Secondary research

Because the data come to the researcher 'second­hand' (i.e. other people have compiled it), this type of study is known as secondary research. (When the researcher actively collects new data - for example, by interviewing respondents -this is called primary research.) Secondary research should be carried out before primary research. Without the former, an expensive primary research survey might be commissioned to provide information that is already available from secondary sources.

Secondary data can be found via examination of internal records and reports of research previously carried out for a company. External sources include government and European Commission statistics, publishers of reports and directories on markets, countries and industries, trade associations, banks, newspapers, magazines and journals. As we saw at the outset of this chapter, the Internet can be a particularly effective means of gaining access to secondary information. The European Community is well equipped with secondary sources of data, and Appendix 4.1 (at the end of this chapter) lists some of the major sources of marketing information classified by research question.

Qualitative research

Group discussions and depth interviews are the main types of qualitative research. This kind of research aims to establish customers' attitudes, values, behaviour and beliefs.

Group discussions, sometimes referred to as focus groups; involve unstructured or semi-structured discussions between a moderator or group leader,

who is often a psychologist, and a group of consumers. The moderator has a list of areas to cover within the topic, but allows the group con­siderable freedom to discuss the issues that are important to them. By arranging groups of six to twelve people to discuss their attitudes and behaviour, a good deal of knowledge may be gained about the consumer. This can be helpful when constructing questionnaires, which can be designed to focus on what is important to the respondent (as opposed to the researcher) and worded in language the respondent uses and understands.

The traditional focus group takes place face to face, but the rise of the Internet has led to the creation of online focus groups. The Internet offers 'communities of interests', which can take the form of chartrooms or websites dedicated to specific interests or issues. These are useful forums for conducting focus groups or at least for identifying suitable participants. Questions can be posed to participants who are not under time pressure to respond. This can lead to richer insights since respondents can think deeply about the questions put to them online. Another advantage is that they can comprise people located all over the world at minimal cost. Furthermore, technological developments mean it is possible for clients to communicate secretly online with the moderator while the focus group is in session. The client can ask the moderator certain questions as a result of hearing earlier responses. Clearly, a disadvantage of online focus groups compared with the traditional form is that the body language and interaction between focus group members is missing.

Depth interviews involve the interviewing of individual consumers about a single topic for perhaps one or two hours. The aims are broadly similar to those of the group discussion, but depth interviews are used when the presence of other people could inhibit the expression of honest answers and viewpoints, when the topic requires individual treatment (as when discussing an individual's decision-making process) and where the individual is an expert on a particular topic.

Care has to be taken when interpreting the results of qualitative research because the findings are usually based on small sample sizes, and the more interesting or surprising viewpoints may be disproportionately reported. This is particularly significant when qualitative research is not followed by a quantitative study.

Qualitative research accounts for 10 per cent of all European expenditure on marketing research, of which 60 per cent is spent on group discussions, 30 per cent on depth interviews and 10 per cent on other qualitative techniques. Because of its ability to provide in-depth understanding, it is of growing importance within the field of consumer research.