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Bronis Verhage
ISBN: 9789001818661
http://www.marketingfundamentals.noordhoff.nl
© 2017 Noordhoff Uitgevers bv
GLOSSARY
Chapter 5 Marketing research and marketing information
Marketing research The systematic and objective gathering, analyzing and
interpreting of data that help marketers explore opportunities and make better
marketing decisions.
Market research plan Description of the methods and techniques that will be used to
ensure that the research is carried out in an objective and unbiased manner.
Hypothesis Statement about the expected relationship between two or more
variables or a future development that needs to be tested or verified through research
before deciding how to solve a problem or deal with the circumstances.
Marketing research process Systematic approach to developing and executing
marketing research, which includes defining the problem and research objectives, the
research plan, secondary data and exploratory research, refining the research design,
primary data collection and, finally, analyzing, interpreting and presenting the research
results.
Secondary data Pre-existing data that have been collected for another purpose at an
earlier time.
Descriptive research Research design that focuses on determining how often
something occurs or to what extent some situations vary over time, without
considering possible relationships between different factors.
Causal research Market research that examines a cause-and-effect relationship
(Experimental research).
Desk research Effort to find out what information is readily available on the topic
being researched.
Internal source Secondary data (e.g. sales analyses) on file within the researcher’s
own company (e.g. the sales department).
External source A source of secondary data (e.g. industry sales figures) outside of the
organization, such as reports sold by Nielsen or available through the Internet.
Primary data Data collected through ‘field research’ for the research study at hand.
Ma rk eti n g Fu n da m e n tal s, An In t e rn ati o n al P e r sp e ctiv e
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Bronis Verhage
http://www.marketingfundamentals.noordhoff.nl
ISBN: 9789001818661
© 2017 Noordhoff Uitgevers bv
Exploratory research Small-scale study to obtain a tentative explanation of a problem
or to identify additional problems for investigation.
Pilot survey Preliminary study to test a questionnaire before proceeding with a fullscale market research investigation.
Qualitative research Flexible, small-scale study seeking in-depth, open-ended
responses, of which the results are indications that cannot be generalized or
quantified.
Expert research Exploratory research to tap the knowledge and opinions of people
who are – often professionally – familiar with the problem under investigation (Expert
opinion or experience survey).
Delphi method Form of expert research to get insight into uncertain market
developments, in which experts submit their forecasts and are then shown those of
other experts in subsequent rounds, allowing them to revise their opinion until
consensus is reached.
Research Design Proposal specifying the marketing research questions, the data
collection method (including the sample and research instrument), how the responses
will be analyzed and the study’s constraints.
Population All individuals with the characteristics in which the researcher is
interested (e.g. all iPhone 5 owners in the UK) and therefore are part of the group that
is studied.
Sample Segment of the population selected for marketing research in such a way that
it represents the overall population, allowing the research results to be generalized to
the entire population.
Random sample Sample in which everyone in the population has an equal chance of
being selected.
Stratified random sample After dividing the population into mutually exclusive
subsets or ‘strata’ (e.g. male and female students), the respondents from each stratum
are selected randomly in proportion to their percentage of the population, allowing the
research results to be generalized to the whole population.
Ma rk eti n g Fu n da m e n tal s, An In t e rn ati o n al P e r sp e ctiv e
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Bronis Verhage
http://www.marketingfundamentals.noordhoff.nl
ISBN: 9789001818661
© 2017 Noordhoff Uitgevers bv
Survey Systematic data collection by asking a group of people a series of questions
online or through mail questionnaires, personal or telephone interviews about
products or services, their opinions, attitudes and buying behaviour.
Non-response Failure to obtain information from some elements of the population
that were selected for the sample because of their incorrect addresses, unwillingness
to participate or inability to answer certain questions, undermining the
representativeness of the survey and possibly the reliability of the research results.
Personal interview Face-to-face interview between the market research company’s
interviewer and the respondent.
Telephone interview Market research interview as part of a telephone survey, usually
conducted through computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI).
Open-ended question Survey question that a respondent can answer as he wishes,
with his answer recorded word for word.
Closed-ended question Survey question asking the respondent to choose between a
limited number of responses.
Structured interview Interview in which the closed-ended questions as well as their
order are determined in advance and the applicable answers simply need to be ticked
or circled by respondents.
Semi-structured interview Interview in which the majority of the questions are openended, with the interviewer writing down the answers as they are given.
Unstructured interview Interview in which the interviewer has a checklist of
discussion points and continues his questioning until he has sufficient insight into the
respondent’s motives or reasoning (In-depth interview).
Motivation research Qualitative research conducted to gain insight into consumers’
(subconscious) motives, mindset and behaviour, for example when purchasing
products.
Projective technique Research technique in which the subject is shown a photograph,
drawing, story or a list of words and asked to react, giving the researcher insight into
his personality, values, needs and (buying) motives without his realizing it (indirect
questioning technique).
Ma rk eti n g Fu n da m e n tal s, An In t e rn ati o n al P e r sp e ctiv e
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Bronis Verhage
http://www.marketingfundamentals.noordhoff.nl
ISBN: 9789001818661
© 2017 Noordhoff Uitgevers bv
Storytelling Questionnaire method of data collection in which the respondent is
shown a drawing, picture or cartoon, about which he is asked to tell a story, or to
elaborate on his own experiences as a consumer.
Sentence completion Projective technique, in which the respondent is asked to
complete a list of sentences with the first words that come to mind (e.g. ‘People who
drive a Jaguar are…’).
Word association The respondent is presented with a list of product features or brand
names and, after each one, is asked to say the first word he thinks of.
Focus group Motivation research setting in which eight to twelve people meet with a
moderator to discuss a subject.
Observation Method of data collection through which someone’s behaviour is
recorded, without questioning him and usually without his even being aware of the
process.
Mystery shopper Researcher posing as normal customer, gathering observational
data about store appearance and cleanliness, types of products displayed, quality of
service and employees’ interaction with customers.
Eye camera Instrument used in a laboratory situation to record eye movements.
Pupillometer Instrument used in a laboratory situation to measure changes in the size
of the eye’s pupil.
Galvanometer Instrument used in a laboratory situation to detect changes in the
electrical resistance of the skin (‘galvanic skin response’) in order to measure a
subject’s emotions.
Experimental research Form of causal research in which the researcher
systematically manipulates and controls an independent variable (e.g. price) and
measures its effect on the dependent variable (e.g. buying behaviour), under tightly
controlled conditions.
Uncontrolled experiment Experiment (such as a test market) in which the researcher
does not intervene, but simply measures the outcome of a certain factor, determining
how independent variables (e.g. current prices) affect a dependent variable (e.g. sales)
(quasi-experiment).
Ma rk eti n g Fu n da m e n tal s, An In t e rn ati o n al P e r sp e ctiv e
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Bronis Verhage
http://www.marketingfundamentals.noordhoff.nl
ISBN: 9789001818661
© 2017 Noordhoff Uitgevers bv
Independent variable Variable (a cause, such as compettitors’ prices) of which the
value has an effect on the value of the dependent variable (the result, such as sales).
Controlled experiment Research method in which the researcher manipulates a test
group (experimental group) in order to compare the results with those of a control
group that was not exposed to the treatment
Experimental group Randomly selected group of subjects in an experiment who
receive an experimental treatment in order to measure and compare the effect with
the control group.
Control group Group of subjects who did not receive the experimental treatment of
which the researcher measures the effect on the experimental group, to allow a
comparison of the two groups and assess the experimental variable’s effect.
Laboratory experiment Experiment in which respondents are asked to perform a
particular activity in an artificial setting, with the researcher controlling all relevant
variables and manipulating others that relate to the marketing decision to be made.
Experimental variable Independent variable (such as price discounts or commercials)
that are systematically varied in order to measure any changes in the elements that the
researcher wants to examine.
Field experiment Experiment conducted in a realistic environment in order to capture
cause-and-effect relationships.
In-store test Field experiment (e.g. ACNielsen’s Controlled Store Test) involving similar
retail stores – split up into an experimental and a control group – in which a researcher
measures consumer acceptance of new packaging, displays or another treatment
variable and the effect on turnover or another dependent variable by comparing sales
volume of the two groups of stores.
Split-run test Comparing the effectiveness of two advertisements by placing them in
different parts of the print run of a magazine, followed by a recall study.
Quantitative research Marketing research with an emphasis on data that can be
statistically analyzed to verify a hypothesis and develop scientifically meaningful,
numerical conclusions.
Ma rk eti n g Fu n da m e n tal s, An In t e rn ati o n al P e r sp e ctiv e
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Bronis Verhage
http://www.marketingfundamentals.noordhoff.nl
ISBN: 9789001818661
© 2017 Noordhoff Uitgevers bv
Marketing information system Combination of people, equipment, and procedures to
collect, sort, analyze, evaluate and communicate relevant and timely information to
marketing decision makers (MIS).
Intranet Internal communications network that links the company’s employees,
departments, and databases through internet technology.
Marketing intelligence system System through which publicly available information
about consumers, competitors and developments in the marketing environment is
gathered, processed and made available as an input into the MIS.
Online database Computerized files of information available from online commercial
sources or elsewhere through the Internet, accessed via PC, laptop, tablet or other
mobile devices.
Data mining Use of supercomputers and mathematical tools to sift through an
extensive database to identify patterns of buying behaviour or other potentially useful
knowledge.
Marketing Decision Support System Coordinated set of data, tools and techniques,
complemented by analysis and interactive software that allows managers to access
MIS data and conduct their own analyses (MDSS).
Test market Limited geographical area, representative for the overall market, in
which marketers launch a new product in order to assess its commercial feasibility and
marketing mix.
Me too product Imitation version of a successful product, launched by a competitor.
Repeat purchase The subsequent purchase of a product after the first purchase,
frequently used as a measure of customer satisfaction.
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