Satisfying customer needsMarket research

Market research, product development, marketing and producing quality products can ensure that a customer is satisfied with the good or service provided by a business.

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Market research

Market research: a face-to-face survey
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Market research, like face-to-face surveys, can help identify consumers' needs and wants

Marketing is the process of identifying consumers' needs and wants as well as advertising, promoting and selling a product or service.

To find out if a product or service will be successful a company will use market research. Market research is the process of gathering information on customers’ needs and wants.

Companies can carry out market research by:

  • online surveys
  • postal surveys
  • telephone surveys
  • face-to-face interviews
  • observation

Information gathered from market research can be used for many purposes:

  • To provide information on how much customers are willing to pay for a product. This means the product or service can be sold for the best price.
  • To provide information about competitors, such as their special offers and pricing strategies.
  • To confirm where and when customers require the service.This ensures the company provides the goods or services at the time and place that customers need it.
  • To reduce risk to the business. They can use market research to make sure there is demand for their product or service before they launch it.
  • To provide information on whether people like the product. This means changes can be made to the product to meet the needs of the customer.
  • To provide the information needed to develop new versions of the product.
  • To provide the company with information on what products customers might want in the future