INTERNATIONAL MARKETING RESEARCH

International marketing research is the systematic design, collection,

recording, analysis, interpretation, and reporting of information for a
particular marketing decision facing a company operating internationally.
International marketing managers need to constantly monitor the
different forces affecting their international operations. International
marketing research is especially complex due to cultural differences and
consumers remain sometimes suspicious of research.

Types of International Marketing Research:

Research of Industry, Market Characteristics, and Trends

International Buyer Behavior Research
International Product Research

International Distribution Research

International Promotion Research
International Pricing Research

Research of Industry, Market Characteristics, and Trends:

Acquisition analyses
Diversification analyses
Market-share analyses
Export research

International Buyer Behavior Research:

Brand preferences
Brand attitudes
Brands awareness studies
Purchase behavior studies
Consumer segmentation studies

International Product Research:

Concept development and testing studies

Brand name generation and testing
Product testing
Competitive product studies
Packaging design studies
Test marketing

International Promotion Research:

How

effective is the communication with the target market?

Studies of premiums, coupons, and deals
Advertising effectiveness research
Local media research
Studies of personal selling activities:

Sales Force Compensation

Quota
Territory

International Pricing Research:

International market potential studies

Sales potential studies
Sales forecast
Cost analysis
Profit analysis
Price elasticity studies
Competitive pricing analyses
Studies projecting demand
Currency and countertrade studies
Studies of inflation rates and pricing
Studies of negotiation tactics

The International Marketing Research Process:

STEP 1: Define the International Marketing Research Problem and
Research Objectives
Exploratory (define the relevant dimensions, generate
hypotheses)
Descriptive (observe and describe the problem)
Causal research (cause-and-effect relationships)

STEP 2: Develop the Research Plan (sources, instruments, methods,

procedures, costs)

STEP 3: Decide on the Information Sources

Secondary Data:
Collected to address a problem other than the specific
international marketing problem that the company is currently
facing
Internal and external secondary Data
Collected before primary data
Primary Data:
Collected to address the specific international marketing
problem
Secondary Data Constraints:
Conceptual constraint:
Concepts have different meanings in different cultural
environments.
Functional constraint:

Products themselves may be used for different purposes in

different country environments.
Availability, Reliability, and Validity:
Published statistics may be unavailablein many markets,
relevant market data has not been collected; the most accurate
secondary data is available on industrialized countries.
Data may not be reliable and validdata may be underreported or
exaggerated.

STEP 4: Design Data Collection Instrument

Emic instruments
Measure phenomena specific to each culture.
Etic instruments:
Measure the same phenomenon in different cultures.
Constraints:
Translation costs and accuracy
Instrument reliability
Reluctance to answer certain questions
STEP 6: Decide on the Sampling Plan
Sample Unit (Who)
Sample Size (How many)
Sampling Procedure (Selection)
STEP 7: Collect, Analyze, and Interpret Data