Principles of Consumer and Market Research

In a meeting where the discussion turned to market and consumer Research principles, we decided to list those principles that were not readily found in textbooks or of common knowledge among practitioners of the trade.

 I thought the list might be of interest among the Views' readers and also you might be able to add some additional points or perspectives. Unfortunately, there is not enough space to add a complete description of the principles. Hopefully the short description will be enough detail to convey the concept surrounding the concept.

 If additional detail is necessary or if you have additional principles, also let me know.

 ALPHA VS. BETA RISK
Alpha Risk - We cannot afford to move forward with a loser. Beta Risk - We cannot afford to pass up a real winner

 RULER VS. PIE MODELS
Ruler - There is a standard of excellence. Pie - Excellence is different for different people.

 PRODUCT VS. BRAND RESEARCH
Product - The efficacy of the solution to the need or desire. Brand - The bundling of the product, promise, positioning, image, etc.

 NEEDS VS. DESIRES
Needs - Performance needed. Desires - Attributes desired.

 CONCEPT VS. IDEA RESEARCH
Concept - Ensuring the verbal description adequately describes the solution. Idea - Using the concept to evaluate the potential of the idea.

 PAIR VS. SINGLE PRODUCT TESTING
Pair - It's about a Choice between two options. Single - It is the Evaluation of a product.

 CUSTOMER VS. CONSUMER RESEARCH
Customer - The purchaser of our brands (usually the trade). Consumer - The user of our brands.

 USER VS. TESTER RESEARCH
User - One who tries our product under real world conditions. Tester - One who uses our product under test conditions (knows they are in a test).

SAMPLING
3 levels (selection, contact & cooperation) Selection - Identification of test participants. Contact - Ability to make contact with the intended participants. Cooperation - Participation in the study.

LITERACY
Ensuring the participants know and understand all the necessary elements of the study.

PERFORMANCE VS. PERCEPTION
Performance - How the product really performs. Perception - How the user sees the product performing.

ENVIRONMENTAL TEST EFFECTS
How the test conditions affect your results. Package Research - efficacy, ergonomics, communication, appeal, etc. Pricing absolute vs. relative Blind vs. Directed interest (concept aided), vs. Identified.