SELECTING AN EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

The researcher has to consider three important factors in the selection of an experimental design including:
1. Time,
2. Cost and,
3. Secrecy.

Time: 

The researcher may be required to provide results at a speed, as marketing decisions are required to be fast due to competitive conditions. Hence, the researchers have to plan for designs which take short periods to complete. 

Cost: The cost of executing the research has to be weighed against the possible outcome and its value. 
Secrecy: The major limitation of experimentation is that it might reveal things to the competitors. Hence, if secrecy is needed, simulated laboratory experiments are advisable.

DESIGNING CONSUMER RESEARCH : 

The purpose of the consumer study is determined by research design. When descriptive information is required, a quantitative study is useful. If new ideas, e.g., positioning of a new brand is needed, a qualitative study is likely to be conducted. The consumer research design can be classified into two categories:

• A-Qualitative research design
• B-Quantitative research design

Qualitative research design: 
The purpose of the study and the type of data needed are considered while selecting the appropriate research design for a qualitative study. The data collection techniques include:

• Interviews: Lengthy non-structured interview between a respondent and a highly experienced interviewer, who minimizes his or her own participation in the interview. 
• Focus groups; which consist of six to eight respondents who meet with a moderator or analyst for a group discussion focused on a particular product as product category. 
• Protective techniques: Consisting of a variety of disguised tests that contain ambiguous stimuli like incomplete sentences, pictures having no titles or cartoons, word association tests, etc., which are designed to tap the underlying motives of individuals despite their unconscious rationalizations or efforts at a conscious conceal men

Quantitative research design: 

The design of a quantitative research study includes the method for collecting the data, the sample design and construction of the data collection instrument.

(i) Data collection methods: There are three basic ways to collect primary data in quantitative research.

1. Observational research-by observing consumer behaviour.
2. Experimentation-by designing experiments to identify cause and effect of the relative sales appeal of many types of variables.
3. Surveys-by questioning people in person, by mail or by telephone about their purchase preferences and likings.

(ii) Data collection instruments: The primary instrument is the questionnaire. Other types of instruments are inventories and attitude scales, which include Likert scales, semantic differential scales and rank order scales.
(iii) Sampling-It involves: 

• The sampling unit-whom to survey: 
• Sample size-how many to survey; and 
• Sampling procedure-how to select them.

Data collection: Highly trained social scientists are required to collect data in qualitative studies. But, in quantitative studies a field staff is generally used.

Analysis: In qualitative researches, the moderator or test administrator usually analyses the responses received. In quantitative research, the analysis is supervised by the researcher. 

Report preparation: It includes a brief executive summary of the findings. Depending on the assignment, it may or may not include recommendation for actions. The report will contain a full description of the methodology used.