In which of the five steps in the marketing research process, do you develop questions that will allow you to best address the important issues.
Step-1 Define the problem or opportunity
Step-2 Develop your marketing research plan
Step-3 Collect relevant data and information
Step-4 Analyze data and report findings
Step-5 Put your research into action
The correct answer and explanation is :
The correct answer is:
Step-2: Develop your marketing research plan
Explanation:
Developing questions that will best address the important issues in marketing research falls under Step 2: Develop your marketing research plan. This step involves outlining how the research will be conducted, including defining the research methodology, selecting data sources, and determining the tools and techniques to be used.
One of the most critical aspects of this step is formulating the right questions. These questions guide the research and ensure that the collected data is relevant to solving the problem identified in Step 1: Define the problem or opportunity. The questions should be clear, specific, and designed to gather meaningful insights.
In this step, researchers decide on the types of questions they will ask in surveys, interviews, or focus groups. These questions can be:
- Open-ended questions – To gain in-depth qualitative insights (e.g., “What features do you value most in a smartphone?”).
- Closed-ended questions – To collect quantitative data (e.g., “How satisfied are you with our customer service? [Rate from 1 to 5]”)
- Demographic questions – To understand consumer segments (e.g., “What is your age group?”)
Additionally, in this phase, researchers determine whether they will use primary research (surveys, interviews, experiments) or secondary research (industry reports, government data). They also select the sampling methods and tools, such as online questionnaires or in-person interviews.
By carefully designing the questions in Step 2, marketers ensure that they collect data that is relevant, accurate, and useful for decision-making in later steps. Poorly designed questions can lead to irrelevant data, misinterpretation of consumer behavior, and flawed business strategies. Thus, Step 2 is crucial in ensuring the research effectively addresses the marketing problem.