Marketing Strategy and Competitive Positioning pdf ebook

CHAPTER 4 CUSTOMER ANALYSIS
Postal surveys are the cheapest method of all. They are useful in locating geographically 
dispersed samples and for situations where the questionnaire is long and detailed. Response 
rates, however, can be low and there is little control over who responds. The lack of per-
sonal contact requires a very clearly laid out questionnaire, well pre-tested to ensure clarity.
Internet-based surveys, either mobile or online, are fast growing. Mobile surveys via 
apps are particularly apt in reaching people who may not normally participate in research.
Observation techniques can be particularly useful where respondents are unlikely to be 
able or willing to give the types of information required. Crouch and Housden (1996) cite 
the example of research into what items a shopper has taken from a supermarket shelf, con-
sidered for purchase but not bought. Direct questioning after the shopping trip is unlikely 
to produce accurate data as the respondent simply will not remember, but observation of 
shopping behaviour in the store can provide such data.
Observation can be conducted by individuals (as in the case of the supermarket behav-
iour noted previously, or observation of traffic density on particular roads), or by instru-
ments designed to monitor behaviour. The prime example of the latter is the ‘PeopleMeter’ 
recording device used in television viewing research. A black box is attached to the televi-
sion sets of a sample of viewers and records when the set was turned on and what channel 
it was tuned to. Each individual in the household has a code key that is activated when 
they are in the room. Data are transmitted from the home to the research company via 
the telephone network overnight, enabling rapid analysis of viewing data. PeopleMeters 
have been widely adopted throughout the developed and developing world as a method of 
monitoring TV viewing and audiences.
The final type of quantitative research of interest here is experimentation. Experiments 
are either carried out in the field or in-house (in a laboratory). Field experiments take place 
in the real world, and the subjects of the experiments typically do not know that they are 
part of an experiment. The prime example is test marketing, where a new product will be 
marketed in a limited geographic region prior to a decision on whether to launch the brand 
nationally or internationally. In-house experiments are conducted in a more controlled but 
less realistic setting, where the respondents know they are taking part. Figure 4.6 shows the 
main uses for experiments in marketing.