There exist different ways of categorizing market research methods. However, most of the techniques used can be fitted into one of the following six categories:
a. Secondary
b. research surveys
c. focus groups
d. interviews
e. observation
f. Experiments/field trials.
Research Methods The primary research methods allow a researcher to go beyond the general information that can be obtained from secondary sources. For purpose of this research, the following methods will be used; surveys, interviews, and secondary data (Tracy, 2013).
Survey
This is one of the most widely used methods in market research. This research plans to use the survey for the following reasons. The research wants to measure the problem of product safety objectively …show more content…
It may be administered in different ways, including web forms, face-to-face interviews, snail mail form, over the phone, on the sidebar of a blog, or even on mobile devices via text message. It can be self-administered with the respondent reading and answering the questions alone or better still they administered by the researcher as the answers are recorded. However, this method requires a lot of resources in terms of time and finances whose luxury I do not have. This is in addition to the fact that the survey method is not a great research tool especially when one is still in the exploratory stages of topic. This case may affect the specific kind of questions to ask in the study. In using the survey method the available audience may be too small due to various limitations as outlined above.
Focus …show more content…
The people should fit a given target demographic, for example those affected by defective or harmful products. The researcher will use a moderator to guide the discussion aiming at getting participants discuss the issue among themselves while bouncing thoughts off of one another in a natural group setting. The choice of this method is informed by its suitability with exploratory, qualitative research. This is especially so when used before carrying out a survey, as it will inform the survey questions in being very specific and targeted. They are also beneficial after a survey, as they allow for delving deeper into a topic that cropped during the survey. Other methods such as observation may not be suitable for this kind of research as they are usually used in measuring actual behavior as opposed to self-reported behavior (White, 2009).
Sample draft
a. Secondary
b. research surveys
c. focus groups
d. interviews
e. observation
f. Experiments/field trials.
Research Methods The primary research methods allow a researcher to go beyond the general information that can be obtained from secondary sources. For purpose of this research, the following methods will be used; surveys, interviews, and secondary data (Tracy, 2013).
Survey
This is one of the most widely used methods in market research. This research plans to use the survey for the following reasons. The research wants to measure the problem of product safety objectively …show more content…
It may be administered in different ways, including web forms, face-to-face interviews, snail mail form, over the phone, on the sidebar of a blog, or even on mobile devices via text message. It can be self-administered with the respondent reading and answering the questions alone or better still they administered by the researcher as the answers are recorded. However, this method requires a lot of resources in terms of time and finances whose luxury I do not have. This is in addition to the fact that the survey method is not a great research tool especially when one is still in the exploratory stages of topic. This case may affect the specific kind of questions to ask in the study. In using the survey method the available audience may be too small due to various limitations as outlined above.
Focus …show more content…
The people should fit a given target demographic, for example those affected by defective or harmful products. The researcher will use a moderator to guide the discussion aiming at getting participants discuss the issue among themselves while bouncing thoughts off of one another in a natural group setting. The choice of this method is informed by its suitability with exploratory, qualitative research. This is especially so when used before carrying out a survey, as it will inform the survey questions in being very specific and targeted. They are also beneficial after a survey, as they allow for delving deeper into a topic that cropped during the survey. Other methods such as observation may not be suitable for this kind of research as they are usually used in measuring actual behavior as opposed to self-reported behavior (White, 2009).
Sample draft