Situation for marketing research. Marketing research

1. Identification of the problem and objectives of the study.

2. Development of a research plan (object, methods, schedule, costs).

3. Implementation of the research plan (analysis of secondary and then collection of primary information).

4. Database accumulation. Selection of significant reliable information.

5. Processing and submission of the results to the marketing department.

Stage 1. Formulation of the problem and goals.

marketing problems are divided into:

for unexpected changes economic, demographic, competitive, political;

for planned changes introduction of new goods, improvement of commodity circulation, pricing, advertising activities;

on intuition- Ideas for new products.

All problems are divided into objective, which the marketer receives from the analysis of economic activity (decrease in sales volume, profitability, profit, etc.) or during the marketing analysis of the product life cycle, various matrices, perception maps, etc., and subjective - survey of sellers, participants in distribution channels, employees of the enterprise, warranty workshops, etc.

Goals marketing research

· search, provide for the collection of some preliminary data.

· descriptive, include a description of certain phenomena (for example, to find out the number of users of air transport or the number of those who have heard of the Alluplast company).

· experimental, that test the hypothesis of some kind of causal relationship (for example, that a 15% price decrease will cause an increase in the number of purchases by at least 20%).

■ at the stage of product development, the goals may be: market segmentation, research of prices, competitors, market testing of the product;

■ at the stage of bringing the product to the market - positioning, research of product awareness, attitude to the product, consumption specifics, promotion, product distribution;

■ at the stage of growth - the study of the structure of the market, awareness, attitude to the product, product distribution, competition;

■ at the stage of maturity - a study of the price elasticity of demand,
assessment of the possibility of price reduction, segmentation, repositioning, competition, modification of the market, product, scope of product, marketing mix;

■ at the stage of recession - a study of the price elasticity of demand,
assessment of the possibility of price reduction, modification, determination of the residual demand for the product.

Stage 2: Development of a marketing research plan.

Artist choice. Options: conducting marketing research on your own; with the involvement of specialized organizations; combined method.

Research Transfer specialized agency considered appropriate when:

■ a large number of consumers are subject to research, and for this
an organization with experience, knowledge and resources is needed;

■ research is specific, such as the study of consumer motives;

■ the company has no experience in market research;

■ an independent objective assessment of the market is needed.
Conducting research on your own appropriate if:

■ it is required to survey a small number of respondents;

■ the company has experience in this market or believes that the market is strategically significant and deserves detailed study;

■ a specialized marketing agency is not competent enough in matters related to this product, such as high-tech products;

Objects of study

When determining the object of study, answer three questions: who to interview?, how many people to interview? and how?.

Marketing research due to limited time and cost are selective. Based on the study of a part of the population, with a certain probability, it is possible to transfer the result to the entire population.

Population - the whole set of potential consumers studied.

Sample- a limited group of respondents, identical to the general population.

Representativeness- the property of the sample to reflect the characteristics of the general population (to interrogate the target group of consumers).

Research methods: Desk and field methods.

Cabinet methods are based on the use of secondary marketing information prepared for a different purpose (stat reports, financial reports are not convenient, incomplete for making marketing decisions). Another name is the method of working with documents.

Field Methods involve the collection and analysis of primary information from consumers, distribution channels, competitors, etc. Research is lengthy, time-consuming and expensive.

Observations

Observation is used to obtain primary information about competitors (prices, organization of work with clients), about partners and suppliers (speed and quality of service, organization of production and quality control of goods, attitude towards customers, competence), about consumers.

Observation, as a rule, is used together with other methods in order to confirm, refute or supplement the results obtained.

The disadvantages of observation include:

■ Difficulty in ensuring representativeness;

■ subjectivity of the observer's perception (eliminated by the use of technical means).

Surveillance Benefits:

■ the consent of the observed respondents is not required;

■ it becomes possible to register cases of unconscious behavior and identify subconscious motives;

■ there is no observer influence;

■ The natural environment can be captured and its impact on consumer behavior can be assessed.

Experiment-a method of collecting information through the active intervention of the researcher in the processes in order to establish causal relationships. Experiment allows you to evaluate the impact of a factor of interest to the researcher, for example, the color of packaging on sales. To do this, at least two groups of subjects are formed: test and control. The purpose of the experiment is to establish causal relationships under controlled conditions. The experiment can be aimed at studying the influence of several factors. This is an experiment with multiple variables.

Organizational point of view experiments are divided as follows:

■ trial marketing, which is applied to a new product.
Its purpose is to assess the level of demand, customer satisfaction, packaging and packaging efficiency;

■ electronic testing, which is carried out using special electronic cards presented upon purchase;

■ electronic testing plus cable TV, which allows you to evaluate the effectiveness of advertising.

The main problems of conducting experiments are the difficulty of determining causal relationships, dependent and independent factors, the selection of identical experimental and control groups, as well as the high costs of conducting.

Survey -a method of collecting primary information by clarifying subjective opinions regarding an object.

■ Depending on the form of the survey distinguish:

■ questioning;

■ interviewing.

Depending on the form of organization of the survey distinguish:

■ mail survey;

■ telephone survey;

■ questioning on the Internet;

■ personal survey.

focus group, (7-15 people), debatable discussion of the problem in order to establish qualitative parameters of consumer behavior (what do you like about the company's products, how they use them, what needs they do not satisfy)

Panel- repeated collection of data in the same group of people, on the same topic, at regular intervals, in order to monitor ongoing changes in consumer behavior under the influence of the external environment.

The questionnaire includes two types of questions:

■ open, the answer to which provides extensive information, the respondent answers in his own words, the formulation of such answers takes a lot of time, and when processing the answers of different respondents are not summarized;

■ closed (with a fixed alternative);

a) dichotomous, when “yes” or “no” answers are expected;

b) multivariate, when questions contain all possible answers

Marketing research includes the collection, processing, storage of information about phenomena and processes of interest to marketing, analysis of the collected information, and obtaining theoretically substantiated conclusions. Thus, the purpose of marketing research is to create an information and analytical base for making marketing decisions.

Marketing research is an integral part of the marketing information system, which includes subsystems of intra-company reporting, marketing intelligence, information analysis and marketing research. When conducting marketing research, the following principles must be observed:

Scientific character - explanation and prediction of the studied market phenomena and processes on the basis of scientific provisions and objective data, identification of patterns in the development of these phenomena and processes;

Consistency - the allocation of individual structural elements that make up the phenomenon, the discovery of hierarchical relationships and mutual subordination;

Complexity - the study of phenomena and processes in their entirety, interconnection and development;

Reliability - obtaining adequate data by ensuring the scientific principles of their collection and processing;

Objectivity - taking into account the possible errors of the meter of a particular phenomenon;

Efficiency - achievement of the set goals, commensuration of results with costs.

Marketing research is a complex, hierarchically structured process that unfolds sequentially in time, and includes the main stages: development of a general concept of research; concretization and development of research methodology; collection, processing and storage of information; analysis, modeling and forecasting of the studied processes; assessment of the effectiveness of marketing research.

Marketing research is the search, collection, systematization and analysis of information about the situation on the market for the purpose of adoption in the production and marketing of products. It should be clearly understood that effective work is impossible without these measures. In a commercial environment, one cannot act at random, but must be guided by verified and accurate information.

The essence of marketing research

Marketing research is an activity that involves the analysis of the market situation based on scientific methods. Only those factors that can affect the goods or the provision of services matter. These activities have the following main objectives:

• search - consist in the preliminary collection of information, as well as its filtering and sorting for further research;
• descriptive - the essence of the problem is determined, its structuring, as well as the identification of acting factors;
• casual - the presence of a connection between the selected problem and previously identified factors is checked;
• test - a preliminary testing of the found mechanisms or ways to solve a particular marketing problem is carried out;
• forward-looking - suggest the foreseeing of the future situation in the market environment.

Marketing research is an activity that has a specific goal, which is to solve a particular problem. At the same time, there are no clear schemes and standards that an organization should follow when solving such problems. These moments are determined independently, based on the needs and capabilities of the enterprise.

Types of marketing research

The following main marketing researches can be distinguished:

• market research (involves determining its scale, geographical characteristics, supply and demand structure, as well as factors that affect the internal situation);
• study of sales (the ways and channels of sales of products are determined, the change in indicators depending on the geographical feature, as well as the main factors of influence);
• marketing research of goods (study of the properties of products both separately and in comparison with similar products of competing organizations, as well as determining the reaction of consumers to certain characteristics);
• study of advertising policy (analysis of own promotional activities, as well as comparing them with the main actions of competitors, determining the latest means of positioning goods on the market);
• analysis of economic indicators (studying the dynamics of sales volumes and net profit, as well as determining their interdependence and finding ways to improve performance);
• marketing research of consumers - imply their quantitative and qualitative composition (gender, age, profession, marital status and other characteristics).

How to organize marketing research

The organization of marketing research is a rather important moment on which the success of the entire enterprise may depend. Many firms prefer to deal with this issue on their own. In this case, practically no additional costs are required. In addition, there is no risk of confidential data leakage. However, there are downsides to this approach as well. Not always in the state there are employees who have sufficient experience and knowledge to conduct high-quality marketing research. In addition, the personnel of the organization can not always approach this issue objectively.

Given the shortcomings of the previous option, it is legitimate to say that it is better to involve third-party specialists in the organization of marketing research. As a rule, they have extensive experience in this field and relevant qualifications. In addition, not being associated with this organization, they are absolutely objective look at the situation. However, when hiring outside experts, you must be prepared for the fact that high-quality research is quite expensive. In addition, the marketer does not always know the specifics of the industry in which the manufacturer operates. The most serious risk is that confidential information may be leaked and resold to competitors.

Principles of conducting marketing research

Qualitative marketing researches are a guarantee of successful and profitable work of any enterprise. They are carried out on the basis of the following principles:

• regularity (research of the market situation should be carried out in each reporting period, as well as in the event that an important management decision regarding the production or marketing activities of the organization is coming);
• consistency (before starting research work, you need to break the whole process into components that will be performed in a clear sequence and inextricably interacting with each other);
• complexity (qualitative marketing research should provide answers to the entire wide range of questions that relate to a particular problem that is the subject of analysis);
• cost-effectiveness (it is necessary to plan research activities in such a way that the costs of their implementation are minimal);
• efficiency (measures to conduct research should be taken in a timely manner, immediately after a controversial issue arose);
• thoroughness (since market research activities are quite laborious and lengthy, it is worth carrying them out very scrupulously and carefully so that there is no need to repeat them after identifying inaccuracies and shortcomings);
• accuracy (all calculations and conclusions must be made on the basis of reliable information by applying proven methods);
• objectivity (if an organization conducts marketing research on its own, then it should try to do it impartially, honestly recognizing all its shortcomings, oversights and shortcomings).

Stages of marketing research

Studying the situation on the market is a rather complicated and lengthy process. The stages of marketing research can be described as follows:

• formulating a problem (raising a question that needs to be solved in the course of carrying out these activities);
• preliminary planning (indication of the stages of the study, as well as preliminary deadlines for submitting reports for each of the individual items);
• coordination (all heads of departments, as well as the general director, must familiarize themselves with the plan, make their own adjustments, if necessary, and then approve the document by a common decision);
• collection of information (the study and search for data that relate to both the internal and external environment of the enterprise);
• information analysis (careful study of the data received, their structuring and processing in accordance with the needs of the organization and;
• economic calculations (financial indicators are assessed both in real time and in the future);
• debriefing (formulation of answers to the questions posed, as well as the preparation of a report and its transfer to senior management).

The role of the marketing research department in the enterprise

The success of an enterprise is largely determined by the quality and timeliness of marketing research. Large companies often organize special departments for these purposes. The decision on the advisability of creating such a structural unit is made by management based on the needs of the enterprise.

It is worth noting that the marketing research department requires a lot of information for its activities. But it would be economically inexpedient to create too large a structure within one enterprise. That is why it is extremely important to establish links between different departments to transfer complete and reliable information. At the same time, the marketing department should be completely exempt from maintaining any reporting, except for that which directly relates to research. Otherwise, too much time and effort will be spent on side work to the detriment of the main purpose.

The marketing research department most often refers to the top management of the company. It is necessary to ensure direct links with the general management. But interaction with subdivisions of a lower level is no less important, since it is required to receive timely and reliable information about their activities.

Speaking about the person who will lead this department, it is worth noting that he must have fundamental knowledge of such an issue as marketing research of the organization's activities. In addition, the specialist must thoroughly know the organizational structure and features of the enterprise. According to its status, the head of the marketing department should be equated with top management, because the overall success largely depends on the efficiency of the work of his unit.

Objects of marketing research

The marketing research system is aimed at the following main objects:

• consumers of goods and services (their behavior, attitude to the offers available on the market, as well as the reaction to the measures taken by the producers);
• marketing research of services and goods for their compliance with the needs of customers, as well as identifying similarities and differences with similar products of competing companies;
• competition (implies the study of the numerical composition, as well as the geographical spread of organizations with similar production areas).

It should be noted that it is not necessary to conduct separate studies for each subject. Within one analysis, several questions can be combined at once.

Research data

Market research data is divided into two main types - primary and secondary. Speaking about the first category, it is worth noting that we are talking about the information that will be directly used in the course of analytical work. In addition, it is worth noting the fact that in some cases marketing research is limited to just collecting primary data, which can be:

• quantitative - figures reflecting the results of activities;
• qualitative - explain the mechanisms and causes of the occurrence of certain phenomena in economic activity.

Secondary data is not directly related to the subject of marketing research. Most often, this information has already been collected and processed for some other purpose, but in the course of the current study it can also be very useful. The main advantage of this type of information is its cheapness, because you do not need to make efforts and invest money to get these facts. Well-known managers recommend that the first thing to do is to turn to secondary information. And only after identifying the lack of certain data, you can start collecting primary information.

In order to start working with secondary information, the following conditions must be met:

• the first step is to identify data sources, which can be both inside the organization and outside it;
• further, the analysis and sorting of information is carried out in order to select relevant information;
• at the last stage, a report is prepared, which indicates the conclusions made during the analysis of the information.

Marketing research: an example

In order to work successfully and withstand competition, any enterprise must conduct market analysis. It is important that not only in the process of functioning, but also before starting a business, it is necessary to conduct a marketing research. An example is the opening of a pizzeria.

Let's say you decide to start your own business. First, you must decide on the objectives of the study. This may be the study and analysis of the competitive environment. Further, the goals should be detailed, during which a number of tasks are defined (for example, data collection and analysis, selection, etc.). It should be noted that at the initial stage, the study can be exclusively descriptive. But, if you deem it appropriate, additional economic calculations can be made.

Now you must put forward a hypothesis, which will be confirmed or refuted during the analysis of primary and secondary information. For example, you think that in your locality this institution will be very popular, since the rest have already become obsolete. The wording can be any, based on the current situation, but it should describe all the factors (both external and internal) that will attract people to your pizzeria.

The research plan will look like this:

• definition of a problem situation (in this case, it consists in the fact that there is some uncertainty in terms of the advisability of opening a pizzeria);
• further, the researcher must clearly identify the target audience, which will consist of potential customers of the institution;
• one of the most popular marketing research methods is a survey, and therefore it is necessary to create a sample that will clearly reflect the target audience;
• conducting additional mathematical research, which includes comparing the costs of starting a business with income determined on the basis of a preliminary survey.

The results of the marketing research should be a clear answer to the question of whether it is worth opening a new pizzeria in this locality. If it was not possible to achieve an unambiguous judgment, it is worth resorting to the use of other well-known methods of information analysis.

conclusions

Marketing research is a comprehensive study of the market situation in order to determine the feasibility of making a particular decision or to adjust your work according to the current situation. During this process, it is necessary to collect and analyze information, and then draw certain conclusions.

The subjects of marketing research can be very different. This is directly a product or service, and the market, and the consumer sector, and the competitive situation, and other factors. Also, several issues may be raised within a single analysis.

When starting a market research, you need to clearly articulate the problem that should be solved as a result of it. Next, an action plan is drawn up with an approximate indication of the time frame allotted for its implementation. After the document is approved, you can start collecting and analyzing information. Based on the results of the activities carried out, reporting documentation is submitted to the top management.

The main point of the study is the collection and analysis of information. Experts recommend starting work by studying the data available in secondary sources. Only in the event that any facts will be missing, it is advisable to carry out work on their independent search. This will provide significant time and cost savings.