Kristal The Marketing Research Process

• Preliminary steps in the research process include forming a research problem, questions and hypotheses.
• An hypotheses attempts to answer the research question.

• The plan to be followed to answer the marketing research objectives/ problem definition.
• It is the detailed blueprint used to guide the research study towards ist objectives including what and how you will conduct the research study.

Qualitative research: used to uncover consumers  motivations, attitudes and behavior

Quantitative research: research which involves data collecting from a sufficient volume of customers to allow statistical analysis

Exploratory Research

Conclusive Research

Causal Research

Descriptive Research

Long Intudinal Design

Cross Sectional Design

Single Cross Sectional Design

Multiple Cross Sectional Design

Exploratory Research( Qual.)
- Gathering preliminary (vorbereitende) information that will help to better define problems and suggest hypotheses. Redefine the Problem.

Provides the Information needed to confirm preliminary insights, which managers can use to persue appropriate courses of action.

Causal research ( Quant.)
 - Marketing research to test hypotheses about cause-and-effect relationships. Describes relationship of variables. Glas Design/ Success (Nutella Glas)

Descriptive Research (Quant.) - Describing marketing problems, situations or markets, such as the market potential for a product or the demographics and attitudes of consumers.

Cross Sectional Surveys:


• Are one time snapshots of population;
• Use the same survey & different sample. 

Longitudinal Surveys:

• Identify market trends;

• Use the same survey & same sample;
• Use tracking panels & groups.

Single Cross Sectional = In one Place

Multiple Cross Sectional = Multiple Places

A sample is a selected subset of a population that is representative of the entire population.

• Sampling unit - Who should be surveyed? What is our target population?
• Sample size - How many people should be surveyed? 

Methods Of Data Collection

are data which have already been collected for purposes other than the problem at hand. These data can be located quickly and inexpensively. Before strating primary research: examination of of low-cost and readily available secondary data.

• Internal data (bookkeeping, controlling, marketing department etc.)
• Commercial data sources (GfK, Nielsen, etc.)

• Online databases and internet data sources

• Statistical abstracts of the EU

• Can help to clarify or refine the issue or problem
• Might provide a solution to a research problem

• Might provide primary data research alternatives
• Can alert the researcher to other problems
• Provides background information enhancing research credibility
• Usually less expensive and faster to gather

• Accuracy of data

• Age of data

• Reliability over time

• Comparability of data

• Lumping of data (Data from a certain perspective)

are originated by a researcher for the specific purpose of addressing the problem at hand. The collection of primary data involves all six steps of the marketing research process. Start of collection, when needed data:
don’t exist, are dated inaccurate, incomplete, or unreliable

Statistical tools:

• Univariat (One variable): Frequency, Percentages
• Bivariat (Two Variables): Kreuztabellen, Korrelationen, simple lineare Regression, ANOVA
• Multivariat (> than two Variables): Multiple Regression, Conjoint, Clusteranalyse, ANOVA

Criteria to choose the proper tool:

• Amount of variables
• Scale (NOIR): Nominal, Ordinal, Interval, Ratio
• Dependency oder Independency of the variables

• Report must clearly address problem identified in step 1
• Team effort between marketers and researchers and joint responsibility
• Present the relevant data so that the information can be used to make meaningful decisions
• Include a memo or executive summary of the key findings along with main report

Census: Data collection from or about every member of the population of interest. Also called canvassing the population by asking everyone a set of questions.

Sample: A subset of all the members of a population of interest. Hopefully that subset is statistically representative of the general population.