Quantitative Research Techniques
Survey Research ...
• is a method of descriptive research used for
collecting primary data based on verbal or written
communication with a representative sample of
individuals or respondents from the target
population.
• It requires asking the respondents for
information either face-to-face or using the
telephone interview, or through mail, fax or
Internet.
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Survey Research
• Objectives:
– Most survey research studies attempt to identify and
explain a particular marketing activity. Marketing
surveys typically have multiple objectives.
• Although surveys are generally conducted to quantify
certain factual information, certain aspects of surveys
may also be qualitative.
– For example, testing and refining new product concepts is often a
qualitative objective in a new product development.
• Has non-business application as well. [e.g. donor research].
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Example
• What survey research objectives might Daewoo
[motor car] develop to learn about car buyers?
– Consumer preference in design and features and
how best to satisfy these preferences;
• shopping mall “intercepts”; mail interview etc.
– Demographic details, customer satisfaction;
– Testing certain aspects of advertising;
– Study product image.
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Person administered surveys I
1. Direct, face-to-face Interview:
• Interviewer and interviewee see and talk to each other
face-to-face. Includes
– In-home/In-office Interview
• Appointment first,
• Face to face Interview
• Needs Skill
– Mall Intercept Interview
• Interview outside home, in supermarkets, departmental
stores, other public places
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Face to face interview
• Advantages
– Direct interaction
– Clarity and display of
exhibits
– Better quality and
quantity of data
– Higher response rate
– No sequence bias
– Identifying respondents
– Unstructured
• Disadvantages
–
–
–
–
High cost
Longer time
Interviewer bias
Anonymity not
maintained
– Interviewer cheating
– Time bias exists
– Field control needed
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Person Administered Surveys II
2. Indirect, non- face-to-face Interview:
• The interviewer and the interviewee do not see
but talk direct to each other.
– Telephone Interview
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Telephone Interview
• Advantages
– Faster Results
– Inexpensive
– Better geographical
coverage
– Irresistibility
– Reaching hard-to-reach
people
– Timing: early or late OK
– Privacy and better control
– Coincidental data:
immediate feedback.
• Disadvantages
– No exhibits
– Long interview not
possible
– Inability to make
judgment
– Answering machines and
caller identification device
– Sampling problem
• Obsolete directory: poor
sampling frame
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Self-administered surveys
Mail Survey
• Advantages
– Wide geographical coverage
– Providing thoughtful answers
– Ability to ask sensitive
questions
– No interviewer bias
– Inexpensive
– Better control
– Anonymity
– Clarity
• Disadvantages
–
–
–
–
–
Mailing list problem
Unidentifiable respondent
Questionnaire exposure
Data limitation
No interviewer assistance
• no exhibits
– Assumed literacy
– Poor response rate
– Longer time
Survey through Internet has similar advantages and problems
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A questionnaire
[also called research instrument]
• Data collection
instrument used
for gathering
data;
• A formalized
schedule of an
assembly of a
carefully
formulated
questions;
• Six important functions
– Converts research objectives
into specific questions
– Standardizes the questions
– Keeps respondents motivated
to complete the research
– Serve as a permanent record
– Speed-up the process of data
analysis
– Reliability and validity
purposes
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Questionnaire Development Process
Steps in a Questionnaire Development Process
Determine
Survey
Objectives
Decide Data
Collection
Methods
Pre-design activities
Post-design activities
Tabulate and
Analyze Data
and Finalize
Report
Gather Data
Using the
Questionnaire
Question
Development
Question
Evaluation
by Researcher
and by Client
Pretest the
Questionna
ire
Design
activities
Revise,
Finalize,
and
Duplicate
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Basic Question Formats
Various Question Formats
Basic
Question Formats
Open-ended
Questions
Closed-ended
Questions
Scaled
Questions
Basic
Open-ended
Questions
Dichotomous
Questions
Labeled
Questions
Probing
Questions
Multiple-Choice
Responses
Unlabeled
Questions
Clarifying
Questions
Single-coded
Multiple-coded
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OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS: Questions to which respondents
give their responses freely, according to their own will.
Basic Open Ended Questions.
Q. What do you particularly like about Lipton Tea?
______________________________________________________________________________
Q. Why are you unwilling to buy a cellular phone when it is available in the market?
________________________________________________________________________
Probing Questions
Q. What do you particularly like about Johnson & Johnson baby oil?
__________________________________________________________________________
PROBE: Anything else?
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Advantages and disadvantages of
Open-ended Questions



•
Advantages
Since they do not restrict the
respondent’s response, the
widest scope of response can be
attained.
Most appropriate where the
range of possible responses is
broad, or cannot be
predetermined.
Less subject to interviewer bias.
Responses may often be used as
direct quotes to bring realism
and life to the written report.
Disadvantages




Inappropriate for self-administered
questionnaire since people tend to
write more briefly than they speak.
The interviewer may only record a
summary of the responses given by
an interview and fail to capture the
the interviewer’s own ideas.
It is difficult to categorize and
summarize the diverse responses of
different respondents.
May annoy a respondent and prompt
him/her to terminate the interview,
or ignore the mail questionnaire.
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CLOSED-ENDED QUESTIONS: Questions to which respondents
are required to answer from set of alternative responses provided by
the researcher. Could be dichotomous or multiple choice.
Dichotomous Questions With No Neutral Response
_________________________________________________
Q.Do you have a cellular phone?
Yes ...................................... 1 without neutral
No ...................................... 2 response
Dichotomous Questions With Neutral Response
Q.Is it likely that you will purchase a cellular phone in the next
six months?
Yes ...................................... 1 with neutral
No ...................................... 2 response
Not Sure .............................. 3
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Single- and multi-coded multiple choice questions
_____________________________________________________________________
Q. On an average, how much do you spend on newspapers, books and magazines in a
month? (Please check one from the following responses.)
Less than $15 ...................................
Between $16 & $30 ......................….
Between $31 & $45 .......................…
Between $46 & $60 .....................…..
$60 or more .................................…..
1
2
3
4
5
Single-coded
question
Q. Which of the following household appliances does your household have?
(Please check as many responses that are applicable to you.)
TV
LCD
PC
Fax
…………1
………….2
…………3
…………4
VCR
…… … 5
Microwave
….…… 6
Cellular phone ……….7
Others
……….8
Specify ____________
Multi-coded
question
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__
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Advantages and Disadvantages of
Closed-ended Questions
ADVANTAGES
DISADVANTAGES
 All respondents reply on a
standard response set. This
ensures comparability of
responses, facilitates coding,
tabulating and interpreting the
data.
 Easier to administer and most
suited for self-administered
questionnaire.
 If used in interviews, less
skilled interviewer may be
engaged to do the job.
 Preparing the list of
responses is timeconsuming.
 If the list of responses is
long, the respondents may
be confused.
 If the list of responses is
not comprehensive,
responses may often fail to
represent the respondent’s
point of views.
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Scaling questions
 Scaling questions are special types of closed-ended questions.
 They include, among others, the following categories of questions.







Behavioral/Attitudinal questions
Buying-intent questions
Agree-Disagree questions
Preference questions
Ranking questions
Semantic differential questions
Constant-sum questions
 The questions can be labeled or unlabeled
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Labeled and Unlabeled Scaling Questions
Type of
Scaled
Questions
Unlabeled
scaledresponse
question
Labeled
scaledresponse
question
Examples
“On a scale of 1 to 7,
how would you rate
the IBM Thinkpad on
ease of operation?
Advantages
1. Allows a respondent to
express the degree of
his/her intensity of
feelings.
2. Easy to administer and
code.
“Do you disagree
1. Allows a respondent to
strongly, disagree,
express the degree of
agree, or agree strongly his/her intensity of
with the statement,
feelings.
‘IBM laptops are a
2. Easy to administer and
better value than
code.
Compaq laptops’?”
3. Respondents can relate
to the scale.
Disadvantages
Respondents
may not relate to
the scale well.
Scale may be
“forced” or
overly detailed.
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Considerations in choosing a question format
• Nature of the property being measured
– Subjective Vs objective
• Previous research studies
– Need for comparison with past studies
• Data Collection Mode
– Telephone/face-to-face-interview/mail
• Scale level desired
– Statistical analysis
• Ability of the respondents
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Phrasing and Sequencing of Questions
PHRASING
• Focus on a single issue or
topic
• Ask precise questions
using respondent’s core
vocabulary
• Avoid
– use of vague words
– asking leading or loaded
questions
– estimation questions
– double barreled questions
– presumptuous questions
SEQUENCING
• Start with simple opening
questions
• Place
– broad-based questions first;
– more specific and narrow
questions and difficult,
sensitive, embarrassing
questions should come
later(Funnel approach)
– Classification questions last.
• Transition from one topic to
another should be smooth
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Questionnaire Layout
•
•
•
•
Provide sufficient spaces
Use prominent print for instructions
Use filtered questions
Do not slit the same question over two
pages
• Number the questions
• Layout should facilitate editing and
coding
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Comparative Evaluation of Various survey Methods.
________________________________________________________________________
Face-to-face Interview
Criteria
In-home/
MallTelephone
Mail
In-office
intercept
Interview
Survey
Flexibility of data collection
Diversity of questions
Sample control
High
High
Potentially
high
Control of data collection
Moderate to
environment
high
Response rate
High
Show of exhibits
Yes
Quantity of data
High
Anonymity of the respondents Absent
Access to sensitive information Low
Speed
Moderate
Cost
High
Potential interviewer bias
High
High
High
Moderate
Low
Moderate
Low
High
Moderate
Low
Moderate to
high
Moderate
High
Yes
Moderate
Absent
Low
Fast
Moderate
Moderate to
Moderate
No
Low
Moderate
High
Fast
Moderate
Moderate
Low
No
High
High
High
Slow
Low
Low
Low
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Causal Research/Experiments
• In causal research, the emphasis is on specific hypotheses
about the effects of changes of one variable on another
variable.
• Deals with cause-effect relationship.
• Involves experiment where an independent variable is
changed or manipulated to see how it affects a dependent
variable by controlling the effects of extraneous variables.
• Extraneous variables:
– Different from dependent or independent variables
– Variables that may have some affects upon a dependent variable
but yet are not independent variables.
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Experimental design
• A set of procedures for devising an experiment such that a
change in a dependent variable may be attributed solely to
the change in an independent variables.
• Various notations used:
O = The measurement or the process of observation of a
dependent variable on the subjects or groups of subjects to be tested.
O1 and O2 refer to different measurements made of the dependent
variable.
X = The manipulation, or change, of an independent variable.
R = Random assignment of subjects (consumers, stores, and so on) to
experimental and control groups.
E = Experimental effect; that is, the change in the dependent variable due to
the independent variable.
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Types of Experimental Designs
• Many Designs
• “Quasi-” and “true” experimental designs
– Quasi designs: designs which do not properly control for the
effects of extraneous variables.
– True designs: designs which properly control for the effects of
extraneous variables and isolate the effects of independent
variables on the dependent variables.
• Three examples:
– After only design
– One Group, Before-After Design
– Before-After with control group
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Three Examples
• After only
–
Involves one group, shown as
X
O1
• X represents the change in the independent variable
• One group, Before-After Design
– Involves one group, shown as O1 X O2
Both are examples of quasi experimental design
• Before-after with control group
Experimental group: Group subjected to experimental treatment: O1
X O2
Control group: Group not subjected to experimental treatment: O3
O4
Change = (O2 -- O1) -- (O4 -- O3 )
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Illustrated Example
A supermarket intended to determine the affect of change in
packaging style (independent variable) on sales of mangoes
(dependent variable) through experimentation. At the time
of the decision, the store sold the produce in pre-weighted
packs containing two mangoes. After recording the sales of
mangoes in this manner management changed (manipulates
the independent variable) the packaging system and started
selling the mangoes from open produce bins. The change
yielded better sales figures. Now the question was “Did the
change in the system from the packs of two to free selection
from produce bins caused this sales increase?”
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Question: “Did the change from selling in packs of two to
free selection from produce bins caused this sales increase?”
In answering this question, the following questions need to be
answered:
 Could there be other variables that could have effected mango sales?
 What would happen to the sales if the weather changed from rainy to fair?
 Did the change take place during a festive season?
In this example, weather and the onset of the festive season etc.
may be viewed as extraneous variables, having an effect on the
dependent variable. However, these are not independent variables.
This example clearly shows that isolating the effects of independent
variables on dependent variables without controlling for the effects
of the extraneous variables is very difficult.
Experimental designs help to accomplish this task.
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Experimental Design: the mango example
• Divide the 16 supermarkets in two equivalent groups of 8 - one control
group, the other experimental group.
• In the shops in control group, DO NOT CHANGE the packaging style, in
the experimental group, make the change.
• Measure the sales for both groups before the experiment date and after
the experiment date.
• Assume that the difference in the two groups are as below:
•
•
•
After
Control group
30,720units [O4]
Experimental group
31,688 [O2]
Sales increase due to new system
Before
27,980 [O3]
27,816 [O1]
Difference
2,740 [O4 - O3]
3,872 [O2 - O1]
1,132
Change = (O2 -- O1) -- (O4 -- O3 )
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Basic Research Designs Compared
EXPLORATORY
DESCRIPTIVE
Objectives
Gather background
information, define terms,
clarify problems and
hypotheses, establish
research priorities.
Describe and measure Establish causality, develop
marketing phenomena, “if-then” statements
characteristics, or
functions of interest.
Characteristics
Relatively simple,
versatile and flexible;
Often the first phase of a
multiple research design,
unstructured.
Prior formulation of
specific hypotheses;
Pre-planned and
structured design.
Manipulation of one or more
independent variables;
Pre-planned and structured
design;
Control of other mediating
variables
Methods
Secondary data analysis
Qualitative research
Expert surveys
Pilot surveys
Secondary data
analysis
Surveys
Panels
Observational and
.
other data
Experiments:
Laboratory
Field
Test marketing
Conclusive
Conclusive
Results/Findings Tentative
CAUSAL
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Other points related to experiments
• Validity
– An experiment is valid if:
• the observed change in the dependent variable is, in fact,
due to the independent variable >> internal validity
• if the results of the experiment apply to the “real world”
outside the experimental setting >> external validity.
• Test marketing
– A special type of field experiment used to test
• sales potential for a new product or service,
• variations in the marketing mix for a product or service.
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Strengths and Weaknesses of
Laboratory Experiment and Field Experiment
STRENGTHS
Laboratory (Studio) Experiment
Field Experiment

Better control of the environments
and the experimental variables
Lower cost
Faster data collection
Competitors less likely to be aware
More adaptable to the use of
mechanical/electrical equipment

Sometimes difficult to project test
results
Less representative sample of
respondents






WEAKNESSES





More representative
sample of respondents
Better generalization of
test results
More difficult to control
the environment and the
experimental variables
Competitors more likely
to be aware
Higher cost
Slower data collection
TEST MARKETING
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Difference between Surveys and
Experimental Designs
• The fundamental difference concerns the
manipulation of independent variables.
• In surveys, an effect is observed and a search
for a cause follows.
• In experimental research, on the other hand,
independent variables are manipulated to
establish a cause-effect relationship.
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Alternative Research Strategies for collecting consumer
information about a product.
Elements of
Strategy
Strategy 1
Strategy 2
Strategy 3
Strategy 4
Survey
Method
Telephone
interview
Mail
survey
Personal
interview
Personal
interview
Research
instrument
Few factual
questions
A 2-page
questionnaire
Many
questions
Projective
tests
Sampling
plan
A small
sample of
households
chosen by
random digit
dialing in the
All subscribers
to a consumer
magazine
A large sample
of subjects
chosen on a
national
probability
sampling
A dozen
people
found
using the
product
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Quantitative Research in Asia-Pacific Region
• Unavailable/inaccurate secondary data:
– Much data on Asian markets are either non-existent, difficult to
obtain or unreliable. For example, in many Asian countries
consumers’ income estimates are inaccurate since they omit the
unreported or underreported income.
• Problem with primary data
– Survey research suffers from lack of sampling frame; shortage of
qualified researchers/interviewers; respondents’ unfamiliarity
with research and lack of trust on researchers; less than truthful
responses; and other cultural idiosyncrasies.
– Poor postal and telephone system; poor rate of literacy of
respondents; high rate of change and political instability etc.
• The nature and magnitude of problems vary from country
to country.
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