Marketing : Primary Research

Primary research is research used to collect data for a specific task. Types of primary data collection methods include:

• Personal Observation: The observation of the respondent by a trained observer or by electronic equipment (camera). The aim is to observe consumer responses and behavior to a product or customer service.

• Personal Interviews: Face to face interview between an interviewer and the respondent at home or in shopping centers.

Advantages of personal interviews

• In-depth answers possible.
• Qualitative data obtained from small sample.
• Observation improves accuracy.
• Rapport leads to fewer refusals.

Disadvantage of personal interviews

• Cost: Professional Interviewer expensive.
• Interviewer bias.
• Can be slow and time consuming.
• People not at home.
• Invasion of privacy.
• Postal surveys: Mailing or distributing door to door a written questionnaire to a sample of buyers for their completion at home or at work.

Advantages of postal surveys

• No travel expenses so economic if good return rate.
• No interviewer Bias
• Anonymous returns
• Can be completed at respondents’ leisure.

Disadvantages of postal surveys

• Low response rate approximately 3%
• Take longer
• Have to be short.
• Questions may be misinterpreted, and there is no interviewer their to guide the respondent.

• Telephone Surveys: Involves the interviewer contacting the target respondent and asking them questions and recording responses.

Advantages of telephone surveys

• Easy to administer
• Quick.
• Allows for reaction and some in-depth interviews.
• Questions can be modified.

Disadvantages of telephone surveys

• Professional interviewers are expensive.
• Invasion of privacy.
• Telephone charges can be high.
• Not everyone has a telephone, so not representative of the population.
• High non-response rate because of engaged/no answers, plain refusals.

• Focus Groups: A discussion between six to eight individuals with the aim to produce qualitative data (opinions and attitudes) on the topic being discussed. The topic may be their opinions on a new product the organization wishes to introduce. The person who monitors the group is called 'the moderator'

Advantages of focus groups

• Generates information helpful in structuring consumer questionnaires.
• Provides background information on product.
• Secures impressions on new product concepts.

Disadvantage of focus groups

• The group may have one or some dominant people within it who may actually dissuade some other group member to make a full contribution.
• Difficult for moderator to interrupt once a discussion gets going.
• Bias from moderator.