Consumer Research Quantitative Research Designs and Data Collection Instruments

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Consumer ResearchQuantitative Research Designs
and Data Collection Instruments

• COMM 3710
• March 23, 2004
• Tim Larson

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Quantitative Research

• Consists of
• A research design
• The data collection methods instruments to be
  used
• Sample design

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3 Basic Research Designs(not to be confused with
3 basic rating equations)

• Observation
• Experimentation
• In a lab or in the field such as a retail store
• Survey
• Questioning people

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Observational Research

• Marketers recognize that the best way to gain an
  in-depth understanding of the relationship
  between people and products is by watching them
  in the process of buying and using products.
• Mechanical Observation
• Mechanical or electrical devices to record
  customer behavior or response to a particular
  marketing stimulus provide consumption records
  that are not anonymous
• Credit ATM cards - EZ Passes Frequency cards
• Automated phone systems - Online shopping
• Casino loyalty levels eating, drinking gaming
  patterns, room
• preference all tracked by electronically
  tagged chips
• Physiological Observation
• Eye movements
• Brain activity

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Experimentation

• Called causal research
• Controlled experiment
• Independent variable that which is manipulated
• Dependent variable that which is affected by
  manipulating the independent variable.
• Test marketing
• Elements such as package, price, and promotion
  are manipulated in a controlled setting in order
  to predict sales or gauge the possible responses
  to the product
• Virtual reality methods used more and more
• Different versions of the same product are put on
  the computer screen, and the virtual shopper
  picks up, looks at, and turns around an item
  and puts it in the virtual shopping cart or not.

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Surveys

• Personal interview surveys
• Telephone surveys
• Mail surveys
• Online surveys

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Comparative advantages disadvantages of survey
methods

• Mail Telephone Interview
  Online
• Cost Low Moderate High Low
• Speed Slow Immediate Slow Fast
• Response Rate Low Moderate High
  Self-Select
• Geo Flexibility Excellent Good Difficult
  Excellent
• Interviewer Bias N/A Moderate Problematic
  N/A
• Interviewer super N/A Easy Difficult
  N/A
• Response quality Limited Limited Excellent
  Excellent

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Quantitative Research Data Collection Instruments

• Questionnaires
• Attitude scales
• Personal inventories
• All data collection instruments are pre-tested
  and debugged for
• Validity
• Does the study measure what you want measured or
  answer the questions you want answered?
• Reliability
• Do the same questions, asked of a similar sample,
  produce the same findings?

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Questionnaires

• The primary data collection instrument in
  quantitative research
• To enhance analysis and facilitate the
  classification of responses into meaningful
  categories, questions include both substantive
  questions that are relevant to the purposes of
  the study and pertinent demographic data
• Questions can be
• Disguised (as to true purpose)
• Undisguised
• Open-ended
• Closed-ended

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Attitude Scales

• Researchers present respondents with a list of
  products or product attributes for which they are
  asked to indicate their relative feelings or
  evaluations.
• Likert scale
• level of agreement or disagreement
• Semantic differential
• bipolar adjectives
• Behavior intention scales
• Measures the likelihood that consumers will act
  in a certain way in the future, such as buying
  again or recommending to another.
• Rank-order scales
• rank products or services in order of preference

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Likert Scale

• For each of the following statements, please
  check the response that best describes the extent
  to which you agree or disagree with each
  statement.
• Its fun to shop Strongly Somewhat Neither
  Agree Somewhat Strongly
• On line Agree Agree or Disagree
  Disagree Disagree
• I am afraid to give my Strongly Somewhat
  Neither Agree Somewhat Strongly
• credit car online Agree Agree
  or Disagree Disagree Disagree

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Likert Scale Satisfaction Measures

• Over all, how satisfied are you with Bank Xs
  online banking?
• Very Somewhat Neither
  Somewhat Very
• Satisfied Satisfied Satisfied or
  Dissatisfied Dissatisfied
• Dissatisfied

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Likert Scale Importance Scales

• The following list of features are associated
  with shopping on the Internet. For each feature,
  please check the one alternative that best
  expresses how important or unimportant that
  feature is to you.
• Extremely Somewhat
  Neither Somewhat Not at all
• Important
  Important Important Important Important
  
• Speed of downloading
• the order form
• Being able to register
• with the site

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Semantic Differential Scale

• For each of the following features, please check
  one alternative that best expresses your
  impression of how that feature applies to online
  banking.
• Competitive rates 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
  Noncompetitive rates
• Reliable 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
  Unreliable
• Informal 1 2 3 4 5 6
  7 Professional
• Necessary 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
  Unnecessary
• Important 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
  Unimportant
• These words can drive your message strategy.
• Note The same semantic differential scale can be
  applied to two competititve offerings, such as
  online banking and regular banking, and a graphic
  representation of the profiles of the two
  alternatives, along with the bipolar adjectives
  included in the scale, easily can be constructed.

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Behavior Intention Scales

• How likely are you to continue using Bank Xs
  online banking for the next six months?
• Definitely Probably Might or
  Probably Definitely
• Will Will Might Not Will Not
  Will Not
• Continue Continue Continue Continue
  Continue
• How likely are you to recommend Bank Xs online
  banking to a friend?
• Definitely Probably Might
  or Probably Definitely
• Will Will Might Not
  Will Not Will Not
• Recommend Recommend Recommend
  Recommend Recommend

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Rank Order Scales

• We would like to find out about your preferences
  regarding banking methods. Please rank the
  following banking methods by placing a 1 in
  front of the method that you prefer most, a 2
  next to your second preference, and continuing
  until you have ranked all of the methods.
• ___ Inside the bank ___ Online banking Banking
  by phone
• ___ ATM ___ Banking by mail

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Qualitative Research Designs and Data Collection
Methods

• Depth interviews
• 30 minutes to an hour unscripted
• Focus groups
• 8 to 10 respondents who meet with a
  moderator/analyst to focus on a particular
  product or idea
• Projective techniques
• Designed to tap the underlying motives of
  individuals despite their unconscious
  rationalizations or efforts at conscious
  concealment.
• Metaphor analysis
• People do not think in terms of words but in
  images
• Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET)

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Customer Satisfaction Data Collection Instruments

• Includes both quantitative and qualitative
  measures as well as a variety of contact methods
  with customers
• Customer satisfaction surveys
• Customers expectation versus their perceptions
  of the product or service delivered
• Mystery shoppers
• Critical incident method
• Analyzing customer complaintsAnalyzing customer
  defections

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Assignment 3.3Due in class on April 1, 2004

• Customer Satisfaction Survey
• Generally, customer satisfaction surveys use
  5-point semantic differential scales ranging from
  very dissatisfied to very satisfied. These
  surveys measure how satisfied the customers are
  along relevant attributes of the product or
  service and the relative importance of the
  attributes (using an importance scale). Research
  shows that customers who indicate they are very
  satisfied (typically a score of 5 on the
  satisfaction scale) are much more profitable and
  loyal than customers who indicate that they are
  satisfied (a score of 4). Therefore, companies
  that merely strive to have satisfied customers
  are making a crucial error.

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Your task

• Your goal is to measure how satisfied COMM 3710
  students are with the 3710 class along relevant
  attributes of the class. Determine the important
  attributes using an importance scale. (Use the 10
  most important attributes in your survey as
  decided on in class on 4/24.)
• Then develop a student satisfaction survey for
  COMM 3710 using a 5-point semantic differential
  scale ranging from very dissatisfied to very
  satisfied.
• Hand in a copy of your uncompleted survey with
  your name on it.
• Hand in a completed copy of your survey
  anonymously. Conscientiously fill out the survey,
  but do not put your name on it.
• Half of you will complete a survey that measures
  the 3710 class and half will complete a survey
  measuring the ideal class of this type.