This document outlines the marketing research process in 11 steps: 1) Establishing the need for research, 2) Defining the problem, 3) Establishing research objectives, 4) Determining the research design, 5) Identifying information types and sources, 6) Determining data collection methods, 7) Designing data collection forms, 8) Determining sample size and plan, 9) Collecting data, 10) Analyzing data, and 11) Preparing and presenting the final report. The steps involve defining the marketing problem, designing the research, collecting and analyzing data, and communicating results to solve the problem.

1. 1
Marketing research
• What is marketing?
• What is the marketing concept?
• What is marketing strategy ?

2. 2
What is Marketing?
• Marketing has been defined by the AMA as an organizational
function and a set of processes for creating, communicating
and delivering value to customers and for managing customer
relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its
stakeholders.

3. 3
What is Marketing Strategy?
• A Marketing Strategy consists of selecting a segment of the
market as the company’s target market and designing the
proper “mix” of the product/service, price, promotion, and
distribution system to meet the wants and needs of the
consumers within the target market.

4. 4
What is Marketing Research?
• Definition 1
“Marketing research is the process of designing, gathering,
analyzing, and reporting information that may be used to
solve a specific marketing problem”
( Burns and Bush).

5. Definition 2
Marketing research: the function that links the consumer,
customer, and public to the marketer through
information – information used to identify and define
marketing opportunities and problems; generate,
refine, and evaluate marketing actions; monitor
marketing performance; and improve the
understanding of marketing as a process.
5

6. 6
Objectives of
Marketing Research
• Identify marketing opportunities and problems.
• Generate, refine, and evaluate potential marketing actions.
• Monitor marketing performance.
• Improve marketing as a process.
• To link the consumer to the marketer by providing information
that can be used in making marketing decisions.

7. Application of Marketing
Research
• Application of marketing research can be divided
into two broad areas:
• Strategic
• Tactical
7

8. 1. Strategic
Among the strategic areas marketing research applications would be
• demand forecasting,
• sales forecasting,
• segmentation studies,
• identification of target markets for a given product,
• positioning strategies identification.
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9. 2. Tactical
In tactical application, we would have applications such as
• product testing,
• pricing research,
• advertising research,
• promotional research,
• distribution and logistics related research
9

10. Some examples of application of Marketing
Research
• A study of consumer buying habits for detergents-frequency ,pack size,
effect of promotion, brand loyalty and so forth.
• To find out the potential demand for ready-to-eat chapattis in Mumbai
City.
• To determine which of the three proposed ingredients-tulsi, coconut oil or
neem, the consumer would like to have in toilet soap.
• To find the effectiveness of the advertising campaign for a car brand.
• To determine brand awareness and brand loyalty for branded PC.
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11. Limitation of marketing research
• As marketing research can be extremely
rewarding to a Customer Competition firm, it
is wise to know that it is subject to certain
limitations.
• Marketing research tends to be fragmentary in
its approach as a result of which it becomes
difficult to have an overall perspective in which
a marketing problem is to be viewed and
studied.
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12. • Marketing research is criticized on the ground
that it becomes too superficial and faculty in
industry.
• There is an absence of a meaningful dialogue
between the marketing management and the
marketing research team. As a result,
marketing researchers get divorced form the
main stream of marketing
12

13. Marketing Research during different
phases of the administrative process
• Phase I –Setting goals and establishing strategies
• Phase 2- Developing a plan
• Phase 3- Putting the plan into action
• Phase 4 –Evaluating the plans effectiveness
13

14. Phase 1-Setting goals and
establishing strategies
• Dissatisfaction and needs in relevant market
segment.
• Demand size and trend
• Industry/market strucutre composition , competition
• Technological and materials innovations
• Distribution, environmental and legal developments.
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15. Phase 2 – Developing a plan
• Identify key market segments by product
category.
• Identify market segment attitudes toward
present products, promotions and advertising.
• Test the effectiveness of advertising and
promotion .
• Evaluate the needs and attitudes of channel
members.
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16. Phase -3- Putting the plan into
action
• Total industry and product class sales.
• Firm’s sales, by product and market
• Product availability in retail stores , shelf
space, retailer support, and so on
• Awareness and trial in relevant market
segments.
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17. Phase 4 – Evaluating the plan’s
effectiveness
• End of period compilation and
aggregation of operating data to present
and accurate picture of performance.
• Also summary of survey findings on
consumer awareness, trial attitudes,
preferences, repurchase rates, and so
on.
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18. The Marketing Research Process: 11
Steps
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 Step One: Establishing the Need for Marketing Research
 Step Two: Defining the Problem
 Step Three: Establishing Research Objectives
 Step Four: Determining Research Design
 Step Five: Identifying Information Types and Sources
 Step Six: Determining Methods of Accessing Data

19. The Marketing Research Process:
11 Steps
19
• Step Seven: Designing Data Collection Forms
• Step Eight: Determining Sample Plan and Size
• Step Nine: Collecting Data
• Step Ten: Analyzing Data
• Step Eleven: Preparing and Presenting the Final Report

20. The Marketing Research Process: 11
Steps
20
Marketing Research 5e :Burns &Bush

21. Step 1: Establish the Need for
Marketing Research
21
• Is there a real need for marketing research?
• Research takes time and costs money.
• Marketing research is not always needed.

22. Step 1: Establish the Need for
Marketing Research
22
• When is marketing research not needed?
– The information is already available.
– Decisions must be made now.
– We can’t afford research.
– Costs outweigh the value of marketing
research.

23. Step 2: Define the Problem
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• This is the most important of the 11 steps.
• If the problem is incorrectly defined, all else is
wasted effort.
• Problems may be either specific or general.

24. Step 2: Define the Problem
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• Problems stem from gaps between what is
supposed to happen and what did happen and
gaps between what did happen and what could
be happening.

25. Step 3: Establish Objectives
25
• Research objectives, when achieved, provide the
information necessary to solve the problem identified
in step 2.
• Research objectives state what the researchers must
do.

26. Step Four: Determine Research Design
26
• Exploratory Research: collecting information in an
unstructured and informal manner.
• Descriptive Research refers to a set of methods and
procedures describing marketing variables.
• Causal Research (experiments): allows isolation of
causes and effects.

27. Step 5: Identify Information Types
and Sources
27
• Primary information: information collected
specifically for the problem at hand.
• Secondary information: information already
collected

28. Step 6: Determine Methods of
Accessing Data
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 Secondary data is relatively easy to access;
primary data is more complex.
 Three main choices for primary data:
Have a person ask questions
Use computer assisted or direct questioning
Allow respondents to answer questions
themselves without computer assistance

29. Step 7: Design Data Collection
Forms
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• Questionnaire must be worded objectively, clearly, and
without bias in order to communicate with
respondents.
• Software programs are available to assist marketing
researchers in preparing forms.

30. Step 8: Determine Sample Plan and
Size
30
• Sample plan refers to the process used to select units
from the population to be included in the sample.
• Sample size refers to determining how many elements
of the population should be included in the sample.

31. Step 9: Collect Data
31
• Data collection is very important because, regardless of
the data analysis methods used, data analysis cannot
fix bad data.
• Nonsampling errors may occur during data collection.

32. Step 9: Collect Data
32
• Data collection errors may be attributed to field
workers or respondents.
• Researchers must know the sources of these errors
and the controls to minimize them.

33. Step 10: Analyze Data
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• Data analysis involves entering data into computer
files, inspecting data for errors, and running
tabulations and various statistical tests.
• Data cleaning is a process by which raw data are
checked to verify that the data have been correctly
inputted from the data collection form to the
computer software program.

34. Step 11: Prepare and Present the
Final Research Report
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• The last step is one of the most important phases of
marketing research.
• Its importance cannot be overstated because it is the
report, or its presentation, that properly
communicates the results to the client.