3 Types of Marketing Research Designs

(Exploratory, Descriptive, Causal)

APRIL 8, 2016 ~ RVARUGHESE

There are 3 types of marketing research designs, and they are: exploratory,
descriptive, and casual.
Exploratory research is used in obtaining preliminary information that will
help identify the problem and hypothesis. It is done to understand what is
happening and why something is happening. Some of the most common
methods of exploratory research are focus groups, interviews, literature
research (library, newpaper, magazines, trade publication and online), and
case analyses. Group interaction interview is the difference between a 1-person
interview. Individuals in a focus group should match the target market or
audience that the client desires to get insight from.

Descriptive research is used to identify the marketing problem and/or the

potential for a market. This type of research is used to identify the
characteristics of the target group or the average user of the product or
service. Descriptive resesearch will allow us to make specific predictions and
notice a correlation among variables. There are 2 types of descriptive studies,
and they are: cross-sectional study and a longitudinal study. A cross-sectional
study involves a sample of the market population at a certain point in time. A
longitudinal study involves a panel or fixed sample of element at a certain
point in time. An example of a logitudinal sudy would involve the
manufacturer, distributor, individual sores, and consumers. Any one of these
elements can be replaced with another. In other words, the distributor can be
of new management or the department store can a competitor.

In a logitudinal study, there are 2 types of panels, and they are: continuous
panels and discontinuous panels. In most scenario, panels members are
compensated in one fashion or another for their efforts. In a continous panel,
the study relys on a fixed sample of repsondents who are measured repeatedly
over time under the same conditions. In a discontinous panel, the study relys
on a fixed sample of repondents who are measured under various conditions
over time.

Casual research is marketing research done to test a hypothesis; the cuase and effect
of a hypothesis. For example, causal research may be used in a business setting to
quantify the effect that a change will have on its current operations, and what it will
have on future production levels to assist in the business planning process.