chapter 5 Flashcards
observation research
A systematic process of recording patterns of occurrences or behav- iours without normally communi- cating with the people involved.
conditions for using observation
- the needed information must be either observable or inferable from behaviour that is observable
- The behaviour of interest must be repetitive, frequent, or in some manner pre- dictable. Otherwise, the costs of observation may make the approach prohibitively expensive.
- The behaviour of interest must be of relatively short duration. Observation of the entire decision-making process for purchasing a new home, which might take sev- eral weeks or months, is not feasible
he dimensions along which observation approaches vary are
natural versus contrived situations
open versus disguised observation
human versus machine observers
direct versus indirect observation
natural versus contrived situations
theres a contrived environment that allows the research to better control extraneous variables but it is artificial and thus the observed behavior may be different from what would occur in a real world situation
more natural= more likely that the behaviour will be normal
natural= observer plays no role in the behaviour of interest
open versus disguised observation
open is when people know they are being observed, could appear differently. also the appearance and behaviour of the observer offers a potential for bias similar to that asso- ciated with the presence of an interviewer in survey research.
disguised observation : is the process of monitoring people who do not know they are being watched. A common form of disguised observation is observing behaviour from behind a one-way mirror.
human versus machine observers
In some situations, it is possible and even desirable to replace human observers with machines—when machines can do the job less expensively, more accurately, or more readily.
could have electronic scanners
direct vs indirect observation
Most of the observation carried out for marketing research is direct observation of current behaviour. However, in some cases past behaviour must be observed. To do this, the researcher must turn to some record of the behaviour.
advantages of observation research
First-hand information is not sub- ject to many of the biasing factors associated with the survey approach
Specifically, the researcher avoids problems associated with the willingness and ability of respondents to answer questions.
Also, some forms of data are gathered more quickly and accu- rately by observation
disvadnatabs of observation research
The primary disadvantage of observation research is that only behaviour and physical personal characteristics can usually be examined.
The researcher does not learn about motives, attitudes, intentions, or feelings.
Also, only public behaviour is observed; pri- vate behaviour—such as dressing for work or committee decision-making within a company—is beyond the scope of observation research.
A second problem is that pres- ent observed behaviour may not be projectable into the future
Observation research can be time-consuming and costly if the observed behaviour occurs rather infrequently.
ethnographic research
The study of human behaviour in its natural context, involving observation of behaviour and physical setting.
Ethnographers directly observe the population they are studying
advantages of ethnographic research
- Ethnography is reality based. It can show exactly how consumers live with a product, not just what they say about it or how they remember using it.
- It can reveal unexpressed needs and wants.
- It can discover unexploited consumer benefits.
- It can reveal product problems.
- It can show how, when, why, and where people shop for brands—and how they per- ceive those brands compared to competitive products.
- It can show who in the family actually uses a product and perhaps uncover a whole new potential demographic target.
- It takes advantage of consumers’ experience with the category and their hands- on creativity as they demonstrate their ideas for new products and product improvements.
- It can test new products in a real context. * It can reveal advertising execution ideas that derive directly from consumer
experience. - It can help form a better relationship with your consumers, based on an intimate knowledge of their lifestyles.
mystery shoppers
People who pose as consumers and shop at a company’s own stores or those of its competitors to collect data about customer– employee interactions and to gather observational data; they may also compare prices, dis- plays, and the lik
different levels for mystery shoppers
level 1: The mystery shopper conducts a mystery telephone call. Here, the mystery shopper calls the client location and evaluates the level of service received over the phone, following a scripted conversation.
Level 2: The mystery shopper visits an establishment and makes a quick purchase; little or no customer–employee interaction is required. For example, in a level 2 mys- tery shop, a mystery shopper purchases an item (for example, gas, a hamburger, or a lottery ticket) and evaluates the transaction and image of the facility.
Level 3: The mystery shopper visits an establishment and, using a script or scenario, initiates a conversation with a service and/or sales representative. Level 3 mystery shopping usually does not involve an actual purchase. Examples include discussing different cellular telephone packages with a sales representative, reviewing services provided during an oil change, and so forth.
Level 4: The mystery shopper performs a visit that requires excellent communica- tion skills and knowledge of the product. Discussing a home loan or the process for purchasing a new car, or visiting apartment complexes are examples. The “hotel spy” in the following Practising Market Research box is another example of level 4 mystery shopping.
mystery shopping objectives
measuring employee training
* enabling an organization to monitor compliance with product/service delivery stan- dards and specifications
* enabling marketers to examine the gap between promises made through advertising/ sales promotion and actual service delivery
* helping monitor the impact of training and performance improvement initiatives on compliance with or conformance to product/service delivery specifications
* identifying differences in the customer experience across different times of day, locations, product/service types, and other potential sources of variation in product/ service quality
one way mirror observations
The practice of watching behav- iours or activities from behind a one-way mirror.
The lighting level in the observation room must be very dim relative to that in the focus group room. Otherwise, the focus group participants can see into the observation room.
