Primary Market Research Techniques - USGS

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Primary Market Research Techniques The following are some commonly-used market research techniques. Techniques like focus groups and one-on-one interviews are considered qualitative research tools, meaning they involve smaller samples of a study group and are usually less structured. Qualitative research is often conducted before quantitative research to clarify issues and refine measurement. Qualitative research, for example, may be used to find out more about people's attitudes and frames of reference regarding an issue. Qualitative research focuses, therefore, on judgements. The results of qualitative research is not numerically projectable. Techniques like formal questionnaires are considered quantitative research, meaning that much larger population samples are involved and more structured means of obtaining information are used. The results of quantitative research are often considered to be statistically valid. Typical Market Research Techniques: Focus groups One-on-one interviews Telephone interviews Questionnaires Response and reply cards Web feedback

Steps for Writing Survey Scripts The following are some general steps to follow in writing questionnaires and focus group scripts: 1. Develop an outline of topics to ask about (questionnaires) or discuss (focus groups). Limit your list to 5 issues. 2. Begin drafting the questions. For focus groups, write questions that will generate the maximum amount of information form the participants. There are usually two to five key quesitons to be asked either in questionnaires or in focus groups for the in-depth stage of discussion. Write these questions first since they will require the most attention in analysis. 3. Good questionnaires or focus group questions will require lots of reflection and refinement. Evaluate your questions with this checklist: What type of language does the topic and target audience require? Do you want to use technical jargon or lay terms? Is the language informal and simple? Are the questions short and understandable? What information does the question ask for? How broad or narrow is the question? How is it related to what you need to know? How "answerable" is it? How would you feel about the question if you were asked to respond? Is the question too sensitive? Is the context of the question clear? 4. Sequence the questions in logical order. Start off with a general topic and then move onto more specific areas. For questionnaires, it is often a good idea to group questions which have the same answer format together (e.g., 1=strongly disagree to 5=strongly agree). This can really reduce respondent burden. 5. Check your questions. How do they reflect what you need to know? 6. Get feedback on the questionnaire or focus group script. 7. Pilot test the questionnaire or script. 8. Revisit the questionnaire or script to reconcile pilot test feedback. Customer Research | Customer Research Basics | Getting Started | Focus Groups

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