Market research design maps out the research process

Note: This was originally posted in a discussion as part of a Boston University Metropolitan College graduate-level course in Market Research with Professor Marcus Goncalves.

Market research begins with the establishment of the MDP and the MRP, which establish the research objective and priorities. Once those are established, the goal of the market research design is to map out the research process.

Market Research Design maps out the research methodology, the quality and type of data, the instruments and analytical tools that will collect and analyze the data, the research parameters (location, timeframe, budget, etc.), the population sample and sources, the variables and hypotheses, the project plan and the data gathering process.

There are different research methodologies available to gather the quantitative and qualitative data. The researcher must choose the methodology best suited to answer the MRP based upon the parameters and tools. It is imperative to choose the instruments and analytical tools during research design and not to collect data without understanding how it will be analyzed.

An excellent example of well mapped out market research design that is presented in the manner outlined by Stromp and the lectures was conducted by Garrido-Moreno, Garcia-Morales, Locket and King in the September 2018 edition of the International Journal of Hospitality Management. The research clearly defines and ultimately addresses the research objective, showing that positive reviews on Tripadvisor have shown a positive impact on booking, hotel management and intent to book.

With regard to qualitative research via social media, some researchers use social media to conduct text analysis secondary qualitative research, which analyzes social constructs through decoding words. These researchers try to understand the thought patterns and consumer habits of social media users.

Another example of secondary qualitative research via social media is pulling social media comments regarding a business or company (these could also be used in a quantitative manner through aggregation).

Other examples of secondary research via social media include bulletin board groups and online ethnography (watching what users do on social media), searching online discourse and discussions (Poynter, 2010)

Finally, social media can be leveraged for outreach to put together one on one interviews or focus groups, and a savvy researcher can even leverage social media tools to facilitate these activities. For example, an online focus group could be set up via Facebook Live.

References

Garrido-Moreno, A, Garcia-Morales, Vj, Lockett, N and King, S. (2018, September). The missing link: Creating value with Social Media use in hotels. International Journal Of Hospitality Management. Vol.75. Pp.94-104. Retrieved May 20, 2020 from:

https://www-sciencedirect-com.ezproxy.bu.edu/science/article/pii/S0278431916301670#bib0335

Poynter, Ray. (2010). The Handbook of Online and Social Media Research: Tools and Techniques for Market Researchers. West Sussex. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated.

Stromp, S. (2019). Market Research Essentials. Stukent