Companies can buy secondary data reports from outside suppliers. For example, Nielsen Marketing Research sells data on brand shares, retail prices, and percentages of stores…

Good decisions require good data. Just as researchers must carefully evaluate the quality of secondary information, they also must take great care when collecting primary…

Experimental research is best suited for gathering causal information. Experiments involve selecting matched groups of subjects, giving them different treatments, controlling unrelated factors, and checking…

Observational research is the gathering of primary data by observing relevant people, actions, and situations. Observation is best suited for exploratory research. For example, a…

Survey research is the approach best suited for gathering descriptive information. surveys are suited for descriptive research. A company that wants to know about people’s…

Information can be collected by mail, telephone, personal interview, or online. Mail questionnaires can be used to collect large amounts of information at a low…

Marketing researchers usually draw conclusions about large groups of consumers by studying a small sample of the total consumer population. A sample is a segment…

In collecting primary data, marketing researchers have a choice of two main research instruments—the questionnaire and mechanical devices. The questionnaire is by far the most…

At this stage, the marketing researcher should summarize the plan in a written proposal. A written proposal is especially important when the research project is…