TYPES OF SURVEY

MARKET
Market share analysis. Compares your position with that of your competitors. Provides a segmentation of actual and potential customers. Researches and compares your own and competing brands and products.

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
Surveys to determine satisfaction levels in users, consumers and customers.
Quality surveys applicable to products, services, distribution, etc.

PACKAGING
Pre and post testing of presentation and packaging.
Compares your own image with that of competing brands.
PACK-CHECK. Evaluates packaging features.

PRODUCT
Viability studies for new products or services.
Product testing.
Taste and specific attribute tests.
Brand name and logo testing.

ADVERTISING
Concept testing.
Pre and post ad testing.
ADVISOR: Advertising tracking (tests ad effectiveness and audience rating) .

COMPANY ORGANISATION
Employee satisfaction.
Tests of production performance.
Employees' attitudes and opinions .

LOCATION
Location of shopping centres.
Location testing. Ease of access, proximity of competition,, brand recognition .

  

PRINICIPAL MARKETING RESEARCH TECHNIQUES

QUANTIFICATION METHODS
Used to determine the measurable aspects of consumption: consumer habits, audience ratings, market awareness and consumer attitudes.
A structured survey is used to recruit a representative sample. The number of interviews depends on the segmentation and degree of detail required by the client.

Personal interview: conducted in the home, sales outlet or company headquarters.

Telephone interview: a computer assisted process, using the CATI system. Results emerge quickly, thanks to direct recording of interviews.

Mail survey: Reduces costs, though it generates a lower response rate.

CIES makes closely monitored fieldwork the key to providing reliable data.

Quantification methods are widely used in basic consumer research and in assessing market size and segmentation.

SPECIFIC QUANTIFICATION METHODS
PANEL SURVEY: For studies carried out at regular intervals, a fixed sample may be used, though it must be renewed periodically.
OMNIBUS SURVEY: A study in which clients buy their own share of the data. This is a way of reducing costs among clients with the same target universe.

SEMI-QUANTITATIVE METHODS
HALL -TESTS: This method is used when both descriptive and quantitative data are required.

  • They are conducted in public (superstores, coffee bars, public lounges, etc.)
  • The survey contains open-ended questions.
  • Respondents may be asked to give their opinion of a product or business after trial.
  • Sample size is between 80 and 300 interviews.
  • These tests are usually based on personal interviews.


QUALITATIVE METHODS
Qualitative methods are used to investigate consumer motivation and attitudes towards products or businesses.
The aim is to discover what motivates certain behaviour patterns and what factors influence consumer decisions.

The main qualitative methods are:

  • The in-depth or non-directive interview.
  • The semi-structured interview.
  • Focus groups.
  • Projective techniques.

These methods are used for pre-campaign testing, attitudinal and motivational studies and most kinds of product testing in general.

DESK RESEARCH
When a stock of reliable data is already available, research can be conducted from the office. This method, which is usually combined with one of those described above, requires a well-known, regularly updated database.