Page 130 - Foundations of Marketing

Marketing Research and Information Systems | Chapter 4 97

case, the findings may provide valuable insights into a problem but cannot be extrapo-
lated to the total population. stratified sampling A type of
probability sampling in which
Survey Methods Marketing researchers often employ sampling to collect primary data the population is divided into
through mail, telephone, personal interview, online, or social networking surveys. Table 4.3 groups with a common attribute
summarizes and compares the advantages of the various survey methods. The results of such and a random sample is chosen
surveys are used to describe and analyze buying behavior. The survey method chosen depends within each group
on a variety of factors, including: the nature of the problem or issue, the data needed to test nonprobability sampling
the hypothesis, and the resources available to the researcher (e.g., funding and personnel). A sampling technique in which
Marketers may employ more than one survey method depending on the goals of the research there is no way to calculate
the likelihood that a specific
project. Surveys can be quite expensive, although online survey services have made the
element of the population being
method much more affordable even for small firms. There are many companies that offer free studied will be chosen
10
or low-cost survey services, such as SurveyMonkey, Constant Contact, and KwikSurveys.
quota sampling A nonprob-
Gathering information through surveys can be difficult because many people believe
ability sampling technique in
responding to surveys requires too much scarce personal time and may have concerns about
which researchers divide the
invasions of privacy and how personal information will be used. The unethical use of selling population into groups and then
techniques disguised as marketing surveys has also led to decreased cooperation. Hence, firms arbitrarily choose participants
that choose to conduct surveys should anticipate a fairly high nonresponse rate. A danger in from each group
relying on survey responses when the nonresponse rate is high is that the results will not be mail survey A research method
11
representative of the sample as a whole. in which respondents answer
In a mail survey , questionnaires are sent to respondents who are encouraged to complete a questionnaire sent through
and return them. Mail surveys are used most often when the individuals in the sample are the mail

Table 4.3 Comparison of the Four Basic Survey Methods

Personal Interview
Mail Surveys Telephone Surveys Online Surveys Surveys
Economy Potentially lower in Avoids interviewers’ The least expensive The most expensive
cost per interview than travel expenses. Is method if there is an survey method.
telephone or personal less expensive than adequate response Shopping mall and
surveys if there is an in-home interviews. rate. focus-group interviews
adequate response have lower costs than
rate. in-home interviews.
Flexibility Infl exible. The Flexible because Less fl exible. The The most fl exible
questionnaire must interviewers can ask survey must be easy method. Respondents
be short and easy probing questions, for online users to can react to visual
for respondents to but observations are receive and return; materials. Demographic
complete. impossible. short, dichotomous, data are more accu-
or multiple-choice rate. In-depth probes
questions work best. are possible.

Interviewer bias Interviewer bias Some anonymity, Interviewer bias is Interviewers’ personal
is eliminated. but it may be hard often eliminated with characteristics or
Questionnaires can be to develop trust in e-mail, but an e-mail inability to maintain
returned anonymously. respondents. address on the return objectivity may result
eliminates anonymity. in bias.

Sampling and Obtaining a complete Sample limited to The available e-mail Not-at-homes are a
respondents’ mailing list is difficult. respondents with address list may not problem, which may
cooperation Nonresponse is a telephones. Devices be a representative be overcome by focus-
major disadvantage. that screen calls, busy sample for some group and shopping
signals, and refusals purposes. Social mall interviewing.
are a problem. media surveys might
be skewed as fans
may be more likely to
take the survey.
© Cengage Learning

Copyright 2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.