This chapter discusses the consumer research process. It outlines the steps including establishing research objectives, conducting secondary research, designing and implementing primary qualitative and quantitative research methods, analyzing the data collected, and reporting findings. The chapter emphasizes that consumer research is important for firms to understand customers and develop effective marketing strategies, products, and promotional messages. It also explains various research methods and considerations around validity, reliability, and sampling.

1. The Consumer
Research Process
CHAPTER
TWO

2. Learning Objectives
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter Two Slide 2
1. To Understand the Importance of Consumer
Research for Firms and Their Brands, as Well as
Consumers.
2. To Understand the Steps in the Consumer
Research Process.
3. To Understand the Importance of Establishing
Specific Research Objectives as the First Step in
the Design of a Consumer Research Project.

3. Learning Objectives (continued)
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter Two Slide 3
4. To Understand the Purposes and Types of Secondary
Consumer Research That Is Available for Making
Decisions or Planning Future Consumer Research.
5. To Understand Specific Features and Applications of
Different Research Methods to Be Carried Out in
Consumer Research Studies.
6. To Understand Where Data Analysis and Reporting of
Findings Fit in the Research Process.
7. To Understand How Each Element of the Consumer
Research Process Adds to the Overall Outcome of the
Research Study.

4. Why Do Marketers Regularly Test Print Ads
Like This One Before They Are Placed in the
Media?
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter Two Slide 4

5. To Test the Impact of the Message Before
Spending Large Amounts of Money
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter Two Slide 5

6. The Importance of the Consumer
Research Process
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter Two Slide 6
• Marketers must understand customers
to design effective:
– marketing strategies
– products
– promotional messages

7. The Consumer Research Process
Figure 2.2
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter Two Slide 7

8. The Consumer Research Process
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter Two Slide 8
• Secondary research
• Primary research
– Qualitative
– Quantitative

9. Developing Research Objectives
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter Two Slide 9
• Defining purposes and objectives helps ensure
an appropriate research design.
• A written statement of objectives helps to
define the type and level of information
needed.

10. Discussion Questions
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter Two Slide 10
• Assume you are planning to open a new pizza
restaurant near your campus.
– What might be three objectives of a research plan
for your new business?
– How could you gather these data?

11. Secondary Data
•
•
Data that has been
collected for reasons
other than the specific
research project at hand
Includes internal and
external data
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter Two Slide 11

12. Types of Secondary Data
•
•
•
Internal Data
Data generated in-house
May include analysis of
customer files
Useful for calculating
customer lifetime value
•
•
•
External Data
Data collected by an outside
organization
Includes federal
government, periodicals,
newspapers, books, search
engines
Commercial data is also
available from market
research firms
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter Two Slide 12

13. Discussion Questions
Personal Privacy
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter Two Slide 13
• Many people do not like the fact that their
personal data are used for marketing.
• How can marketers justify their need for data?
• How can they acquire data and maintain
customer privacy?

14. Designing Primary Research
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter Two Slide 14

15. Qualitative Collection Method
Depth Interview
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter Two Slide 15
• Also called one-on-one interview
• Usually 20 minutes to 1 hour
• Nonstructured
• Interviewer will often probe to get more
feedback (see following slide for probing)
• Session is usually recorded

16. Probing Options for Interviews
Figure 2.3
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17. Qualitative Collection Method
Focus Group
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter Two Slide 17
• 8-10 participants
• Respondents are recruited through a screener
questionnaire
• Lasts about 2 hours
• Always taped or videotaped to assist analysis
• Often held in front of two-way mirrors
• Online focus groups are growing

18. Discussion Guides for Research
• Step-by-step outline
for depth interviews
and focus groups
• Interviewers will
often “improvise”
and go beyond the
discussion guide
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter Two Slide 18

19. Focus Group Discussion Guide - Figure 2.4
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20. Qualitative Collection Method
Projective Techniques
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• Research procedures designed to identify
consumers’ subconscious feelings and
underlying motivations
• Consist of a variety of disguised “tests”

21. Common Projective Exercises
Table 2.1 (excerpt)
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter Two Slide 21
Description
Word
Associations
The researcher has a list of words, some of them to be studied and some
just as “filler.” The researcher asks the respondent(s) to react, one-at-a
time, to each word by stating or (in a focus group setting) writing on a
pad the first word that comes to mind, and to explain the link.
Sentence
Completion
The researcher has a series of incomplete sentences that the
respondent(s) needs to complete with a word or phrase.
Photo/Visual
for
Storytelling
The researcher creates/selects a series of photos of consumers, different
brands or products, range of print ads, etc., to serve as stimuli. The
respondents are asked to discuss or tell a story based on their response
to a photo or some other visual stimulus.
Role Playing Is quite similar to storytelling; however, instead of telling a story, the
participant(s) will be given a situation and asked to “act out” the role(s),
often with regard to a product or brand, or particular selling situation.

22. Qualitative Collection Method
Metaphor Analysis
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter Two Slide 22
• Based on belief that metaphors are the most
basic method of thought and communication
• Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique
(ZMET) combines collage research and
metaphor analysis to bring to the surface the
mental models and the major themes or
constructs that drive consumer thinking and
behavior.

23. Qualitative Collection Method
“Looking-In”
• Look at information from threads and postings
on social media, including blogs and
discussion forums
• Methodology to capture consumers’
experiences, opinions, forecasts, needs, and
interests
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter Two Slide 23

24. Designing Primary Research
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter Two Slide 24

25. Data Collection Methods
Observational Research
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter Two Slide 25
• Helps marketers gain an in-depth
understanding of the relationship between
people and products by watching them buying
and using products
• Helps researchers gain a better understanding
of what the product symbolizes

26. Data Collection Methods
Mechanical Observational Research
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter Two Slide 26
• Uses mechanical or electronic device to
record consumer behavior or response
• Consumers’ increased use of highly
convenient technologies will create more
records for marketers
• Audits are a type of mechanical observation
which monitor sales

27. Data Collection Methods
Experimentation
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall
Chapter Two Slide 27
• Can be used to test the relative sales appeal of
many types of variables
• An experiment is usually controlled with only
some variables manipulated at a time while
the others are constant
• Test markets are conducted on a single
market area
• Experimentation can be conducted in
laboratories or in the field

28. Discussion Questions
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall
Chapter Two Slide 28
• What might direct marketers test in
experiments?
• How can they use the results?

29. Data Collection Methods
Table 2.2
Mail Telephone Personal
Interview
Online
Cost Low Moderate High Low
Speed Slow Immediate Slow Fast
Response rate Low Moderate High Self-selected
Geographic
flexibility
Excellent Good Difficult Excellent
Interviewer
bias
N/A Moderate Problematic N/A
Interviewer
Supervision
N/A Easy Difficult N/A
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter Two Slide 29

30. Validity and Reliability
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• If a study has validity, it collects the
appropriate data for the study.
• A study has reliability if the same questions,
asked of a similar sample, produce the same
findings.

31. Attitude Scales
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32. Customer Satisfaction Measurement
• Customer
Satisfaction
Surveys
– Analysis of
Expectations
versus Experience
• Mystery Shoppers
• Customer
Complaint Analysis
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter Two Slide 32

33. Sampling and Data Collection
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• Samples are a subset of the population used
to estimate characteristics of the entire
population.
• A sampling plan addresses:
– Whom to survey
– How many to survey
– How to select them
• Researcher must choose probability or
nonprobabililty sample.

34. Data Analysis and Reporting Findings
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter Two Slide 34
• Open-ended questions are coded and
quantified.
• All responses are tabulated and analyzed.
• Final report includes executive summary,
body, tables, and graphs.

35. End of Chapter
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter Two Slide 35
• Thank
You