Methods of marketing research analysis. Sociological methods of marketing research: theory and practice. Economic and mathematical methods of marketing research

The purpose of this work is to study the theory and methodology of sociological methods in marketing research, as well as to consider the techniques, procedures and features of applying these methods in practice. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to solve the following tasks:
To characterize the theoretical foundations of marketing research, its essence and content;
To study the theoretical foundations of quantitative and qualitative research methods;
To characterize the technique and procedures for applying quantitative and qualitative methods;
To reveal the essence of banking marketing;

Introduction ………………………………………………………………………. 3
Chapter I. Theory and methodology of sociological methods in marketing research
1.1. The concept of marketing research ………………………………… 7
1.2. Specifics of quantitative methods ………………………………… .. 13
1.3. Theoretical basis qualitative methods ……………………….. 21
Chapter A.I. Features and technique of applying sociological methods in marketing research
2.1. Techniques and procedures for applying quantitative and qualitative methods ………………………………………………………………………. 29
2.2. The concept and essence of banking marketing. Application of sociological methods marketing research in practice on the example of Rosselkhozbank OJSC …………………………………………………. 56
Conclusion ………………………………………………………………….... 62
Bibliographic list ………………………………

1. Fundamental differences between quantitative and qualitative collection methods primary information

2. Types of qualitative research

Main categories and concepts: quantitative research, qualitative research, case study, ethnographic method, historical method, family history method, biographical method, focus group method.

Sociological and marketing information - special case social information. This is information obtained with the help of sociological and marketing methods of its collection and interpreted within the boundaries of sociology and marketing.

In modern sociology and marketing, qualitative and quantitative data collection methods are used to obtain primary information.

Chronologically qualitative methods appeared much later than quantitative ones, in the second half of the 20th century. The fundamental difference between qualitative methods is the practical possibility of obtaining the subjective context of the opinions, judgments, assessments of the respondents, who are called informants in qualitative research. At the same time, qualitative studies do not provide for the use of a large surveyed population, as a result of which the possibility of extrapolating (transferring) the obtained data to the entire general population is excluded. As a rule, in a qualitative study, the surveyed population is 10-15 units of analysis, but the selection of units of analysis is carried out according to all the rules for the formation of a sample population.

The collection of information is carried out mainly with the help of a narrative interview or a narrative essay (narrative - in-depth textual research), during which informants express their subjective judgments, opinions, and assessments. The subjectivity of the statements is dictated by the fact that this kind of survey is not of a standardized nature, that is, the informants are not offered questions with accompanying scales. Informants are given only general directions of the conversation or essay: either in the form of a problem / topic, or in the form of general questions, or in the form of clusters (a list of positions on which it is desirable to receive information). In each case, the informant determines the content context of the conversation or essay itself.

During the preparation of such a study, a traditional research program is drawn up. Upon completion of a qualitative study, the analysis and processing of the results obtained are carried out, which are subsequently used in the text of the report. A feature of the methods of processing qualitative information is the impossibility of using statistical programs.

Currently, there are no standard methods for processing qualitative information. Most general requirement The criterion for qualitative information is the use of the so-called "living speech" of the informants, which, in the context of the researcher's interpretive text, should be preserved in the style and vocabulary of the informants. In the case of an essay - in the spelling of informants, that is, with all possible errors (in real research practice, such requirements are unconditional for sociology, but not for marketing).

The style of research using qualitative methods is defined as soft, warm.

Quantitative Research built on other grounds and laws. In this case, standardized methods of obtaining information are used, with the help of which statistical calculation of information is possible. On the basis of statistical data, a general trend is determined for the surveyed population, which can be extrapolated to the general population, since in this case valid sample(i.e. statistically significant, reflecting the whole variety of features of the general population).

Those interviewed in quantitative research are called respondents.

At the end of such a study, to process the results obtained, either statistical programs or the SPSS program are used. Possible and manual processing- the so-called dotting.

The style of research using quantitative methods is defined as hard, cold.

In research practice in the realities of today, mixed methods are mainly used - qualitative and quantitative. In this case, two research strategies can be used.

1. First, quantitative methods are used, the statistical results of which allow us to construct certain qualitative / social portraits.

2. Initially, qualitative methods are used, during which those indicators / colloquial concepts that were used in the speech of informants in repetition when assessing any similar life situations, events are identified. Subsequently, these indicators are used in the preparation of scales for quantitative research.

Let's look at a few examples types of qualitative research , labeling them in general list not in terms of importance, but for convenience of presentation.

· Case study / case study– study of specific situations, cases that characterize the life of certain small groups. In this case, in fact, the behavioral patterns that arise in non-standard situations that have become the subject of research interest.

When conducting a case study, it is possible additional options: study of one small group in several situations or the study of several small groups in a similar situation.

· Ethnographic method- with the help of which information is collected from representatives of a certain ethnic group, which allows you to form a high-quality portrait of the ethnic group.

· historical method- (largely close to the so-called "oral history" / "oral history" method, actively used in American sociology) - recreating certain historical events according to the stories of their participants.

· Family history method– study of the dynamics of intra-family relations in the context of historical events, changes in the social status positions of members of the same family in the chronological and event context of history. In the 90s, the method was actively mastered by the Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, as a result of which academic publications appeared, which presented the history of workers, peasants, petty bourgeois, noble families in Russia.

When using this method, it should be taken into account that from the point of view of demography, statistics, sociology, the generation step is 25 years, that is, intergenerational differentiation within families should be built on this principle.

· Biographical method ("History of life")- allows you to trace the dynamics of personality development in the context of certain accompanying life circumstances. This method is actively used in modern American sociology. AT Russian practice there was a fairly close analogue, which is represented by the ZhZL series (“Life of Remarkable People”). However, in this case, a sociological view of the problem was not involved, as a result of which this presentation of biographical materials cannot be considered sociological proper.

· Focus group method is one way of focusing the attention of informants on a particular problem. Focus groups are different. The traditional/conventional focus group (FG) includes 7-9 people. Extended (RFG) - up to 13-15 people. Mini focus group (MFG) - from 3 to 5 people.

The first two in time last within 1.5 - 2 hours. A mini focus group can run for 3 or more hours.

The focus group is conducted by a moderator together with an assistant. The entire course of the discussion is recorded on video and on a voice recorder.

At the preparatory stage, a range of issues is determined that should be discussed during the focus group. Moreover, all participants in the focus group should express their opinion on each of the questions.

The discussion usually takes place in a situation of casual tea drinking (or coffee is served) in order to give an informal character to communication.

A sign is placed in front of each participant indicating his name and patronymic, so that participants can address him accordingly.

When forming focus groups, it is important to observe the principle of social status unity of the group. It is inappropriate to involve people with contrasting socio-demographic positions (age, marital status, occupation, place of work, position, etc.).

The focus group should take place in a chamber setting in the absence of strangers. No one should interfere during its implementation. Tables should be placed in a semicircle so that everyone present can see each other. The door should be in the field of view of informants, and not behind their backs, in order to exclude accidental, distracting glances that interfere with speaking.

These are the standard requirements for the procedure for conducting focus groups.

It should be borne in mind that an individual interview can also be focused. This is the case that is defined as a narrative interview in a qualitative research situation.

In modern domestic sociology, all methods of qualitative research are used to obtain initial data. In marketing - only focus groups in all its modifications.

An in-depth interview is a semi-structured personal conversation between the interviewer and the respondent in a form that encourages the latter to give detailed answers to the questions asked.

Distinctive features

The interview takes place in the form of a free conversation on a topic of interest to the researcher, during which the researcher receives very detailed information from the respondent about the reasons for his actions, about his attitude to various issues.

Technology

Preparing the Structure of the Conversation. Before starting a series of interviews, the researcher prepares a plan according to which the interview will be conducted. Unlike a regular survey, an in-depth interview plan is simply a list of questions on which the interviewer needs to get the opinion of the respondent.

Selecting respondents and conducting interviews. After preparing the interview plan, respondents are selected and the interviews themselves are conducted. The duration of an in-depth interview can be from half an hour to several (2-3) hours, depending on the complexity of the topic, as well as the number and depth of the issues being studied. As a rule, in-depth interviews are conducted in a special room with a neutral environment and good sound insulation, in order to avoid any external interference. The interview is recorded on audio and / or video equipment to facilitate subsequent interpretation and analysis of the data, and also in order not to lose important information.

Processing the results of the interview and compiling an analytical report. After the interview is completed, its audio and/or video recording is processed, as a result of which the researcher receives the full text of the entire interview. Based on these texts and the impressions of the interviewer, an analytical report is compiled.

Interviewers

The success of an in-depth interview largely depends on the professionalism and personal qualities of the interviewer. To conduct an interview, you need a qualified specialist, preferably with a psychological education. He must have the skills to establish contact with people, a good memory, the ability to quickly respond to non-standard answers, and patience. During the interview it is impossible to exert psychological pressure on the interviewee, to argue with him.

Application

As a rule, in-depth interviews are used to solve the same tasks as focus groups, namely:

• study of consumer behavior, their attitude to goods, companies, brands;
• development of new products, evaluation of the concept of a new product (its packaging, advertising campaign etc.);
• obtaining preliminary consumer reactions to various marketing programs.

An in-depth interview should be used instead of a focus group in the following cases:

• the topic of the interview involves the discussion of purely personal topics (personal finances, diseases);
• interviews are conducted with representatives of competing organizations who do not agree to discuss this topic in a group;
• a topic is discussed in which there are strict social norms, and the respondent's opinion may be influenced by the response of the group (paying taxes, etc.);
• it is impossible to collect all respondents in one place and at one time (the respondents are small, distant from each other and/or very busy).

Advantages and disadvantages

Main disadvantages methods of in-depth interviews are associated with the difficulty of finding interviewers. First, conducting in-depth interviews requires skilled professionals who are not easy to find. Further, the quality of interview results is strongly influenced by the personality and professionalism of the interviewer. And, finally, the complexity of processing and interpreting the data obtained during the interview, as a rule, requires the involvement of psychologists for their analysis.

Advantages. With the help of in-depth interviews, you can get more complete information about a person’s behavior, about the reasons for such behavior, his deep motives, which is not always possible in a focus group where respondents put pressure on each other and it is difficult to determine who exactly gave this or that answer.

The purpose of this chapter is to describe the specific research problems that arise in the field of marketing, and the possibilities that the arsenal of sociological methods has to solve these problems.

From our point of view, marketing and related tasks have the following specific features:

1. Research goals are purely pragmatic. The customer is not interested in knowing whether the methods used by the researcher are scientific. It is important for him that the results of the study could be used for practical purposes.
2. The hypothesis to be tested or perceived ignorance” is given to the researcher by the customer. The customer turns to the researcher to reduce the risk of making a decision in conditions of high uncertainty.
3. Research is not able to give the customer an accurate and reliable answer that reduces the risk to zero. They can only reduce the degree of uncertainty. At the same time, there is always a risk that the study introduced some kind of systematic error into the assessment of the situation. The true effectiveness of the study is almost impossible to rigorously verify.
4. Any specific marketing research is always strictly limited in funds and limited in time. In this regard, the purpose of research is not to obtain the most reliable result, but the result that is seen as the most reliable for a given amount of funds. This requires the researcher to have a very strict prioritization. Working with a limited budget and time is difficult, but A. Goldman and S. McDonald believe that such specificity has a very useful disciplinary effect on the researcher.

Marketing hypotheses are born in the minds of managers based on, on the one hand, an assessment of the technological, financial and other capabilities of their enterprises and, on the other hand, hypotheses about the market prospects of a new product, service or advertising campaign. As a rule, managers' expert assessment of their resource capabilities is realistic, although in some cases the costs of product development turn out to be higher than the calculated ones. Nevertheless, the main risk is not associated with the assessment of resource opportunities, but with the actual marketing aspects of the hypothesis. So, according to special studies, in the United States in the consumer goods market (and this is the main market served by sociological surveys), about 40% of all proposed new products fail. The difficulty of predicting the reaction of buyers is evidenced, in particular, by the following example. TI Corporation, by expanding production volumes and reducing costs, achieved a noticeable price reduction and managed to win the main share of the American market for wrist calculators. It seemed logical to assume that the same approach would work in the electronics market. wrist watch. However, the logic didn't work. In spite of low prices, the buyers did not like the "TI" watch (ibid., p. 22].

So, the marketing hypothesis is the expert opinion of managers projected onto society. Sometimes such hypotheses turn out to be effective beyond all expectations. Nevertheless, the risk from the decision-making of even very qualified managers remains high, therefore, for many decades, attempts to reduce it with the help of special studies have not stopped.

What fundamental possibilities exist for testing marketing hypotheses? Broadly speaking, there are three of them:

1. Full-scale introduction of a product to the market This is the most expensive, riskiest, but at the same time the only reliable way to test the initial hypothesis.
2. Launching trial batches of the product to the market. The costs of this verification method are an order of magnitude less than full-scale implementation, but they are still very high. Unlike a full-scale implementation, which has a chance of turning into a major success, the production and sale of a trial batch is inevitably a loss-making undertaking. Finally, the experimental sales dynamics of a trial run is not a completely reliable model for full-scale implementation: sluggish sales may be due to the fact that the consumer has not yet "tasted" new products, a active sale may be associated with short-term rush effects. Real market practice knows many examples of both types of customer reactions to the introduction of trial lots of goods.
3. Buyer surveys. This hypothesis testing method has both advantages and disadvantages. There are two main advantages. Firstly, even a large-scale expensive survey is an order of magnitude, and sometimes even several orders of magnitude cheaper than a market experiment. Secondly, if market experiments treat buying behavior as a "black box", the reactions of which can be learned only by measuring the parameters at the entrance and exit, then surveys represent an attempt to understand the structure of internal, i.e. motivational determinants of consumer behavior.

Strictly speaking, on some not always fully conscious ideas about these motivational determinants, the manager’s initial hypothesis is also built, which is projected by him onto society in accordance with the principle “what I like, many people should like”. If the manager is really experienced, this approach pays off more often than is commonly thought, since it is based on long-term observation and reflection on its results. However, as already mentioned, the risk of error remains high.

So, the purpose of the surveys is to test, correct and possibly develop the initial managerial hypotheses, relying on a kind of “consumer expertise”, which also evaluates the problem from a purely practical point of view, but sees it from a different perspective than the manufacturer.

§ 4.2. The La Pierre Paradox in Marketing Research

The main obstacle to making effective predictions using the survey method is the famous La Pierre paradox, which says that people do not always do what they say. At the same time, the field of marketing research is the area where the action of this paradox manifests itself with particular clarity and sometimes with very serious consequences. It is significant that the La Pierre experiment itself, which is academic in design, was carried out in the marketing space. There are many areas of research where the discrepancy between survey results and real behavior is obscured by the absence or impossibility of a direct correlation between survey results and actual behavior of people, but marketing is not one of them. For this reason, in the case of developed countries, "...there is no such enterprise, commercial or academic, that spends so much money on studying the understanding of human behavior as the marketing and advertising industry" .

Along with clinical psychology, marketing is one of the main research areas in which the study of the problem posed by La Pierre has received significant development. Traditional survey methods, both quantitative and qualitative, rely on the implicit premise that a person has only one "true" opinion on a given issue. If during the survey the respondent, under the influence of certain stimuli, began to express conflicting points of view, the task was usually set in such a way that the researcher had to find one “true” one. In fact, except in cases of perceived falsehood, all of these points of view must be considered "true" in the sense that they are genuine facts of consciousness (or subconsciousness), and one of them cannot but be considered "true" in the sense of 100 % correlation with actual behavior.

In quantitative studies, the effects of the La Pierre paradox are obscured by the presence of a time lag between the time survey data is received and the time the data is tested against real market statistics. In addition, quantitative data itself has an appearance of objectivity (a kind of "hypnosis" digital information). Group interviews seem to represent the opposite ideal-typical pole, at which these problems confront the researcher in the extreme degree of nakedness. According to experienced moderators, in some cases the group opinion turns out to be quite well integrated, and the researcher does not experience difficulties and doubts in its interpretation. It often happens, however, that even in the same interview, different aspects of group communication (oral, written, non-verbal, projective) can turn out to be opposite and involve different interpretations. D. Templeton characterizes it this way: “I don’t fully understand why this happens, but when compared, written and oral answers often look as if they were given different people and different groups. Sometimes they are so different that you have to check your notes. Similar effects have been noted by many other authors. One common explanation for this phenomenon is as follows. that the initial written responses reflect the true opinions of the respondents outside the situation of group pressure, and oral statements express the feelings that arise under the influence of such pressure. At the same time, the question remains which of these reactions more adequately reflects the behavior of people in the market.

To solve these problems, there is no mathematical or other formalized algorithm. The effect of focus group discussions, which is expressed in increasing the understanding of the problem and putting forward more reasonable market hypotheses, is based, from our point of view, on a direct conceptual triangulation between the everyday views of the consumer, the conceptualized thinking of the researcher (marketing, clinical, sociological) and the managerial consciousness of the customer. Below, when describing specific methodological rules, it will be shown that direct triangulation interactions "customer-respondents" and "customer-researcher" are no less important aspect of conducting focus group research than "researcher-respondent" interactions. It seems that, if we talk about the main specific feature and the main advantage of focus groups in comparison with other qualitative methods, then such an advantage is, first of all, the multilateral triangulation interaction concentrated in time. According to this parameter, the focus group method is unique and has no close analogues.

§ 4.3. Marketing research methods

Marketing, as a purely practical area, uses all means that help or can help solve emerging research problems. Methodical triangulation is widely used in marketing, i.e. combination various methods or, more broadly, all available information flows(including, for example, industrial espionage). The final managerial decisions are usually made at the junction of two large information blocks: information about external environment enterprise (marketing analysis) and information about its internal situation ( production analysis). An experienced marketer, when setting marketing research goals, always takes into account the production situation and the resource capabilities of the customer firm in order to avoid the unpleasant situation in which the best marketing research is rejected due to its inconsistency with production capabilities. A knowledgeable marketer is always also well aware that both marketing and production information flows to managers in a wide stream in addition to channel research. business communication through the administrative apparatus, by organizing managerial checks, etc. Research in the proper sense of the word must prove not only its usefulness, but its competitiveness in a tough struggle with the effective means of traditional managerial analysis. It is only in this context that the real successes of marketing research and the difficulties they face can be understood.

The main tools for obtaining marketing information are:

1. Market statistics, primarily the dynamics of prices and sales volumes. In the process of analysis, the current dynamics is compared with the past, as well as with the dynamics of firms and competing products. The analysis also uses reviews of the general economic situation.
2. Mass quantitative surveys used for a wide range of tasks, including checking and detailing market statistics, tracking general trends in consumer behavior (trends, monitoring), market segmentation and analysis of market segments, studying consumer attitudes A special group of studies is surveys related to advertising, including assessment of the audience of mass media channels and the percentage of recognition or memorization of a particular advertising message.
3. Market tests. This group combines a set of methods related to the direct testing of the product by the consumer. Depending on the size of the batch of goods, testing can be carried out either in the laboratory or directly on the market. The use of tests is carried out in combination with all other methods of obtaining marketing information - statistics, quantitative and qualitative surveys. Comparative testing is widely used, for example, the implementation of trial lots of several product modifications in different parts of the city with similar characteristics of the population and consumer demand.
4. Qualitative survey methods. As already mentioned, in marketing research this group of methods is represented primarily by focus groups. Individual interviews and so-called dyads (interviews in pairs) are also used. If quantitative methods answer the question “how much?”, then qualitative methods mainly answer the question “why?”. In other words, qualitative research aims to understand the motivational aspects of consumer behavior. This distinction is often a source of misunderstanding, especially on the part of customers who ask themselves veiled quantitative questions like: “Which kind of packaging do you prefer?” or “What will they buy?” Such questions are of a veiled quantitative nature. Qualitative research can answer the question of what, i.e. what specific qualities liked or disliked this or that product. Qualitative research cannot provide reliable data on the ratio of the number of buyers who liked or disliked the product, although it can reveal certain trends.

1 OBJECTIVES, FUNCTIONS AND TYPES OF MARKETING RESEARCH

In a modern market economy, marketing research is a necessary tool for managing the activities of an organization in the market.

Marketing research covers all the necessary subjects of the market: competitors and partners, consumers and pricing policy, a comprehensive analysis of the organization itself.

Any marketing research is carried out in parallel in two directions: analysis and evaluation of the activity of a subject or a specific object and forecasting for the future. Problems and situations, the occurrence of which makes it necessary to conduct marketing research, can be varied: what, to whom and how to sell, how to stimulate sales, how to work with competitors and business partners, etc.

Marketing research allows you to collect the information that is necessary to make the right decisions.

The results of the research can be forecasts for the development of the market structure, possible ways to change it, as well as all the characteristics of existing problems.

Home purpose of marketing research is information and analytical support for building strategies at two levels

1. At the macro level, the state of the market and its constituent elements are studied, for example, the study of supply and demand, the identification of trends and prospects for its further development.

2. At the micro level of marketing research, the internal state of the organization itself is checked, competitiveness is assessed, as well as the prospects for the organization's activities.

descriptive function, meaning detailed description all characteristics of the studied events, phenomena and processes;

analytical function, which consists in obtaining analytical information, in identifying cause-and-effect relationships in the phenomenon under study, etc.;

predictive function, which is formed on the basis of the first two functions, which allows you to make a forecast of further developments

Types of marketing research. For a full-fledged research of the economic activity of an organization, it is necessary to decide on the choice of a specific marketing research

When conducting marketing research, four main types can be used, which are divided depending on the following characteristics into:

scope (research of sales markets, labor force, finance, etc.);

direction of research (research of markets for consumer goods, investments, services, etc.);

product research (study of product promotion on the market, price level, staff professionalism);

organization of the study (conducting research on its own or using the services of another organization).

2 STRUCTURE AND TYPOLOGY OF MARKETING RESEARCH

The development of methodological foundations can be considered as the most important moment of marketing research. Marketing research has a certain structure and is deployed in a certain sequence. The structure of marketing research allows us to distinguish five elements, or five stages, describing the sequence of studying and modeling the market, starting with the promotion of the research concept and drawing conclusions.

First stage. Marketing research begins with the development of a general concept (from Latin conception - the main idea, intent), and then covers the development of specific methods (in accordance with the objectives of the study). The concept of marketing research is the idea of ​​obtaining a comprehensive and complete characteristics of the market, identifying patterns of market processes and phenomena.

To determine market research needs, all organizations should continuously monitor their external environments using a monitoring system. The main purpose of using the monitoring system is to provide operational information to the management of the organization. Such information allows management to assess whether the result of their current operations is in line with planned objectives; whether the adopted laws had an impact on the purchasing power of consumers, on the activities of enterprises in the industry; whether there have been changes in the value system of consumers and their lifestyle; whether new strategies have been used by competitors. Monitoring can be done in many ways, both formally and informally.

After identifying the needs for marketing research, the problem is identified.

A problem is a conflict between intended and expected outcomes. A clear, concise statement of the problem is the key to successful marketing research. Often clients of monitoring firms do not know their problems themselves. They state that the volume of sales is falling. The market share is decreasing. But these are only symptoms, and it is important to identify the causes of their appearance.

To avoid a situation of uncertainty, it is necessary to investigate all possible causes of the symptoms that have appeared. Often, exploratory research is carried out for this purpose.

Before defining the problem, research is carried out, on the basis of which the problem is formulated. These include:

identification of symptoms (signs);

a statement of possible causes;

identification of possible actions that can be taken to solve the problem.

There are the following approaches to identifying problems in marketing management:

analysis of the results of production and economic activities;

identification of problems through expert survey of managers and specialists;

monitoring the implementation of marketing functions and the participation of consultants in them.

The procedure for identifying problems includes the formation of a catalog of problems and its structuring. There is an opinion that the problem is partially solved if it is correctly formulated. Marketing research problems are defined by the requirement for managers and marketing professionals to provide relevant, accurate and unbiased information needed to solve marketing management problems.

At the first stage, it is also important to put forward the objectives of the study. The goals of marketing research stem from the identified problems, the achievement of these goals allows you to obtain the information necessary to solve these problems. The nature of the goals of marketing research determines the choice of specific types of research.

The purpose of the study is to clarify the problem and formulate the first ideas about the problems under study. In the course of studying the problem, hypotheses are formed. The working hypothesis establishes the framework and main directions of the study.

The central link is the development of theoretical hypotheses and their testing in practice, the identification and justification of cause-and-effect relationships. Only on this basis is it possible to explain the real conditions and forecasts of development, which is a necessary prerequisite for a well-founded decision-making. The development of hypotheses is necessary, first of all, for two reasons:

for subsequent statistical verification;

to limit the possibilities of manipulation by the researcher.

The hypotheses under consideration must meet the following requirements: predictability, reliability, testability.

After considering the hypotheses, the objectives of the study are formed. Goals can be search, i.e. provide for the collection of any preliminary data that shed light on the problem. They can be descriptive, i.e. provide a description of any specific phenomena. There are also experimental goals, i.e. providing for the testing of a hypothesis about any causal relationship.

The goals of marketing research stem from the identified problems, the achievement of these goals allows you to obtain the information necessary to solve these problems. The main objectives of the study are as follows:

determine the market capacity;

determine the market share;

find out from what sources they receive information;

determine customer preferences;

show the limits of expansion of the organization's activities in the market;

determine the maximum possible values ​​of the growth of market potential. When researching, conduct an advertising campaign

Based on the hypothesis put forward, algorithms for specific marketing research are developed. This, in turn, makes it possible to ensure the formulation of specific tasks that are solved taking into account certain opportunities and realities. Algorithmization in marketing research provides for formal records of the content of the computational process, its structure and the sequence of its stages.

Second phase consists in concretizing the tasks set by the relevant governing structure for conducting research, as well as in developing research methods. They also include methods of qualitative and attributive analysis. This stage corresponds to the general model of marketing research and is a detailed marketing research methodology. In the methodological complex of marketing research, statistical methods are intertwined and interact with the methods of econometrics. A special place is occupied by programming and logistics methods. The specificity of managerial activity allows the use of a number of methods, where the possibilities of marketing management, marketing matrices, etc. are widely used. In marketing research, there is a need to transform a problem that needs to be solved into a problem that requires research. This is a problem expressed in the language of research.

Third stage represented by the processes of forming an information bank and a marketing information system. It covers methods of collecting and storing information, methods of statistical and marketing observation, survey methods, methods of continuous and selective observation, methods of compiling and developing tabular material. The development of a marketing information system involves the creation of a decision support system (DSS), with appropriate software and hardware, which is the basis of marketing activities. The information bank includes an expert system, i.e. a computerized model of the activities of marketing information specialists, which aims to solve the problem they face. This stage includes the creation and use of a dialogue or language system that is part of the decision-making system. It allows you to work with databases and is aimed at meeting specific information needs.

The collection of information is difficult process. In order to somehow formalize and optimize it, many enterprises develop special marketing information systems.

A marketing information system is a system of interconnection of people, equipment and methodological methods designed to collect, classify, analyze, evaluate and disseminate information in order to improve the planning, implementation and control of marketing activities.

The marketing information system includes a system of internal and external information, marketing research results and information analysis. Internal information system - information reflecting various aspects of the enterprise and its condition. Internal information includes a database of applications, contracts, orders, etc. Inside information contributes to the adoption of appropriate decisions by marketing management.

The system of external information is information about events and situations that develop in the external environment. It indicates how the enterprise should adapt to the external environment.

Marketing research generates data for decision-making on various aspects of marketing activities. They concern such areas as market research, consumer properties of goods, etc. Management decision-making is, in fact, an information process. The correctness and value of management decisions in marketing largely depends on reliable information support.

Information provision is the process of meeting the needs of specific users for information, based on the use of special methods and means of obtaining, processing, accumulating and issuing it in a form convenient for use.

Information support is formed by conducting the so-called "desk" and "field" research.

The most difficult and important is fourth stage– formation of a bank of models and calculation methods. It includes all methods and forms of data analysis, building a system of indicators, methods of grouping and systematizing materials, building statistical and econometric models, creating marketing schemes, identifying relationships, trends and patterns, and making forecasts.

Fifth stage can be considered as final. At this stage, general conclusions and conclusions are made, a summary of the study is compiled. Here it is necessary to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of marketing research. Of great cognitive importance is the design of the results, the preparation of graphs, diagrams and diagrams.

Rice. 1. - The sequence of stages of marketing research

Thus, in the program and structure of marketing research, almost all the main points of the research are provided for and involved: the development of the research concept, the formation of an information bank, the creation of a marketing information system. The central point of the study is the analysis of the collected and processed materials, the compilation of situational and other models, forecasts of market processes.

The results of the study, presented in the form of a scientific report, are usually built according to the following scheme:

the purpose of the study is clearly stated;

the subject and objects of the study are characterized, the period for which data are collected and the date (time) of the survey are determined;

the sources of information are described and the methodology of the study (methods of collecting information and analysis) is disclosed;

a list of the most important results is created;

There is a certain specialization in marketing research: it distinguishes several independent types, each of which performs independent functions:

exploratory (exploratory) studies preceding the development of the main research program, they are undertaken to collect preliminary information that illuminates the problem and allows hypotheses to be put forward and an appropriate analysis methodology to be selected (sometimes they are combined with test marketing);

descriptive (descriptive) research aimed at stating real facts, events, indicators obtained as a result of collecting information (it provides management with material for reflection and informal assessments that allow an immediate decision to be made);

experimental study, which is carried out in order to test the hypothesis put forward (for example, about the presence of a causal relationship of any indicators);

casual, or analytical research conducted to identify and model the relationship of the company's activities with factors environment etc.

3 METHODS OF MARKETING RESEARCH

Marketing research methods are primarily divided into methods for collecting primary data and methods for collecting secondary data. Primary sources include various kinds of questionnaires and tests, while secondary sources are information that has already been collected by someone and specially processed for further use (reports, balance sheets, articles, any documents).

Most often, marketing research is understood as the collection of primary information. Primary data collection methods, in turn, are divided into qualitative data collection methods, quantitative data collection methods and so-called mix-methods.

Qualitative methods can provide answers to "how" and "why" questions, but the results will depend on the skill of the researcher. This type of research allows you to get very detailed data about the behavior, opinions, attitudes, attitudes of a very small group of people. The data obtained cannot be quantified (with rare exceptions), but it gives a good idea of ​​the mindset of consumers.

The main advantage of qualitative methods is that with their help, in-depth studies of the situation are carried out, the minimum number of people is used. A negative, but not negative, feature of qualitative methods is their high cost and time-consuming research.

Unlike qualitative methods, quantitative methods can give a specific numerical result. They can answer the questions "who" and "how much". Even the attitude of people towards a particular state of affairs can be calculated as a number if quantitative methods are used. The advantage of these methods is the high accuracy of the results when compared with data from qualitative methods.

Qualitative research. Qualitative methods use non-numeric data: documents, oral stories, images, etc.

Qualitative research widely uses projective and stimulating techniques that help the researcher to uncover the motives, attitudes, attitudes, preferences, values, and degree of satisfaction of respondents with respect to products or brands. Projective techniques help to overcome the difficulties of communication, and also allow you to identify hidden motives, implicit attitudes, etc.

Most qualitative research methods are based on the application of approaches developed by psychologists, so the use of these methods is limited, because. data collection should be carried out by a highly qualified marketing specialist in cooperation with a professional psychologist.

Qualitative methods are effectively applied in cases where it is necessary to:

gain an in-depth understanding of consumption patterns, purchasing behavior and factors that determine consumer choice; his habits, preferences;

study the process of making purchase decisions;

describe consumer attitudes towards products, brands and companies;

assess the degree of satisfaction with existing products.

Basic methods of qualitative research: focus groups, in-depth interviews, protocol analysis.

The group of qualitative methods is distinguished by the subjective nature of the analysis, which largely depends on the personality of the researcher.

It is customary to form one focus group for only one market segment, since it is impossible to cover the entire market with only one small group of people, even specialists.

There are also projection methods and observation, but since they do not always give accurate results and are difficult to carry out, they are not often used in practice.

Focus group- a group of people related to the topic under study. In such a group, a moderator-controlled discussion of the problem posed is held, which is recorded on video with subsequent processing. The whole process takes no more than two hours, then the presenter analyzes the recording, selects the most important points draws conclusions and conclusions. A focus group is often used to develop a new product or modify an old one. On the positive side, it is also possible to communicate with the direct consumer of a product or service in a focus group, since under other circumstances such direct communication on certain issues might not be possible. The negative aspects of this method include problematic relationships that may arise within the group, as well as between the group member and the moderator.

In-Depth Interview- an individual, personal conversation between the interviewer and the respondent, during which one or more questions are discussed in detail. The purity of the research result depends on the level of qualification of the interviewer and the interest of the respondent. This method does not require the use of a questionnaire, it is replaced by a list of pre-prepared topics to be discussed.

Protocol analysis consists in placing the respondent in the situation of making a purchase decision, during which he must describe in detail all the factors that guided him in making this decision.

Quantitative research. Quantitative methods of marketing research are often used after a qualitative analysis of the required situation. The results of qualitative and quantitative research complement each other, as a result, the problem is studied from almost all sides, almost all the small nuances are analyzed. The concept of "quantitative methods" implies the coverage of a large number of respondents and the subsequent statistical generalization of the data. Most often, surveys of a certain group of the population (consumers, etc.), and experiments are used, during which, for example, the quantitative ratio or loyalty of the population to a particular brand or service is determined.

to determine the frequency and volume of consumption of goods;

when comparing the relative effectiveness of several ready-made concepts of advertising campaigns;

to identify sources of information;

when determining the depth of product penetration on the market, etc.

The main methods of quantitative research are different kinds surveys and audit retail(retail audit).

Polls. The survey methodology is quite simple: the interviewer asks prepared questions to the respondent and evaluates them on a certain scale. Questions (or groups of questions) allow you to determine some important indicator. Then the average estimates of indicators are determined, on the basis of which conclusions are drawn.

Due to the large amount of data, it is quite easy to track down and cut off false information.

The disadvantages of the survey include insufficient attention to the personality and individuality of the respondents.

Surveys are often classified according to four main features, for example:

at the place of the study;

by the frequency of the study (divided into reusable and disposable);

according to the degree of formalization of the study (there can be standardized and non-standardized);

by the nature of the relationship between the consumer and the interviewer (surveys can be face-to-face and absentee).

Thus, there are personal, telephone, mail surveys; surveys of individuals and legal entities, experts; surveys conducted at home, in the office, at points of sale.

There are two methods of conducting surveys: interviews and questionnaires.

To conduct a more in-depth study, it is necessary to use operational information that can be collected through a survey.

Interview. The main difference between an interview and other methods of collecting information is the direct communication of both parties: the respondent and the interviewer. The interview can be in-depth, while the interviewer can ask clarifying questions, speak on abstract topics, change the direction of the interview depending on each individual respondent.

It is also possible to conduct a standardized interview, in which the interviewer focuses on the questionnaire and does not go beyond it.

Questioning. Questioning is also very common because a huge number of respondents can be interviewed at the same time, with further computer processing of the data. However, the survey has some disadvantages, for example, there is no possibility of direct consultation of the respondent in the process of filling out the questionnaire. In addition, the level of professional training of interviewers is often very low. Preparation for conducting a survey includes several mandatory points.

1 General and detailed design of the conversation plan.

2 Definition of sampling principles.

The requirements for the questionnaire are:

unambiguity and clarity of the wording of the questions posed;

optimal number of questions;

absence of extraneous questions;

the use of generally accepted terms and expressions that can be known to all people without exception and that will not cause misunderstanding of the issue;

the need for control questions.

Let us dwell on some types of quantitative methods.

Personal interview- This is a classic method of marketing research, with the help of which the interviewer receives information directly from the respondent. That is, the survey of the respondent takes place in a personal conversation, in the absence of unauthorized persons. A personal interview involves a high degree of trust; it is possible to use demonstration materials (cards, photographs, drawings).

As a rule, the duration of a personal interview is 25-40 minutes. The main advantage of a face-to-face interview is that the interviewer sees the respondent and can be sure (by observing gestures and facial expressions) that the respondent fully understands the task.

The interview is conducted according to a formalized questionnaire, that is, the same questions are read to each respondent in a strictly defined sequence. Each interviewer goes through a special training course: how to select respondents, how to establish contact, how to ask questions and work with the questionnaire.

Advantages of the method of "personal interview"

personal conversation provides a high degree of confidence, allows for a significant duration of the interview;

it is possible to show the respondent demonstration materials (cards, logos, packaging samples);

the subject under study is revealed more fully;

allows you to conduct surveys among a narrow or hard-to-reach target group;

allows you to conduct a study of consumers directly at the points of sale of the studied product;

research can be done in settlements with inadequate telephony.

Disadvantages of the method of "personal interview"

requires a lot of time;

quite expensive (compared to a telephone survey).

Postal survey. An organization may use a mail survey to collect data. At the same time, questionnaires are sent to the existing database of addresses without taking into account the selection, for example, by gender, by age, etc. The mail questionnaire has a number of features due to the fact that the respondents will fill it out (answer the questions posed) on their own, without the help and explanations of the interviewers. In this regard, the mail questionnaire should be accompanied by clear and simple instructions for working with the questionnaire, and a clean envelope should be attached so that the respondent can mail the completed questionnaire to the return address at no cost. Also, the mail questionnaire should be tested many times before being mailed out to prospective respondents in order to ensure that the return is at a level that allows for the required number of responses. Respondents should be reminded that questionnaires must be returned within a certain period specified in the questionnaire itself or in the instructions attached to it.

The advantages of postal surveys are considered to be the obvious cost-effectiveness of the method and a large territorial coverage.

This method has both positive and negative sides.

For example, the obvious disadvantages of the mail questionnaire include a violation of the anonymity rule for the survey, since the questionnaire is sent to a specific person, at a specific address. Also, many questionnaires will eventually have to be rejected due to inconsistency with the sample, poor-quality filling, etc.

Mail questionnaires allow you to get answers to sensitive questions that are not always possible for interviewers to answer.

Telephone survey. This method is common, due to the fact that modern communication systems make it possible to organize and conduct a telephone survey. Certain requirements are imposed on the telephone method, based on the features of the structure and functioning of telephone communications.

The mandatory requirements of telephone communication include the study of a map of the territory that should be covered by the survey, the places of residence of various social groups, as well as the location of the PBX. To conduct a survey by telephone, it is necessary to have special questionnaires for recording respondents' answers, all questions must be closed.

In order to be sure that all answers are correct and that the respondent answered honestly, it is necessary to carry out control checks by re-interviewing respondents who have already been interviewed. The rating of telephone polls is very high, especially during certain periods of time, such as during election campaigns.

All interviewers should be professionally prepared for telephone conversations with interlocutors, and it is desirable to establish control over the interview process to identify errors and inaccuracies in the activities of interviewers.

It is customary to place survey results in the edition that was used, as readers will be looking forward to that particular edition.

This method has its own advantages and disadvantages. The advantages include clear cost-effectiveness, speed and efficiency in data processing. The disadvantages are considered to be the impossibility to comply with the sample, as some segments of the population will be missed, as well as the fact that many potential respondents refuse the survey.

A survey of the population can be carried out by a survey method using the media in which questionnaires are placed.

Polling with the help of the media. The questions of the questionnaire should correspond to the nature of the readers of the publication, the questions should be of interest to the respondents, touch upon their problems and be familiar firsthand. The disadvantages of this method include the low volume of completed questionnaires sent, the limited number of questions, and the high probability of the influence of outsiders on the respondents.

Teletype Poll used very rarely for numerous reasons, for example, just because the teletype is rarely used for domestic purposes, unlike the telephone, due to its cost and maintenance. Teletype communication includes all types of electronic communication: fax, telegraph and teletype-telegraph. The main advantage of this survey method is its super-efficiency and the expert significance of the information received. The disadvantages of the method include the closeness of questions and the limited number of answer options, which, as a rule, are not more than seven.

This method is most used for scientific purposes or to obtain the opinion of organizations that have facsimile in their own equipment.

TV poll. Television polls are often used by TV presenters to get the opinion of the respondents who watch their TV shows. The results of a television poll cannot be officially recognized, but their results are often given as some indication of a particular situation. On the one hand, this method of collecting primary information is superficial, but, on the other hand, they must be taken into account when conducting broad sociological surveys.

It is possible that the use of these data can be of invaluable service in large-scale foresights of collecting information on specific situations.

Research at the point of sale. Sometimes, to obtain the necessary information, it is enough just to see and fix the parameters under study. For example, the presence of a product on the counter, its price, display method, number of store visitors, etc. The information obtained during the study of retail outlets allows us to solve problems related to increasing market share; entering new markets; the launch of new brands; positioning of new and existing products.

This method involves a survey of outlets - retail and small wholesale, aimed at studying the range and price characteristics of goods and brands; monitoring the availability and prices of various brands in retail and small wholesale networks; study of commercial proposals for advertising and business media.

Research of this kind makes it possible to estimate the shares of the local consumer goods market owned by various brands (manufacturers, distributors, suppliers). The methodology allows obtaining reliable data in a situation where traders refuse to provide information about their performance. You can get information on a wide range of topics:

assortment and structure of the sales offer (by names, product groups, brands, manufacturers, dealers and distributors, types of outlets)

prevalence of brands;

differences between wholesale and retail prices;

spread of prices for the brand in retail and wholesale trade depending on different criteria (for example, type of outlet, region);

trading strategies of competitors;

indirect estimates of market share and sales volumes of goods of different names, manufacturers, brands, etc.

As a rule, research at the point of sale is used as part of a comprehensive analysis of the state and development prospects of a particular sector of the consumer goods market (along with qualitative methods, expert surveys, and consumer surveys).

Retail Audit(Retail audit) includes an analysis of the assortment, prices, distribution, promotional materials in retail outlets for the studied commodity group in a changing market situation and taking into account the activities of competitors.

Retail audit allows you to study various parameters of retail trade in dynamics: the range of goods of various groups in retail trade, the placement of goods in retail premises, the variety of packaging, the price level of competing brands, etc.

Mix methods- mixed methods of research, quite successfully combining the advantages of qualitative and quantitative methods.

The main types of mix methods are: hall tests, home tests and mystery shopping.

hall-test- a research method, during which a fairly large group of people (up to 100-400 people) in a special room tests a certain product and / or its elements (packaging, ads etc.), and then answers questions (fills out a questionnaire) related to this product.

Hall test rooms are equipped for testing products, simulating consumer choice situations and viewing advertisements.

As a rule, in the hall test room there is a separate room for filling out the filtration block of the questionnaire, separate rooms (or partitions) for each interview conducted so that the respondents cannot influence each other. The interview takes place in a structured conversation mode. The subjects of testing can be food, packaging, posters, advertising modules, videos, etc. Respondents are given the opportunity to express their reaction to the test material and explain the reason for their reaction.

The hall test allows obtaining information about consumer behavior and evaluation of the consumer properties of the product according to various tested characteristics.

Hall tests are used when necessary:

evaluate the consumer properties of goods in order to improve them, compare different options for the goods;

test brand concepts;

identify the reaction to the commercial offer price lists, tariff plans;

evaluate price sensitivity and purchase probability.

home-test- similar to the hall-test, with the only difference that in this research method, the research participant is invited to test at home any product or several products in a real environment. Usually these are everyday products: cigarettes, baby food, shampoos, washing powders, etc. The packaging of the product is marked with numbers and does not contain information about the manufacturer. A few days later, during a second visit, the respondent answers the questions of the questionnaire that characterize his attitude to the tested product, evaluates the consumer characteristics of the product, compares the product with analogues and determines the acceptable price range.

The method of home testing of products is designed to position the product, check the perception of its consumer properties, identify shortcomings and advantages compared to similar products from other manufacturers, determine the optimal price of the product, name and other characteristics.

The advantage of the home test technique is that the products are tested under the same conditions in which they are used in real life.

The home-test method is very effective in testing new products. Home-tests allow the manufacturer to avoid mistakes when bringing the product to the market, since the simulation of real consumption makes it possible to determine the market potential of a new product, to make changes to the product even before entering the market.

Mystery Shopping- a research method that involves assessing the level of service with the help of specialists acting as fake buyers (customers, clients, etc.). This is a method of evaluating the terms of trade, the quality of service through purchases made by specialists of a research company (hence the name - a mystery shopper). A specially trained person comes to the company under the guise of an ordinary client, communicates with the salesperson/consultant, asking him questions according to a predetermined scenario. The scenario takes into account all the aspects of the company's activity that are of interest: the quality of work of the service personnel, the price level, the range of goods, the location and interior of the store, etc.

The mystery shopping method allows you to evaluate (or check) the company's activities without its knowledge, analyze various aspects of the company's functioning through the eyes of a real consumer. The method allows you to evaluate the activities of various companies (customer and competitors) from the position of the consumer. Based on the results of the mystery shopping study, models of market advantages and disadvantages of the Customer in comparison with competitors are built, and the competitive environment is also analyzed.

LIST OF USED LITERATURE

Alesinskaya, T.V. Marketing: basics of marketing, marketing research, marketing management, Marketing communications: textbook / T.V. Alesinskaya [and others]; under the general editorship. V.E. Lankin. - Taganrog: Publishing House of TRTU, 2006. - 241 p.

Golubkov, E.P. Marketing research: theory, methodology and practice / E.P. Golubkov. M.: Publishing house "Finpress", 2003. - 496 p.

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