Term paper

Topic:-Marketing
Research

Submitted To:- Submitted by :-

Mrs. Avneet kaur Kawaljeet
(Lec. of MSS) Roll no-29
Reg. no-3010070311
BCA-MCA-3701
 Acknowledgement
I feel great pleasure in submitting this project as the culmination of my guide’s
efforts. This is a step towards the path leading to “Bachelor of Computer
Application (BCA)”Degree.

This project required hard work; sincerity and devotion that I tried my best to put
in this project and in turn gained a lot of knowledge and confidence from this
project.

I am thankful to my project mentor “Mrs. Avneet Kaur” who helped me in

understanding the project and giving the necessary instructions and information to
complete the project.

Finally I thank the almighty god with whose grace I was always motivated and
deeply engrossed with my project during the entire duration from its conception to
success.

KAWALJEET
 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that this Minor Term Paper titled “MARKETING RESEARCH” has
been submitted in the partial fulfillment of the Minor Term Paper in the course “BCA”. It has
been further certified that this Term Paper is an Original work carried out by KAWALJEET
under the continuous guidance of MRS. AVNEET KAUR
Contents

Sr.no Topic Page no

1 Introduction to marketing research 5-6

2 Marketing research process 6-7

3 System development life cycle 7-9

4 Feasibility study 10-11
5 Steps in system design 11-12

6 Role of marketing research 13-15

7 Marketing research capabilities and 15-16

limitations
8 Market research applications 16

9 Importance of marketing research 16-17

10 Classification of maketinf research 17-19

12 Types of marketing research 19-21

13 Advantages and disadvantages 28-29

14 Evolution of international marketing 29-30

15 Comparisons with other business 30-31
research
16 References 32
Introduction to marketing research
Marketing research is a form of business research and is generally divided into two
categories: consumer market research and business-to-business (B2B) market
research, which was previously known as industrial marketing research. Consumer
marketing research studies the buying habits of individual people while business-
to-business marketing research investigates the markets for products sold by one
business to another.

Consumer market research is a form of applied sociology that concentrates on

understanding the behaviours, whims and preferences, of consumers in a market-
based economy, and aims to understand the effects and comparative success of
marketing campaigns. The field of consumer marketing research as a statistical
science was pioneered by Arthur Nielsen with the founding of the ACNielsen
Company in 1923 .

Thus marketing research is the systematic and objective identification, collection,

analysis, and dissemination of information for the purpose of assisting
management in decision making related to the identification and solution of
problems and opportunities in marketing.The goal of marketing research is to
identify and assess how changing elements of the impacts customer behavior.

Market research and marketing research are often confused. ‘Market’ research is
simply research into a specific market. It is very narrow concept. ‘Marketing’
research is much boarder. It not only include market research, but also areas such
as research into new product,or modes of distribution such as via the internet. Here
are couples of definitions:

“marketing research is the function that links the consumer,customer,and public to

the marketer through information- information used to specify and define market
opportunities and problems ; generate , refine and evaluate marketing actions;
moniter marketing performance; and improve understanding of marketing as a
process.marketing research specifies the information required to address these
issues,design the methods for collecting, manages and implements the data
collection process, analyzes and communicates the findings and their implications.

American marketing asociation- official definition of marketing research

obviously, this is very long and involved definition of marketing research.

“Marketing research is about researching the whole of a company’s marketing

process”

The marketing research process

Marketing research is gathered using a systematic approach. A example of one
follows:
1. Define the problem. Never conduct research things that you would like to
know. Make sure that you really need to know something. The problem then
becomes the focus of the research. For example: - why are sales falling in
Newzealand?
2. How will you collect the data that you will analyse to solve your problems?
Do we conduct a telephone survey, or do we arrange a focus group?
3. Select a sampling method. Do we us a random sample, stratified sample or
cluster sample?
4. How will we analyze any data collected? What software will we use? What
degree of accuracy is required?
5. Decide upon a budget and a timeframe.
6. Go back and speak to the managers or clients requesting the research. Make
sure that you agree on the problem! If you gain approval, then move on to
step seven.
7. Go ahead and collect the data.
8. Conduct the analysis of the data.
9. Check for errors. It is not uncommon to find errors in sampling, data
collection method, or analytic mistakes.
10.Write your final report. This will contain charts, tables, and diagrams that
will communicate the results of the research, and hopefully lead to a solution
to your problem. Watch out for errors in interpretation.
The system development life cycle:
To understand system development, we need to recognize that a candidate
system has a life cycle, just like a living system or a new product. Systems
analysis and design are keyed to the system life cycle. The analyst must
progress from one stage to another methodically, answering key questions and
achieving results in each stage.

A word of caution regarding life cycle activities: we isolate and sequence these
activities for learning purposes, but in real life they overlap and are highly
interrelated. For example, when the analyst is evaluating an existing operation,
he/she is probably thinking about an alternative way that would improve the
system or wondering whether a given piece of hardware would be critical cost
item to consider system. Therefore , there can easily be overlap during any
phase of the cycle. Infect , it may act as a basis for modifying earlier steps
taken. We now describe each of these steps.
Recognition of need – what is the problem?
one must know what the problem is before it can be solved. The basis for a
candidate system is recognition of a need for improving an information system
or procedure. For example, a supervisor may want to investigate the system
flow in purchasing or a bank president has been getting complaints about the
long lines in the drive-in. This need leads to a preliminary survey or an initial
investigation to determine whether an alternative system can solve the problem.
It entails looking into the duplication of effort, bottlenecks, inefficient existing
procedures , or whether parts of existing system would be candidates for
computerization.

If the problem is serious enough, management may want to have an analyst

look at it. Such an assignment implies a commitment, especially if the analyst is
hired from the outside. In larger environments, where formal procedures are the
norm, the analyst’s first task is to prepare a statement specifying the scope and
objective of the problem. He/she then reviews it with the user for accuracy. At
this stage only a rough “ball park” estimate of the development cost of the
project may be reached. However, an accurate cost of the next phase-the
feasibility study- can be produced.

Impetus for system change

The idea for change originates in the environment or from within the firm.
Environment-based ideas originate from customers , vendors , government
sources and the like. For example, new unemployment compensation
regulations may make it necessary to change the reporting procedures , format
and contents of various reports, as well as file structures. Customer complaints
about the delivery of orders may prompt an investigation of the delivery
schedule the experience of truck drivers or the volume of orders to be delivered.
 When investigated each of these ideas may lead to a problem definition as a
first step in the system life cycle process.

Ideas for change may also come from within the organisation –top management
, the user the analyst. As an organisation changes its operations or faces
advances in computer technology, someone within the organisation may feel the
need to update existing applications or improve procedures. Here are some
examples:

 An organisation acquires another organisation

 A local bank branches into the subrubs
 A depatment spends 80 percent of its budget in one month
 Two departments are doing essentially the same work and each
department head insists the other department should be eliminated
 A request for a new form discloses the bootleg forms

Serious problems in operations, high rate of labour turnover labor

intensive activities and high reject rates of finished goods also prompt top
management to initiate an investigation. Other examples are:
 A report reaches a senior vice president and she suspects the
figures
 The company comptroller reads an IRS audit reports and start
thinking
 An executive read about decision support systems for sales
forecasting and it gives him an idea

Feasibility study:-
Many feasibility studies are disillusioning for both users and analysts. First ,the
study often presupposes that When the feasibility evaluate solutions. Second ,
most studies tend to overlook the confusion inherent in system development- the
constraints and assumed attitudes. If the feasibility study is to serve as a decision
document, it must answer three key questions:

1. Is there a new and better way to do the job that will benefit the users?
2. What are the costs and savings of the alternatives?
3. What is recommended ?

The most successful system projects are not necessarily the biggest or most visible
in a business but rather those that truly meet user expectations. More projects fail
because of inflated expectations than for any other reason.

Feasibility considerations:

Three key considerations are involved in the feasibility analysis: economic ,

technical, behavioral. Let’s briefly review each consideration and how it relates to
the system effort.

1. Economic feasibility:-
Economic analysis is the most frequently used method for evaluating the
effectivenessof a candidate system. More commonly known as cost/benefit
analysis , the procedure is to determine the benefits and savings that are
expected from a candidate system and compare them with costs. If benefits
outweigh costs, then the decision is made to design and implement the
system. Otherwise, further justification or alterations in the proposed
system will have to be made if it is to have a chance of being approved.
This is an ongoing effort that improves in acccuracy at each phase of the
system life cycle.

2. Technical feasibility:-
Technical feasibility centers around the existing computer system
(hardware, software etc) and what to extent it can support the proposed
addition. For example, if the current computer is operating at 80% capacity-
 an arbitrary ceiling- then running another application could overload the
system or require additional hardware. This involves financial
considerations to accommodate technical enhancements. If the budget is a
serious constraints, then the project is judged not feasible.

3. Behavioral feasibility:-
People are inherently resistant to change andcomputer have been known to
facilitate change . an estimate should be made of how strong a reaction the user
staff is likely to have toward the development of a computerized system. It is
common knowledge that computer installation have something to do with turnover
, transfer, retraining and changes in employee jo status. Therefore, it is
understandable that the introduction of a candidate system requires special effort to
educate ,sell,and train the staff on new ways of conducting business.

Steps in feasibility analysis:-

Feasibility analysis involves eight steps:-

 Form a project team and appoint a project leader.

 Prepare system flowcharts.
 Enumerate potential candidate systems
 Describe and identify charteristics of candidate systems
 Determine and evaluate performance and cost effectiveness of each
candidate system.
 Weight system performance and cost data.
 Select the best candidate system.
 Prepare and report final project directive to management.

Steps in system design

1

Detailed system
documentation
Output
design

Design submitted
Input
to management for
design
approval

Design
File accept
design Abandon project

Processing Test
design programs

2
 The Role of Marketing Research in
Strategic Planning and Decision
Making
The task of marketing research is to provide management with relevant, accurate,
reliable, valid, and current information. Competitive marketing environment and
the ever-increasing costs attributed to poor decision making require that marketing
research provide sound information. Sound decisions are not based on gut feeling,
intuition, or even pure judgment.

Marketing managers make numerous strategic and tactical decisions in the process
of identifying and satisfying customer needs. They make decisions about potential
opportunities, target market selection, market segmentation, planning and
implementing marketing programs, marketing performance, and control. These
decisions are complicated by interactions between the controllable marketing
variables of product, pricing, promotion, and distribution. Further complications
are added by uncontrollable environmental factors such as general economic
conditions, technology, public policies and laws, political environment,
competition, and social and cultural changes. Another factor in this mix is the
complexity of consumers. Marketing research helps the marketing manager link
the marketing variables with the environment and the consumers. It helps remove
some of the uncertainty by providing relevant information about the marketing
variables, environment, and consumers. In the absence of relevant information,
consumers' response to marketing programs cannot be predicted reliably or
accurately. Ongoing marketing research programs provide information on
controllable and non-controllable factors and consumers; this information enhances
the effectiveness of decisions made by marketing managers.

Traditionally, marketing researchers were responsible for providing the relevant

information and marketing decisions were made by the managers. However, the
roles are changing and marketing researchers are becoming more involved in
decision making, where as marketing managers are becoming more involved with
research. The role of marketing research in managerial decision making is
explained further using the framework of the DECIDE model:

D' —- Define the marketing problem

E' —- Enumerate the controllable and uncontrollable decision factors

C' —- Collect relevant information

I' —- Identify the best alternative

D' —- Develop and implement a marketing plan

E' —- Evaluate the decision and the decision process

The DECIDE model conceptualizes managerial decision making as a series of six

steps. The decision process begins by precisely defining the problem or
opportunity, along with the objectives and constraints. Next, the possible decision
factors that make up the alternative courses of action (controllable factors) and
uncertainties (uncontrollable factors) are enumerated. Then, relevant information
on the alternatives and possible outcomes is collected. The next step is to select the
best alternative based on chosen criteria or measures of success. Then a detailed
plan to implement the alternative selected is developed and put into effect. Last,
the outcome of the decision and the decision process itself are evaluated.

1) Philosophy of customer orientation

2) Firms to uncover customer needs first

3) Coordinate all their activities to satisfy those needs

4) Marketing research is vital to maintaining and improving

company's overall competitiveness.
5) the external environment helps to intelligently plan for the future.
6) Many firms continually collect and evaluate environmental information
to identify future market opportunities and threats
7) Nature of its product

8) Ways to promote the product

9) Price charged to potential customers

10) Means used to make the product available to them

 11) Will identify whether the marketing mix is effective enough to maximize
the benefits to the firm from available opportunities

 sales
 profits
 customer satisfaction
 value.

12) Many successful new-product launches were preceded by extensive

marketing research  Marketing research characteristics

First, marketing research is systematic. Thus systematic planning is required at all

the stages of the marketing research process. The procedures followed at each
stage are methodologically sound, well documented, and, as much as possible,
planned in advance. Marketing research uses the scientific method in that data are
collected and analyzed to test prior notions or hypotheses.

Marketing research is objective. It attempts to provide accurate information that

reflects a true state of affairs. It should be conducted impartially. While research is
always influenced by the researcher's research philosophy, it should be free from
the personal or political biases of the researcher or the management. Research
which is motivated by personal or political gain involves a breach of professional
standards. Such research is deliberately biased so as to result in predetermined
findings. The motto of every researcher should be, "Find it and tell it like it is."
The objective nature of marketing research underscores the importance of ethical
considerations, which are discussed later in the chapter.

Marketing research involves the identification, collection, analysis, and

dissemination of information. Each phase of this process is important. We identify
or define the marketing research problem or opportunity and then determine what
information is needed to investigate it., and inferences are drawn. Finally, the
findings, implications and recommendations are provided in a format that allows
the information to be used for management decision making and to be acted upon
directly. It should be emphasized that marketing research is conducted to assist
management in decision making and is not: a means or an end in itself. The next
section elaborates on this definition by classifying different types of marketing
research.
 Market Research Capabilities and
Limitations
If your company is like many, there's some natural tension between marketing and
product. One often controversial topic is the appropriate role in product creation of
market research tools and techniques such as focus groups, customer surveys, site
analytics, site visits, usability testing/field testing and competitive analysis.
Unfortunately I think this is an area of significant confusion, fueled in part by the
various camps – those from a marketing background that may see the benefits of
these tools, and those from product that see the limitations. The results is that some
product teams miss out because they don’t take advantage of the information these
tools and techniques can offer, and other teams go astray because they depend on
these techniques to answer questions the tools are incapable of.

This is a big topic, but I’d like to try to discuss the major market research tools and
consider how they can help you and where they can’t.

Before I get too far, let me say that the tools for market research have improved
dramatically in the past decade. Many of the concerns of the past, which I’ll
discuss shortly, are addressed by new technologies for easily reaching out to large
numbers of users and customers, and for analyzing your user’s activity and
behavior – who they are and what they do with your product. That said, there are
still some very fundamental, inherent limitations to market research tools, so it’s
important to understand that to

Marketing research application

1. Gathering data from markets

2. Conducting customer surveys

3. Determining the needs of your custom

 4. Evaluating customer response to advertising

5. Gathering sales & market share data on your

Competitors
6. Testing products in the marketplace

7. Estimating potential product sales

Importance of Marketing Research

Research, as a general concept, is the process of gathering information to learn about
something that is not fully known.  Nearly everyone engages in some form of research.  From
the highly trained geologist investigating newly discovered earthquake faults, to the author of
best selling spy novels gaining insight into new surveillance techniques, to the model train
hobbyist spending hours hunting down the manufacturer of an old electric engine,  each is
driven by the quest for information. 

For marketers, research is not only used for the purpose of learning, it is also a critical
component needed to make good decisions.  Market research does this by giving marketers a
picture of what is occurring (or likely to occur) and, when done well, offers alternative
choices that can be made.  For instance, good research may suggest multiple options for
introducing new products or entering new markets.  In most cases marketing decisions prove
less risky (though they are never risk free) when the marketer can select from more than one
option.

Using an analogy of a house foundation, marketing research can be viewed as the foundation
of marketing.  Just as a well-built house requires a strong foundation to remain sturdy,
marketing decisions need the support of research in order to be viewed favorably by
customers and to stand up to competition and other external pressures.  Consequently, all
areas of marketing and all marketing decisions should be supported with some level of
research. 

While research is key to marketing decision making, it does not always need to be elaborate
to be effective.  Sometimes small efforts, such as doing a quick search on the Internet, will
provide the needed information.  However, for most marketers there are times when more
elaborate research work is needed and understanding the right way to conduct research,
whether performing the work themselves or hiring someone else to handle it, can increase the
effectiveness of these projects.

Classification of marketing research

Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons: (1) to identify and (2) solve
marketing problems. This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into
problem identification research and problem solving research.

Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are, perhaps, not
apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to arise in the future. Examples of problem
identification research include market potential, market share, brand or company image, market
characteristics, sales analysis, short-range forecasting, long range forecasting, and business trends
research. A survey of companies conducting marketing research indicated that 97 percent of
those who responded were conducting market potential, market share, and market characteristics
research. About 90 percent also reported that they were using other types of problem
identification research. Research of this type provides information about the marketing
environment and helps diagnose a problem. For example, a declining market potential indicates
that the firm is likely to have a problem achieving its growth targets. Similarly, a problem exists
if the market potential is increasing but the firm is losing market share. The recognition of
economic, social, or cultural trends, such as changes in consumer behavior, may point to
underlying problems or opportunities. The importance of undertaking problem identification
research for the survival and long term growth of a company is exemplified by the case of PIP
printing company

Once a problem or opportunity has been identified, as in the case of PIP, problem solving research
is undertaken to arrive at a solution. The findings of problem solving research are used in making
decisions which will solve specific marketing problems. More than two-thirds of companies
conduct problem solving research.

The Stanford Research Institute, on the other hand, conducts an annual survey of consumers that is
used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes. The National
Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States.

Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard
way. For example, procedures for measuring advertising effectiveness have been standardized so
that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established. The
Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements;
another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies. These services
are also sold on a syndicated basis.

Customized services offer a wide variety of marketing research services customized to suit a
client's specific needs. Each marketing research project is treated uniquely. Some marketing
research firms that offer these services include Burke Marketing Research, Market Facts, Inc., and
Elrick & Lavidge.

Limited-service suppliers specialize in one or a few phases of the marketing research project.
Services offered by such suppliers are classified as field services, coding and data entry, data
analysis, analytical services, and branded products. Field services collect data through mail,
personal, or telephone interviewing, and firms that specialize in interviewing are called field
service organizations. These organizations may range from small proprietary organizations which
operate locally to large multinational organizations with WATS line interviewing facilities. Some
organizations maintain extensive interviewing facilities across the country for interviewing
shoppers in malls.

Coding and data entry services include editing completed questionnaires, developing a
coding scheme, and transcribing the data on to diskettes or magnetic tapes for input into the
computer. NRC Data Systems provides such services.

Analytical services include designing and pretesting questionnaires, determining the best
means of collecting data, designing sampling plans, and other aspects of the research design.
Some complex marketing research projects require knowledge of sophisticated procedures,
including specialized experimental designs, and analytical techniques such as conjoint analysis
and multidimensional scaling. This kind of expertise can be obtained from firms and
consultants specializing in analytical services.

Data analysis services are offered by firms, also known as tab houses, that specialize in
computer analysis of quantitative data such as those obtained in large surveys. Initially most
data analysis firms supplied only tabulations (frequency counts) and cross tabulations
(frequency counts that describe two or more variables simultaneously). With the proliferation
of software, many firms now have the capability to analyze their own data, but, data analysis
firms are still in demand.

Branded marketing research products and services are specialized data collection and
analysis procedures developed to address specific types of marketing research problems.
These procedures are patented, given brand names, and marketed like any other branded
product.

Types of marketing research

Marketing research techniques come in many forms, including:

 Ad Tracking – periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brand’s

performance using measures such as brand awareness, brand preference, and product
usage.

 Advertising Research – used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of

advertisements for any medium, measured by the ad’s ability to get attention,
communicate the message, build the brand’s image, and motivate the consumer to
purchase the product or service.

 Brand equity research - how favorably do consumers view the brand?

 Brand name testing - what do consumers feel about the names of the products?

 Commercial eye tracking research - examine advertisements, package designs,

websites, etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer

 Concept testing - to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers

 Coolhunting - to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing

cultural trends in areas such as fashion, music, films, television, youth culture and
lifestyle

 Buyer decision processes research - to determine what motivates people to buy and
 what decision-making process they use

 Copy testing – predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing

audience levels of attention, brand linkage, motivation, entertainment, and
communication, as well as breaking down the ad’s flow of attention and flow of
emotion. (Young, p 213)

 Customer satisfaction research - quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding o

satisfaction with a transaction

 Demand estimation - to determine the approximate level of demand for the product

 Distribution channel audits - to assess distributors’ and retailers’ attitudes toward a product, bran

 Internet strategic intelligence - searching for customer opinions in the Internet: chats, forums, we
people express freely about their experiences with products, becoming strong "opinion formers"

 Marketing effectiveness and analytics - Building models and measuring results to determine the
individual marketing activities.

 Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping - An employee or representative of the market research

contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product. The shopper then records t
This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors' products.

 Positioning research - how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors? - what do

 Price elasticity testing - to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes

 Sales forecasting - to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand. With respec
Advertising expenditure, sales promotion etc.

 Segmentation research - to determine the demographic, psychographic, and behavioural characte

buyers

 Online panel - a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online

 Store audit - to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected
store sample in order to determine market share, or to determine whether a retail store
provides adequate service
  Test marketing - a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of
the product when it is introduced into a wider market

 Viral Marketing Research - refers to marketing research designed to estimate the

probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individuals
social network. Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with
estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages
and media.

All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification

research or as problem-solving research.

A company collects primary research by gathering original data. Secondary research is

conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else. Secondary research costs
far less than primary research, but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the
researcher.

A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research.

Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation. It
should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution. Conclusive research draws
conclusions: the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population.

Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the
solution at the preliminary stages of research. It may serve as the input to conclusive research.
Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews, reviewing literature or
books, discussing with experts, etc. This is unstructured and qualitative in nature. If a secondary
source of data is unable to serve the purpose, a convenience sample of small size can be
collected. Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem. It is
essentially, structured and quantitative research, and the output of this research is the input to
MIS.

Exploratory research is also conducted to simplify the findings of the conclusive or descriptive
research, if the findings are very hard to interpret for the marketing managers.
Marketing research methods
Methodologically, marketing research uses the following types of research designs:

Based on questioning:

 Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes - small number
of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and
confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups, in-depth interviews, and
projective techniques
 Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific
hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the
population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and
questionnaires. Techniques include choice modelling, maximum difference preference
scaling, and covariance analysis.

Based on observations:

 Ethnographic studies -, by nature qualitative, the researcher observes social phenomena in

their natural setting - observations can occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one
time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) - examples include
product-use analysis and computer cookie traces. .
 Experimental techniques -, by nature quantitative, the researcher creates a quasi-artificial
environment to try to control spurious factors, then manipulates at least one of the variables -
examples include purchase laboratories and test markets
Researchers often use more than one research design. They may start with secondary research to
get background information, then conduct a focus group (qualitative research design) to explore
the issues. Finally they might do a full nation-wide survey (quantitative research design) in order
to devise specific recommendations for the client.

Business to business market research

Business to business (B2B) research is inevitably more complicated than consumer research. The
researchers need to know what type of multi-faceted approach will answer the objectives, since
seldom is it possible to find the answers using just one method. Finding the right respondents is
crucial in B2B research since they are often busy, and may not want to participate. Encouraging
them to “open up” is yet another skill required of the B2B researcher. Last, but not least, most
business research leads to strategic decisions and this means that the business researcher must
have expertise in developing strategies that are strongly rooted in the research findings and
acceptable to the client.

There are four key factors that make B2B market research special and different to consumer
markets:

 The decision making unit is far more complex in B2B markets than in consumer markets
 B2B products and their applications are more complex than consumer products
 B2B marketers address a much smaller number of customers who are very much larger in
their consumption of products than is the case in consumer markets
 Personal relationships are of critical importance in B2B markets.

Marketing Research in Small Business and Nonprofit

Organizations
Marketing research does not only occur in huge corporations with many employees and a large
budget. Marketing information can be derived by observing the environment of their location and
the competitions location. Small scale surveys and focus groups are low cost ways to gather
information from potential and existing customers. Most secondary data (statistics, demographics,
etc.) is available to the public in libraries or on the internet and can be easily accessed by a small
business owner.

Below some steps that could do by SME (Small Medium Entreprise) to analyze the market

Step 1.Provide secondary and or primary data (if necessary);

Step 2.Analyze Macro & Micro Economic data (e.q. Supply & Demand, GDP,Price change,
Economic growth, Sales by sector/industries,interest rate, number of investment/ divestment, I/O,
CPI, Social anlysis,etc);

Step 3.Implement the marketing mix concept, which is consist of: Place, Price,
Product,Promotion, People, Process, Physical Evidence and also Political & social situation to
analyze global market situation);

Step 4.Analyze market trends, growth, market size, market share, market competition (e.q.SWOT
analysis, B/C Analysis,channel mapping identities of key channels, drivers of customers loyalty
and satisfaction, brand perception, satisfaction levels, current competitor-channel relationship
analysis, etc),etc.;

Step 5.Determine market segment, market target, market forecast and market position;

Step 6.Formulating market strategy & also investigating the possibility of partnership/
collaboration (e.q.Profiling & SWOT analysis of potential partners, evaluating business
partnership.)

Step 7.Combine those analysis with the SME's business plan/ business model analysis
(e.q.Business Description, Business process, Business Strategy ,Revenue model, Business
expansion, Return of Investment, Financial analysis (Company History, Financial assumption,
Cost/Benefit Analysis, Projected profit & Loss, Cashflow, Balance sheet & business Ratio,etc).
Note as important : Overall analysis is should be based on 6W+1H (What, When, Where, Which,
Who, Why and How)question.

International Marketing Research

International Marketing Research follows the same path as domestic research, but there are a few
more problems that may arise. Customers in international markets may have very different
customs, cultures, and expectations from the same company. In this case, secondary information
must be collected from each separate country and then combined, or compared. This is time
consuming and can be confusing. International Marketing Research relies more on primary data
rather than secondary information. Gathering the primary data can be hindered by language,
literacy and access to technology.

The marketing research triangle

 Market Research
Companies in India
GNN Research Group is one of the renowned
and established of market research companies
in India which provides a vast range of tested
and refined services such as Market Modeling,
Product Pricing, Services Pricing, Demand
Forecasting, Product Development, Product
Conceptualization, Market Segmentation,
Customer Value Analysis and Customer
Experience Assessment, Brand Promotion,
Advertising Concept Development and
Advertisement Concept Evaluation to name a
few.

GNN Research Group, which has been rated

among the top ten market research
orgzzanizations in India, employs standardized
methods, tools and techniques for data
collection which include both qualitative and
quantitative data gather through online and
offline resources and channels.

GNN Research Group, with its team of highly

qualified and experienced marketing analysts,
advertisement makers, and scientists, offers
intensive analysis of dynamic market trends to
provide their clients with authentic
information regarding all the aspects of the
subject. The market analysis organization
from India has employed a team of more than
70 freelance researchers and 11 permanent
staff.
www.google.co
GNN Research Group, due to their quality and
reliability of market research services, has
been accredited with the Indian Standard for
Market Research (ISMR), and the senior
research team members of the company are
www.wikipedia.com
www.capital.com
Book:- Marketing Research
By
Kalyani Publishers