smartamarketing: Qualitative research

Qualitative research can help you…

Develop hypotheses for further testing and for qualitative questionnaire development
Understand the feelings, values, and perceptions that underlie and influence behavior
Identify customer needs
Capture the language and imagery customers use to describe and relate to a product, service, brand, etc.
Perceptions of marketing/communication messages
Information obtained in quantitative study and to better understand the context/meaning of the data
Generate ideas for improvements and/or extensions of a product, line, or brand
Uncover potential strategic directions for branding or communications programs
Understand how people perceive a marketing message or communication piece
Develop parameters (i.e., relevant questions, range of responses) for a quantitative study

Situations where qualitative research is often used:

New product idea generation and development
Investigating current or potential product/service/brand positioning and marketing strategy
Strengths and weaknesses of products/brands
Understanding dynamics of purchase decision dynamics
Studying reactions to advertising and public relations campaigns, other marketing communications, graphic identity/branding, package design, etc.
Exploring market segments, such as demographic and customer groups
Studying emotions and attitudes on societal and public affairs issues
Assessing the usability of websites or other interactive products or services
Understanding perceptions of a company, brand, category and product
Determining consumer language as a preliminary step to develop a quantitative survey

Do not expect qualitative research to…

Count, measure or offer statistical validation
Determine the best product concept or price point; or establish the importance of specific customer needs or satisfaction criteria
Be a substitute for quantitative research because of time and/or budgetary constraints when quantitative evaluation is critical

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