Marketing Research Cheat Sheet
Product Research: Product research takes many forms and includes studies designed to evaluate and develop new products, measure perceptions of the quality of goods and services, and learn how to adapt existing product lines. Concept testing exposes potential customers to new product ideas to judge the concepts acceptance and feasibility. Product testing reveals a product prototype's strengths and weaknesses or determines weather a finished product performs better than competing brands or according to expectations. Brand name evaluation studies investigate whether a name is appropriate for a product. Package testing assesses size, color, shape, ease of use, and other attributes of a package. Total quality management studies involve routinely asking customers to rate a product against its competitors.
Product research encompasses all applications of marketing research that seek to develop product attributes that will add value for consumers. When Chee-tos became the first major brand of snack food to be made and marketed in China, product taste tests revealed that traditional cheese-flavored corn puffs Chee-tos did not appeal to Chinese consumers. So the company conducted consumer research with 600 different flavors to learn which flavors would be most appealing, nachos, Italian pizza, Hawaiian barbecue, peanut satay, North Sea crab, chili prawn, coconut milk curry, smoked octopus, caramel, and cuttlefish. Research did show that consumers liked some flavors. So, when Chee-tos were introduced in China, they came in two flavors: Savory American cream and zesty Japanese steak.
Pricing Research: Most organizations conduct pricing research. A competitive pricing study is a typical marketing research project of this type. However, research designed to discover the ideal price for a product or to determine if consumers will pay a price high enough to cover cost is not uncommon. Pricing research may also investigate when to offer discounts or coupons, explore whether certain critical product attributes determine how consumers perceive among national brands, regional brands, and private labels.
Research may answer many questions about price. Is there a need for seasonal or quantity discounts? Are coupons more effective than price reductions? Is a brand price elastic or price inelastic? How much of a price difference will best differentiate items in the product line?
Distribution Research: Book company originally choose to distribute their children’s books to upscale book stores, but upon distribution research… they found their buyers would prefer to purchase the books from mass merchandisers, grocery stores, and drug stores.
Promotion Research: Research that investigates the effectiveness of premiums, coupons, sampling deals, and other sales promotions is classified as promotion research. Promotoin research includes buyer motivation studies to genera ideas for copy development, media research, and studies of advertising effectiveness. However, the most time, money, and effort are spent on advertising research.
QUESTIONANAIRE DESIGN
Open-ended response question: A question that posses some problem and asks the respondent to answer in his or her own words.
Fixed-alternative question: A question in which the respondent is given specific, limited-alternative responses and is asked to choose one closest to his or her own view point.
Simple-dichotomy question: A fixed-alternative question that requires the respondent to choose one of two alternatives.
Determinant-choice question: A fixed-alternative question that requires a respondent to choose one response from among multiple alternatives.
Frequency-determination question: A fixed-alternative question about general frequency of occurrence.
Checklist question: A fixed-alternative question that allows the respondent to provide multiple answers to a single question by checking off items.
Leading question: A question that suggests or implies certain answers.
Loaded question: A question that suggests a socially desirable answer or that is emotionally charged.
Counter biasing statement: An introductory statement or preamble to a potentially embarrassing question that reduces a respondents reluctance to answer by suggesting that certain behavior is not unusual.
Split-ballot technique: The use of two alternative phrasings of the same question for respective halves of a ample to elicit a more accurate total response than a single phrasing would.
Double-barreled question: A question that may induce bias because it covers two issues at once.
Order bias: Bias caused by the influence of earlier questions in a questionnaire or by an answers position in a set of answers.
Funnel technique: Asking general questions before specific questions in order to obtain unbiased responses.
Filter Question: A question that screens out respondents who are not qualified to answer a second question.
Pivot question: A filter question used to determine which version of a second question will be asked.
SURVEY ERRORS
Random sampling error: A statistical fluctuation that occurs because of chance variation in the elements selected for a sample.
Systematic error: Error resulting from some imperfect aspect of the research design or from a mistake in the execution of the research.
Sample Bias: A persistent tendency for the results of a sample to deviate in one direction from the true value of the population parameter.
Respondent error: A category of sample bias resulting from some respondent action or inaction such as nonrespone or response bias.
Nonresponse error: The statistical differences between a survey that includes only those who responded and a perfect survey that would also include those who failed to respond.
Acquiescence bias: A category of response bias that results because some individuals tend to agree with all questions or to concur with a particular position.