MARKETING

RESEARCH
Chapter 2- Marketing Process
MARKETING PROCESS
OVERVIEW OF THE MARKETING RESEARCH PROCESS
 Why should we do research?
 What research should be done?
 Is it worth doing the research?
 How should the research be designed to achieve the research objectives?
 What will we do with the research?
MARKETING PROCESS
STEPS IN THE MARKETING RESEARCH PROCESS
STEP 1. Establish the need for the marketing research
STEP 2. Define the problem
STEP 3. Establish research objectives
STEP 4. Determine the research design
STEP 5. Identify information types and sources
STEP 6. Determine the methods of accessing data
STEP 7. Design data collection forms
STEP 8. Determine sample plan and size
STEP 9. Collect Data
STEP 10. Data processing and analysis
STEP 11. Formulating conclusion, preparing and presenting the report.
 
 
Steps in Marketing Research Process
STEP 1. Establish the need for the marketing research
STEP 2. Define the problem
STEP 3. Establish research objectives
STEP 4. Determine the research design
STEP 5. Identify information types and sources
STEP 6. Determine the methods of accessing data
STEP 7. Design data collection forms
STEP 8. Determine sample plan and size
STEP 9. Collect Data
STEP 10. Data processing and analysis
STEP 11. Formulating conclusion, preparing and presenting the report.
 
 
STEP 1: Establish the Need for Marketing Research
A good monitoring system will alert the marketing manager to a problem that
can be attacked bySTEP
marketing research.
1: ESTABLISH THE NEED FOR MARKETING RESEARCH

Regardless of Aattacked
the monitoring system used a good monitoring system
good monitoring system will alert the marketing manager to a problem that can be
by marketing research.
constantly searches for hints
Regardless that the
of the monitoring system companies marketing
used a good monitoring system constantlymix may be out of
searches for hints that the companies marketing mix may be out of ‘sync’ in the market
‘sync’ in the marketplace.
place.
Marketing research may not be needed if :
Marketing research may not be needed if :
o Information is already available
o There is insufficient time for marketing research
o Information is already available
o Resources are not available
o Costs outweight the value of the research
o There is insufficient time for marketing research
o Resources are not available
o Costs out weight the value of the research
 
 
STEP 2: Define the Problem
 “A problem well-defined is half solved”
 Identifying and defining the problem or opportunity is a crucial first step in
the marketing research process.
 When defining the problem, it is important to think broadly about the
possible causes.
 Defining the Problem Results in Clear Cut Research Objectives.
 Problem definition involves:
 Specifying the symptoms
 Itemizing the possible causes of the symptoms
 Listing the reasonable alternative courses of action that the
marketing manager can undertake to solve the problem.
 
STEP 3: Establish the Research Objectives
 What specific information should the project provide?
 If more than one type of information will be developed
from the study, which is the most important?
 What are the priorities?
 When specifying research objectives, development of
hypotheses, might be very helpful.
 When achieved, objectives provide the necessary
information to solve the problem.
STEP 4: Determine the Research Design
A research design is a framework or blueprint for conducting the marketing
research project.
RESEARCH
DESIGN

Quantitative Qualitative
Research Research

EXPLORATORY
DESCRIPTIVE CASUAL
Exploratory Research Design
- It is defined as collecting information in an unstructured and
informal manner.
Examples: Reading periodicals, visiting competitors premises,
examine company sales and profits vs. industry sales and profit,
clipping service.
Descriptive Research Design
- It refers to a set of methods and procedure that describe
marketing variables.
- Portray these variables by answering who, what, why and
how questions.
- Examples: consumer attitude survey to your companies
services.
Casual Research Design

 Casual research is conducted by controlling various factors to

determine which factor is causing the problem.
 By changing one factor, say price, we can monitor its effect on a
key consequence, such as sales.
 In other words, casual design allows us to determine causality, or
which variable is causing another variable to change.
STEP5: Identify Information Types & Resources
There are two types of market research that can be performed:
1. PRIMARY RESEARCH
- It involves collecting information from sources directly by conducting
interviews and surveys, and by talking to customers and established
business.
- It refers to information that has been gathered specifically to serve the
research objectives at hand.
2. SECONDARY RESEARCH
- It involves collecting information from sources where the primary research
has already been conducted. Such information includes industry statistics,
market research reports, news paper articles, etc.
STEP6: Determine Methods of Accessing Data
 Once the researcher has determined which type or types of information
are needed, he or she must determine methods of accessing data.
 There are several different methods of collecting primary data including:
 Telephone surveys
 Mail surveys
 Door-to-door interviews
 Mall-intercept studies
 New data collection methods are emerging
 Different methods of collecting secondary data includes:
 Information processing technology.
 Easy and quick retrieval
 Internal data-company reports, salespersons, executives, MIS and
information sources.
STEP7: Design Data Collection Forms
 QUESTIONNAIRE:
o It is a set of questions presented to a respondent
 Records the information communicated by respondents or the respondent’s behavior
as observed by the researcher
 Structured Questionnaires: List questions that have pre-specified answer choices.
 Unstructured Questionnaires: Have open ended questions and/or questions that are
asked based on a response.
 QUALITATIVE MEASURES:
 Sometimes, consumer response does not match their answers. Thus, unstructured
techniques are used. For example, consumer journey is a technique of keeping
track of all the interactions of a consumer with product service or space.
 MECHANICAL DEVICES:
 Electronic devices have replaced questionnaires and diary filling methods.
For example, galvanometer can measure the
STEP8: Determine Sample Plan And Size
 
Here, a researcher has to plan the sampling unit, procedure and size.
It is not possible to interview each and every person.
Therefore, the researcher must define the target population from which sample has
to be drawn.
The researcher has to choose between probability and non-probability sampling.
The choice is based on circumstances facing the company and research work.
A good sampling procedure can provide good reliability.
 A sample plan identifies who is to be sampled and how select them for study.
 A sample element refers to a unit of the entity being studied.
 A sample frame is a list from which the sample elements are drawn for the sample.
 A sample plan specify how to draw the sample elements from the sample plan.
 Methods are available to help the researcher determine the sample size required
for the research study.
STEP9: Collect Data
 The collection of data relates to the gathering of facts to be used in
solving the problem.
 Data can be primary, example, collected from the original base through
empirical research by means of various tools.
 Data can be secondary, i.e. collected from concerned reports,
magazines and other periodical, especially written articles, government
publications, company publications, books, etc.
 There can be broady two types of sources
 Internal sources: existing within the firm itself, such as accounting data,
salesmen’s reports, etc.
 b) External sources: existing outside the firm .
 
STEP10: Data Processing and Analysis
 Data processing begins with the editing of data and its coding.
 Editing involves inspecting the data-collection forms for omission,
legibility, and consistency in classification.
 Before tabulation, responses need to be classified into meaningful
categories.
 The rules for categorizing, recording and transferring the data to ‘data
storage media’ are called codes. This coding process facility the manual
or computer tabulation.
 If computer analysis is being used, the data can be key punched and
verified.
 Analysis of data represents the application of logic to the understanding
of data collected about the subject.
STEP11: Formulating Conclusion, Preparing and
Presenting the Report.

 The final report should addresses

 The specific research questions identified
 The research design
 Data Collection
 Data Analysis procedures adopted
 Present the results and the major findings
 It can be written or an oral presentation, or both. Visual aids such as line
chart, pie chart, bar chart, pictographs, etc. can be used.
 A well-presented report indicates the confidence levels of the researchers
in presenting strategies that help in managerial decision-making.
 
SUMMARY

 Virtually all market research projects are different.

 Some are limited to review of secondary data: others require complex
designs involving large scale collection of primary data.
 Understand the eleven steps of the research process.
 Steps can give researchers an overview of the entire research process.
 Gives researchers a procedure to follow and a framework.
 Many steps outlined are interactive and the researcher may decide which
ones to use.