3.2.1 Market Research
Primary research
- Field research – collected first hand for a specific purpose
Examples:
- Survey and questionnaires (postal, telephone, face to face, on line
- In depth interviews
- Focus groups
- Observations
Pros Cons
- Specific - Small sample
- Controlled - Poor sample = poor result
- Could be less bias - Time consuming – lots to analyse
- Could be more reliable - Expensive
- Vunerable to manipulation
Secondary research
- Desk research – collected by someone else for a different purpose
Examples:
- National and Local government Statistics e.g. ONS – Office for National Statistics
- Market Research organisations
- Professional bodies
- Trade unions
- International bodies
- Academic organisations
- Newspapers and magazines
- The internet
Pros Cons
- Quick and Easy - Out of date
- Good availability - Too vague/not specific
- More views/different perspective - Unreliable – who collected it
- Usually a bigger sample size - Not exclusive – competitors can access
Primary research
- Field research – collected first hand for a specific purpose
Examples:
- Survey and questionnaires (postal, telephone, face to face, on line
- In depth interviews
- Focus groups
- Observations
Pros Cons
- Specific - Small sample
- Controlled - Poor sample = poor result
- Could be less bias - Time consuming – lots to analyse
- Could be more reliable - Expensive
- Vunerable to manipulation
Secondary research
- Desk research – collected by someone else for a different purpose
Examples:
- National and Local government Statistics e.g. ONS – Office for National Statistics
- Market Research organisations
- Professional bodies
- Trade unions
- International bodies
- Academic organisations
- Newspapers and magazines
- The internet
Pros Cons
- Quick and Easy - Out of date
- Good availability - Too vague/not specific
- More views/different perspective - Unreliable – who collected it
- Usually a bigger sample size - Not exclusive – competitors can access
