Course Title: Marketing Research

Topic 7. Quantitative research: Surveys

Lecturer: E. Tauris, 2011

Topic 7 notes were written using the following sources:

Boyce, J. (2007), Marketing Research, 2nd ed., McGraw Hill, Australia. Fletcher, R., & Crawford, H. (2011), International Marketing: an Asia-Pacific Perspective, 5th ed., Pearson Australia., Chapter 6. Malhotra, N., Hall J., Shaw, M., & Oppelheim, P. (2007), Essentials of Marketing Research: An Applied Orientation, 2nd ed., Pearson Education, Australia; Olatundun, I.O. (2009). What is Cross-Cultural Research, International Journal of Psychological Studies, Vol. 1 (2)., pp. 82-95
Salciuviene, L., Auruskeviciene, V., & Lydeka, Z. (2005). As Assessment of Various Approaches for Cross-Cultural Consumer Research. Problems & Perspectives in Management, Vol. 3, pp. 147-159.

Watkins, L (2010) The Cross-cultural appropriateness of survey-based value(s) research, International Marketing Review, Vol. 27 (6).

Survey method
Quantitative method Survey
Produces a large number of responses suitable for statistical analysis A structured questionnaire given to a sample of a population to elicit specific information from respondents. Formal questionnaire; Questions in a prearranged order.

Structured data collection Precoded (fixed alternative) questions

Respondents choose from a set of predetermined answers.

Surveys
Personal interviewing using a structured questionnaire: Face-to-face
Door-to-door Streets Shopping malls

Self-completion questionnaires: Mail (online) Internet E-mail

Telephone Door-to-door

Surveys
Advantages Simple to administer (coded, fixed alternative) Straightforward analysis Large sample Low cost Suitable for statistical analysis Geographic flexibility Disadvantages Inability to probe Lack of flexibility due to structured responses Difficulty in designing a good questionnaire

Classification by nature of interaction

Person-to-person Self-completion Computer assisted

Source of this and next ppt: Essentials of Marketing Research, 2e; Malhotra, Hall, Shaw, Oppenheim 2007 Pearson Education Australia, Figure 5.1 & 5.2, Chapter 5

Classification by mode of administration

Personal interviewing: Face-to-face

Advantages
Interviewer-respondent rapport Reassuring the respondent Long interviews Visuals Overcoming language barriers Higher completion rate required

Disadvantages The cost Interviewers must be well trained Interviewer bias Not anonymous

Personal: location interception

Advantages Travel costs are eliminated Interviewer can interact with respondents Ability to show, taste or handle a product Disadvantages Non-representative sample Uncomfortable environment (shopping centre, street, etc.)

Telephone interviewing (CATI)

The fastest way to interview CATI computer assisted telephone interviewing (ACNielsen) Programming to minimise errors:
Computer dials phone number Computer skips questions Can customise questions No editing required

Interviewers can be easily supervised

Telephone Interviewing
Advantages: Quick Lower cost per interview People are used to telephone calls from strangers Response rate No security problems Disadvantages: Silent numbers No visuals Harder to establish rapport Falling achievement rates % of refusals are rising Voice-mails Mobile phones cause sampling problems Mobile phones:
Inconvenience (timing & location)

CATS
Computer automated telephone systems (CATS)
Computer-synthesised voices are used to ask questions over the phone

Advantages
Respondents select numbers on the telephone keypad to answer questions Voice recognition is likely to be used in the future to record and count responses

Disadvantages
Not appealing to respondents High refusal

Self-completion questionnaires
Advantages Usually low total cost of survey Can cover people over a wide area Respond at their own time Disadvantages Little control of time frame and respondent identity Low & slow response More response errors are likely answers may be influenced by the content of all questionnaire

Response rate problems

Methods used to increase response rate
Preliminary notification Personalisation Anonymity Response deadline Incentives Questionnaire size, reproduction, and colour Type of postage (return envelopes) Follow-ups

Response errors
Omitted questions Misunderstood questions Misread instructions Incomplete answers Insufficient reply to open-ended questions

Issues of cross-cultural research

Difficulty to communicate an opinion if the respondent is unfamiliar with the concept Willingness to respond
A male interviewer is not allowed to interview a female respondent in Muslim countries

Language and comprehension

idioms, literacy, dialects, no exact translation, interpreting answers, and so on. .

Respondent bias
Social bias: telling what it is believed the interviewer wants to hear; Taboo topics.

Cross-cultural survey methodology

Survey methodology is particularly open to bias and errors due to cultural differences in the construction of meaning Values research:
The relationship of values to other constructs are not easily addressed using survey methodology The use of scales is problematic The problem with almost exclusively Western cultural background of theories and instruments used:
Western cultural values measures are themselves culture bound. The most important values may not be even captured.

Cross-cultural response issues

Different response styles:
For example, Asian respondents demonstrate significantly different response patterns to Australian respondents: Asian response style: mild leading to less extreme points ticked

Difference in response style may account for up to 6% variance of the data Likert-scales tend to be most problematic

Response bias
Non-response bias
Respondents are reluctant to answer (may perceive the questions as culturally sensitive)

Extreme response bias

The answers tend to cluster around some point in the scale; over-reaction to questions. It becomes difficult to determine whether the answers reflect tendencies to answer in a certain way, or true national differences.

The Internet & Intranet

The Internet - An extensive international connection between computer systems that allows for the transmission of digital data between household and business computers. Intranet - private computer connections and networks, available internally to company or organisational members only. WWW - A system of using computer language to allow easy communication between remote computers in business or the home.

Internet market research

Any research activity that involves gaining information for the purposes of marketing research from respondents using the internet or web technologies
Focus groups Observation Internet surveys Email surveys

Qualitative Quantitative

The Internet future trends

Improved access to wireless technology Improved geographical access Mobile Internet : sport, music, video, films and pictures on mobile internet technology

Internet market research

When a respondent either on a single occasion or as part of a panel:
completes a questionnaire online downloads a questionnaire from a server on the Internet and returns it by e-mail receives the questionnaire incorporated into an e-mail and returns it participates in an online qualitative interview or discussion takes part in a measurement system which tracks web usage on the user's p.c

Classification of electronic sources

Essentials of Marketing Research, 2e; Malhotra, Hall, Shaw, Oppenheim 2007 Pearson Education Australia, Chapter 6, figure 6.5

OIR- Online information resources

On-line Information Resources (OIR) are sources used for secondary data collection that re accessed using the Internet or the WWW (scholar.google.com/) Key Issues: Accuracy, Reliability and Legality
Internet data needs to be checked carefully Your queries about information:
Is information right? (accurate, reliable and valid) Is it right to use the information? (morally and ethically) Do I have the right to use the information? (legally)

Online qualitative research

1. Moderated online Focus Groups:
OLCD (online chat discussion) text-based exchange of comments and opinions OLVD (online video discussion) video streaming to provide visual contact between participants

2.Unmoderated online Focus Group

Newsgroups Chat rooms Weblogs Consumer response sites

Online qualitative research

Advantanges Lower geographical constraints Client can observe from office or home Reach hard-to-get-to segments doctors, professionals, etc Moderator can carry on person to person sideconversations to probe deeper Disadvantages
Can you verify who is participating? Lack of control over participants environment distractions Only audio and visual stimuli can be used New moderating skills required some resistance to change

Types of Quantitative online research

1. Observation

Trace measures : Cookies, Page hits, Log files

2. Intranet surveys

Distributed by company internal networks to employees and customers

3. Email surveys

Uses system of personal addresses

Email surveys
Uses system of personal addresses with the questions sent to potential respondents
Direct email survey: Survey questions are distributed in the body of the message Download email attachment: download and print questionnaire and return by email, fax or mail. Visitor lists : visitors to web-site Opt-in lists : customers asked to participate Purchased lists : from list suppliers

Two-stage research approach can be used :

Email contact Direction to website or attached form

Email surveys
Advantages Disadvantages

Ease of transferring information both to and from Cost savings

Cannot use skip patterns Inappropriate respondent replies cannot be blocked More post-survey data cleaning required Email system may be limited

Internet surveys
Accessed from a website and the responses entered and added directly to the researchers web site or service Respondents recruited online or by traditional methods Passwords may be necessary to limit access to once only Usually conducted by using an Internet panel

Internet survey panels

Opt-in panels
Participants have agreed to provide data on a regular basis (f.e. Loyalty program)

Pre-recruited panels
Challenge is to recruit panel that reflects the population Researcher tends to set quotas

Screened panels:
Variation of pre-recruited panel. Participants selected on specific relevant criteria

Web invited participation

Pop-up or banner invitation 1inN Website visitor selection

Disadvantages of Internet surveys

Self-selection to participate Unrepresentative user population Multiresponders Lack of interpersonal contact

Technical issues
May be regarded as SPAM
intrusive use, may create sample bias Genuine survey regarded as spam may slow down response

Bad email addresses

in one UK study 35% of invalid addresses from a one year-old database. Assumption that email addresses change frequently.

Duplicate responses (over-sampling)

Server-generated passwords required for each respondent to avoid clicking on Submit more than once.
Olatundun, 2009.