Primary Data Sources
Primary data collection is necessary when a researcher cannot find the data needed in
secondary sources. Market researchers are interested in primary data about
demographic/socioeconomic characteristics, attitudes/opinions/interests,
awareness/knowledge, intentions, motivation, and behavior. Three basic means of
obtaining primary data are observation, surveys, and experiments. The choice will be
influenced by the nature of the problem and by the availability of time and money.
Observation
Observation means that the situation of interest is checked and a person or some
mechanical device records the relevant facts, actions, or behaviors. Accurate data about
what consumers do in certain situations is provided by observation. Observation does
not tell why it happened.
Mechanical Approaches
Mechanical approaches are reliable data collection instruments because they provide
objective measures. Data on the factors influencing product sales, such as competitor
advertising and other promotional activities can be effectively assessed.
Information can be obtained on a specific store or all the stores in a system, enabling
rapid and effective comparisons at various local, regional and national levels. The
information is available continuously and enables firms to plan down to the individual
store level.
Scanner and bar coding technologies form the basis for capturing marketing information
at the retail level. Scanners are electronic devices at retail checkouts that read
the bar code for each item bought. They provide up-to-the-minute data on product purchases
by item and also by household. Telecommunications can transmit the information directly to
the manufacturer and shorten the communications cycle from weeks to minutes. With
this information the manufacturer can develop a profile for each retailer and establish
the optimum retail inventory for each location. The optimum inventory ensures
stocking of merchandise that customers buy with a minimum amount of inventory investment
for the retailer. Combining the retailer’s information with the
manufacturer’s database yields local promotional mailings, fine-tuned shelf displays,
and redesigned store layouts.
Other mechanical devices include video cameras, Nielsen People Meters, and
single-source data systems that link consumers’ exposure to television advertising,
sales promotion, and other marketing efforts with their store purchases (Behavior Scan and
InfoScan of Information Resources, Inc.). Furthermore, measurements might be taken
of respondents’ eye movements, pulse rates, or other physical reactions to
advertisements.
Personal Approaches
Marketers can learn by personally observing or watching actions and situations. For
example, when an organization is choosing a new location, it would observe the
neighborhood conditions. Also, marketers of pet products and baby products are
extremely interested in how respondents react to new products, but obviously cannot ask
them to describe their opinions or to fill out surveys. They must depend on
observational research.
Surveys
Surveys or questioning involve using a questionnaire (data collection instrument) to
ask respondents questions to secure the desired information. Questionnaires may be
administered by mail, over the telephone, by computer, or in person. Limitations of
surveys include opportunities for error in construction and administering of a
questionnaire, expense, and time needed to conduct a survey. Respondents may not
respond, may be unable to respond, or may give misleading responses.
Mail
Mail interviews can be used to collect large amounts of data and have a low cost per
respondent. Respondents can see a concept, read a description, and think about it at their
leisure. There is no interviewer bias. However, the questionnaires are not
flexible, cannot be adapted to individual respondents, and generally have low response
rates. The researcher has no control over who completes the questionnaire.
Telephone
Telephone interviews are easy to administer and allow data to be collected quickly at a
relatively low cost. The interviewer can clarify the questions. Response rates tend
to be higher and telephone interviewing allows for greater sample control. However,
it is more expensive than a mail questionnaire. The presence of an interviewer on
the phone may bias responses since respondents may be unwilling to discuss personal
information. Also, respondents can’t see product. A major limitation is
that they must be short.
Computer
Advances in computers and technology have led to sophisticated data collection methods.
Computer and online interviewing allow rapid data collection from dispersed populations at
a low cost.
Personal
Personal interviews may be conducted one-on-one or with a focus group. A personal
interview is a direct, face-to-face interview between the interviewer and the respondent.
In the past, personal interviews were conducted door-to-door. Today, most personal
interviews (one-on-one) are conducted in malls and are referred to as mall intercept.
Personal interviews are the most flexible since interviewers can clarify questions and
probe for answers. Respondents can see a concept as well as read a description. More
information can normally be obtained through observation of the respondent’s
surroundings. Personal interviewing is expensive, yet it offers a great deal of
flexibility and allows for visual stimuli.
A focus group is a small group of people, carefully selected, who represent a
specific target audience. They are used to generate concepts and hypotheses. The
strength of focus groups is found in the group discussion and interaction. Focus
group interviews are a popular way of gaining insight into consumer thoughts and feelings
about a product. In the past, focus groups were regarded mainly as a simple and quick way
of asking any group of respondents, usually in someone's home, to answer questions about a
product. Today, focus groups are an important source of qualitative research. Advance
preparation ensures that the facility, moderator, and respondents are of high quality. An
example of a technique used in a focus group is a projective technique in which a People
Board is used to obtain attitudes through photograph associations and forced
relationships. Participants indicate which of several images in a category relate to
the subject at hand. The findings from a focus group are useful for general information
but do not suffice to give absolute quantifiable information.
A panel is a fixed sample of individuals from who repeated measurements are
taken over time with respect to the same variables. An example is MRCA, which has a
12,000 household panel that is representative of the national census in terms of
significant demographics. Surveys of the panel conducted frequently throughout the
year provide a means to measure relatively small changes in household purchases and
product usage. Another example is the consumer diary. Diaries are especially
appropriate for answering questions on brand penetration and loyalty. This approach
indicates which factors influence purchasing behaviors, such as price and advertising, and
where purchases are made -- supermarkets, discount stores, drugstores. Firms in
packaged goods, apparel, home furnishings, financial services, travel, and entertainment
use this method.
Experiments
In an experiment, a researcher selects matched groups, gives them different
experimental treatments controlling for other related factors, and checks for differences
in the responses of the experimental group and the control group. Experimental
research attempts to explain cause-and-effect relationships. Data in an experiment
may be collected through observation and surveys. An experiment can be done in either a
laboratory or field setting. In a laboratory experiment, the researcher has
complete control during the experiment. A field experiment is conducted under
more realistic conditions. For example, if a charitable organization wanted to see
whether inclusion of return-address labels affected donors’ responses to a mail
solicitation, it could select similar sets of donors and send them the donation
solicitation with and without labels to see if one method is more effective than the other
is.
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Copyright © 1999 by Gemmy Allen, all rights reserved.