Consumer Behavior Research
CHAPTER 2
Consumer Research
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After studying this chapter students should be able to:
1. Compare the differences between customer research and marketing research.
2. Describe the differences between quantitative research and qualitative research.
3. Understand the use of positivist and interpretivist research.
4. Describe the steps in the consumer research process.
5. Explain the difference between primary and secondary research.
6. Discuss the differences between qualitative and quantitative research designs and why you would choose one over the other.
7. Discuss the differences between qualitative and quantitative data collection instruments or methods.
8. Identify the various probability and nonprobability sampling methods.
CHAPTER SUMMARY
The field of consumer research developed as an extension of the field of marketing research to enable marketers to predict how consumers would react in the marketplace and to understand the reasons they made the purchase decisions they did. Consumer research undertaken from a managerial perspective to improve strategic marketing decisions is known as positivism. Positivist research is quantitative and empirical, and tries to identify cause-and-effect relationships in buying situations. It is often supplemented with qualitative research.
Qualitative research is more concerned with probing deep within the consumer’s psyche to understand the motivations, feelings and emotions that drive consumer behavior. Qualitative research findings cannot be projected to larger populations, but are used primarily to provide new ideas and insights for the development of positioning strategies. Interpretivism, a qualitative research perspective, is generally more concerned with understanding the act of consuming itself rather than the act of buying (i.e., consumer decision-making). Interpretivists view consumer behavior as a subset of human behavior, and increased understanding as a key to
Consumer Research
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After studying this chapter students should be able to:
1. Compare the differences between customer research and marketing research.
2. Describe the differences between quantitative research and qualitative research.
3. Understand the use of positivist and interpretivist research.
4. Describe the steps in the consumer research process.
5. Explain the difference between primary and secondary research.
6. Discuss the differences between qualitative and quantitative research designs and why you would choose one over the other.
7. Discuss the differences between qualitative and quantitative data collection instruments or methods.
8. Identify the various probability and nonprobability sampling methods.
CHAPTER SUMMARY
The field of consumer research developed as an extension of the field of marketing research to enable marketers to predict how consumers would react in the marketplace and to understand the reasons they made the purchase decisions they did. Consumer research undertaken from a managerial perspective to improve strategic marketing decisions is known as positivism. Positivist research is quantitative and empirical, and tries to identify cause-and-effect relationships in buying situations. It is often supplemented with qualitative research.
Qualitative research is more concerned with probing deep within the consumer’s psyche to understand the motivations, feelings and emotions that drive consumer behavior. Qualitative research findings cannot be projected to larger populations, but are used primarily to provide new ideas and insights for the development of positioning strategies. Interpretivism, a qualitative research perspective, is generally more concerned with understanding the act of consuming itself rather than the act of buying (i.e., consumer decision-making). Interpretivists view consumer behavior as a subset of human behavior, and increased understanding as a key to