Quantitative and Qualitative

Quantitative Research:

• Concerned with data

  • E.g. How many?, How often?, Who?, When?, and Where?

• Often on larger samples and is, therefore, more statistically valid

• The main methods of obtaining quantitative data are the various forms of surveys- e.g Telephone, Postal, Face-to-face and online

Quantitiative Research:

• Based on opinions, attitudes, beliefs and intentions

  • E.g. Why?, Would?, or How?

• Aims to understand why customers behave in a certain way or how they may respond to a new product or service

• Focus groups and interviews are common methods used to collect qualitative data

Focus groups are common in primary research:

• A focus group is a form of qualitative research in which a group of people are asked about their perceptions, opinions, beliefs, and attitudes towards a product, service, concept, advertisement, idea, or packaging

Benefits of Quantitative Research:

• Data relatively easy to analyse

• Numerical data provides insights into relevant trends

• Can be compared with data from other sources (e.g. competitors, history)

Drawbacks of Quantitative Research:

• Focuses on data rather than explaining why things happen

• Doesn’t explain the reasons behind numerical trends

• May lack reliability if the sample size and method are not valid

Benefits of Qualitative Research:

• Essential for important new product development and launches

• Focused on understanding customer needs, wants, and expectations very useful insights for a business

• Can highlight issues that need addressing- e.g. why customers don’t buy

• Effective way of testing elements of the marketing mix- e.g. new branding, promotional campaigns

Drawbacks of Qualitative Research:

• Expensive to collect and analyse- requires specialist research skills

• Based on opinions- always a risk that the sample is not representative