I. SOME OF YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED (MARKET RESEARCH)
2012
Market Research - Know your Basics
Abhilash Pathiyaparambath
[MARKET RESEARCH]
People do end up doing a lot of things in Project Management taking Market Research as a core activity in determining the prospects & planning strategies for corporate’s.Lets understand why we do Market Research & get your queries’ answered. Read this article carefully & know the basics of this huge industry.Corporate’s have been investing a lot of money in Market research in order to stay in the market, To gear up for future competition strategies, Becoming a leader in their field & of course satisfy customer / consumer needs.
Market research:
Basic Questions and questionnaires
Do you know what Market Research is?
People do end up doing a lot of things in Project Management taking Market Research as a core activity in determining the prospects & planning strategies for corporate’s.
Lets understand why we do Market Research & get your queries’ answered.
Read this article carefully & know the basics of this huge industry.
Corporate’s have been investing a lot of money in Market research in order to stay in the market, To gear up for future competition strategies, Becoming a leader in their field & of course satisfy customer / consumer needs.
Appropriate, detailed and supportable answers prior to commissioning the research:
The Sample Who are you going to ask?
The Method How are you going to ask them?
The Questions What are you going to ask them?
The Results What will you do with the information?
The Cost How much do you want to pay for the answer?
The Time Scale By when do you need the information?
These are explored in detail below and in general apply equally to personal and corporate markets:
The Sample
The number of people asked is an important consideration as if you asked just one person you would get a very accurate picture of her views on anything (probably) but this would not necessarily be representative of the world at large and may lead you down a completely blind alley. How many then should you ask? And what sort of people? How many do you need to ask - is it millions, hundreds of thousands or what? Clearly there is a cost implication as the number increases; both in terms of carrying out the research and also in analyzing and interpreting the resulting data. Fortunately a lot of research has been carried out into this area and some surprising conclusions have emerged. When you ask a number of respondents (known as the 'population') the same questions, after a certain number the percentage difference in the answer ceases to vary very much, or at least if it does then the degree of likely error can be calculated with a high degree of accuracy.
This number is known as a 'statistically significant number' and although it needs to be calculated for each type of question, the numbers are surprisingly low. For consumer goods it is in the low hundreds and even for such emotive issues such as politics it is only in low thousands. Key points are that the sample must be homogeneous i.e. sharing the important characteristics - e.g. four-wheel car drivers in the home counties, or British owners of Portuguese villas in the Algarve; in order that the data is comparable and that conclusions are meaningful and also of course targeted. This classification is known as segmentation (see separate paper 'Segmentation - slicing and dicing the cake of customer spend').
The Method There are several methods of obtaining the information as mentioned above and key characteristics of each are explored below.
Telephone research
Using the telephone to collect has one great advantage - it is cheap. One researcher can make many calls in a day without leaving an office. It is also both very focused as you are initiating the call and it is fast as interviews do not take long and the elapsed time to complete the exercise is also short.
There are some drawbacks however - often people do not like to receive unsolicited calls and it can be very difficult to use in a corporate - business to business - environment. It relies on a structured script and on obtaining answers in the same manner (e.g. interviewers tick boxes on template in front of them).
Written questionnaires
This is probably the most common method of research and everyone will be familiar with it in one form or another. Unless used in the right circumstances it can be a passive method reliant on people to complete and return them and in this case inertia rules and only those with a grievance or an axe to grind return them. By combining it with other activities however, such as checking out of an hotel, installing new software, sending in the guarantee form, or making it part of the application process for loans or life insurance and other services it can be turned into an effective method of research.
To be really effective it is best to use questionnaires that ask for boxes to be ticked or strength of agreement to statements to be indicated (see below). This has the advantage that it is easier and faster for the recipient to complete and also allows direct comparability of answers. It will not perhaps have the same depth as, say, a qualitative survey where respondents write comments; but if it is drawn up well then it is very useful and can cover more subjects than the qualitative type.
Types of questionnaire
There are several types of questionnaire and each is designed to explore different aspects or elicit different responses. Some of the more common include:
Dichotomous Multiple choice
Importance
Bipolar
Likert
Rating scale 1 - 5
Buying propensity
These can be used in any combination as long as the questionnaire is not too long and it is focused.
In the fictitious examples below the data is merely illustrative.
Dichotomous
This is a fairly typical basic type of question, not too intrusive and merely asks you to answer yes or no. As such it cannot assess the degree of feelings in between the poles:
Do you eat whale Meat?
Multiple choice
This is a question offering three or more answers - and allows a greater breadth of response.
Importance
In this type of question the respondent is asked to rate the importance of an issue to them on a scale of 1 to 5
Bipolar
The question asks for a response to be marked between two opposite ends of the scale:
Likert
This question examines how strongly the respondent agrees with a statement and can help assess the feelings of customers towards issues. Likert
Rating scale
This question type rates the replies in terms of a scale from e.g. poor to first class. As with all these types of questions it is sometimes necessary to have an even number of boxes (e.g. 4) to avoid the middle of the road response commonly taken by those trying to avoid making a stand.
Buying propensity
This type of question is trying to elicit a customer's future intentions by asking whether they might buy a product and can help assess the needs and likely take up of a new product if developed. Care needs to be taken with these questions as they may reflect wants rather than needs!
All of the above are quantitative type questions. What they ask is for a response within pre-defined parameters that allows input into spreadsheets and hard analysis.
Although this facilitates the input into data analysis sheets and subsequent number crunching - the respondent is not allowed to say what they think. They can only answer the question by marking the pre-designated boxes. This is of course of immense use - especially if the questionnaire has been well thought through and piloted. Sadly this is often not the case and many are rather poor! As a result you do not get the qualifying comment that can often express her real feelings.
Qualitative questions can allow more freedom for answers but are much harder to analyse as each respondent will use her own words. Often the question will be couched along the lines of:
Describe in your own words your opinion of your shop.
This has the advantage that the respondent can say what she likes, which can yield very interesting information that might not have been thought of at design phase; but on the other side, that she can also respond in an unlimited and often unconstructive manner, making analysis much harder.
Whichever question types are used they must always be designed with the express intention of:
Inconveniencing the customer as little as possible;
Being aimed at an homogeneous segment; and
Having been designed to elicit specific information that supports your marketing initiative.
Street interviewing
This an effective method of data collection although not always the most cost effective as it involves people's time as researchers and may involve lots of non-value added interactions for every useful interview.
Usually the researcher is situated in a busy street and asks a few questions to eliminate candidates and ensure homogeneity (known as screening questions) before either thanking them or passing on to the next set of core questions. This is to ensure that the quote sampled is representative and statistically significant.
It is almost exclusively used in consumer research. Segments chosen must be wide enough to be meaningful but also focussed to support the conclusions you require to achieve.
Face to face interviewing
This is basically a structured conversation. The interviewer should have a one or two sheet guide to the questions that they want to ask. These should be ordered so as not to give too much information to the interviewee to avoid prejudicing their views.
E.g. asking 'Do you like XYZ chocolate?' before you ask 'Of which chocolates are you aware?' will prejudice the answers.
You must:
Confirm the interview beforehand with a letter, email, or fax
Be on time, and make sure the interview doesn't overrun
Guide the conversation gently, but firmly
If the interviewee is difficult then make your excuses and leave
Product tests
These are widely used, especially in the consumer markets.
The manufacturer selects a group of potential buyers and offers a pre-production sample for people to use or sample, on agreement that they report back their findings.
They are not very useful in service industries.
You should:
Use experienced personnel;
Choose an appropriate place to hold the tests (e.g. for food outside a supermarket, for audio equipment in a hall);
Make sure that everyone who participates is given a questionnaire to complete;
Circulate during the event to get off-the-cuff remarks, and record these for later analysis.
Consumer panels and focus groups
Consumer panels
Consumer panels, also called Omnibus surveys, are where pre-segmented panel members fill in diaries regularly.
Panel members are usually recompensed by gifts or 'points'.
You must:
Use a specialist firm.
Note - This is usually for Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) only due to its nature - not many people take out loans every week or even month and car purchases usually happen every two or three years.
Focus groups
These are basically moderated group discussions but can be extraordinary useful in getting information out of people.
The format is as follows:
An audience of between 6 and 12 people, with selected backgrounds is invited to the meeting. This takes place in a comfortable room (e.g. like a drawing room);
A moderator or facilitator (often using visual aids) explains the purpose of the focus group and may give some background to the topic;
The group is then invited to discuss the relevant issues. The discussions are usually recorded (or notes are taken by an assistant);
The moderator guides the discussion to make sure that it stays on the subject;
You must:
Ensure that the audience represents the desired segment(s);
Make sure that the audience is relaxed and feel free to speak;
Ensure that the quieter members of the group are given a chance to speak as well;
The quality of the moderator is crucial. Specialist firms are usually employed to maximize value from the exercise.
Note a free lunch with a group of people is not a focus group!
The Questions
In order to make informed decisions about anything you need the correct information. This must be based on analytical data and gives you the knowledge to make the decisions. One of the things that often emerges from research is that you actually know a lot less than you thought you did.
You must take special care therefore in framing the questions to ensure that you receive the correct output. The type of research chosen will also affect the type of questions. There are two types of questions:
Quantitative - based on numbers or fixed answers - e.g. what percentage do you pay on your mortgage, or how much are your monthly life premiums?
Qualitative - based on words - how do you feel that your account has been handled in the last year?
Quantitative answers are generally much easier to analyze but qualitative answers can give you more valuable insights into what people really think.
The Results
What will you do with the information? It is critical that you think this through before starting any research. What you want to do with the information should shape the nature of the questions and possibly even the manner in which it is collected. It will certainly affect the analysis and any conclusions drawn.
The Cost
How much do you want to pay for the answer? The cost of market research can vary widely: from thousands of pounds to many millions spent by multinationals on major consumer brands. It is relatively easy to assess the cost of market research and the procedure to follow is:
scope out the activities that you think will be needed (e.g. 1000 telephone calls, 200 face to face interviews etc.) assess the amount of time input that this requires (see below for a guide);
Identify the daily cost of either your own staff or employing people of the right caliber to do the work;
Add in the preparation time for questionnaires and the time to analyze and write up the reports.
A brief guide to Researchers time:
Telephone calls - around 8 to 10 completed calls per working day. Note that to get 10 interviews completed will probably require 50 to 100 calls to be made;
Face To face interviews - typically only two face to face interviews can be accomplished a day, and if travel to other towns is required, then this may fall to one - this is to allow time for the interview to be completed and written up;
Street Interviewing: around twenty to thirty a day may be accomplished depending on the questions;
Group discussions: Set aside at least a day for administration and a half day for the group. Don't forget that more than one person is required to run a group interview;
Written questionnaire: Typically a response of between 1% and 3% is considered normal.
The Time Scale
Work backwards from when the results are required to get start date. Produce a bar chart (sometimes called a Gantt chart) showing the various steps and the interrelationship between each of them. Typically the stages will be as follows:
Scope the project;
Set-up phase (e.g. hiring or contracting staff, preparing questionnaires, samples, purchasing mailing lists);
Desk Research - looking to see what already exists; test phase (sometimes called piloting). Test a small sample of people to check your approach;
Research - There may be a number of phases, one leading to another;
Analysis - takes longer than you might think as you may have to revisit some answers for confirmation or clarification so leave plenty of time for this!;
Reporting - a written report should be prepared setting out the modus operandi and the results and if relevant conclusions and recommendations, and to provide a reference document.
Summary
Market research can be a very valuable tool for assessing true needs and wants in a market place. To be effective, however, it must be structured, focused on segments and analyzed in the context of the results desired. The key steps are:
Scope the project - which segments to research, objectives (what do you want to know, when, etc);
Agree budget - very important!;
Set-up phase (e.g. hiring consultants/advisors, preparing questionnaires, samples, purchasing mailing lists);
Desk Research - looking to see what already exists;
Field Research:
Test phase (sometimes called piloting) test with a small sample of people to check your approach;
Main research - there may be a number of phases, one leading to another;
Analysis;
Reporting - a written report should be prepared for the benefit of others in your firm, and to provide a reference document.
It is better to get outside help as specialist firms have:
Experience;
Techniques;
Skilled staff that can yield results faster than in-house operation
No prejudice or bias;
Flexibility;
A greater degree of anonymity which can be critical.
Market research - the key to understanding your customers
Market research is defined as the systematic and focused collection of information on customers and markets for analysis and subsequent usage in formulating your marketing strategy. It is critical in finding out what your customers and potential customers think and for discovering what their wants and needs are. As shown in the diagram 'marketing cycle' research fits into the overall marketing cycle by providing input to the analysis. This, when accompanied by internal analysis of strengths, weaknesses and offerings, and competitive analysis provides the basis for deciding and then developing the marketing strategy.
Why do you need to understand your customers?
Unfortunately in the real world you do not operate as a sole supplier and customers have choice. They can choose either to take your offering or someone else's. Marketing is about understanding customers' needs and wants and then crafting your offering to be as close to those needs as possible so that they buy yours. Note that wants and needs are not the same and it is critical to understand the difference between them or you will be focusing on the wrong driver:
Wants are what a person desires and are aspirational (e.g. I want a Mont Blanc pen - but maybe I only want something to write with and will buy a pencil or a ball point pen, or maybe just some other form of communication - or is it just a fashion accessory or perhaps a status symbol that says something about me (conspicuous consumption)
Needs are what people/firms must have to carry on what they are doing (at the basic personal level: food, shelter, clothing etc [cf Maslow's 'Hierarchy of Needs']). When it comes to the crunch - customers will buy to satisfy their needs.
Linking needs to wants, however, is usually a very productive marketing strategy because, normally, the closer that you can make a customer feel that wants and needs are aligned the more successful you will be. Offering something that feels like a Rolls-Royce but for the budget of a family saloon could be a winner (but at what cost?!). When Japanese car makers entered the UK market they focused on cheap cars with features as standard that were extra on other cars - i.e. they met real needs for transport but included aspirational wants for other features (tape players etc) at needs prices - and took significant market share. Advertising often links this aspirational aspect of our lives to needs by linking glamorous lifestyles (e.g. Martini) or sex (e.g. Obsession) or 'cool' (e.g. Spec savers) to products.
Market research is how you find out what customers Need.
Why carry out research?
By collecting and analyzing information that is relevant it enables you to make informed and robust decisions as an input into subsequent action. The objectives of research include:
Defining and evaluating your place in a market;
Providing information regarding future trends in demand;
Identifying customer needs and requirements;
Discovering what they think of you and your offerings;
Uncovering ways to delight your customers further;
Providing an evaluation of advertising and promotional strategies and their content;
Revealing opportunities for business development and improved competitiveness;
Discovering opportunities for increasing profit/product penetration.
You may use research to address any or all of these issues
There are two types of market research:
Desk research; and Field research; and it is important to understand the difference between them. Desk research is usually easier and almost invariably much cheaper. It may not of course provide you with precisely what you need and, therefore, you may have to resort to field research.
Desk research
Before commencing any external study and commissioning field research it is always worth asking - has it been analyzed before. This is usually easier and quicker and the scale of information you can access has been altered radically by the explosion of information you can obtain over the internet. This allows you to access all (published) information globally on a subject. The surprising thing about the internet is that so much is available - and for free! - Although an unfocussed search over the internet may take a long time and result in masses of data which will take forever to analyze. Information can come from two sources - external and internal. Typical examples of external desk research include:
Public library searches;
Press clippings;
Sector and published surveys;
Trade information;
Internet trawls;
Books and other publications.
Where you have a large customer base then this should also be part of your desk research. Understanding your current customer patterns of usage will give valuable information on what is successful and what is not. One of the major benefits of effective and up-to-date customer records is that it should facilitate the analysis of your own customer base. This will allow you to analyze:
Purchases made;
Comparisons with peer customers;
Patterns of consumption;
Profit from products;
Product penetration.
This will provide you with unique insights as no one else will have this information. It might be necessary and desirable, however, to look externally as well - either for purposes of benchmarking, market trend analysis or competitor analysis.
Field research
This is where you have to go out and find out information first hand by talking to current and potential customers. The major types of types of field research include:
Telephone research;
Written questionnaires;
Street interviewing;
Face to face interviewing;
Product tests;
Consumer panels;
Focus groups;
All these techniques have a role to play in collecting market information but they result in different 'cuts' of information and some may not be appropriate. You must decide on which are the best techniques and having obtained the information - analyze the results.
One of the criticisms levelled against market research is that it is merely a 'front' for selling. This is called 'sugging' and it really upsets people, involving as it does lies - whether directly or by 'evasion' or 'omission'. It can also have far reaching and damaging effects on your relationships as people complain and will also affect the value of the exercise making it largely unproductive.
I. SOME OF YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED (MARKET RESEARCH)
1. "WHAT IS MARKET RESEARCH?"
In simple terms, market research or marketing research is investigation and interpretation of facts in connection with marketing problems.
A formal definition is: "the gathering, recording, and analyzing of all facts about problems relating to the transfer and sale of goods and services from manufacturer to consumer".
2. "WHAT IS THE BENEFIT OF MARKET RESEARCH?"
Market research aims at finding out what the consumer thinks or will think about the product, what are his likes, dislikes, tastes, preferences, discrimination's and above all what are his motivations.
The following questions and answers would be helpful in removing some vague ideas and misconceptions about market research that may exist not only in the minds of the people you would interview, but also in your own mind.
3. "IS MARKET RESEARCH NECESSARY? IF SO, WHY?”
Market research is very necessary to know the reactions of consumers or users to new/existing products and services, and also to know the reasons for such reactions.
4. "IS MARKET RESEARCH USEFUL?"
Market research is very useful. Because, unless the consumer reactions and their underlying reasons are known, the product or services in question cannot be modified, if required, to suit the tastes and needs of the consumer.
5. "WHO IS BENEFITED BY MARKET RESEARCH?"
Both the manufacturer and the consumer are benefited by market research. The manufacturer can know, through market research, the characteristics of consumer behaviour and the reasons for the behaviour. Armed with this knowledge the manufacturer can sell more and manufacture more. With more production the consumer price is likely to come down. The consumer, on the other hand, gets what he wants. Larger production and more satisfied consumers fulfill a social need, and in this context, market research can be said to be a social service.
6. "WHY WOULD THE OPINION OF ONLY A FEW, SAY 100 OR 200 PEOPLE, REPRESENT THE OPINION OF MILLIONS OF PEOPLE? AGAIN, WHY SHOULD A PARTICULAR PERSON'S OPINION AMONG THE 100 OR 200 PEOPLE INTERVIEWED BE SO IMPORTANT?"
Normally in any market research project the opinions are elicited not from the whole population but from a sample of the population. By adopting statistical methods called "sampling methods" it can be reasonably ensured that the opinions of this sample of a small number of people can reflect the opinions of the millions.
The group of persons statistically selected for questioning, is therefore very important. If any person in the selected group is replaced by another person, not chosen statistically, there may be an error in the method, and the opinion of the group may not reflect the opinion of the whole population in question.
II SOME DEFINITIONS AND EXPLANATORY NOTES.
To understand the various methods and techniques involved in market research fieldwork, and in order not to feel puzzled or guessing the meanings of words or instructions that you may come across in the briefing room or in the field, it is very necessary to understand beforehand what is exactly meant by the terms frequently used in market research.
Some of these terms and their meanings are given below.
1. SAMPLE
Group of people who are statistically selected to be interviewed for a market research project.
2. SAMPLING
Statistical method of selecting the group or people referred to above.
3. SAMPLE SIZE
Total number of people to be interviewed for a project.
4. QUOTA
Sometimes the group of people to be interviewed is divided into small sub-groups, each sub-group fulfilling some conditions or characteristics, These sub-groups are called quotas. Such sub-divisions of the sample may by age-groups, income-groups, etc. Quotas may be parallel or inter-locking.
Examples and explanations are as follows-
PARALLEL QUOTA
Age Income
Up to Rs 500 Rs 501 - 750 Rs 751 & Over Total
Up to 30 75
31-45 100
46-55 50
Over 55 25
Total 50 100 100 250
In the above example, as long as the total figures in the last column and the last row are satisfied, the purpose of the survey would be fulfilled.
For instance, it does not matter whether the 75 persons in the “Up to 30” age group are equally distributed or not in the three income groups;
similarly, it does not matter whether the 100 people in the “Rs 501-750” income group are equally distributed or not among the four age-group.
INTERLOCKING QUOTA
The same sample, but with interlocking quotas are given below:
Age Income
Up to Rs 500 Rs 501 - 750 Rs 751 & Over Total
Up to 30 15 30 30 75
31-45 20 40 40 100
46-55 10 20 20 50
Over 55 5 10 10 25
Total 50 100 100 250
In the above example, the quotas in each column and each row must be fulfilled.
5. STARTING ADDRESS
Interviewers may be given the addresses of each respondent, or may be given a starting address. A starting address usually has both a name (of the respondent or of the head of the household) and an address. Sometimes instead of an address we may give you a locality in which you are to do a specified number of interviews
6. RIGHT HAND RULE (RHR)
It is the rule under which
(a) You always contact the households falling on your right hand side and
(b) You always move towards right whenever you come to an intersection of two or more roads/lanes. It is important that you must understand this rule thoroughly.
This rule varies from country to country / project to project basis whether this rule will be a RHR (Right Hand Rule) / LHR (Left hand rule). But once you follow RHR / LHR then it has to be consistently followed across till your sample size is achieved in that particular project.
7. BOOSTER
If at a certain stage of the field work if the required quota of sample is not achieved then some interviews can be done without following the RHR / LHR. These interviews are termed as Booster.
8. QUESTIONNAIRE
It is a paper which contains the questions to be asked and the space for recording the answers against the questions.
9. HOUSE HOLD (HH)
A group of people staying together and sharing food from a common kitchen is called a house hold. Usually a house hold means a family having a common kitchen. There are exceptions to this general rule. Persons living in hostels or messes, although staying together and taking food from a common kitchen do not constitute a house hold. Each of such persons constitutes a single member house hold. You should consult research to ascertain whether such hostels and messes are to be included in the market survey project in question. Families of hostel staff members staying within a hostel are, however, to be treated as households.
10. RESPONDENT
The person who responds, that is replies to the questions put to him/her by the interviewer in the course of market survey project is known as the respondent.
11. HOUSE WIFE (HW)
The person in the household who decides what is to be cooked and what items of daily necessity are to be bought is called the house wife. This is usually a woman, but could be a man. In a joint family, the house wife could be the mother-in-law or the daughter-in-law depending upon who is generally running the household and taking buying decisions for household goods of daily necessity.
12. MAIN EARNER OR CHIEF WAGE EARNER (CWE)
The Main Earner or Chief Wage Earner is the working member of the house hold whose contribution to the total house hold expenses is the highest. The main earner may or may not be the head of the household. For instance, a retired father in a family may be the head of the house hold, but his working son may be the main earner of the family.
13. MONTHLY HOUSE HOLD INCOME (MHI)
It is the total of monthly incomes of all earning member of the household (whether full time or part time workers) from all sources. It also includes incomes like rent received from tenants, interest from Bank deposits or shares, etc.
14. HOUSE HOLD SIZE
The total number of members in the household staying together and sharing food from a common kitchen is known as the household size.
15. AGE
Age always means completed years. Hence if somebody’s age is 24 years 11 months treat it as 24 years. It is good practice to write down the actual age and then later circle the appropriate age group code in the questionnaire.
16. OCCUPATION
MANUAL WORKER
Unskilled: e.g. Coolie, peon, office boy, etc wherein no specific skill is required.
MANUAL WORKER
Skilled: e.g. fitter, turner, carpenter, mason, auto rickshaw driver, etc. wherein a special training is required for doing a particular task.
SMALL TRADER
E.g. peddler, small shop owner, etc. having a very small set up, small time trader operating from house.
CLERICAL WORKER
E. g. Office assistant, shop assistant, typist, salesman, etc.
OFFICER
E. g. commercial executive, gazetted officer, salaried engineer, salaried doctor, etc.
PROFESSIONAL
E.g. engineer, doctor, lawyer, architect, etc. Having their own business / private practice.
BUSINESSMAN
E.g. industrialist, big merchant, proprietor etc.
LANDLORD/RENTER
STUDENT
HOUSEWIFE
UNEMPLOYED
Etc. Etc.
17. CLASSIFICATION DATA OR DEMOGRAPHICS
Information by which we can “classify” a person or a house hold, like the age, education, occupation, personal income of the respondent, or like the household size, monthly household income in respect of the house hold in which the interview is conducted are called classification date or demographic data.
18. PER-CODED QUESTIONS OR STRUCTURED QUESTIONS
When the different possible answers to a question are listed in the space provided for recording the answer, and each possible answer has a code number, the question is called a pre-coded or a structured question.
19. CODING
Circling the code number.
20. PROMPT CARDS
When asking questions which are precoded, interviewers are sometimes instructed to show a card containing a list of alternative answers; or to read out from the card to an illiterate respondent. Such cards are known as prompt cards. While presenting the card you should always say, “Please have a look at this card” and then ask the question.
21. PROMPTED AND UNPROMPTED QUESTIONS
If a prompt card is shown before a question is asked, the question becomes a prompted question. If no card is shown, the question is unprompted question, never give any examples or suggestions of a possible answer. If you do so, it becomes a prompted question.
Prompted and unprompted questions are also known as aided and unaided questions.
22. PRODUCT BRAND USER CATEGORY
CURRENT USER
Using it regularly now days
LAPSED USER
Used it in the past regularly but not now.
EVER TRIED
Used or tried it in the past
AWARE
Has heard of the brand
NON AWARE
Has not heard of the brand.
23. 5 POINT SCALE
For various reasons it is sometimes necessary to ask the respondent to choose his answer from a set of statements in a scale- from extreme positive to extreme negative or vice versa. Such a scale is called a 5-point scale. Example;
I like it very much
I like it a little
I neither like it, nor dislike it
I dislike it a little
I dislike it very much
24. MEDIA AND MEDIA HABITS QUESTIONS
Media is the plural of medium. Advertisements are communicated through the media of newspapers, magazines, radio, cinema, TV etc.
Questions through which we want to know the respondent’s habits of reading newspapers, watching TV, etc are known as “Media habits” questions.
25. AD RECALL
It means remembering an advertisement. In market research it is sometimes important to know whether or how much of an advertisement is recalled by the respondent.
26. VISUAL AND COPY
An advertisement in newspapers, magazines, hoardings, etc. has two components
a picture or a drawing,
And
Written matter.
The former is called the visual of the advertisement, and the written matter is known as the copy / CONCEPT of the advertisement.
27. CASUALTY
Sometimes a respondent cannot be interviewed for various reasons, e.g. the house is locked, refuses to be interviewed, he is not available even after several attempts, etc. In such cases the interview is said to have become a casualty.
28. D.K.
It stands for `Don‘t know’
29. C.S.
It stands for `can’t say’
The above answers are being specifically designed so that even beginners can know the basics of Market research.
A fresh management graduate who wants to make a career in market research / a new comer in market research who wants to do freelance work in market research can always read these & prepare themselves to work in this field.
Thanks.
2012
Market Research - Know your Basics
Abhilash Pathiyaparambath
[MARKET RESEARCH]
People do end up doing a lot of things in Project Management taking Market Research as a core activity in determining the prospects & planning strategies for corporate’s.Lets understand why we do Market Research & get your queries’ answered. Read this article carefully & know the basics of this huge industry.Corporate’s have been investing a lot of money in Market research in order to stay in the market, To gear up for future competition strategies, Becoming a leader in their field & of course satisfy customer / consumer needs.
Market research:
Basic Questions and questionnaires
Do you know what Market Research is?
People do end up doing a lot of things in Project Management taking Market Research as a core activity in determining the prospects & planning strategies for corporate’s.
Lets understand why we do Market Research & get your queries’ answered.
Read this article carefully & know the basics of this huge industry.
Corporate’s have been investing a lot of money in Market research in order to stay in the market, To gear up for future competition strategies, Becoming a leader in their field & of course satisfy customer / consumer needs.
Appropriate, detailed and supportable answers prior to commissioning the research:
The Sample Who are you going to ask?
The Method How are you going to ask them?
The Questions What are you going to ask them?
The Results What will you do with the information?
The Cost How much do you want to pay for the answer?
The Time Scale By when do you need the information?
These are explored in detail below and in general apply equally to personal and corporate markets:
The Sample
The number of people asked is an important consideration as if you asked just one person you would get a very accurate picture of her views on anything (probably) but this would not necessarily be representative of the world at large and may lead you down a completely blind alley. How many then should you ask? And what sort of people? How many do you need to ask - is it millions, hundreds of thousands or what? Clearly there is a cost implication as the number increases; both in terms of carrying out the research and also in analyzing and interpreting the resulting data. Fortunately a lot of research has been carried out into this area and some surprising conclusions have emerged. When you ask a number of respondents (known as the 'population') the same questions, after a certain number the percentage difference in the answer ceases to vary very much, or at least if it does then the degree of likely error can be calculated with a high degree of accuracy.
This number is known as a 'statistically significant number' and although it needs to be calculated for each type of question, the numbers are surprisingly low. For consumer goods it is in the low hundreds and even for such emotive issues such as politics it is only in low thousands. Key points are that the sample must be homogeneous i.e. sharing the important characteristics - e.g. four-wheel car drivers in the home counties, or British owners of Portuguese villas in the Algarve; in order that the data is comparable and that conclusions are meaningful and also of course targeted. This classification is known as segmentation (see separate paper 'Segmentation - slicing and dicing the cake of customer spend').
The Method There are several methods of obtaining the information as mentioned above and key characteristics of each are explored below.
Telephone research
Using the telephone to collect has one great advantage - it is cheap. One researcher can make many calls in a day without leaving an office. It is also both very focused as you are initiating the call and it is fast as interviews do not take long and the elapsed time to complete the exercise is also short.
There are some drawbacks however - often people do not like to receive unsolicited calls and it can be very difficult to use in a corporate - business to business - environment. It relies on a structured script and on obtaining answers in the same manner (e.g. interviewers tick boxes on template in front of them).
Written questionnaires
This is probably the most common method of research and everyone will be familiar with it in one form or another. Unless used in the right circumstances it can be a passive method reliant on people to complete and return them and in this case inertia rules and only those with a grievance or an axe to grind return them. By combining it with other activities however, such as checking out of an hotel, installing new software, sending in the guarantee form, or making it part of the application process for loans or life insurance and other services it can be turned into an effective method of research.
To be really effective it is best to use questionnaires that ask for boxes to be ticked or strength of agreement to statements to be indicated (see below). This has the advantage that it is easier and faster for the recipient to complete and also allows direct comparability of answers. It will not perhaps have the same depth as, say, a qualitative survey where respondents write comments; but if it is drawn up well then it is very useful and can cover more subjects than the qualitative type.
Types of questionnaire
There are several types of questionnaire and each is designed to explore different aspects or elicit different responses. Some of the more common include:
Dichotomous Multiple choice
Importance
Bipolar
Likert
Rating scale 1 - 5
Buying propensity
These can be used in any combination as long as the questionnaire is not too long and it is focused.
In the fictitious examples below the data is merely illustrative.
Dichotomous
This is a fairly typical basic type of question, not too intrusive and merely asks you to answer yes or no. As such it cannot assess the degree of feelings in between the poles:
Do you eat whale Meat?
Multiple choice
This is a question offering three or more answers - and allows a greater breadth of response.
Importance
In this type of question the respondent is asked to rate the importance of an issue to them on a scale of 1 to 5
Bipolar
The question asks for a response to be marked between two opposite ends of the scale:
Likert
This question examines how strongly the respondent agrees with a statement and can help assess the feelings of customers towards issues. Likert
Rating scale
This question type rates the replies in terms of a scale from e.g. poor to first class. As with all these types of questions it is sometimes necessary to have an even number of boxes (e.g. 4) to avoid the middle of the road response commonly taken by those trying to avoid making a stand.
Buying propensity
This type of question is trying to elicit a customer's future intentions by asking whether they might buy a product and can help assess the needs and likely take up of a new product if developed. Care needs to be taken with these questions as they may reflect wants rather than needs!
All of the above are quantitative type questions. What they ask is for a response within pre-defined parameters that allows input into spreadsheets and hard analysis.
Although this facilitates the input into data analysis sheets and subsequent number crunching - the respondent is not allowed to say what they think. They can only answer the question by marking the pre-designated boxes. This is of course of immense use - especially if the questionnaire has been well thought through and piloted. Sadly this is often not the case and many are rather poor! As a result you do not get the qualifying comment that can often express her real feelings.
Qualitative questions can allow more freedom for answers but are much harder to analyse as each respondent will use her own words. Often the question will be couched along the lines of:
Describe in your own words your opinion of your shop.
This has the advantage that the respondent can say what she likes, which can yield very interesting information that might not have been thought of at design phase; but on the other side, that she can also respond in an unlimited and often unconstructive manner, making analysis much harder.
Whichever question types are used they must always be designed with the express intention of:
Inconveniencing the customer as little as possible;
Being aimed at an homogeneous segment; and
Having been designed to elicit specific information that supports your marketing initiative.
Street interviewing
This an effective method of data collection although not always the most cost effective as it involves people's time as researchers and may involve lots of non-value added interactions for every useful interview.
Usually the researcher is situated in a busy street and asks a few questions to eliminate candidates and ensure homogeneity (known as screening questions) before either thanking them or passing on to the next set of core questions. This is to ensure that the quote sampled is representative and statistically significant.
It is almost exclusively used in consumer research. Segments chosen must be wide enough to be meaningful but also focussed to support the conclusions you require to achieve.
Face to face interviewing
This is basically a structured conversation. The interviewer should have a one or two sheet guide to the questions that they want to ask. These should be ordered so as not to give too much information to the interviewee to avoid prejudicing their views.
E.g. asking 'Do you like XYZ chocolate?' before you ask 'Of which chocolates are you aware?' will prejudice the answers.
You must:
Confirm the interview beforehand with a letter, email, or fax
Be on time, and make sure the interview doesn't overrun
Guide the conversation gently, but firmly
If the interviewee is difficult then make your excuses and leave
Product tests
These are widely used, especially in the consumer markets.
The manufacturer selects a group of potential buyers and offers a pre-production sample for people to use or sample, on agreement that they report back their findings.
They are not very useful in service industries.
You should:
Use experienced personnel;
Choose an appropriate place to hold the tests (e.g. for food outside a supermarket, for audio equipment in a hall);
Make sure that everyone who participates is given a questionnaire to complete;
Circulate during the event to get off-the-cuff remarks, and record these for later analysis.
Consumer panels and focus groups
Consumer panels
Consumer panels, also called Omnibus surveys, are where pre-segmented panel members fill in diaries regularly.
Panel members are usually recompensed by gifts or 'points'.
You must:
Use a specialist firm.
Note - This is usually for Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) only due to its nature - not many people take out loans every week or even month and car purchases usually happen every two or three years.
Focus groups
These are basically moderated group discussions but can be extraordinary useful in getting information out of people.
The format is as follows:
An audience of between 6 and 12 people, with selected backgrounds is invited to the meeting. This takes place in a comfortable room (e.g. like a drawing room);
A moderator or facilitator (often using visual aids) explains the purpose of the focus group and may give some background to the topic;
The group is then invited to discuss the relevant issues. The discussions are usually recorded (or notes are taken by an assistant);
The moderator guides the discussion to make sure that it stays on the subject;
You must:
Ensure that the audience represents the desired segment(s);
Make sure that the audience is relaxed and feel free to speak;
Ensure that the quieter members of the group are given a chance to speak as well;
The quality of the moderator is crucial. Specialist firms are usually employed to maximize value from the exercise.
Note a free lunch with a group of people is not a focus group!
The Questions
In order to make informed decisions about anything you need the correct information. This must be based on analytical data and gives you the knowledge to make the decisions. One of the things that often emerges from research is that you actually know a lot less than you thought you did.
You must take special care therefore in framing the questions to ensure that you receive the correct output. The type of research chosen will also affect the type of questions. There are two types of questions:
Quantitative - based on numbers or fixed answers - e.g. what percentage do you pay on your mortgage, or how much are your monthly life premiums?
Qualitative - based on words - how do you feel that your account has been handled in the last year?
Quantitative answers are generally much easier to analyze but qualitative answers can give you more valuable insights into what people really think.
The Results
What will you do with the information? It is critical that you think this through before starting any research. What you want to do with the information should shape the nature of the questions and possibly even the manner in which it is collected. It will certainly affect the analysis and any conclusions drawn.
The Cost
How much do you want to pay for the answer? The cost of market research can vary widely: from thousands of pounds to many millions spent by multinationals on major consumer brands. It is relatively easy to assess the cost of market research and the procedure to follow is:
scope out the activities that you think will be needed (e.g. 1000 telephone calls, 200 face to face interviews etc.) assess the amount of time input that this requires (see below for a guide);
Identify the daily cost of either your own staff or employing people of the right caliber to do the work;
Add in the preparation time for questionnaires and the time to analyze and write up the reports.
A brief guide to Researchers time:
Telephone calls - around 8 to 10 completed calls per working day. Note that to get 10 interviews completed will probably require 50 to 100 calls to be made;
Face To face interviews - typically only two face to face interviews can be accomplished a day, and if travel to other towns is required, then this may fall to one - this is to allow time for the interview to be completed and written up;
Street Interviewing: around twenty to thirty a day may be accomplished depending on the questions;
Group discussions: Set aside at least a day for administration and a half day for the group. Don't forget that more than one person is required to run a group interview;
Written questionnaire: Typically a response of between 1% and 3% is considered normal.
The Time Scale
Work backwards from when the results are required to get start date. Produce a bar chart (sometimes called a Gantt chart) showing the various steps and the interrelationship between each of them. Typically the stages will be as follows:
Scope the project;
Set-up phase (e.g. hiring or contracting staff, preparing questionnaires, samples, purchasing mailing lists);
Desk Research - looking to see what already exists; test phase (sometimes called piloting). Test a small sample of people to check your approach;
Research - There may be a number of phases, one leading to another;
Analysis - takes longer than you might think as you may have to revisit some answers for confirmation or clarification so leave plenty of time for this!;
Reporting - a written report should be prepared setting out the modus operandi and the results and if relevant conclusions and recommendations, and to provide a reference document.
Summary
Market research can be a very valuable tool for assessing true needs and wants in a market place. To be effective, however, it must be structured, focused on segments and analyzed in the context of the results desired. The key steps are:
Scope the project - which segments to research, objectives (what do you want to know, when, etc);
Agree budget - very important!;
Set-up phase (e.g. hiring consultants/advisors, preparing questionnaires, samples, purchasing mailing lists);
Desk Research - looking to see what already exists;
Field Research:
Test phase (sometimes called piloting) test with a small sample of people to check your approach;
Main research - there may be a number of phases, one leading to another;
Analysis;
Reporting - a written report should be prepared for the benefit of others in your firm, and to provide a reference document.
It is better to get outside help as specialist firms have:
Experience;
Techniques;
Skilled staff that can yield results faster than in-house operation
No prejudice or bias;
Flexibility;
A greater degree of anonymity which can be critical.
Market research - the key to understanding your customers
Market research is defined as the systematic and focused collection of information on customers and markets for analysis and subsequent usage in formulating your marketing strategy. It is critical in finding out what your customers and potential customers think and for discovering what their wants and needs are. As shown in the diagram 'marketing cycle' research fits into the overall marketing cycle by providing input to the analysis. This, when accompanied by internal analysis of strengths, weaknesses and offerings, and competitive analysis provides the basis for deciding and then developing the marketing strategy.
Why do you need to understand your customers?
Unfortunately in the real world you do not operate as a sole supplier and customers have choice. They can choose either to take your offering or someone else's. Marketing is about understanding customers' needs and wants and then crafting your offering to be as close to those needs as possible so that they buy yours. Note that wants and needs are not the same and it is critical to understand the difference between them or you will be focusing on the wrong driver:
Wants are what a person desires and are aspirational (e.g. I want a Mont Blanc pen - but maybe I only want something to write with and will buy a pencil or a ball point pen, or maybe just some other form of communication - or is it just a fashion accessory or perhaps a status symbol that says something about me (conspicuous consumption)
Needs are what people/firms must have to carry on what they are doing (at the basic personal level: food, shelter, clothing etc [cf Maslow's 'Hierarchy of Needs']). When it comes to the crunch - customers will buy to satisfy their needs.
Linking needs to wants, however, is usually a very productive marketing strategy because, normally, the closer that you can make a customer feel that wants and needs are aligned the more successful you will be. Offering something that feels like a Rolls-Royce but for the budget of a family saloon could be a winner (but at what cost?!). When Japanese car makers entered the UK market they focused on cheap cars with features as standard that were extra on other cars - i.e. they met real needs for transport but included aspirational wants for other features (tape players etc) at needs prices - and took significant market share. Advertising often links this aspirational aspect of our lives to needs by linking glamorous lifestyles (e.g. Martini) or sex (e.g. Obsession) or 'cool' (e.g. Spec savers) to products.
Market research is how you find out what customers Need.
Why carry out research?
By collecting and analyzing information that is relevant it enables you to make informed and robust decisions as an input into subsequent action. The objectives of research include:
Defining and evaluating your place in a market;
Providing information regarding future trends in demand;
Identifying customer needs and requirements;
Discovering what they think of you and your offerings;
Uncovering ways to delight your customers further;
Providing an evaluation of advertising and promotional strategies and their content;
Revealing opportunities for business development and improved competitiveness;
Discovering opportunities for increasing profit/product penetration.
You may use research to address any or all of these issues
There are two types of market research:
Desk research; and Field research; and it is important to understand the difference between them. Desk research is usually easier and almost invariably much cheaper. It may not of course provide you with precisely what you need and, therefore, you may have to resort to field research.
Desk research
Before commencing any external study and commissioning field research it is always worth asking - has it been analyzed before. This is usually easier and quicker and the scale of information you can access has been altered radically by the explosion of information you can obtain over the internet. This allows you to access all (published) information globally on a subject. The surprising thing about the internet is that so much is available - and for free! - Although an unfocussed search over the internet may take a long time and result in masses of data which will take forever to analyze. Information can come from two sources - external and internal. Typical examples of external desk research include:
Public library searches;
Press clippings;
Sector and published surveys;
Trade information;
Internet trawls;
Books and other publications.
Where you have a large customer base then this should also be part of your desk research. Understanding your current customer patterns of usage will give valuable information on what is successful and what is not. One of the major benefits of effective and up-to-date customer records is that it should facilitate the analysis of your own customer base. This will allow you to analyze:
Purchases made;
Comparisons with peer customers;
Patterns of consumption;
Profit from products;
Product penetration.
This will provide you with unique insights as no one else will have this information. It might be necessary and desirable, however, to look externally as well - either for purposes of benchmarking, market trend analysis or competitor analysis.
Field research
This is where you have to go out and find out information first hand by talking to current and potential customers. The major types of types of field research include:
Telephone research;
Written questionnaires;
Street interviewing;
Face to face interviewing;
Product tests;
Consumer panels;
Focus groups;
All these techniques have a role to play in collecting market information but they result in different 'cuts' of information and some may not be appropriate. You must decide on which are the best techniques and having obtained the information - analyze the results.
One of the criticisms levelled against market research is that it is merely a 'front' for selling. This is called 'sugging' and it really upsets people, involving as it does lies - whether directly or by 'evasion' or 'omission'. It can also have far reaching and damaging effects on your relationships as people complain and will also affect the value of the exercise making it largely unproductive.
I. SOME OF YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED (MARKET RESEARCH)
1. "WHAT IS MARKET RESEARCH?"
In simple terms, market research or marketing research is investigation and interpretation of facts in connection with marketing problems.
A formal definition is: "the gathering, recording, and analyzing of all facts about problems relating to the transfer and sale of goods and services from manufacturer to consumer".
2. "WHAT IS THE BENEFIT OF MARKET RESEARCH?"
Market research aims at finding out what the consumer thinks or will think about the product, what are his likes, dislikes, tastes, preferences, discrimination's and above all what are his motivations.
The following questions and answers would be helpful in removing some vague ideas and misconceptions about market research that may exist not only in the minds of the people you would interview, but also in your own mind.
3. "IS MARKET RESEARCH NECESSARY? IF SO, WHY?”
Market research is very necessary to know the reactions of consumers or users to new/existing products and services, and also to know the reasons for such reactions.
4. "IS MARKET RESEARCH USEFUL?"
Market research is very useful. Because, unless the consumer reactions and their underlying reasons are known, the product or services in question cannot be modified, if required, to suit the tastes and needs of the consumer.
5. "WHO IS BENEFITED BY MARKET RESEARCH?"
Both the manufacturer and the consumer are benefited by market research. The manufacturer can know, through market research, the characteristics of consumer behaviour and the reasons for the behaviour. Armed with this knowledge the manufacturer can sell more and manufacture more. With more production the consumer price is likely to come down. The consumer, on the other hand, gets what he wants. Larger production and more satisfied consumers fulfill a social need, and in this context, market research can be said to be a social service.
6. "WHY WOULD THE OPINION OF ONLY A FEW, SAY 100 OR 200 PEOPLE, REPRESENT THE OPINION OF MILLIONS OF PEOPLE? AGAIN, WHY SHOULD A PARTICULAR PERSON'S OPINION AMONG THE 100 OR 200 PEOPLE INTERVIEWED BE SO IMPORTANT?"
Normally in any market research project the opinions are elicited not from the whole population but from a sample of the population. By adopting statistical methods called "sampling methods" it can be reasonably ensured that the opinions of this sample of a small number of people can reflect the opinions of the millions.
The group of persons statistically selected for questioning, is therefore very important. If any person in the selected group is replaced by another person, not chosen statistically, there may be an error in the method, and the opinion of the group may not reflect the opinion of the whole population in question.
II SOME DEFINITIONS AND EXPLANATORY NOTES.
To understand the various methods and techniques involved in market research fieldwork, and in order not to feel puzzled or guessing the meanings of words or instructions that you may come across in the briefing room or in the field, it is very necessary to understand beforehand what is exactly meant by the terms frequently used in market research.
Some of these terms and their meanings are given below.
1. SAMPLE
Group of people who are statistically selected to be interviewed for a market research project.
2. SAMPLING
Statistical method of selecting the group or people referred to above.
3. SAMPLE SIZE
Total number of people to be interviewed for a project.
4. QUOTA
Sometimes the group of people to be interviewed is divided into small sub-groups, each sub-group fulfilling some conditions or characteristics, These sub-groups are called quotas. Such sub-divisions of the sample may by age-groups, income-groups, etc. Quotas may be parallel or inter-locking.
Examples and explanations are as follows-
PARALLEL QUOTA
Age Income
Up to Rs 500 Rs 501 - 750 Rs 751 & Over Total
Up to 30 75
31-45 100
46-55 50
Over 55 25
Total 50 100 100 250
In the above example, as long as the total figures in the last column and the last row are satisfied, the purpose of the survey would be fulfilled.
For instance, it does not matter whether the 75 persons in the “Up to 30” age group are equally distributed or not in the three income groups;
similarly, it does not matter whether the 100 people in the “Rs 501-750” income group are equally distributed or not among the four age-group.
INTERLOCKING QUOTA
The same sample, but with interlocking quotas are given below:
Age Income
Up to Rs 500 Rs 501 - 750 Rs 751 & Over Total
Up to 30 15 30 30 75
31-45 20 40 40 100
46-55 10 20 20 50
Over 55 5 10 10 25
Total 50 100 100 250
In the above example, the quotas in each column and each row must be fulfilled.
5. STARTING ADDRESS
Interviewers may be given the addresses of each respondent, or may be given a starting address. A starting address usually has both a name (of the respondent or of the head of the household) and an address. Sometimes instead of an address we may give you a locality in which you are to do a specified number of interviews
6. RIGHT HAND RULE (RHR)
It is the rule under which
(a) You always contact the households falling on your right hand side and
(b) You always move towards right whenever you come to an intersection of two or more roads/lanes. It is important that you must understand this rule thoroughly.
This rule varies from country to country / project to project basis whether this rule will be a RHR (Right Hand Rule) / LHR (Left hand rule). But once you follow RHR / LHR then it has to be consistently followed across till your sample size is achieved in that particular project.
7. BOOSTER
If at a certain stage of the field work if the required quota of sample is not achieved then some interviews can be done without following the RHR / LHR. These interviews are termed as Booster.
8. QUESTIONNAIRE
It is a paper which contains the questions to be asked and the space for recording the answers against the questions.
9. HOUSE HOLD (HH)
A group of people staying together and sharing food from a common kitchen is called a house hold. Usually a house hold means a family having a common kitchen. There are exceptions to this general rule. Persons living in hostels or messes, although staying together and taking food from a common kitchen do not constitute a house hold. Each of such persons constitutes a single member house hold. You should consult research to ascertain whether such hostels and messes are to be included in the market survey project in question. Families of hostel staff members staying within a hostel are, however, to be treated as households.
10. RESPONDENT
The person who responds, that is replies to the questions put to him/her by the interviewer in the course of market survey project is known as the respondent.
11. HOUSE WIFE (HW)
The person in the household who decides what is to be cooked and what items of daily necessity are to be bought is called the house wife. This is usually a woman, but could be a man. In a joint family, the house wife could be the mother-in-law or the daughter-in-law depending upon who is generally running the household and taking buying decisions for household goods of daily necessity.
12. MAIN EARNER OR CHIEF WAGE EARNER (CWE)
The Main Earner or Chief Wage Earner is the working member of the house hold whose contribution to the total house hold expenses is the highest. The main earner may or may not be the head of the household. For instance, a retired father in a family may be the head of the house hold, but his working son may be the main earner of the family.
13. MONTHLY HOUSE HOLD INCOME (MHI)
It is the total of monthly incomes of all earning member of the household (whether full time or part time workers) from all sources. It also includes incomes like rent received from tenants, interest from Bank deposits or shares, etc.
14. HOUSE HOLD SIZE
The total number of members in the household staying together and sharing food from a common kitchen is known as the household size.
15. AGE
Age always means completed years. Hence if somebody’s age is 24 years 11 months treat it as 24 years. It is good practice to write down the actual age and then later circle the appropriate age group code in the questionnaire.
16. OCCUPATION
MANUAL WORKER
Unskilled: e.g. Coolie, peon, office boy, etc wherein no specific skill is required.
MANUAL WORKER
Skilled: e.g. fitter, turner, carpenter, mason, auto rickshaw driver, etc. wherein a special training is required for doing a particular task.
SMALL TRADER
E.g. peddler, small shop owner, etc. having a very small set up, small time trader operating from house.
CLERICAL WORKER
E. g. Office assistant, shop assistant, typist, salesman, etc.
OFFICER
E. g. commercial executive, gazetted officer, salaried engineer, salaried doctor, etc.
PROFESSIONAL
E.g. engineer, doctor, lawyer, architect, etc. Having their own business / private practice.
BUSINESSMAN
E.g. industrialist, big merchant, proprietor etc.
LANDLORD/RENTER
STUDENT
HOUSEWIFE
UNEMPLOYED
Etc. Etc.
17. CLASSIFICATION DATA OR DEMOGRAPHICS
Information by which we can “classify” a person or a house hold, like the age, education, occupation, personal income of the respondent, or like the household size, monthly household income in respect of the house hold in which the interview is conducted are called classification date or demographic data.
18. PER-CODED QUESTIONS OR STRUCTURED QUESTIONS
When the different possible answers to a question are listed in the space provided for recording the answer, and each possible answer has a code number, the question is called a pre-coded or a structured question.
19. CODING
Circling the code number.
20. PROMPT CARDS
When asking questions which are precoded, interviewers are sometimes instructed to show a card containing a list of alternative answers; or to read out from the card to an illiterate respondent. Such cards are known as prompt cards. While presenting the card you should always say, “Please have a look at this card” and then ask the question.
21. PROMPTED AND UNPROMPTED QUESTIONS
If a prompt card is shown before a question is asked, the question becomes a prompted question. If no card is shown, the question is unprompted question, never give any examples or suggestions of a possible answer. If you do so, it becomes a prompted question.
Prompted and unprompted questions are also known as aided and unaided questions.
22. PRODUCT BRAND USER CATEGORY
CURRENT USER
Using it regularly now days
LAPSED USER
Used it in the past regularly but not now.
EVER TRIED
Used or tried it in the past
AWARE
Has heard of the brand
NON AWARE
Has not heard of the brand.
23. 5 POINT SCALE
For various reasons it is sometimes necessary to ask the respondent to choose his answer from a set of statements in a scale- from extreme positive to extreme negative or vice versa. Such a scale is called a 5-point scale. Example;
I like it very much
I like it a little
I neither like it, nor dislike it
I dislike it a little
I dislike it very much
24. MEDIA AND MEDIA HABITS QUESTIONS
Media is the plural of medium. Advertisements are communicated through the media of newspapers, magazines, radio, cinema, TV etc.
Questions through which we want to know the respondent’s habits of reading newspapers, watching TV, etc are known as “Media habits” questions.
25. AD RECALL
It means remembering an advertisement. In market research it is sometimes important to know whether or how much of an advertisement is recalled by the respondent.
26. VISUAL AND COPY
An advertisement in newspapers, magazines, hoardings, etc. has two components
a picture or a drawing,
And
Written matter.
The former is called the visual of the advertisement, and the written matter is known as the copy / CONCEPT of the advertisement.
27. CASUALTY
Sometimes a respondent cannot be interviewed for various reasons, e.g. the house is locked, refuses to be interviewed, he is not available even after several attempts, etc. In such cases the interview is said to have become a casualty.
28. D.K.
It stands for `Don‘t know’
29. C.S.
It stands for `can’t say’
The above answers are being specifically designed so that even beginners can know the basics of Market research.
A fresh management graduate who wants to make a career in market research / a new comer in market research who wants to do freelance work in market research can always read these & prepare themselves to work in this field.
Thanks.
