Researching Marketing

The distinction between primary and secondary research is really about the different sources of market information.

Primary: Market research can be either primary or secondary. Primary research is new research, carried out to answer specific issues or questions. It can involve questionnaires, surveys or interviews with individuals or small groups.

Secondary: Secondary research makes use of information previously researched for other purposes and publicly available. Secondary research includes published research reports in a library, surveys or the Internet. It can also include scientific reports produced by medical councils, universities or government

Qualitative: Qualitative research is based on opinions, attitudes, beliefs and intentions.  This kind of research deals with questions such as “Why”? “Would?”, or “How?” Qualitative research aims to understand why customers behave in a certain way or how they may respond to a new product.

Quantitative: This is research based on larger samples and is, therefore, more statistically valid. Quantitative research is concerned with data and addresses question such as “how many?”, “how often”, “who?”, “when?” and “where?”

Market Surveys: A research method for defining the market parameters of a business; either by telephone interviews, direct-mail interviews or fax/email.

Focus Group: A focus group is a form of qualitative research in which a group of people are asked about their perceptions, opinions, beliefs, and attitudes towards a product, service, concept, advertisement, idea, or packaging.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focus_group
http://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/market-surveys
http://www.tutor2u.net/business/gcse/marketing_research_quantqual.html
http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/food-standards-agency/market-research-and-consumer-protection/primary-and-secondary-research.html#axzz2geAslRox