Contact Methods:
Primary data through interviews and surveys can be collected by mail, by telephone, by
personal interview, or online. Each contact method has its own particular strengths and
weaknesses.
Mail, Telephone, and Personal Interviewing:
Mail surveys and questionnaires can be used to collect large amounts of information at a low
cost per respondent. (mail surveys and questionnaires are not very flexible; all respondents
answer the same questions in a fixed order, time-consuming and garner low response rates).
Telephone interviews can yield information more quickly and are more flexible than mail
questionnaires. Interviewers can explain difficult questions and, depending on the answers they
receive, skip some questions or probe deeper on others.
Personal interviewing takes two forms: individual interviewing and group interviewing.
Individual interviewing involves talking with people in their homes or offices, on the street, or
in shopping malls. Group interviewing involves pulling together a group of carefully chosen
respondents in a conducive setting to gain information and insights by leading them through a
discussion. Such personal interviewing is flexible.
Online Marketing Survey Research. Increasingly, researchers are collecting primary marketing
research data through online marketing survey research: internet and mobile surveys, online
focus groups, and online panels and brand communities. Online research also usually costs
much less than research conducted through mail, phone, or personal interviews.
Sampling Plan: First, who is to be studied (what sampling unit)? The answer to this question is
not always obvious. Second, how many people should be included (what sample size)? Large
samples yield more reliable results than small samples. Finally, how should the people in the
sample be chosen (what sampling procedure)? Table 4.2 describes different kinds of samples.
The research plan: outlines sources of existing data and spells out the specific research
approaches.