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Qualitative research Quantitative research
Main techniques used for Focus groups and in-depth Surveys and scientific
data collection interviews. sampling.
Consumer Behaviour Kinds of questions asked Why? Through what How much? How many?
thought process? In what
way? What other behaviour
or thoughts?
Notes Interviewer’s role Interviewer must think Critical role important, but
critically and quickly frame interviewers need only be
questions and probes in able to read scripts. They
response to whatever should not improvise or
respondents say. deviate. Little training
Highly trained professionals needed, responsible
Required personnel are most suitable.
Questions asked Position of questions may No variation. Must be the
vary in sequence and same question for each
phrasing from group to interview. Sequence and
group and in different phrasing of questions must
interviews. New questions be carefully controlled.
are included and old ones
dropped.
Number of interviews Fewer interviews but the Many interviews to
duration of each interview ascertain a scientific sample
is more that is worth projecting.
Nature of findings Develop a hypothesis, gain Test hypothesis, arrange
insight, explore language factors according to priority,
options, refine concepts, furnish data for
add numerical data, provide mathematical modeling and
diagnostics for advertising projections.
copy.

Data Collection Instruments
The method of data collection depends on the type of research. The primary method of data
collection for quantitative study is the questionnaire. Researchers can use a questionnaire to
conduct any of the three types of surveys (personal interview, mail and telephone).
A questionnaire consists of a set of questions presented to respondents for their responses.
Constructing a good questionnaire requires considerable expertise. Typical problems include
asking the wrong questions, asking too many questions and using the wrong words. Effective
survey questions have three attributes: focus, brevity and clarity. They focus on the topic of
survey, are as brief as possible and they are expressed simply and clearly. The questions must be
interesting, objective, unambiguous and easy to answer truthfully and completely.
Questionnaires include both questions that are relevant to the topic of study and are pertinent
demographic questions. This facilitates analysis and classification of responses into suitable
categories. Questionnaires are first pre-tested and any errors are removed before their widespread
use.
The true purpose of a questionnaire itself can be disguised or undisguised. Sometimes the
answers to a disguised questionnaire are more truthful than to an undisguised questionnaire
because the former avoids responses that respondents may think are expected. There are two
types of questions, open-ended and closed-ended. Open-ended questions require information in
the respondent’s own words and closed-ended questions require the respondent only to check
the appropriate answer from the given list. Open-ended questions reveal more because they do
not restrain respondents’ answers but are difficult to tabulate and analyse. Closed-ended
questions, which are checked by respondents, are relatively simple to code and interpret but
reveal limited information based on alternative responses provided.
Instead of using a questionnaire, sometimes researchers use a list of statements and ask
respondents to indicate their degree of agreement or disagreement (called inventories).

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