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Key Terms

aided awareness

when a product, brand, or company list is provided to select from to measure awareness

anonymous data

data in which the respondent is not identified

awareness

a consumer’s familiarity with a product, brand, or company

big data

the countless number of records that continues in an increasing capacity and at a faster rate; often described as volume, velocity, and variety of data generated

breach of confidentiality

a situation where the researcher promises to hold private information but discloses it in an unethical manner without permission

causal research

studies that define a cause-and-effect relationship between two factors

census

when all potential target population members are included in the research

competitive intelligence

a collection of information about competitors from the marketplace

confidential data

data that is tied back to a respondent, but the respondent’s personal information is not shared

convenience sample

a nonprobability sample type where potential respondents to the research are selected by convenience rather than through any scientific method

cross tabulation

an analysis of two variables and the frequency of each answer in relation to the other variable

customer acquisition cost

the total expenses a company spends to gain a new customer

customer effort score

a survey used to measure ease of service experience with an organization

customer satisfaction score

also known as a CES, a survey used to measure ease of service experience with an organization

data analysis

the distillation of information into a more understandable and actionable format

data collection

systematic gathering of information that addresses an identified problem

database

a collection of related data

descriptive research

data collected to describe the situation in the market and help define an opinion, attitude, or behavior

electronic surveys

surveys sent through digital means to respondents; respondents also reply to the survey digitally

ethnographic research

method of collecting data that is conducted by observing people’s natural behavior

experimental research

studies that define a cause-and-effect relationship between two factors

exploratory research

research conducted that is more general to learn more about the industry or market

external data

data that originates from outside the organization

focus group

a small group, typically 8 to 12 people, who are asked several questions by a moderator and encouraged to build upon each other’s responses

frequency

a report of the number of each answer received

in-person surveys

surveys conducted when the respondent and data collector are face-to-face

infographic

a representation of data in a variety of visual presentations

internal data

critical marketing intelligence that already exists in the company’s records

judgment sample

a nonprobability sample type where the potential participants are selected based on a perceived match to the sample frame

mailed surveys

surveys sent to potential participants through a mail service, such as the US Postal Service

marketing information

also known as business intelligence, competitive intelligence, or marketing intelligence; information about the market that helps to identify opportunities available

marketing information system

a system used to collect, analyze, and report interesting findings from internal and external data of the company

marketing research

the function that links the consumer, customer, and public to the marketer through information

mean

an arithmetic average of values

mechanical observation

the use of electronic monitoring to record the actions of the observed

median

the middle number when all answers are organized from smallest to largest; if an even number of data, the mean of the two middle answers is the median

mode

the most common response

nonprobability sample

a situation which each member of the population has an unknown chance of being selected to be part of the sample

observational research

data collected by watching consumers and recording actions

one-on-one interview

an interview that happens on an individual level between researcher and respondent

personal observations

observations that are collected by human recorders

phone surveys

surveys conducted through the use of a telephone that can be completed through digital or human methods

primary data

unique information that is collected by the researcher with the current project in mind

privacy

maintaining the data of research participants discretely and holding confidentiality

probability sample

a sample in which everyone has a known chance of being included in the research

problem definition

the realization that there is an issue that needs to be addressed

qualitative data

data that cannot be distilled into number of responses, such as responses to an interview

qualitative research

data shared through words, descriptions, and open-ended comments

quantify the research

to take a variety of data and compile it into a quantity that is easily understood

quantitative data

data that can be reduced to number of responses, such as number of responses to each answer on a multiple-choice question

questionnaire

also known as a survey, a series of several questions that can collect a variety of qualitative and quantitative data; can be distributed through several different methods

sample

a portion of the entire population that is included in the research

sample frame

a parameter that defines who will be included in the sample and who would not be included

sample size

the number of respondents that are to be included in the research

sampling unit

each individual entities that is included in the sample

secondary data

any research that was completed, within the organization or outside of the organization, for another purpose

simple random sample

a type of probability sample where every entity has an equal chance of being selected

stratified random sample

a probability sample type where the population is divided into groups and then participants are selected from each stratum randomly

sugging

suggesting a purchase disguised as research

survey

also known as a questionnaire, a series of several questions that can collect a variety of qualitative and quantitative data; can be distributed through several different methods

syndicated data

a type of secondary data that is available through a subscription service

target population

the group of people that are of interest for a study

unaided awareness

when no prompts or lists of potential products, brands, or companies are given to test awareness

unobtrusive observation

a type of observation research where the observed is not aware they are being monitored

verbatims

exact quotations of responses to a qualitative question

 

 

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