Methods of field/primary research

The main methods of market research are:

Method	Advantages	Disadvantages
Personal interview	Two-way communication	Personal interviews can be expensive
	Researcher can encourage respondent to answer	Researchers have to be selected and trained
	Mistakes and misunderstandings can be cleared up right away	Home interviews unpopular with consumers

Postal survey	Inexpensive	Questions must be simple and easy to answer
	No interviewer training needed	Response rate very low, incentives sometimes needed

Focus group	Qualitative information provided in the form of opinions, feelings and attitudes	Can be difficult to analyse qualitative information
	Topics can be explored in some depth	Expensive

Hall test	Qualitative information provided in the form of tasting or demonstrations	Respondents may be too positive as they feel obliged to give favourable opinion

Telephone survey	Can reach a large geographical area	Response rate may be low as people may view it as a “nuisance call”
	Inexpensive

Online survey	Large sample sizes	Limited to people with internet access
	Inexpensive

Observation	Quantitative information gathered	Samples are often random and not representative of all customers
	Real life and behaviours in action	Only shows actions, does not explain attitudes and feelings

Method	Personal interview
Advantages	Two-way communication
Disadvantages	Personal interviews can be expensive

Method
Advantages	Researcher can encourage respondent to answer
Disadvantages	Researchers have to be selected and trained

Method
Advantages	Mistakes and misunderstandings can be cleared up right away
Disadvantages	Home interviews unpopular with consumers

Method	Postal survey
Advantages	Inexpensive
Disadvantages	Questions must be simple and easy to answer

Method
Advantages	No interviewer training needed
Disadvantages	Response rate very low, incentives sometimes needed

Method	Focus group
Advantages	Qualitative information provided in the form of opinions, feelings and attitudes
Disadvantages	Can be difficult to analyse qualitative information

Method
Advantages	Topics can be explored in some depth
Disadvantages	Expensive

Method	Hall test
Advantages	Qualitative information provided in the form of tasting or demonstrations
Disadvantages	Respondents may be too positive as they feel obliged to give favourable opinion

Method	Telephone survey
Advantages	Can reach a large geographical area
Disadvantages	Response rate may be low as people may view it as a “nuisance call”

Method	Online survey
Advantages	Large sample sizes
Disadvantages	Limited to people with internet access

Method	Observation
Advantages	Quantitative information gathered
Disadvantages	Samples are often random and not representative of all customers

Method
Advantages	Real life and behaviours in action
Disadvantages	Only shows actions, does not explain attitudes and feelings

Market researchMethods of field/primary research