theme 1.1.2 business

Biased questions

Where the questions do not produce findings that give a true

reflection of the views of the target audience on the product

or service

Consumer behaviour

How consumers make decisions about how they choose and

use products or service

Databases

An organised collection of data stored electronically with

instant access, searching and sorting facilities

Face to face survey

research method used where the interviewer

communicates directly with the respondent using a

questionnaire.

Focus group

group of people who participate in a discussion as part of

market research to give feedback about a product or service

Government data

Government publications that a business can use such as the

census of the population

Interview bias

Where the opinion of the interviewer interferes with the

judgements of the interviewee

Market orientation

The business finds out the needs and wants of the customers

and responds to them/meets customer requirements

Market reports

document that contains information, stats, research and

facts on a chosen field

Market research

Gathering, presenting and analysing information about

products/customers

Market segmentation

Dividing a whole market into particular customer groups that

have similar characteristics

Market segments

An identifiable group of individuals/a part of the market where

consumers share one or more characteristic or need

Observations

Where market researchers watch the behaviour of customers

Primary market research

Obtaining data first hand by the business to match the

specific needs of the business. It can also be known as field

research

Product orientation

When a business prioritises a product’s design quality or

performance rather than meeting customer preferences to

guide production and marketing decisions

Qualitative research

Market research collected relating to the opinions and beliefs

of consumers . Data not presented numerically.

Quantitative research data

Numerical information gathered and can be presented and

analysed using graphs, charts, table etc

Respondent bias

When respondents respond inaccurately to a question for

some reason

Sample

small group of people who must represent a proportion of a

total market when carrying out market research

Secondary market research

Data collected by another business or organisation but used

by the business in question. Also known as desk research

Segmentation

Dividing the market into groups of people with similar

attributes or common characteristics

Social networking

A platform such as Facebook, X and You Tube, which can be

used to market a businesses products/services

Survey

method of (primary) research used to collect information

test marketing

Trialling the product in a small area or to a limited number of

users to assess the suitability of a product

Trade publications

Specialist magazines that look at current trends in the

business world