Obtaining primary information is a kind of marketing aerobatics. This is especially true for the conditions in our country, where it is extremely difficult to get access to company and industry information, there is no developed marketing infrastructure, a marketing culture has not been instilled, and the vast majority of industrial and commercial enterprises have not gained experience in using marketing.
There are three methods of obtaining primary information: observation, experiment and survey.
The topics of laboratory experiments can be very diverse. This includes comparative testing of product quality, and studies of the influence of a brand and brand names on consumer choice, price tests, advertising testing, etc. A laboratory experiment is usually carried out in special laboratories that are equipped with the necessary equipment. For example, video equipment is used to determine consumer reaction. Known are examples of creating special devices connected to computer systems and providing tracking of the direction of the buyer's gaze when viewing an object (packaging, shop window, etc.).
Field experiments are carried out directly in market conditions. Such studies include:
The undoubted advantage of this method is the possibility of minimizing errors during large-scale actions in the market. The disadvantages include the high cost of research and the designation of the direction of their actions in front of competitors.
3. Poll. The most universal, effective and widespread research method. When conducting a survey, the interviewer turns to the respondents in order to find out facts, opinions and sentiments through direct or telephone communication, or through questionnaires. Distinguish:
Questionnaire. This is not just a list of questions, but a very subtle and flexible tool that requires careful study.
Interview. Typically, interviews are conducted at the exploratory research stage. The fact is that the researcher does not always fully understand the features of the problem he is investigating. Therefore, before proceeding to the collection of statistical data on the market, it is necessary to outline the range of the most significant issues.
An individual interview is a survey of experts in a particular field, which is mostly unstructured (in the form of open-ended questions). If the problem is sufficiently formalized, then the survey can be held on closed questions for expert evaluation of problems.
Simple interviews are a survey of respondents according to a pre-compiled scenario. Such interviews do not provide for any analytical conclusions directly during the conversation and adjustment of the interview plan. The main task of the interviewer is to establish and maintain communicative contact with the respondent.
In-Depth Interviews- a more complex method of conducting an interview, which provides for a more active participation of the interviewer in the conversation. In-depth interview scenarios should be based on branched marketing models, and a qualified specialist should act as an interviewer.
A focus group is a group consisting of 6 to 15 people with certain characteristics that ensure representativeness, carrying out a qualitative analysis of the subject of discussion under the guidance of a specially trained facilitator.
telephone survey. The simplest means of collecting information as soon as possible. It is cheap and convenient, during a telephone interview the interviewer has the opportunity to clarify incomprehensible questions.
Post survey. A simple means of reaching out to individuals who either do not agree to a face-to-face meeting or do not want their answers to be unwittingly affected by the influence of the interviewer. The questionnaire sent by mail may contain a large number of questions. The disadvantages include the unreliability of mail, the violation of anonymity and the low percentage of receipt of completed questionnaires.
The information obtained during the study (it includes a significant number of completed questionnaires, notes with observations and expert opinions) is subjected to a comprehensive analysis. For such an analysis, statistical methods and mathematical models based on modern computer technology are used.
Analysis- a set of procedures that allow drawing conclusions about the structure, properties of the object of analysis and the laws of its functioning. Marketing analysis methods can be combined into the following groups:
Presentation of the received information. This is a written summary of the results. Its volume directly depends on the scope of the study, the number and complexity of the problems under consideration and can range from several to one hundred pages. To process and analyze information, it is necessary to sort and present information in a standard way. There are the following types of information presentation: tabular view, graphical view, matrices, information scales.
Have you ever wondered why a manufacturer so easily guesses the desires of consumers, knows when to offer the right product and at a certain moment offers something completely new, but so necessary for every person? It's simple - the manufacturer studies its consumer, or rather, conducts it in order to be one step ahead of the buyer.
If you give a clear and short explanation of what marketing research is, then this is the search for the necessary information, its collection and further analysis in any field of activity. For a broader definition, it is worth analyzing the main stages of the study, which sometimes lasts for years. But in the final version, this is the beginning and end of any marketing activity in the enterprise (creation of goods, promotion, expansion of the line, etc.). Before the product appears on the shelves, marketers research consumers, while first conducting an initial collection of information, and then a desk study to draw the right conclusion and move in the right direction.
Before conducting research, you need to understand what the enterprise’s problem is or what strategic goals it wants to achieve in order to name it and understand how to find a solution, which means conducting desk research and field research, while initially setting certain tasks. In a generalized form, the following tasks are distinguished:
All these tasks must be solved step by step. There will definitely be highly specialized or generalized questions. Depending on the task, those who go through certain stages will be selected.
While marketing research is often done and is different, there is a plan that everyone should follow, which means doing it in stages. There are about 5 stages:
As mentioned above, there are two types of information collection, and you can use both at once or choose only one. Allocate field research (or the collection of primary information) and desk research (i.e., the collection of secondary information). Every self-respecting enterprise, as a rule, conducts both field and desk gatherings of information, although a considerable budget is spent on this. But this approach allows you to collect more relevant data and draw more accurate conclusions.
Before you go to collect information, you need to determine how much you need to collect, and what method is best for solving the problem. The researcher participates directly and uses the following methods of collecting primary information:
Methods for collecting primary information allow you to obtain data on the state of demand for a service or product at a certain time and place with individual consumers. Further, based on the data obtained, certain conclusions are drawn that can help solve the problem. If this is not enough, then it is worth conducting additional research or using several methods and types of research.
Secondary information is already available data from various sources, on the basis of which it is possible to make an analysis and obtain certain results. At the same time, the sources of their receipt can be both external and internal.
The internal data includes the data of the company itself, for example, turnover, statistics of purchases and expenses, sales volume, raw material costs, etc. - everything that the company has at its disposal must be used. Such desk marketing research sometimes helps to solve a problem where it was not visible and even find new ideas that can be implemented.
External sources of information are available to everyone. They can take the form of books and newspapers, publications of general statistics, works of scientists about the achievement of something, reports on activities carried out, and much more that may be of interest to a particular enterprise.
The desk method of research has its advantages and disadvantages, and therefore, when conducting a study, it is recommended to use two types at once in order to obtain more complete information.
Advantages of obtaining secondary information:
Disadvantages of obtaining secondary information:
The primary information collection system provides for special marketing research. Their purpose is to obtain additional data related to the solution of specific marketing tasks. It should be noted here that the creation of a system for collecting primary information is not always available to many small enterprises. In this case, they seek help from firms specializing in this type of work. This is much cheaper than maintaining your own staff of researchers at the enterprise. Larger enterprises often collect primary marketing information themselves.
The main methods for collecting primary marketing data are:
Observation;
Experiment;
Simulation modeling.
The survey allows you to identify the system of preferences that the target market of consumers is guided by when choosing certain tourist products, evaluating various forms of service, and accessing the services of various companies. This is the most common data collection method in marketing. It is used in approximately 90% of studies.
The survey is based on an oral or written appeal to consumers and employees of the company with questions, the content of which represents the research problem.
According to the degree of coverage of potential buyers, surveys can be continuous and selective.
Continuous research can be carried out, for example, among visitors to the company or its stand at exhibition events.
In practice, the number of potential customers is usually large, which makes it impossible to conduct continuous surveys. In this regard, sample surveys are most acceptable, the essence of which lies in the fact that a part of the entire studied population is surveyed, selected by special scientifically based methods. If the sample set sufficiently fully reflects the properties of the general population, it is called representative (representative).
A special role in marketing when conducting sample surveys is given to the method of so-called focus groups.
In marketing practice, two main forms of survey are used: questionnaires and interviews.
During the survey, the respondent himself answers the questions in writing in the presence of the interviewer or without him. According to the form of conducting it can be individual or group. In the latter case, a large number of people can be interviewed in a short time (for example, an enterprise team, a student group). Questioning can also be face-to-face and by correspondence. The most common form of the latter is the mail survey. In its most general form, it consists in sending out questionnaires and receiving answers to them by mail.
Interviewing as a form of survey involves personal communication with the interviewee, in which the interviewer himself asks questions and records the answers. According to the form of conducting, it can be direct (personal) and indirect (for example, by telephone).
Personal interviews allow you to implement flexible survey tactics, supplement the answers with the interviewer's observations. The reliability of the information received is quite high. The disadvantages include the high cost and duration, the likelihood of the interviewer influencing the opinions of the respondents, the need for special training of interviewers.
If you need to get answers to a few and simple questions in the shortest possible time, you can use a telephone interview. It is often used in the implementation of preliminary studies that provide information for subsequent personal interviews. The advantages of a telephone interview are speed and high efficiency (80-90% of respondents agree to answer questions), as well as insignificant time and cost. At the same time, the lack of personal contact with the interviewee often complicates the work of the interviewer.
Thus, a survey as a method of obtaining primary marketing information can be carried out in various forms and varieties. Evaluation criteria for choosing one or another of them are given in Table 4.4.
A feature of the survey as a method of collecting primary marketing information is a rather high degree of refusal of respondents to participate in the study. There are two groups of reasons for failure. The first is connected with certain generalized feelings of suspicion and the desire not to allow anyone into your personal life. A certain category of people do not want to participate in any surveys. The second is determined by the specific circumstances of a particular survey. For example, some respondents are reluctant to discuss certain topics. The chosen form of the survey also affects the degree of willingness to participate in the survey. Thus, people find it more difficult to refuse to participate in a personal interview than in a mail survey. Usually, methods are used to stimulate the desire to take part in the study by providing small gifts (pens, key rings, lighters, promotional souvenirs, etc.).
The accuracy of the results of a survey conducted in any form depends to a large extent on the quality of the instrument (questionnaire or interview form).
A questionnaire (or questionnaire) is a system of questions united by a single research plan aimed at identifying the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of an object and subject of research.
There are a number of things to keep in mind when designing a questionnaire:
The effectiveness of the survey depends on what questions are asked, in what order, what possible answers are contained in them. All questions should be analyzed for their relevance and appropriateness;
The form of the question greatly influences the answer;
The questionnaire should be constructed in such a way that its clear internal logic can be seen.
There is always an introductory part on the first page of the questionnaire. It specifies who conducts the survey; What is the purpose of the survey? instructions for filling out the questionnaire are given. The introductory part should emphasize respect for the interviewees and make them willing to answer questions.
Further in the questionnaire are contact questions. Their task is to interest the interlocutor, introduce the problems under study, and conduct a “warm-up” of the respondents. These questions are relatively simple, easy to answer. They must convince the respondents that they can quite cope with the answers to the questions of the questionnaire. A contact question could be worded, for example, as follows: “Do you like to travel? ".
Each task must correspond to a block of basic questions, which can be divided into closed and open questions.
Closed questions require the choice of answers from the full set of options given in the questionnaire.
Open questions, unlike closed ones, do not contain hints, do not “impose” one or another option, but are designed to receive informal (non-standard) answers. In this case, the processing of the results seems to be more complicated. However, posing open questions in a number of cases is preferable, since the possible finding of an unexpected solution in this case is able to fully compensate for the costs.
A special role in the questionnaire belongs to control questions. Their purpose is to check the validity of the data. Let's say the main question is: “What characteristics of the services offered by the company most satisfied you? “The control question can be of the following type: “Have you used the services of the company? ". Comparison of the answers to these questions gives information about the sincerity of the respondent - It must be emphasized that the control question should never follow the question, the answer to which he controls. This is due to the fact that the respondent's answer to each subsequent question is influenced by the content and answer to the previous one.
When constructing a questionnaire, one should also take into account the fact that the most difficult questions that require analysis, reflection, and memory activation are placed in the middle of the questionnaire. By the end of the work with the questionnaire, the difficulty of the questions should decrease.
The survey ends with final questions. Their goal is to relieve the psychological stress of the respondent (for example, “Are you tired of our conversation?”). The last section of the questionnaire also includes questions to determine the socio-demographic portrait of respondents (gender, age, place of residence, social status, education, income level, etc.). At the end of the questionnaire, be sure to express gratitude to the interviewee for participating in the study.
There is a difference between primary and secondary information. When planning the collection of secondary information, it is necessary to determine its sources, secondary information already exists, so you only need to know where it can be obtained. In the case of primary information, the question of the source of collection is not relevant: it can always be obtained from consumers. Here the following problem arises: with the help of what methods it is better to collect it.
There are many different classifications of methods for collecting marketing information, however, in the textbook "Marketing Research: Methods of Collecting Information" it was proved by the author that it is advisable to reduce them to three main methods: observation, survey and experiment.
Methods for collecting primary information used in marketing research are shown in fig. 3.3.
Rice. 33.
In the scheme presented in fig. 3.3, an interesting pattern is observed. When moving from left to right, there is an increase in the cost of information collection methods. As a rule, conducting a survey costs an enterprise more than observation, and experiment is the most expensive method. At the same time, there is an increase in the reliability of the received marketing information. Thus, the experiment provides the greatest reliability and accuracy of the data obtained. Thus, an increase in financial costs for marketing research can reduce the risks of an enterprise's activity in the market by obtaining more reliable marketing information.
This dependence can be visualized as follows. As you know, in business, when evaluating and implementing investment projects, there is almost always a direct, although not necessarily linear, relationship between risk and planned profit. In the case of marketing research, which is a costly (rather than profitable) project, there is an inverse relationship between the amount of costs and risks. Graphically, this can be represented as two intersecting lines (Fig. 3.4). For convenience of analysis, the dependences in the figure are simplified to a linear form.
Visually, these two lines resemble the demand line (the line of investment projects) and supply (the line of marketing research). Their physical meaning is similar, since investment projects bring profit, as well as satisfaction of demand, and marketing research requires costs, as well as the formation of a proposal. The chart also marks the location of the above three marketing intelligence collection methods.
The most common methods for collecting primary information include surveys, questionnaires, expert methods, panels, focus groups, observations and experiments.
1. Poll- the main and most common method of obtaining primary marketing information (Table 3.2).
In the practice of tourist activity, questioning on the beach is of interest, where an almost complete return of questionnaires is achieved.
Advantage interview in comparison with other methods in tourism is that it is possible to reveal the socio-psychological mechanisms of the studied phenomena - the motivation and predisposition of tourists to tourist products and their prices, the reasons for dissatisfaction with the structure and quality of the services offered.
Table 3.2
Survey classification
2. Development of the questionnaire continues to be, according to a number of experts, more of an art than a science, but a number of circumstances should be taken into account:
the effectiveness of the survey depends on what questions are asked, in what sequence;
the form in which the question is posed greatly influences the answer;
the nature of the answers largely depends on the correct and unambiguous wording of the questions;
the questionnaire should be built in such a way that its clear internal logic is visible.
The main questions in the questionnaire are divided into closed, open and semi-closed.
There are two types of closed questions: alternative (dichotomous); with a selective answer (multiple choice).
Alternative question involves a choice of two response options such as “yes” or “no”.
Multiple Choice Question involves a choice of three or more answers. To ask these questions, we use measurement scales: nominal, ordinal, interval, ratio scale.
Nominal scale represents a simple enumeration of answer options, without any ordering or matching. For example: lack of interest; high price; limited choice; lack of awareness.
ordinal scale(rank) consists of categories that differ from each other by conditional concepts or qualitative features.
For example, answer the question, will you use the services of this firm next time:
Yes......................................
probably yes....................
probably not............
No....................................
Interval scale consists of numerical values that can be physically measured.
In this case, indicate how much money you spent on the purchase of sports services during your stay at the resort:
less than $50 ..............
from 50 to 100 dollars.............
from 100 to 150 dollars..........
more than 150 dollars...........
Relationship scale implies the presence of a natural, or absolute, zero. On this scale, you can make a quantitative comparison of the results obtained. Most often, the following are used to formulate closed questions: Likert scale; semantic differential; Stapel scale; mnemonic scale.
A 5-digit scale is often used as a Likert scale, for example: “strongly agree”; "agree"; "ns can say"; "disagree"; "completely disagree."
The question: “Indicate whether you are satisfied with the state of service in the hotel according to the following indicators” can be answered on a Likert scale (Table 3.3). Circle the number corresponding to your level of agreement.
Table 3.3
Likert scale example
Based on the database obtained as a result of processing the answers to such questions, it is possible to analyze the profile of two or more travel companies, presented in Table. 3.4.
Table 3.4
The results of a comparative assessment of the work of two hotels
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Index | |||||
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The quality of tourism products |
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Location |
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Working hours |
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Variety of additional services |
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Qualification personnel |
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Relationships between staff and clients |
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semantic differential represents a series of polar characteristics, and the scale consists of a large number of antonyms (“bad” - “good”, “convenient” - “uncomfortable”, “useful” - “useless”, “like” - “dislike”, etc. .). Circle the number of points that corresponds to your opinion.
Table 3.5
An example of a semantic differential for rating restaurants in points
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service |
Slow service |
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Traditional |
Vanguard |
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Good kitchen |
bad kitchen |
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Famous |
little known |
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Elegantly furnished |
Poorly equipped |
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Convenient location |
Inconvenient location |
The Stapel scale is a modification of the semantic differential.
Example. Based on the table. 3.6 indicate how accurately each statement describes the travel agency. It is necessary to choose numbers with a plus for statements that characterize the travel agency, and numbers with a minus sign for indicators that do not correspond to this company.
An example of the Stapel scale
Table 3.6
Mnemonic drawn scales are used both to facilitate the formulation of answers to questions, and to simplify the choice of an answer by respondents (Fig. 3.1).
The pictures clearly show the respondents' reactions to a particular question.
Open questions do not impose one or another answer option, do not contain hints and are designed to receive an unformalized opinion. In this case, the processing of the results is more complicated (Table 3.7).
semi-closed questions in addition to a certain number of answer options, contain the position "other - specify which one". This will enable the respondent to complete the answer that was not previously provided in the questionnaire. Semi-closed questions are useful in conducting marketing research on the effectiveness of destination advertising, helping to generate ideas for the most successful definitions, keywords and characteristics that can be used in the formation of the image of travel agencies.
Table 3.7
Types of open questions
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The essence of the question |
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unstructured question |
Allows any verbal form of response |
What is your opinion of firm A? |
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verbal associations |
The respondent is called individual words in order to clarify the associations that arise in him |
What associations does firm A evoke in you? |
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Completion suggestions |
Proposed to complete an unfinished sentence |
I use travel agency A because... |
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Completion story |
It is proposed to complete the unfinished story |
You visited the office of travel agency A, and this caused you the following feelings... |
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Completion |
The respondent is asked to imagine himself in the place of one of the characters in a usually playful drawing and, on his behalf, write his own opinion on the drawing. |
The figure shows two interlocutors. One says: "I will use the services of travel agency A." Imagine yourself in the place of another interlocutor. What would you say in response? |
|
Thematic Apperception Test |
It is proposed to come up with a story based on the proposed picture |
Control questions designed to verify the accuracy of the data obtained.
For example, let the main question be: “What characteristics of the services offered by the firm most satisfied you?” The security question might be: “Have you used the services of the firm?”
3. Expert assessments. A special place among expert methods is occupied by expert assessments based on the foresight and intuition of qualified specialists (experts).
Peer review is called the average characteristic of the opinions expressed by a group of competent specialists about a phenomenon, provided that their views are close.
Expert assessments are practically the only source of marketing information when forecasting the market situation (when there is not enough statistical data), when substantiating (together with other methods) the adoption of optimal marketing decisions under conditions of market uncertainty. The main requirements for experts are competence, interest in participation, efficiency and objectivity
There are several methods for obtaining information from experts.
Delphi method. The essence of this method is to develop agreed opinions by repeating the survey of the same experts (usually 3-4 times). After each round of surveys, the results are summarized and reported to the experts. As a result of such a procedure, a consistent estimate is developed.
Brain attack. This method is based on the collective generation of ideas. On the basis of uncontrolled generation and spontaneous interweaving of the ideas expressed, chains of associations arise that can lead to an unexpected solution to the problem.
Gordon Method is that the participants are not set a specific task, but only need to outline the general side of the problem.
group discussion method. This method involves the participation of people who have little or no knowledge of the problem at all. This sometimes makes it possible to obtain a large amount of new interesting information, non-standard and original ideas.
Synectics method. It consists in attracting specialists from different fields of activity; as a result of the discussion, a selection and screening out of ideas that have not withstood criticism takes place, and a real idea is accepted that has received the support of the majority.
4. Panels. They are a collection of interviewees who are subjected to repeated surveys. According to American practice, a panel means a list of jurors and has the following main features:
a permanent subject of research;
systematic or periodic data collection;
a constant set of objects of study (individuals, families, households, enterprises).
The most common is the consumer panel. With the help of a survey on this panel, demographic, socio-economic data are obtained, which are necessary for evaluating the consumer basket. In traditional panel forms, respondents are asked to repeatedly answer the same questions in the questionnaire to ensure comparability of information in the analysis of dynamics. Panel studies are also used in the marketing activities of tour operators, when they form a sample of regular customers, who are surveyed, as a rule, on the eve of the summer and winter seasons.
5. Focus group method- one of the most interesting and creative methods of collecting primary information (mainly qualitative). It is a carefully planned discussion on a specific topic in a relaxed atmosphere and is used to solve the following tasks:
generating ideas (for example, to develop and improve tourism products);
study of requests, perception and attitude to the tourist product;
clarifying the colloquial vocabulary of the "consumer", which may be useful in promotions when compiling questionnaires.
Usually, the work of focus groups (the optimal composition is from 8 to 12 people) is recorded using audio-video equipment. The choice of specific focus group participants is determined by the purpose of the research. The main requirements for a focus group leader are:
professionalism and ability to learn quickly;
sociability;
awareness of the subject of research; having a good memory to link all statements; the ability to quickly respond to the course of the discussion; tolerance for uncomfortable and harsh statements; ability to think big, i.e. the ability to separate the important from the unimportant.
Disadvantages of the focus group method include: possible unrepresentativeness (unrepresentativeness) of the results;
a rather subjective interpretation of the events and facts under consideration;
high cost per participant.
6. Surveillance commonly used in marketing research of an exploratory nature and is a method of collecting primary information about the object under study by observing selected groups of people, actions and situations. The advantages of surveillance include: simplicity and low implementation costs; independence from the object of observation; ensuring higher objectivity; the ability to perceive unconscious behavior; naturalness of the research environment.
Observation disadvantages include: difficulty in ensuring representativeness; the subjectivity of the observer himself; the impossibility of taking into account the motives of consumer behavior.
For successful observation, certain conditions must be met.
The observation of the behavior of customers when buying tourist services has become widely used in tourism, for which hidden video cameras are used that record the actions of visitors in the office of a travel agency.
In a restaurant, specially trained waiters can play the role of observers. The same is true during tourist trips.
7. Experiment- this is the manipulation of independent variables (price, advertising costs, etc.) in order to determine their influence on dependent variables (sales volume, change in market share) while maintaining control over the influence of other parameters that are not currently studied. Experiments are divided into two groups: laboratory, conducted in an artificial environment (for example, various tests for products, prices, advertising);
field, conducted in real conditions (for example, a test of the market), sometimes they are called test marketing.
