deciding the objectives
  3. Planning research design [10]
  4. Select data collection techniques
  5. Sample design
  6. Data collection
  7. Analysis
  8. Do the report [11]

Advantages

Disadvantages

Vs. quantitative marketing research

Objective

Qualitative research is usually aimed to have an inside look about opinions or motivations, while quantitative research uses data to simplify the result.

Sample

Qualitative research usually has a smaller sample size than quantitative research due to the complexity of its data.

Data collection

Qualitative research usually uses unstructured or semi-structured techniques to collect data, e.g. in-depth interviews or group discussions, while quantitative research only uses structured techniques such as online questionnaires, on-street or telephone interviews.

Outcome

The outcomes of qualitative marketing research are usually not conclusive and cannot be used to make generalizations about the population of interest, instead developing an initial understanding and sound base for further decision making. The findings of quantitative marketing research are conclusive and usually descriptive in nature. [14]

Data analysis

Coding

Coding is an interpretive technique that both organizes the data and provides a means to introduce the interpretations of it into certain quantitative methods.

Cross Tabulation

Cross tabulation divides raw data into subgroups, showing how each dependent variable changes when represented in each subgroup. This is typically the most used data analysis tool due to its ability to clarify how data variables relate to each other.

See also

Related Research Articles

Marketing research is the systematic gathering, recording, and analysis of qualitative and quantitative data about issues relating to marketing products and services. The goal is to identify and assess how changing elements of the marketing mix impacts customer behavior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Focus group</span> Group interviewed to analyse opinions

A focus group is a group interview involving a small number of demographically similar participants. Their reactions to specific researcher/evaluator-posed questions are studied. Focus groups are used in market research to understand better people's reactions to products or services or participants' perceptions of shared experiences. The discussions can be guided or open. In market research, focus groups can explore a group's response to a new product or service. As a program evaluation tool, they can elicit lessons learned and recommendations for performance improvement. The idea is for the researcher to understand participants' reactions. If group members are representative of a larger population, those reactions may be expected to reflect the views of that larger population. Thus, focus groups constitute a research or evaluation method that researchers organize to collect qualitative data through interactive and directed discussions.

Concept testing is the process of using surveys to evaluate consumer acceptance of a new product idea prior to the introduction of a product to the market. It is important not to confuse concept testing with advertising testing, brand testing and packaging testing, as is sometimes done. Concept testing focuses on the basic product idea, without the embellishments and puffery inherent in advertising.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interview</span> Structured series of questions and answers

An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers. In common parlance, the word "interview" refers to a one-on-one conversation between an interviewer and an interviewee. The interviewer asks questions to which the interviewee responds, usually providing information. That information may be used or provided to other audiences immediately or later. This feature is common to many types of interviews – a job interview or interview with a witness to an event may have no other audience present at the time, but the answers will be later provided to others in the employment or investigative process. An interview may also transfer information in both directions.

Market research is an organized effort to gather information about target markets and customers: know about them, starting with who they are. It is an important component of business strategy and a major factor in maintaining competitiveness. Market research helps to identify and analyze the needs of the market, the market size and the competition. Its techniques encompass both qualitative techniques such as focus groups, in-depth interviews, and ethnography, as well as quantitative techniques such as customer surveys, and analysis of secondary data.

Questionnaire construction refers to the design of a questionnaire to gather statistically useful information about a given topic. When properly constructed and responsibly administered, questionnaires can provide valuable data about any given subject.

Quantitative marketing research is the application of quantitative research techniques to the field of marketing research. It has roots in both the positivist view of the world, and the modern marketing viewpoint that marketing is an interactive process in which both the buyer and seller reach a satisfying agreement on the "four Ps" of marketing: Product, Price, Place (location) and Promotion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quantitative research</span> All procedures for the numerical representation of empirical facts

Quantitative research is a research strategy that focuses on quantifying the collection and analysis of data. It is formed from a deductive approach where emphasis is placed on the testing of theory, shaped by empiricist and positivist philosophies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Methodology</span> Study of research methods

In its most common sense, methodology is the study of research methods. However, the term can also refer to the methods themselves or to the philosophical discussion of associated background assumptions. A method is a structured procedure for bringing about a certain goal, like acquiring knowledge or verifying knowledge claims. This normally involves various steps, like choosing a sample, collecting data from this sample, and interpreting the data. The study of methods concerns a detailed description and analysis of these processes. It includes evaluative aspects by comparing different methods. This way, it is assessed what advantages and disadvantages they have and for what research goals they may be used. These descriptions and evaluations depend on philosophical background assumptions. Examples are how to conceptualize the studied phenomena and what constitutes evidence for or against them. When understood in the widest sense, methodology also includes the discussion of these more abstract issues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Questionnaire</span> Series of questions for gathering information

A questionnaire is a research instrument that consists of a set of questions for the purpose of gathering information from respondents through survey or statistical study. A research questionnaire is typically a mix of close-ended questions and open-ended questions. Open-ended, long-term questions offer the respondent the ability to elaborate on their thoughts. The Research questionnaire was developed by the Statistical Society of London in 1838.

A self-report study is a type of survey, questionnaire, or poll in which respondents read the question and select a response by themselves without any outside interference. A self-report is any method which involves asking a participant about their feelings, attitudes, beliefs and so on. Examples of self-reports are questionnaires and interviews; self-reports are often used as a way of gaining participants' responses in observational studies and experiments.

Cognitive pretesting, or cognitive interviewing, is a field research method where data is collected on how the subject answers interview questions. It is the evaluation of a test or questionnaire before it's administered. It allows survey researchers to collect feedback regarding survey responses and is used in evaluating whether the question is measuring the construct the researcher intends. The data collected is then used to adjust problematic questions in the questionnaire before fielding the survey to the full sample of people.

Advertising research is a systematic process of marketing research conducted to improve the efficiency of advertising. Advertising research is a detailed study conducted to know how customers respond to a particular ad or advertising campaign.

The term Marketing research mix was created in 2004 and published in 2007. It was designed as a framework to assist researchers to design or evaluate marketing research studies. The name was deliberately chosen to be similar to the Marketing Mix - it also has four Ps. Unlike the marketing mix these elements are sequential and they match the main phases that need to be followed. These four Ps are: Purpose; Population; Procedure and Publication.

The marketing research process is a six-step process involving the definition of the problem being studied upon, determining what approach to take, formulation of research design, field work entailed, data preparation and analysis, and the generation of reports, how to present these reports, and overall, how the task can be accomplished.

Product Planning, or product discovery, is the ongoing process of identifying and articulating market requirements that define a product's feature set. It serves as the basis for decision-making about price, distribution and promotion. Product planning is also the means by which companies and businesses can respond to long-term challenges within the business environment, often achieved by managing the product throughout its life cycle using various marketing strategies, including product extensions or improvements, increased distribution, price changes and promotions. It involves understanding the needs and wants of core customer groups so products can target key customer desires and allows a firm to predict how a product will be received within a market upon launch.

Netnography is a specific type of qualitative social media research. It adapts the methods of ethnography to understand social interaction in contemporary digital communications contexts. Netnography is a specific set of research practices related to data collection, analysis, research ethics, and representation, rooted in participant observation. In netnography, a significant amount of the data originates in and manifests through the digital traces of naturally occurring public conversations recorded by contemporary communications networks. Netnography uses these conversations as data. It is an interpretive research method that adapts the traditional, in-person participant observation techniques of anthropology to the study of interactions and experiences manifesting through digital communications.

Virtual store research is an extension of the traditional methods of marketing research. While marketing research employs techniques like focus groups, surveys and observation to better understand consumer decision-making, virtual store research uses these standard research techniques within a simulated store setting, delivered via computer. Virtual store research uses 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional computer simulation technology to create retail contexts that are as close to the real shopping experience as possible. This allows test consumers within the virtual environment to interact with store merchandise and make purchase decisions in a way that closely resembles real in-store behavior.

With the application of probability sampling in the 1930s, surveys became a standard tool for empirical research in social sciences, marketing, and official statistics. The methods involved in survey data collection are any of a number of ways in which data can be collected for a statistical survey. These are methods that are used to collect information from a sample of individuals in a systematic way. First there was the change from traditional paper-and-pencil interviewing (PAPI) to computer-assisted interviewing (CAI). Now, face-to-face surveys (CAPI), telephone surveys (CATI), and mail surveys are increasingly replaced by web surveys. In addition, remote interviewers could possibly keep the respondent engaged while reducing cost as compared to in-person interviewers.

Customer foresight is a new field of applied research. It aims to understand future consumer preferences and wishes with regard to tomorrow's products and services. It does so by combining customer research and foresight research elements. Customer foresight can be conceived as an interaction with projected future markets through selected customers by understanding their wishes and attitudes, ideas and visions as well as their perception of signals and drivers of change. Even though the concept cannot predict the future, it enables companies to prepare for different future scenarios and thus improves strategy and decision-making processes.

References

  1. ↑ "Focus Group | Marketing Research Association". www.marketingresearch.org. Retrieved 2015-11-05.
  2. ↑ "Top Tips for Getting Great Information from Your Focus Groups [INFOGRAPHIC]". Insights In Marketing. Retrieved 2017-07-14.
  3. ↑ Sha, Mandy (2020-04-30). "Cross-cultural comparisons of focus groups as a research method (Chapter 8)". In Sha, Mandy; Gabel, Tim (eds.). The Essential Role of Language in Survey Research. RTI Press. pp. 221–230. doi: 10.3768/rtipress.bk.0023.2004 . ISBN   978-1-934831-24-3.
  4. ↑ Lilienfeld, Scott O.; Steven J. Lynn; Laura L. Namy; Nancy J. Woolf (2013). Psychology: From Inquiry to Understanding. Pearson. ISBN   978-0-205-95998-3.
  5. ↑ Sha, Mandy; Hsieh, Y. Patrick; Goerman, Patricia L. (2018-07-25). "Translation and visual cues: Towards creating a road map for limited English speakers to access translated Internet surveys in the United States". Translation & Interpreting. 10 (2): 142–158. doi: 10.12807/ti.110202.2018.a10 . ISSN   1836-9324.
  6. ↑ "When to Use Qualitative Research - Qualitative Research Consultants Association". www.qrca.org. Retrieved 2015-11-05.
  7. ↑ Geisen, Emily; Sha, Mandy; Roper, Farren (2024). Bias testing in market research: A framework to enable inclusive research design (published January 3, 2024). ISBN   979-8862902785.
  8. ↑ Lawless, Harry T.; Heymann, Hildegarde (2010), Lawless, Harry T.; Heymann, Hildegarde (eds.), "Qualitative Consumer Research Methods", Sensory Evaluation of Food: Principles and Practices, Food Science Text Series, New York, NY: Springer, pp. 379–405, doi:10.1007/978-1-4419-6488-5_16, ISBN   978-1-4419-6488-5 , retrieved 2023-10-12
  9. ↑ Wells, Chris (July 10, 2020). "How to Conduct B2B Qualitative Research". Adience. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  10. ↑ "7 Stages or Steps Involved in Marketing Research Process". YourArticleLibrary.com: The Next Generation Library. Retrieved 2015-11-05.
  11. ↑ "Marketing Research Process: 9 Stages to Marketing Research Success - Qualtrics". Qualtrics. Retrieved 2015-11-05.
  12. ↑ "The Advantages of Qualitative Research | Marketing Research Company | SmartPoint Research". smartpointresearch.com. Retrieved 2015-11-05.
  13. ↑ "What Are the Disadvantages of Qualitative Measurements When Doing Marketing Research?". Small Business - Chron.com. Retrieved 2015-11-05.
  14. ↑ "Qualitative vs Quantitative Research » Snap Surveys". » Snap Surveys. Retrieved 2015-11-05.
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