Page 134 - Foundations of Marketing

Marketing Research and Information Systems | Chapter 4 101

might require additional sampling from the disproportionately
smaller group if there were not enough responses to analyze. 15
Researchers must also be very careful about questions that a
respondent might consider too personal or that might require
an admission of activities that other people are likely to con-
demn. Researchers must word questions carefully so as not to
offend respondents.
Observation Methods When observing subjects of a research
sample, researchers record individuals’ overt behavior, tak-
ing note of physical conditions and events. They avoid direct
contact with subjects and instead monitor their actions sys-
tematically. For instance, researchers might use observation
methods to answer the question, “How long does the average
McDonald’s restaurant customer have to wait in line before
being served?” Observation may include the use of ethno-
graphic techniques, such as watching customers interact with
a product in a real-world environment. Observation may also
be combined with interviews. For instance, during a personal
interview, the condition of a respondent’s home or other pos-
sessions may be observed and recorded. The interviewer can
also directly observe and confirm such demographic informa-
tion as race, approximate age, and gender.
Data gathered through observation can sometimes be biased
if the subject is aware of the observation process and adapts his
or her behavior accordingly. However, a researcher can place Courtesy of C+R Research
an observer in a natural market environment, such as a grocery
store, without influencing shoppers’ actions. If the presence of
a human observer is likely to bias the outcome or if human sen-
sory abilities are inadequate, mechanical means may be used to
Firms like C+R Research can help marketing researchers learn
record behavior. Mechanical observation devices include cam-
about and leverage all the tools available on the Internet that assist
eras, recorders, counting machines, scanners, and equipment
with gathering the kind of qualitative research on consumers that
that records physiological changes. A special camera can be
leads to better marketing strategies.
used to record the eye movements of people as they look at an
advertisement. The camera detects the sequence of reading and the parts of the advertisement
that receive the greatest attention. The electronic scanners used in supermarkets are another
mechanical means of gathering observational data. They provide accurate data on sales and
customers’ purchase patterns. In many cases, marketing researchers are able to buy the data
from stores. Retailers such as Target have turned observation into a science, keeping vast data-
bases of all individual shoppers’ purchases and demographic information in order to assemble
an aggregate overview of their shoppers, as well as a complete picture of each individual cus-
16
tomer’s lifestyle, habits, and product needs and how they change over time.
Observation is straightforward and avoids a central problem of survey methods: motivat-
ing respondents to state their true feelings or opinions. However, observation tends to be
descriptive and may not provide insights into causal relationships. Another drawback is that
analyses based on observation are subject to the observer’s biases or the limitations of the
device being used.

Interpreting Research Findings
After collecting data to test their hypotheses, marketers need to interpret the research find-
ings. Interpretation of the data is easier if marketers carefully plan their data analysis methods
early in the research process. They should allow for continual evaluation of the data during the
entire collection period. In this way, marketers gain valuable insights into areas that should be
probed during the formal analysis.

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