Market Research and Online Surveys - Essay Example

Consumer research will enable companies to detect shifts in consumer practices in advance and will enable them to make appropriate adjustments. The market research also enables firms that are new to gain a competitive edge over the more established firms. For instance, when Sprite was launched in Ireland, it struggled to get a market share of the beverage company however, after proper research they discovered that if they branded it more as a cool drink that they would be more popular. With the proper rebranding, the sprite was able to sell double the expected number of bottles and even launch the 2-litre bottle ahead of time. (Parasuraman, Dhruv & Ramayya, 2007)
Question 2:
A primary research study is a study that has not been done before involving the first set of data to be recorded relating to the study. Using clothes selection as my choice to conduct research in, to select a sample frame I would take into consideration the target group of my product. The consumers would have to be divided according to age, gender marital status and number of children. The volume and nature of data required would be taken into consideration whether it is quantitative or qualitative (Wild and Diggines, 2009). With qualitative data only a small niche of the market is targeted as compared with quantitative data, however, quantitative data requires less expertise and would be preferable for primary data to get data over the entire market. In selecting the sample, data collection method cost must be considered as well as the main purpose of the research and the period for conducting the research to be done (Wild and Diggines, 2009).
Question 3
The survey method of data collection is the least credible since a high number of surveys are not returned when sent via the postal method and there is always the risk that the respondents who did reply are of particular demography that relates to the survey meaning that their responses will be overrepresented in the data collection. This is because there is no interaction between the respondent and surveyor, this method is not suitable for qualitative study (Gupta, 2003). However, the main advantage of the survey method is that it is cheap to conduct as the only costs incurred are for mailing the forms. A survey can also be used to reach a large number of people in a short amount of time and is therefore suitable for quantitative methods of market research.
Question 4
The biggest advantage of using an online survey is the large number of people you can access it. The use of internet services is also suitable for results needed in a short period and the low cost of conducting the survey (Parasuraman, Dhruv and Ramayya, 2007). Online surveys also give the advantage of anonymity meaning that respondents are more likely to answer truthfully to personal questions such as regarding their promiscuity, criminal record and body functions. Online surveys tend to be dismissed due to their credibility inadequacy, as some websites target only specific demography and so if the survey is only posted there only a certain group will partake in it making the results hard to believe (Gupta, 2003). Websites are susceptible to hacking and hackers can infiltrate websites to rig surveys to promote unpopular views, and it is a common occurrence for the parties involved in surveys more than once; thus, skewing the data in their favor. Online surveys also require an internet connection and computer literacy to partake in and so prevent many people who lack these items from giving their data.