Like this article? PLEASE +1 it! Evan Signature
Evan Carmichael Top Header
Share for a Cause









Market Research – What’s That Then?

Written by:

Article Overview: A definition first: A market is a group of customers (people or businesses) who may be interested in buying your product (goods or services.)

Free Download - What Type of Business Should I Start? By
Name: Email:

Market Research – What’s That Then?

People research for the following reasons:
1. Researching a market in order to produce a product to meet a perceived need.
2. Discovering the size of the potential market for a product.
3. Discovering what people want.
4. Deciding how much people would be willing to pay.
5. Understanding what encourages people to buy.
6. Understanding why a product you have is not selling.
7. Discovering who your potential competitors are.
8. Understanding what your competitors are doing in the market.
9. Deciding the best way to launch your product on the market.
10. Finding a niche – or hole in the market – that you can satisfy with one of your products.

Once you have decided on what questions you want answering – there are two main market research methods – the direct and the indirect methods.

• Direct: You go directly to your potential customers and ask them a series of questions. This is expensive and you need a standard set of questions plus some work afterwards in order to review the results. Usually potential customers are contacted via questionnaires or surveys. This can be done face to face, by telephone or via your web site. This kind of research is better for qualitative research such as what reactions to a product are, would you buy if…. etc?
• Indirect: This is research on a topic – or question via the internet or via researching a particular database – such as the National Statistics etc. This kind of research is best for quantitative research – such as how many? Where they are? Etc.

Related Articles
  For Good SEO You Must Go Back To Basics
  Powerful Relationship Selling
  Getting to your North Pole
  Self-Quiz – Should my business hire a consultant?
  Considering Canadian equipment leasing ? What Leasing Companies Offer The Best Equipment financing

Home > Marketing > > Market Research Whats That Then
Article Tags: indirect methods, market research methods, national statistics, niche, potential market, qualitative research, quantitative research, questionnaires, surveys, what your competitors



Related Forum Posts
Re: Hello from a San Diego-based marketer Re: Hello from a San Diego-based marketer - Welcome Aaron! Whats the next stage for your business? Ben
Re: New, young entrepreneur Re: New, young entrepreneur - Congrats H20ismyLife! Do you have a website so we can see any of your work? Whats the next step for you?
Re: How should i promote a new website? Re: How should i promote a new website? - ignore this message IF it's already been stated. I haven't had a chance to read all the replies and i have to jet from the office... I suggest marketing where ever your Target Market congregates. If it's a forum of concerned parents - go there. Strike up a deal with the forum owner (JV) and have him promote it to the list of members (Integration Marketing). If you want to go with Forums then i would partner with a parent who is a frequent poster/moderator on a particular Target Market Forum and have him/her add your link to their signature. That was just a thought but it's not as intense once you get buy in from the Forum owner or high ranked poster/moderator. Hope that sparks some new ideas.
Re: Ideas For Business Re: Ideas For Business - Hello Lucy, you may consider this list for Ideas for Business: (Top 23 list) Rank Company 1 Google 2 Genentech 3 Wegmans Food Markets 4 Container Store 5 Whole Foods Market 6 Network Appliance 7 S.C. Johnson & Son 8 Boston Consulting Grp. 9 Methodist Hospital Sys. 10 W.L. Gore & Associates 11 Cisco Systems 12 David Weekley Homes 13 Nugget Market 14 Qualcomm 15 American Century Invest. 16 Starbucks Coffee 17 Quicken Loans 18 Station Casinos 19 Alston & Bird 20 QuikTrip 21 Griffin Hospital 22 Valero Energy 23 Vision Service Plan
Re: Do Women Play the Stock Market? Re: Do Women Play the Stock Market? - I also play Stock Market.....


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.



Featured Article


Bottom Footer
Share for a Cause












Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!
Name:
Email:
Popular Articles

ROSI Return on SUNK Investment

Working Across Borders

Adjusting Your World

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.