Any company that produces certain goods or services needs to promote its product to the consumer. To achieve this goal, marketing research methods are applied either by the company's marketing departments or by hired specialized agencies. These studies are designed to study and analyze consumer preferences, the effect of advertising texts and videos on a potential consumer, various advertisements and other mass media awareness about the product or the company as a whole.
The essence of marketing research is market research in order to provide the company with accurate and reasonable results of analysis conducted for a specific purpose. In anticipation of a new product entering the market, this can be the identification of a consumer segment, the study of a potential buyer’s reaction to a product, the study of competitive products, the identification of the advantages of a new product over existing ones on the market, product testing and clarification of packaging preferences.
There are different methods of marketing research : expert analysis, survey, focus groups, experiment method, content analysis. There are desk methods, methods of observation and in- depth interviews. Usually, several methods are used in conjunction with marketing research in combination, which is determined by the goals and objectives set for marketers.
Marketing, by and large, is the positioning of a product or service in the future. Previously , marketing research methods came down mainly to the search for new sales channels and methods for increasing sales. Now, marketers understand that the study of consumer needs and preferences is of primary importance in their work. F, Kotler clarifies this very accurately with an old Spanish proverb that says that in order for a person to become a good bullfighter, he must first study the bull.
Now many marketing research methods are used to determine the needs of consumers, evaluate the market and its market efficiency. Some of them:
- Supervision in stores. Here we study the behavior of customers, their movement around the store, tracked, which attracts their attention, first of all, what is the distribution of attention by gender, age and social groups, the impact of services and so on.
- Surveillance at home - researchers go to buyers' homes to find out how they and their families relate to this product and how to use it at home, what suggestions and suggestions for improving the product.
- Observations in other places.
- Focus groups. They are very popular due to the fact that a certain group of people is selected and discussions, polls, and tests are held with them for some time. All this is recorded on video or audio media, then analyzed, and conclusions and suggestions are made about further events.
The marketing information analysis system is designed to bring together all the data received from different channels and draw appropriate conclusions. The analysis should initially begin at the stage of setting goals, otherwise there will be no clear understanding of what should be obtained in the final result and will lead to vagueness and vagueness of conclusions.
When conducting an analysis of the information collected, the personal opinion, feeling, and preferences of the researcher should not be taken into account. Only the facts coming from the respondents matter, they can be contradictory, include prejudice, and so on, but this will help the manufacturer understand how to make the right decision for him. Indeed, for this, in the final light, these studies were carried out.