Marketing Research

Marketing Research Survey Data Collection Methods & Errors in Research

Descriptive Research • Research design in which the major emphasis is on determining the frequency with which something occurs or the extent to which two variables covary (Churchill & Iacobucci 2002) • Research that usually is designed to provide a summary of some aspects of the environment when the hypotheses are tentative and speculative in nature (Aaker, Kumar & Day 2002) • Research that is designed to describe characteristics of a population or phenomenon (Zikmund 2003) • Who, what, where, when, why, way

Advantages of Surveys • Standardization • All respondents receive identically worded questions • Ease of Administration • Ability to “Tap the Unseen” • Ask questions about motivations, behavioral processes, etc. • Ability to Tabulate and Analyze Data • Analyze Data for Sub-Group Differences

Survey Data Collection Modes • Personal • Telephone • Self-Administered • Mail

Personal Interviewing • Advantages • Easy to establish cooperation • Feedback during the interview – ability to probe • Rapport with the respondent • Quality control • Adaptability – multi-method data collection (e.g. observation, visual cues, self-administered) • Longer interview length • Disadvantages • Higher cost • Slow – need staff geographically near sample • Respondent apprehension of the interviewer • Interviewer bias

Advantages Lower costs than personal interviews Ability to utilize RDD sampling of general population Better access to certain populations Shorter data collection Higher response rates compared to mail Interviewer administration & staffing Disadvantages Sampling limitations Nonresponse bias Limitations on questionnaire length and format Telephone Interviewing

Advantages Reduced Costs Respondent controls pace, time, etc. No respondent apprehension of the interviewer Question formats & visual aids accommodated Disadvantages Good questionnaire design & instructions necessary Non-response/self-selection bias Slow Quality control Self-Administered

Advantages Relatively low cost Minimal staff & facilities Access to populations that are difficult to reach by other means Respondent controls pace, time, etc. No respondent apprehension of the interviewer Disadvantages Good questionnaire design & instructions necessary Non-response/self-selection bias Slow Quality control Mail

Data Collection & Errors

Fieldworker Errors Intentional Cheating Leading respondents Unintentional Interviewer characteristics Misunderstandings Fatigue Respondent Errors Intentional Falsehoods Nonresponse Unintentional Misunderstandings Guessing Attention loss Distractions Fatigue Nonsampling Errors

Controlling Errors • Intentional Fieldworker Errors • Supervision • Validation • Unintentional Fieldworker Errors • Training/selection of interviewers • Orientation sessions & role playing • Provide breaks & alternate surveys

Controlling Errors • Intentional Respondent Errors • Assure anonymity and confidentiality • Provide incentives • Conduct validation checks • Use a “third-person” technique • Unintentional Respondent Errors • Well-drafted questionnaire • Response options -- NA/unsure • Reverse scale endpoints • Prompters

Nonresponse Error Defined: Failure on part of prospective respondent to take part in survey or to answer specific questions on the questionnaire. • Refusals • Break-offs • Item Omission

Calculating Response Rate Response Rate = # of completed interviews/Number of eligible units See www.casro.org Responsibilities in reporting research results

Reducing Nonresponse Error • Advance notification • Incentives • Follow-up mailings • Call-back attempts • Saliency -- importance of research topic to respondent • Sponsorship (Research auspices)

Response Problems to Surveys • Incomplete Questionnaires • Nonresponses to specific questions • Yea- or Nay-saying patterns • Middle-of-the road patterns • Unreliable responses

Marketing Research