Free Marketing Dissertations - Interviews: This Is An Extension To The Sampling Process Defined Earlier.
Interviews: This is an extension to the sampling process defined earlier. Interviews can either be 25-30 minute conversations with potential consumers asking them for their feedback or bring together a group of prospective consumers in a group and carry out what is known as focussed group interviews. This would also incorporate a brain-storming session of various likes and dislikes where strong opinions dominate over uncertain minds providing good clear feedback on how strongly their consumers feel about product attributes.
There is also the opportunity to utilise mystery shoppers to gain an understanding of how retail chains showcase our products and as a consumer, what are the motivational factors to choose competitors products over ours. Mystery shoppers are individuals who would pose as consumers and go through the motions of buying a product that were available for a specific need. In this case, the mystery shopper should ideally not be informed about the product that is under scrutiny and should provide feedback that is unbiased. This option is a tried and tested method that provides organisations with accurate intelligence on specifics related to their marketing strategy.
(Dibb, Simkin, Pride, Ferrell (2001) Marketing Concepts & Strategies, Pages: 180-193)
CONCLUSION
Market research is imperative to the marketing strategy of the company. After the initial launch of the product, information gathered at this early stage in the product life cycle process is very dire to the longevity of the product in the marketplace. This is even more so considering the level of competition that exists and will continually increase in the coming years. But research also has an additional positive to it - interestingly, it provides a win-win situation for the top management of all companies including ours. When research findings reconfirm existing beliefs, management is satisfied that their preconceived views on the market were validated. At the same time, any new findings would also gain acceptance since they provide management with additional information to make better-informed decisions.
Whichever way one looks at it, research aids the marketing process in making more accurate and better-informed decisions that translate into organisational success in the long run.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Dibb, Simkin, Pride, Ferrell (2001) Marketing Concepts & Strategies, U.S.A {Pages: 167-193}
Breen, George & Blankenship, A.B. (1989) Do-it-Yourself Marketing Research, U.S.A. {Pages: 147-178}
Birn, J Robin (2004) The Effective Use of market research, GB, Kogan Page Limited {Pages: 59-96}
Smith, Thorpe & Lowe (2003) Management Research, GB, Cromwell Press Ltd., Trowbridge, Wiltshire
Available Online: http://www.statistics.gov.
