Companies that conduct research. Marketing research of the company. Planning and conducting marketing research

01.12.2019

Every resident of Russia can be called a consumer. And the one who does not speak Russian is also a consumer, only then he is called spozhivach (Ukrainian), consumer (“consumer”, English), or verbraucher (Austrian German), or konsument (German), or something else. Every time we consume something, we make an impact on the socio-economic environment that is imperceptible to us.

By consuming, we influence sellers. Sellers, having made an act of sale, thereby influence distributors, who, in turn, influence producers, and those - on suppliers of raw materials. Each time such an imperceptible act of consumption leads to growing waves of influence that involve an increasing number of economic entities in continuous process…

Under conditions of totalitarian socialism or a monarchy, this process is strictly regulated from above. In a liberal (or, in our case, rather “slightly more liberal”) economy, this process is “driven by the market.”

Each participant in the process has an alternative - what to consume. When choosing from at least two proposals, we must be guided by some criteria. Often these are quite specific criteria, for example, price. Sometimes they are more difficult to grasp (eg brand preference), other times it may be the need to satisfy some deep needs (for example, the unmet need to feel power over other people may result in the purchase of a sports car).

Just in order to feel good in the market, rules of conduct were invented, which were named in the American manner marketing. Such rules (which, upon closer examination, turn out to be not so simple) allow any Russian company compete with global giants such as Procter & Gamble. Yes, they brought together leading specialists in the marketing department. Yes, they pay good wages. But not everything is so sad, because there is such a word as "marketing".

Marketing is your guide to the market game. Anyone who has mastered marketing can, if not defeat the international monsters, then at least grab a piece of his pie.

Nevertheless, our goal is not to teach you marketing techniques, but to help you in such an important matter as market research, the results of which are the information base for marketing activities. You can learn more about this service by going now to the services section of our call center -.

Market Research

For any company striving for success, marketing research acts as the beginning and logical conclusion of any cycle of its marketing activities. Market research greatly reduces the uncertainty in making important decisions. marketing solutions, which allows you to effectively distribute the economic potential to achieve new heights in business!

Marketing research, the study of the external and internal environment and its regular monitoring for any enterprise is an important element of the strategy for successful development in the conditions market economy. The role of research increases many times in the conditions of the unformed market segment or with the uncertainty of a new business.

Whether you decide to introduce a completely new product to the market or enter a new market with an existing one, you will face the problem of a lack of information about market conditions and other necessary ingredients for a successful market entry. Does the market need your product, and if so, in what volume?

Most likely, you have a certain vision of the market. But perhaps this is not enough to choose the right strategy. It is in this situation that our specialists will help you to study the market in detail and develop a competitive marketing concept.

As a first step, it is necessary, which will allow you to solve, both in combination and separately, the following tasks:

Determine the real and potential market capacity. Studying the market capacity will help you correctly assess your chances and prospects in this market and avoid unjustified risks and losses;
Calculate or predict your market share. The share is already a reality, and it is quite possible to build on it, forming future plans, and then increase it in the future. Market share is an important indicator of your company's success;
Analyze the behavior of your customers (demand analysis). This analysis will assess the degree of consumer loyalty to the product and the company, answer the question: “Who buys and why?” And, therefore, it will help to set competitive prices for products, make changes to the product itself, optimize promotion channels and advertising strategy, organize effective sales, that is, adjust all components of the marketing mix;
Conduct an analysis of the main competitors (offer analysis). Knowledge of competitors' products and marketing policies is necessary to better target the market and adjust your individual pricing and promotion policies to ensure your competitive success;
Analyze distribution channels. That will allow you to determine the most effective of them and form a ready-made chain of optimal movement of the product to the end consumer.

Carrying out marketing research

- this is the collection, processing and analysis of data on the market, competitors, consumers, prices, the internal potential of the enterprise in order to reduce the uncertainty associated with making marketing decisions. The result of marketing research are specific developments that are used in the selection and implementation of the strategy, as well as the marketing activities of the enterprise.

As practice shows, without market research it is impossible to systematically collect, analyze, and compare all the information necessary for making important decisions related to market activity, market selection, determining sales volumes, forecasting and planning market activities.

The objects of market research are the trend and process of market development, including an analysis of changes in economic, scientific, technical, legislative and other factors, as well as the structure and geography of the market, its capacity, sales dynamics, market barriers, the state of competition, the current situation, opportunities and risks. .

The main results of the market research are:

Forecasts of its development, assessment of market trends, identification of key success factors;
Determination of the most effective ways of conducting a competitive policy in the market and the possibility of entering new markets;
Implementation of market segmentation.

Marketing research can be directed to various objects and pursue different goals. Let's look into this in more detail.

Tasks of marketing research

Qualitative research is carried out to solve the following problems:

Market analysis;
Consumer analysis;
Analysis of competitors;
Promotion analysis;
Testing advertising concepts;
Testing advertising materials (layouts);
Testing the marketing complex of the brand (packaging, name, price, quality).

Marketing research of consumers

Consumer research allows you to identify and explore the full range of incentive factors that guide consumers when choosing goods (income, education, social positions etc.) The subject of the study is the motivation of consumer behavior and the factors determining it, the structure of consumption, the provision of goods, and trends in consumer demand are being studied.

The purpose of consumer research is consumer segmentation, selection of target segments.

Competitor Research

The main task of competitor research is to obtain the necessary data to provide a specific advantage in the market, as well as to find ways of cooperation and cooperation with possible competitors.

For this purpose, strengths and weak sides competitors, the market share occupied by them, the reaction of consumers to the marketing means of competitors, and the organization of business management are studied.

Exploring Potential Intermediaries

In order to obtain information about possible intermediaries through which the company will be able to be present in the selected markets, a study of the company's market structure is carried out.

In addition to intermediaries, the enterprise must have an idea about transport, forwarding, advertising, insurance, financial and other organizations, creating a set of marketing infrastructure for the market.

Research of the product and its values

The main purpose of product research is to determine the compliance of technical and economic indicators and the quality of goods with the needs and requirements of consumers, as well as an analysis of their competitiveness.

Product research allows you to get the most complete and valuable information from the point of view of consumers about the consumer parameters of the product, as well as data for the formation of the most successful arguments for an advertising campaign, the choice of the most suitable intermediaries.

Objects of product research: properties of analogue products and competitor products, consumer reaction to new products, product range, service level, prospective consumer requirements

Research results enable the company to develop own assortment goods in accordance with the requirements of buyers, improve their competitiveness, develop new products, develop form style, determine the ability of patent protection.

Marketing price analysis

Price research is aimed at determining such a level and price ratio that allows you to get the most profit at the lowest cost.

The objects of study are the costs of development, production and marketing of goods, the degree of influence of competition, the behavior and reaction of consumers to prices. As a result of the conducted studies of the goods on prices, the most effective ratios of "cost-price" and "price-profit" are selected.

Merchandising and sales research

The study of product distribution and sales aims to determine the most effective ways, methods and means of quickly bringing the product to the consumer and its implementation. The objects of study are trading channels, intermediaries, sellers, forms and methods of sale, distribution costs.

It also analyzes the forms and features of the activities of various types of wholesale and retail strengths and weaknesses are identified. This allows you to determine the possibility of increasing the turnover of the enterprise, optimize inventory, develop criteria for choosing effective channels of product distribution.

Study of sales promotion systems

The study of the sales promotion system is one of the important areas of marketing research. The objects of research are: the behavior of suppliers, intermediaries, buyers, the effectiveness of advertising, the attitude of the consumer community, contacts with buyers. The result of the study makes it possible to develop a policy of "public relations", to determine the methods of forming the demand of the population, to increase the efficiency of commutative communications, including advertising.

Research of advertising activity

Stimulating the promotion of goods on the market concerns not only advertising, but also other aspects of the company's sales policy, in particular, research on the effectiveness of competitions, discounts, premiums and other benefits that can be applied by the company in their interaction with buyers, suppliers, intermediaries.

Research of the internal environment of enterprises

Studies of the internal environment of the enterprise aim to determine the real level of competitiveness of the enterprise as a result of comparing the relevant factors of the external and internal environment.

Marketing research can also be defined as the systematic collection, recording and analysis of data on marketing and marketing issues in order to improve the quality of decision-making and control procedures in the marketing environment.

Goals of marketing research

The objectives of marketing research can be divided as follows

Search targets- collection of information for a preliminary assessment of the problem and its structuring;
Descriptive purposes- description of the selected phenomena, objects of study and factors influencing their state;
Causal goals- testing the hypothesis about the presence of some causal relationship;
Test Goals- selection of promising options or assessment of the correctness of the decisions made;
Forecast goals- predicting the state of the object in the future.

Each company independently determines the subject and scope of marketing research based on its capabilities and needs for marketing information, so the types of marketing research conducted by different companies may be different.

Basic concepts and directions, experience in conducting marketing research

Previously, it was emphasized that marketing research- this is scientific analysis all factors influencing the marketing of goods and services. It follows that the scope of this function is practically unlimited, and therefore we will consider only those types of research that are most often encountered in practice.

Essentially, the goal of marketing research is to answer five basic questions: who? what? when? where? and as? Related question: why?- expands the study to contact with the field of social psychology and sometimes stands out in an independent area known as motivational analysis (motivation research), i.e., the study of the motives of consumer behavior.

Ways to organize marketing research

Marketing research can be organized and conducted either through a specialized research agency or through the firm's own research department.

Organization of research with the help of our own research department

Own research department is engaged in marketing research in accordance with the information needs of the company.

Organization of research with the help of a specialized research agency

Specialized research agencies carry out a variety of studies, the results of which can help the company solve existing problems.

Advantages	Flaws
The quality of research is high, as research firms have rich experience and highly qualified specialists in the field of research. The results of the study are highly objective, as the researchers are independent of the customer. Specialized firms provide great opportunities in choosing research methods due to the availability of special equipment for conducting research and processing their results.	The cost of research is quite high, research is more expensive than that performed by an internal research team. Knowledge of product features is limited to general ideas. There is a higher chance of information being leaked as there are many people involved in the research.

Advantages

Flaws

The quality of research is high, as research firms have rich experience and highly qualified specialists in the field of research.
The results of the study are highly objective, as the researchers are independent of the customer.
Specialized firms provide great opportunities in choosing research methods due to the availability of special equipment for conducting research and processing their results.

The cost of research is quite high, research is more expensive than that performed by an internal research team.
Knowledge of product features is limited to general ideas.
There is a higher chance of information being leaked as there are many people involved in the research.

Marketing Research Department

Judging by how often one hears the statement that competition in business is becoming more and more intense, one would assume that most firms probably have marketing research departments. In fact, very few firms have such departments. The most recent data is hard to come by, but it is known that in a survey conducted by the British Institute of Management, only 40% of the responses were received from 265 companies surveyed (in all likelihood, because most firms did not have research departments).

However, it would be a mistake to assume that this fact means the same low level of use of the research results, since a significant part of the work on marketing research is carried out by specialized organizations. In addition, in many companies, marketing research departments often go by different names, such as “Department economic information" etc.

The decision to create your own marketing research department depends on an assessment of the role that it can play further in the activities of the company as a whole. Such an assessment is mainly qualitative and varies from firm to firm, which makes it difficult to establish precise criteria. For our purposes, it suffices to assume that the decision to create such structural unit accepted and attention is focused on those issues that should be taken into account in this case.

They can be grouped as follows:

The role and functions of the marketing research department;
Position in the organizational structure of the company;
The role and functions of the department manager.

Role and Functions of the Marketing Research Department

Considering the above list of types of research related to marketing, it is obvious that a very large department would be required to cover all the areas mentioned.

When a firm undertakes this kind of work for the first time, it is strongly advised to create a list of tasks, ranking them in order of importance, and limit yourself to trying to achieve the most important ones first. This does not mean that other studies should not be carried out at all, since setting too rigid demarcation lines between tasks can only lead to an inflexible approach and to the fact that auxiliary studies that complement the main ones are abandoned.

Too often, firms make the mistake of making a newly created marketing research department responsible for maintaining the company's accounting records. Transferring this function to him inevitably generates friction and reduces the efficiency of the company, since, on the one hand, this slows down the work of departments that need reporting data for their current activities, for example, sales department, and on the other hand, it distracts the marketing research department from its main function - research.

In cases where the creation of a specialized research department is preceded by extensive data collection and reporting, it is better if other departments retain this function, providing information they have as needed. To avoid both duplication and dissipation of effort, the responsibilities of each department should be clearly defined, and only those reports that are essential to in-house research activities should be required from the marketing research department.

Place for marketing research in the organizational structure of the firm

The location of the marketing research department within a firm depends to a large extent on its organizational structure. As a rule, he should have a direct relationship with the managing director, since this department performs an advisory function and in many cases provides the chief administrator with the initial data on which the general policy of the company is based (as opposed to operational decisions).

AT large organizations where executive directors head functional divisions, the chief marketing officer may be given responsibility for setting the direction of the research department and for deciding what reports should be presented to the head of the firm.

Even in this case, it is advisable to provide a direct link between the managing director and the research department, in order, on the one hand, to ensure that reports that criticize this or that aspect of the company's activities will be heard by the head of the company in order to avoid deterioration of relations between the director of marketing and directors responsible for other divisions.

In addition, it is the managing director who deals with the effectiveness of the company as a whole and. therefore, it is better than other managers to assess the significance of research results for a particular department.

Some authors believe that the manager of the marketing research department should have the same status as the heads of the main operational structural units, but this is not true in view of the usually existing differences in the size of departments and the level of responsibility. Provided that the manager has access to the board of directors, his status should be directly determined by the importance that the department has within the organization as a whole.

Role and Functions of the Marketing Research Manager

The nature of the job of the manager of the marketing research department depends on the size and function of the department, as well as on the degree of control and leadership from above. At the same time, in any case, the manager must be a person competent in his field and have personal integrity and honesty.

Competence implies not only experience and knowledge in the field of marketing and methods of its analysis, but also the ability to turn management problems into real ones. research projects carried out taking into account time and financial constraints.

The requirement of personal integrity and honesty means that the manager of the marketing research department must interpret the results of the analyzes carried out objectively, in accordance with generally accepted principles of scientific research. “Statistics in the service of lies” - such a situation can only exist when unscrupulous people use facts fabricated through subjective selection, manipulation and deliberate presentation to prove baseless conclusions, i.e., as the researchers say, “looking for data” .

The manager must meet not only the basic requirements mentioned above, but, in addition, have the qualities that are necessary for all leadership positions, namely: to have the ability to administrative work, to be able to understand the behavior of people and be able to effectively influence them.

Planning and conducting marketing research

Marketing Research Process

Marketing research can be divided into two main categories: permanent and episodic. Marketing is a continuous process taking place in constantly changing conditions. Therefore, systematic research is essential if a firm is to remain aware of changes in the underlying determinants of demand and be able to modify its policies accordingly. Extensive information of this type is collected by specialized organizations and government departments, but this information is often too generalized and may not meet the specific requirements of an individual firm. As a result, it has to be supplemented by research conducted by the firm itself.

In addition, many marketing situations are so peculiar (for example, launching a new product on the market) that they require special studies.

Such studies are carried out certain scheme, consisting of the following steps:

Justification of the need for the study;
Analysis of the factors that determine this need, i.e. the formulation of the problem;
Exact formulation of the purpose of the study;
Drawing up a plan for an experiment or survey based on the analysis provided for in paragraph 2;
Data collection;
Systematization and analysis of data;
Interpretation of results, formulation of conclusions, recommendations;
Preparation and submission of a report containing the results of the study;
Evaluation of the results of actions taken based on the findings of the researchers, i.e.
Establishment feedback.

It is obvious that constant research is built according to the same scheme as at the beginning, however, in the future, the first four stages disappear.

Marketing research methods

The first task of choosing methods for conducting marketing research is to familiarize yourself with the individual methods that can be used in the collection and analysis of marketing information.

Then, taking into account the resource capabilities of the organization, the most appropriate set of these methods is selected. The most widely used methods of conducting marketing research are the methods of document analysis, sociological, expert, experimental and economic-mathematical methods.

The goals of marketing research can be exploratory in nature, i.e. be aimed at collecting preliminary information designed to more accurately identify problems and test hypotheses, descriptive, i.e. consist in a simple description of certain aspects of a real marketing situation and casual, i.e. be aimed at substantiating hypotheses that determine the content of the identified cause-and-effect relationships.

Each such direction includes certain methods of collecting and analyzing marketing information.

Exploratory study is carried out in order to collect preliminary information necessary to better identify the problems and assumptions (hypotheses) put forward within which marketing activities are expected to be implemented, as well as to clarify terminology and set priorities among research objectives.

For example, it has been suggested that low sales are due to poor advertising, but exploratory research has shown that the main cause of undersales is poor distribution system, which should be studied in more detail in the subsequent stages of the marketing research process.

Among the methods of conducting exploratory research, the following can be distinguished: analysis of secondary data, study of previous experience, analysis of specific situations, work of focus groups, projection method.

Descriptive research aimed at describing marketing problems, situations, markets, for example, demographics, consumer attitudes towards the organization's products.

When conducting this type of research, answers are usually sought for answers to questions that begin with the words: who, what, where, when and how. As a rule, such information is contained in secondary data or collected through observations and surveys, and experiments.

For example, it is investigated, "who" is the consumer of the organization's products? "What" is considered as the products supplied by the organization to the market? "Where" is considered as the places where consumers purchase these products? "When" characterizes the time when consumers are most actively buying these products. "How" characterizes the way the purchased product is used.

Note that these studies do not answer questions that begin with the word “why”. "Why" increased sales after the advertising campaign? Answers to such questions are obtained by conducting casual research.

casual research conducted to test hypotheses regarding causal relationships. At the heart of this study is the desire to understand some phenomenon based on the use of logic such as: "If X, then Y."

For example, the hypothesis being tested is: Will a 10% reduction in the fee for a given organization's service result in an increase in the number of customers sufficient to compensate for the loss from the fee reduction?

If we consider the methods of marketing research in terms of the nature of the information received, then they can be divided into two groups: quantitative and qualitative.

Quantitative Marketing Research aimed at studying consumer behavior, purchase motivation, consumer preferences, attractiveness and consumer qualities of the product, price / consumer qualities ratio, assessment of the capacity and characteristics of the real and potential markets (various segments) of the product or service.

Quantitative methods make it possible to characterize the socio-demographic, economic, psychological portrait target group.

Characteristic features of such studies are: a well-defined format of the collected data and sources of their receipt, the processing of the collected data is carried out using streamlined procedures, mostly quantitative in nature.

Data collection in marketing research

Methods for collecting primary data in quantitative research include polls, questioning, personal and telephone interviews based on the use of structured closed-ended questions that are answered by a large number of respondents.

The survey is conducted at points of sale or by address/route sampling at the place of residence (place of work) of the respondent. The reliability of the results is ensured by the use of a representative sample of respondents (respondents), the use of qualified interviewers, control at all stages of the study, professionally compiled questionnaires and questionnaires, the use of professional psychologists, sociologists, marketing specialists in the analysis, the use of modern computer tools for statistical analysis of the results, constant contact with the customer at all stages of work.

Qualitative research involves collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data by observing what people do and say. Observations and conclusions are of a qualitative nature and are carried out in a standardized form. Qualitative data can be quantified, but this is preceded by special procedures.

The basis of qualitative research is observational methods, which involve observation rather than communication with respondents. Most of these methods are based on approaches developed by psychologists.

Qualitative analysis methods make it possible to describe the psychographic characteristics of the studied audience, behavior patterns and reasons for preferring certain brands when buying, as well as to receive from consumers the most in-depth information that gives an idea of the hidden motives and basic needs of consumers.

Qualitative methods are indispensable at the stages of development and evaluation of effectiveness advertising campaigns, studying the image of brands. The results are not numeric, i.e. presented solely in the form of opinions, judgments, assessments, statements.

Types of marketing research

Enterprise in modern world can succeed only if it does not ignore the demands of consumers. To increase efficiency, research and satisfaction of the maximum number of customer requirements is required. Marketing research contributes to the solution of such problems.

Marketing deals with the study of consumer behavior, which includes its needs and requirements.

The principal feature of marketing research, which distinguishes it from the collection and analysis of internal and external current information, is its targeted focus on solving a specific problem or a set of marketing problems. This purposefulness turns the collection and analysis of information into marketing research. Thus, marketing research should be understood as a targeted solution to the marketing problem (set of problems) facing the company, the process of setting goals, obtaining marketing information, planning and organizing its collection, analysis and reporting on the results.

The main principles of conducting marketing research include objectivity, accuracy and thoroughness. The principle of objectivity means the need to take into account all factors and the inadmissibility of accepting a certain point of view until the analysis of all the information collected is completed.

The principle of accuracy means the clarity of setting research objectives, the unambiguity of their understanding and interpretation, as well as the choice of research tools that provide the necessary reliability of the research results.

The principle of thoroughness means detailed planning of each stage of the study, high quality of all research operations, achieved through a high level of professionalism and responsibility of the research team, as well as an affective system for monitoring its work.

Summary

In a competitive environment and constantly changing market conditions, a lot of attention is paid to marketing research. The results of these studies in the future are the basis for the formation of sales estimates, and based on this, the planned levels of revenue and profit from product sales.

The most frequent problems arise in the process of selling goods. Therefore, the main tasks of marketing research are the study of:

market;
buyers;
competitors;
suggestions;
goods;
prices;
effectiveness of the product promotion policy, etc.

Marketing research helps the company to solve the following tasks:

Determine the possibility of mass production of goods or services;
Establish a hierarchy of characteristics of goods or services that can ensure their success in the market;
Conduct an analysis of the typologies and motivations of existing and potential clients;
Determine prices and optimal conditions for the sale of goods and services.

The purpose of marketing research is to resolve the following problems of the enterprise:

Studying and establishing the potential of the market or product on the possible volume of its sales, terms of sale, price levels, the ability of potential clients;
Study of the behavior of competitors, the direction of their actions, potential opportunities, pricing strategies;
Sales research to determine the best territory in terms of sales, sales volume in the market, which is the most effective.

Companies develop a general marketing research plan, which is drawn up in the context of marketing of individual goods or services, by type of buyer, by region.

Thus, we can say that marketing research is a comprehensive system for studying the organization of production and marketing of goods and services, which is focused on meeting the needs of specific consumers and making a profit based on market research and forecasting.

The most difficult tasks of marketing research are the analysis and decision-making on pricing and sales promotion.

The result of marketing research is the development of a marketing strategy for the company, the purpose of which is to choose target market and marketing mix, the compliance of which will help ensure the maximum effect of product and service sales.

When choosing a target market, it is necessary to justify the answer to the question: what product does the consumer need? To do this, it is necessary to establish rational segments of a concentrated, differentiated or undifferentiated market that the organization will serve.

The choice of a marketing mix is associated with the establishment optimal combination its elements: the name of the product, its price, place of distribution and sales promotion. Based on the adopted marketing strategy, the main management decisions orienting the activities of the company to resolve problems that arise or may arise in potential consumer goods, works and services.

This principle may be feasible if the basis for making decisions on organizational, technological, social and production issues is the result of an analysis of the needs and requests of potential buyers.

After studying this chapter, the student should: know

the benefits of online marketing research;
stages of organizing marketing research on the Internet; be able to
to select the type of information collection in the course of marketing research on the Internet;

own

Internet marketing research technology.

Organization of marketing research

One of the most actively developing areas of Internet marketing is online market research, i.e. marketing research conducted with the help of Internet technologies. Online research is a unique opportunity to quickly and cost-effectively obtain information about a poorly understood market or social phenomenon. All the advantages and opportunities that marketing research on the Internet has can be combined into several groups: technical and economic, management and control, technological, social and communication (Fig. 3.1).

Let's consider shown in fig. 3.1 benefits in more detail. To technical and economic advantages relate:

1) saving resources. Compared to traditional forms of surveys of respondents (home, telephone, postal, etc.), research via the Internet can significantly save time, financial and human resources. This is achieved due to the fact that by conducting an online survey, the researcher gets the opportunity to interview a significantly larger number of respondents and at the same time achieve a significantly lower level of costs. It does not require the involvement of an additional staff of interviewers, reproduction of tools, etc.;
2) large sample size. The low level of material costs per respondent, in turn, makes it possible, if desired, to achieve a significantly larger sample size - up to several thousand, and even tens of thousands of people. This is known to reduce the amount of random measurement error;

Rice. 3.1.

3) the speed of the survey. Large-scale and global online survey, including a focus group consisting of respondents, "scattered" but different countries or a survey of several thousand people around the world can be carried out within one to three days;
4) the possibility of prompt response. Online surveys allow you to quickly and without additional costs change the research tools in accordance with new data obtained during piloting (no need, for example, to reprint the circulation of questionnaires). Even in the case when the main field stage has already begun, after the return of the first questionnaires, the researcher still has the opportunity to detect the shortcomings of the questionnaire (for example, an incorrectly posed question), promptly correct them and continue the study with the converted questionnaire.

Benefits of online marketing research related with command and control are determined by the following factors:

1) strict logic of the survey. Special software allows you to eliminate the traditional mistakes typical of interviewers, for example, by reading hidden clues, such as "difficult to answer." The sequence of transitions from question to question is observed: the next question cannot be asked if the answer to the previous one is not received. In addition, if necessary, there is the possibility of posting questions on the web page as a list or one by one; in a specific or random order;
2) control over the progress of filling out the questionnaire. The Internet provides the researcher with additional opportunities for programmatic control over filling out the questionnaire. It becomes possible to identify logical contradictions in the respondent's answers and correct them, solving the problem of incomplete answers. A special program can check the completion of all fields in the questionnaire and, if necessary, remind that it is necessary to answer all questions.

Technological advantages online research are as follows:

1) the use of multimedia and hypertext elements. The Internet allows the use of not only text, but also sound or video questionnaires, when questions are perceived by respondents also by ear, and not only read from a computer screen. Perhaps the original design of the questionnaire, a rich color palette, different images, animation, etc. The respondent may be provided with musical, graphic or video information for familiarization, and then his opinion regarding what he read, saw and heard was examined. The use of multimedia and hypertext elements is used to solve such problems as testing an advertising concept, evaluating a corporate image, testing and developing a name, logo, trademark, brand; design testing and functionality product, evaluation of the client's website, study of the functionality of the company's website, evaluation of product packaging.
2) the possibility of subsequent communication with respondents. The Internet provides an opportunity, after reading the results of the study, to contact the respondents for the purpose of subsequent critical analysis and making additions to the questionnaires. The presence of feedback allows you to additionally stimulate people to participate in the survey;
3) the possibility of automatic collection additional information about the respondents. The Internet allows the collection of the following information:
- provider type;
- IP computer address;
- software used;
- respondent's email address;
- the time of filling out the questionnaire;
- place of residence etc. .
4) automatic written recording of data and automatic processing of questionnaires. In the case of an online interview, the entire conversation between the researcher and the respondent is recorded in writing. The resulting transcript can be saved as a text file and then used in data processing and analysis: search by keywords, quote (transfer phrases to the report), without fear of making a mistake, etc.

Social Benefits online marketing research are as follows:

1) depth of research. Internet research provides an opportunity to study a wide variety of social groups and communities, overcoming state borders and any geographical distances, to carry out interethnic research;
2) reachability. On the Internet, you can interview those who are not available to marketers and sociologists in real life, because it rarely makes contact: problematic and marginalized groups of the population, highly wealthy citizens and people with a high social status. The network also makes it easier to study the children's and youth audience, whose representatives are mostly active Internet users. Through the Internet, it is much easier to conduct surveys of people who have a specific status and interests, or who have other characteristics: emigrants, opera fans, collectors, etc.;
3) focus - the ability to focus on specific samples, attracting people with specific, specific interests. As a rule, a researcher can achieve this by inviting respondents from a specific thematic forum, chat, or teleconference to participate in interviews.

Communication advantages online research is achieved through the following factors:

1) relevance (independence). When conducting Internet surveys, there is a significantly lower level of influence of the researcher (interviewer) on the respondent. Accordingly, socially approved, socially desirable response options are less common in respondents' answers than in a face-to-face conversation with an interviewer.

In addition, it is noted that in response to open questions on e-mail people give more detailed and detailed answers than in traditional surveys. This means that conducting research on the Internet allows you to get more complete and objective information;

2) high level of trust. The ability to answer the questionnaire without direct contact with the interviewer allows you to achieve a higher level of trust from respondents. When participating in online surveys, people tend to express their thoughts more sincerely and frankly. The reasons for this, in addition to the anonymity of the environment in which the survey takes place, is the specific culture of Internet users - curiosity and willingness to help their interlocutor;
3) breadth of research topics. The Internet provides the researcher with the opportunity to study sensitive and usually closed topics for public discussion with respondents: income level, savings, health problems, etc. Most people would not agree to discuss such topics in a personal conversation with an interviewer. On the contrary, on the Web, the willingness of people to take part in interviews and reveal the features of their private lives is quite high. At the same time, it is possible to study global problems that are of interest to the entire population;
4) organizational flexibility. The respondent himself chooses the time and place of filling out the questionnaire, he is in his natural conditions, in his usual environment.

AT foreign practice There are seven most used telecommunication technologies for conducting online research (Fig. 3.2): e-mailing, posting text questionnaires in new groups(newsgroups), Internet forums or newsgroups, web page, standard web questionnaire, self-loading questionnaire, online focus groups. In Russia, the market for online marketing research services mainly uses online surveys (standard web surveys) and online focus groups.

To the list marketing tasks that can be solved quickly and reliably with online research include:

advertising concept testing;
market segmentation, analysis of individual market segments;
brand management solutions: development and testing of the name, logo, trademark, brand;
product design and functionality testing;
knowledge about the product, attitude to the product;
assessment of product packaging, etc.

There are two main formats for conducting online focus groups: chat and forum (online discussion).

Focus group chat is a virtual analogue of a traditional focus group. Such groups are held in real time: all participants (usually six to seven people) register on the site and, together with the moderator, discuss for a certain time (usually an hour and a half).

The list of questions for which the moderator wants to receive answers is programmed in advance so as not to waste time entering words from the keyboard, however, during the course of the group, the moderator can ask additional questions and clarify the answers received. Images, sound files, videos, etc. are posted on the Web in advance, to which group members access at the request of the moderator. Additional feature for the client - tracking the progress of the survey in real time; he can conduct correspondence hidden from the rest with the leader of the group, correcting his actions. The timing of such a study, including data analysis and report preparation, usually does not exceed two to three days. This is especially important when you need to make a quick decision, such as testing an upcoming ad.

Focus group in forum format is a network marketing research method that has no traditional analogues. Such research usually lasts longer, and participants are recruited in advance and agree to enter the forum at a convenient time for them. Such forums usually involve 25 or more people. On the forum, participants answer questions from the moderator, as well as comment on other people's statements. The dialogue usually lasts for four to five days, which allows it to attract respondents who cannot afford to be in a chat for a long time. Participants do not sit in front of the computer all the time, but visit the forum with the focus group several times at a convenient time for them. The moderator's mode of operation is, of course, more strict, but he can also leave the forum without fear for the group's progress. The lengthy nature of the discussion gives participants additional time to reflect and analyze other people's opinions, which is not possible during a short traditional focus group. Thus, an important advantage of the forum is the balanced and thoughtful answers of the respondents. The research customer also has the opportunity to track the dynamics of the discussion online and offer the moderator his own questions or topics right in the course of work.

The method of conducting focus groups in the forum format allows you to offer its participants various tasks: to study and comment on the company's new website, evaluate advertising, etc. Since the intensity of discussion in an online forum is lower than in a chat, the list of issues discussed should be limited to a few key areas. If there are too many questions, the participants may not have time to discuss them in detail. The results of such a study can be obtained in five to seven days.

The success of traditional focus groups largely depends on the moderator. The same is true for online research. Ideally, the moderator needs to have not only the knowledge and skills needed to conduct offline groups, but also the ability to work on a computer, own experience“living on the Web” (keeping diaries, participating in forums, etc.), and most importantly, a willingness to learn and master new research methods. To conduct a high-quality Internet research, it is necessary to work out in detail not only the scenario of communication with respondents and the list of questions, but also their technical training. Online studies have only their inherent features associated with the specifics of the Internet environment. It should also be noted that online research is an ideal solution for companies operating in the field of e-commerce, as well as developing high-tech products. That is why companies like Microsoft, Apple, Dell, HP, Motorola, Xerox and many others are constantly doing online research.

Separately, it is worth dwelling on the specifics of attracting respondents to participate in online surveys and focus groups. There is a whole range of technologies for recruiting respondents for such studies. Three types of samples are known: unlimited, selected (screened) and specially recruited.

In an unlimited sample can be every Internet user. These samples are characterized by weak representativeness. Selected (sifted) sample It is formed from respondents who themselves decide on participation in a particular survey. More often, this sampling is carried out by a web-based questionnaire program, in which certain criteria for dropping out participants are laid down: the respondent first enters his personal data and socio-demographic characteristics, and then, if the sampling criteria are met, proceeds to fill out the questionnaire.

Specially recruited (panel) sample- this is the most modern and methodologically reliable practice of recruiting respondents for online research. It is formed using a specially created Internet panel. This sampling technology will make it possible to manage communication in the Internet environment in the most rational way. The interactive communication process when conducting online surveys through the Internet panel is the most successful in terms of network etiquette, which allows you to successfully attract users to surveys.

Internet panel - it is a constantly formed and updated database of potential respondents who filled out a preliminary questionnaire and divided into groups (segments). One of the main advantages of the Internet panel is the collection of the most necessary socio-demographic data about the respondents, thanks to which the researcher can make the selections necessary to solve the problems of each specific marketing research.

Information that the respondent voluntarily discloses about himself is kept secret and cannot be used for other purposes not stated in the study. It is necessary to classify respondents into demographic segments. The researcher determines the desired segments for a particular online survey and sends email invitations to participate in the survey to those respondents who have entered them. In some cases, respondents are invited to an online survey either by phone, by regular mail, or in person. The invitations contain accessible information about the ongoing online survey, instructions for filling out the questionnaire and the www-address where the questionnaire is located. Along with invitations, it is also possible to send the texts of questionnaires if the survey is conducted only by e-mail. Approximate versions of the questionnaires offered for filling are shown in Fig. 3.2 and 3.3.

In this regard, a very important advantage of the Internet panel is the ability to obtain the voluntary consent of the respondent to participate in it before the start of the study. If the respondent has registered, it means that he agrees to participate in online research and is ready not only to receive electronic invitations, but also to adequately respond to them. The practice of spamming is very dangerous for a researcher, and ignorance in this regard can create a bad reputation in the Internet community.

Rice. 3.2.

When creating an Internet panel, it is necessary to make sure that respondents are registered in it, diverse in terms of gender, age and social status. Therefore, the recruitment of respondents should be as random as possible. This is usually possible through banner advertising on the Internet on sites of various subjects. Users who visit sites regularly pay attention to banners. Placing ads on them can be very effective, as many often activate them automatically. Thus, visitors to popular sites immediately go to the advertised survey, where they find an Internet panel and, having registered, become potential respondents.

Rice. 3.3.

Great importance is attached to the preparation of the introductory text of the panel and instructions for registering on it. In order not to "miss" potential respondents, you must follow all the rules of network etiquette.

An integral part of the Internet panel is the mention of remuneration for active participation in online surveys (Fig. 3.4). Usually these are prizes, gifts or money that are raffled off in a lottery. A reward can be promised to every 10th (100th, etc.) respondent or to those who most fully answer open-ended questions, etc. In some cases, a small payment is guaranteed for all participants in the panel (from 2 to 10 dollars), there are also non-material motivation. Incentives are usually determined by the topic of the survey, less often by the length of the questionnaire or technical difficulties in completing it. Some researchers offer money (or gifts) earned on online surveys to be voluntarily donated to charitable foundations and organizations.

The Internet panel makes it possible to constantly attract new users to research. At the same time, the controllability of the sampling process increases, and the effectiveness of the study grows due to the guarantee of a high level of data collection. Some Internet research companies specifically create dashboards to generate databases of potential respondents for those organizations that conduct online research.

Today, large research companies in the US and Europe conduct 30 or more surveys a year, interviewing several tens of thousands of respondents. It should be noted that here Russia does not lag behind other developed countries: we also have Internet panels collected for all international standards. One of them is offered by the American company

nia GMI-Global Market Insite (www.gmi-mr.com). Its panel includes about 125,000 Russians, 20,000 residents of Ukraine, and 4,000 citizens of Kazakhstan.

Panel members knowingly register to participate in research on a dedicated web portal ( www.globatestmarket.com) and provide detailed socio-demographic and consumer information about themselves (Fig. 3.5). So, GMI has dozens of different characteristics of each panel member, which allows you to quickly (within a few hours) find respondents to participate in the most complex quantitative and qualitative research. It is important to note that the percentage of responses in the panel GMI exceeds 50%, which is achieved through a carefully designed incentive system for participants - panel members receive material rewards for each answered question of the questionnaire, as well as for participation in focus groups and in-depth interviews. The funds earned by the participants are usually transferred to their bank accounts, and in order to receive them, you need to present a passport. This is one of the main tools for ensuring the "reality" of the respondents, and hence the reliability of the information received.

Panel GMI complies with the standards of the international organization ESOMAR, according to which each panel member cannot participate in more than four studies per month. Thus, using the online panel GMI it is possible to recruit representatives of hard-to-reach target groups in a short time.

Rice. 35. Main page siteglobaltestmarket.com]

Romir is one of the first Russian research companies to start conducting research via the Internet in 1999 (Fig. 3.6). The results of completed projects are stored in a single database, which makes it possible to take into account all the wishes and preferences of customers when developing new projects. A single database, specially designed for the company, improves the efficiency of business processes and helps to coordinate actions various divisions, providing them with a common platform for interacting with customers.

Rice. 3.6.

Several online survey companies use so-called C/LT panels to conduct surveys, which are a web-based panel that is owned by the company's partners. CINT, mainly - marketing research agencies and the media. Companies build their web dashboards using a variety of tools and then use them as a common real-time survey management tool. On fig. 3.7 are given general rules participation in CINT- panels when registering on one of the Russian sites.

Part of the questionnaire, which is proposed to be completed by the participant of the C/LT-panel when registering in the project, is shown in fig. 3.8.

Rice. 3.7.

Rice. 3.8.

1 URL: http://oprosy.kulichki.com
2 Ibid.

Companies participating in the C/LGG panel include:

1) "Russian Information Network";
2) quizzes.ru;
3) "Questionnaire";
4) "Romir";
5) Department of Internet Research MASMI (Russia), etc.

Scroll large companies, conducting paid surveys in Runet, is presented in Table. 3.1.

Table 3.1

Paid online survey companies presented in Russian

Tin company	Company name	Country
Russian and with the participation of foreign capital	Anketka.ru - company's projectOMI	Russia
	YouGov Russiaor "Runet chooses" - new project companiesYouGov	England
	"Your reply"	Russia
	AskGFK-Rus	England
	Project "Internet survey" of the Russian research company "KOMKON"	Russia
Foreign	Spidermetrix	Australia
	SurveySawy
	NPD Online Research
	american consumer opinion,"Russian-language polls" - only for Russians, for the rest - in English
	Pureprofile

As we can see from the data in Table. 3.1, the market for online surveys - the most common type of online marketing research - in our country is almost completely occupied by foreign companies. It can be assumed that the Russian marketing agencies it makes sense to move in this direction. To make it possible to use marketing approach in commercial activities today it is necessary to pay more attention to the offer of online marketing services. But while the market for online marketing research is an oligopoly market, the prices for such services are quite high for many small businesses, despite the relative low cost compared to traditional research. Meanwhile, small companies still need full-fledged consumer opinion research and the study of potential customers, an assessment of the competitive position and their own capabilities.

When conducting market research on the Internet, it is important to follow the basic rules for creating an effective online questionnaire and minimize possible mistakes related to its design and programming.

The "7 ± 2" principle for lists. The essence of this principle lies in the fact that the human brain has certain limitations in multitasking, therefore, when faced with any complex phenomenon, we try to divide this phenomenon into its constituent parts. According to research done by George Miller, five to nine different "objects" (or, in our case, items on a questionnaire list) fit in our short-term memory at one time. In fairness, it must be said that, like any conclusion related to human thinking, this principle has exceptions and has been criticized more than once. However, it is advisable to break up long lists in an online questionnaire, and if this is not possible, test two versions of the questionnaire in a pilot study: a long list in one question plus short lists in different issues and check whether, for example, a list of the many attributes of the tested brand does not influence the answers of the respondents.

The two second rule. The rule of two seconds, this principle is called rather for beauty, as an unattainable ideal. Its essence lies in the fact that the user must wait for a response from a particular system for no more than two seconds. The "answers" of the system means switching applications, the time of their download, and in the case of an online survey, the time of connection with the server after sending the answer to the question or the time of loading the next question of the questionnaire. Two seconds for a response is a kind of "golden ratio" to which one should strive, in reality, trying to minimize the loading time of the questionnaire.

When testing commercials or promotional materials in high definition, it is imperative to compare whether download speed affects the ratings of respondents with dial-up and broadband connections. The one who was waiting for the download commercial within 10 minutes, is unlikely to be as positive as someone who downloaded the tested video in 3 seconds.

rule three clicks. According to this rule, users most often leave the site if they cannot find the information they need or complete the task they need in three mouse clicks. In other words, this rule emphasizes the importance of thoughtful navigation, a logical structure and a clear hierarchy of a website. This rule can also be applied to the compilation of questionnaires: in fact, it is not the number of clicks that matters, but the fact that the respondent understands at any moment where he is, where he was and where he will go next. Even 10 or more clicks will be perceived normally if a person understands the principles by which the system with which he interacts works.

With regard to online surveys, it is believed that in an ideal online questionnaire there must be:

an indicator showing how many questions a person has already answered and how many questions he still has to answer;
button "Save the result and return to filling out the questionnaire later" (mandatory if filling out the questionnaire takes more than 5-10 minutes).
"Report a problem" button if something goes wrong;
the "Help" button, where you can always get help on how to fill out the questionnaire correctly, as well as download the programs necessary to fill out the questionnaire (for example, if the questionnaire works only in certain browsers or a flash movie player is required to fill it out, etc. ).

The rule of "satisfaction of respondents". Many Internet users do not always prefer the best ways to solve the problem they face, but tend to be content with what lies on the surface and is more or less suitable for their purposes. It is worth remembering this when making a wide table in the questionnaire of five to seven alternatives from “Totally disagree” to “Totally agree”. The more such questions in the questionnaire, the higher the likelihood that users will choose not the answer that really reflects their opinion, but the one that is easiest to hit with the mouse and move on to the next question.

Effect « Foveal/central vision» and perception of information. Fovea or the fovea of the retina of the eye is most active when we read, watch TV, drive a car, or perform any other activity where visual details are important. The zone of central vision is a small area elongated in width where our eyes are directed and it is in this zone that we perceive maximum amount image details without additional stress. Knowing this feature of human vision is important when testing advertising materials. So, if many pictures of a small size are presented for evaluation at the same time, or one or two pictures of too large a size, then in this case the respondent has to additionally strain his eyesight in order to consider all the details or all the pictures, and this may affect the comparative perception of promotional materials.

rule resilience and error tolerance. Even if the online questionnaire is designed for top managers of large companies, it is possible that a top manager found with great difficulty will fill it out “on the go” using a tablet, smartphone or laptop with a small screen and without additional functions. Therefore, when programming an online questionnaire, it is critical to foresee various scenarios in advance and test how the questionnaire will look and work in a variety of configurations (browsers, connection types, Operating Systems etc.).

The progressive improvement rule. It is enough to make a "error-tolerant" questionnaire difficult task. But the “incremental improvement” rule can help with this, when the basic and simplest version of the questionnaire is first made, which will work in all variants and situations, and then new “advanced” functions are gradually added to it. Thus, a respondent with a poor connection and a ban on uploading images will be able to fill out a "light" version of the questionnaire - in any case, this is better than nothing.

Filippova T.V. Internet as a tool for sociological research [ Electronic resource]. URL: http://ccsocman.hse.ru/data/165/675/1216/020Filippova.pdf

URL: http://www.createsurvey.ru/demo/templates.html

URL: http://oprosy.kulichki.com/

For example, CASRO - Council of American Survey Research Organizations.

Compiled according to the site "Paid surveys on the Internet." URL: http://opros-ru.ru/index.php/sajty-ru

Compiled from the same site.

Plotnikova S. Design and Usability of Online Questionnaires. URL: http://wwvv.svplotnikova.ru

October 5, 2017 released a new version of its agencies conducting market research in Russia. In the first positions, as before, foreign companies. The leadership was retained by TNS Russia (Mediascope appeared in early 2017), Nielsen was in second place, followed by GfK and Ipsos Comcon.

Source: FDF Group

The rating was based on the turnover of companies, which were taken from official statistics Rosstat RF. As is often the case in such cases, not all figures adequately reflect the situation, which FDF Group analysts themselves understand. Thus, the rapid growth in turnover of GfK Rus in 2016 Sergei Gnedkov explains "the peculiarity of reporting the results of the activities of an international company."

A total of 53 companies were included in the rating. This is much less than the total number of market participants - there are 581 companies in the catalog compiled and maintained by Zircon. But on the other hand, the FDF Group rating lists almost all the largest companies with a turnover of more than 10 million rubles. Almost - because FDF Group analysts could not find data on some enough famous companies, which could potentially be included in the rating. Among them, Gnedkov names Salt, KOMKON SPb and a number of others. For the same reasons, data on some rating participants with several legal entities, whose names may not match the brand name by which this company is known in the market. Not included in the rating are separate units working in the sector of research for business, such large companies as, for example, VTsIOM or FOM.

However, gradually the rating becomes more complete. So, this year, several new companies appeared there, which, of course, are not new, but were simply overlooked in last year's rating. These are, for example, NAFI, Wanta Group and a number of others.

Overall volume Russian market of marketing research in 2016, the head of the FDF Group Sergey Gnedkov estimates about 16.5 billion rubles, which corresponds to $245 million at an average annual official exchange rate of $1 = 67.1899 rubles. According to the assessment of the association OIROM, made in December 2016, the volume of the Russian market of marketing research amounted to $265 million.

These estimates can be considered not contradictory due to the differences and features of the methods. The FDF Group market assessment is based on the calculation of the official turnover of companies, while the OIROM assessment was made by the method of an expert survey of the leaders of the largest companies, followed by additional calculations and bringing the result to consensus. It is clear that the leaders of the largest companies know the nuances of their turnovers better than anyone else. It is impossible not to take into account the fact that FDF Group analysts did not separate "VAT" and "without VAT" companies, so there is an organic error of 10%.

Marketing is a term that has firmly entered the world of business and economics. The word itself comes from the English “marketing”, which literally means market movement, but in the right context it sounds better like market development. Based on this, the essence of this term is defined as carrying out activities aimed at studying the needs that arise in different segments of the trade market, and maximizing their satisfaction with positive profitability. Large enterprises try to create a department responsible for marketing tasks on their own base. He is engaged in the effective promotion of the goods or services of the company, which includes a complete assessment of the market of his segment, as well as the formation of leadership concepts among competitors through the use of various marketing strategies.

Why is it better to choose a marketing company for research?

But there are firms that give preference to marketing companies over the need to form such a unit in their structure. An analysis of the effectiveness factors of these two types of marketing research services has largely made it possible to determine that a more positive result for the firm will be in the case of using the services of a specialized company. This decision is based on specific factors:

1- a marketing company is a staff of specialists with a high level of qualification in the field of market research and the formation of the best offer to meet customer needs and make a profit for the enterprise; 2- the activity of large companies that conduct marketing research of the agency - the customer, is aimed at quickly solving the client's tasks. Structural divisions as a whole spend about 20% of the total working time studying the situation in their market area. This can not only reduce the quality of the survey or other type of research, but also lead to a great loss of time; 3- when external agencies conduct marketing activities, this ensures the objective results of their work. That is, unlike internal responsible departments that know the expectations of management and can sometimes correct the result of work, good marketing companies in Moscow provide accurate information about the potential and strategic goals of the enterprise according to the activities carried out; 4- marketing research organization conducts market research as soon as possible, which saves on the need to pay for services throughout the whole year.

Such advantages indicate a more profitable use of the services of large marketing companies. But at the same time, this does not mean that you should completely abandon the internal marketer, so he will be able to accurately determine all the nuances of the microenvironment being studied.

How to choose a marketing agency?

To select a marketing research agency that can provide consulting services at the highest level, it is worth looking at the rating of such firms. You can do this with the help of relevant queries on the Internet: marketing research Moscow. There are a lot of companies this direction activities. There are several criteria that will make it possible to determine the best marketing companies that will conduct research for your company: 1. the number of employees allocated to solve the tasks; 2. the amount of expenses for a marketing agency; 3. competence and characteristics of the marketing company in the market. The main purpose of these qualities is the selection marketing organizations with the most suitable ratio.

How does a marketing company conduct research?

To achieve the success of the organization of any environment of the functioning of the company, marketing research is the first necessity. Correct Algorithm their implementation, which is used by specialized organizations, will contribute to the achievement of triumph and business development.

The scheme of marketing activities is as follows:

1. development of a program to study production or trade opportunities; 2. search for sources of information and analysis of average indicators; 3. recruitment of interviewers, compilation of questionnaires; 4. implementation of the survey; 5. compiling a marketing organization report.

Marketing firms are best at conducting such research, so you should use their services.