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Customer Research Basics

Customer Research Defined

1. Identify the needs and wants of a segment or group of the population, (considered a target market), so that a product or service may be created or adjusted to meet these needs
2. Identify the users/customers/market for a product or service
3. Determine customer satisfaction with a product or service

Primary and Secondary Research

To obtain the information about a market, primary market research is performed. Primary market research involves information collection techniques such as questionnaires, telephone interviews, and focus groups. Since primary research can be expensive, secondary research may be conducted as a starting point. Secondary research is market research that already exists and was conducted by someone else. Though this research was conducted for different objectives, some of the information available as secondary research can be helpful as a foundation for primary research. Some examples of secondary research include prior market surveys, information available through Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) groups, and census information.

Qualitative and Quantitative Research

Primary research methods are divided into two categories: qualitative and quantitative. Qualitative research methods, such as focus groups, are generally used to gain insights and obtain a frame of reference from smaller groups of consumers within a given market segment in order to prepare for and complement quantitative research. This type of research can often give us general information about how our customers are thinking and feeling about a product or service. Qualitative research does not statistically represent a target market so its results are not considered statistically valid. However, qualitative research can be useful:

• in identifying key customer/user/market issues to include in a quantitative research study
• in describing a situation, gaining insight into a particular practice, belief, etc.
• for interpretative analysis, i.e., how and why
• to identify patterns from concepts and insights
• to provide subjective information

Quantitative research methods are used to obtain data from a representative random sample of a target market universe. Usually questionnaires and formalized surveying methods are used to obtain this information. The samples are large enough to make inferences that are statistically valid. Quantitative research can be useful:

• in predicting something to reveal prevalence, i.e., how widespread is something?
• to provide a wide breadth of data from a large, statistically representative segment of the population (what and how many)
• for numerical aggregation in the form of percentages, tables, etc.
• for statistical reliability
• for objective information

Sampling

• Random
• Sample Mean