Purpose & Methodology

Review the Purpose & Methodology document your team prepared for Buhi's final report.

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20 W 34th StNew York, NY 10001PurposeThe purpose of this new product development survey is to conduct concept development forBuhi Supply Co.’s potential luggage line to better understand the target market, competitors,desirable features, and pricing.This study attempts to answer the following questions:1.What does the competitive landscape for high-quality, mid-market luggage look like?Who are the players? What are their market shares? Is there room for Buhi to enter thismarket?2.What are the most desirable functions and features that should be built into this line ofluggage?a.Learn from category users about their experiences with luggage in general (prosand cons) to uncover unique features and functions that may not yet be availablein the marketplace.b.Along with the top-of-mind features gathered, Buhi would also like to obtaininterest ratings on ergonomic handles, unbreakable shells, and antimicrobialinterior fabric.3.What are the most desirable aesthetic elements (e.g., colors, design, material, etc.)?4.What can consumers be expected to pay for such a product in a large size (price range)?5.What marketplace segmentation would require product variations (e.g., businesstravelers, vacationers, world travelers, domestic travelers, etc.)?Methodology●An email invitation to an online survey was emailed to a random sample of 20% of allpotential respondents in a purchased database (50,000).●1,233 surveys were completed as a result of the initial email. A reminder email was sentto those who did not respond, accumulating an additional 447 surveys.●A total of 1,680 surveys were collected in one week, resulting in a response rate of16.8%.●At the 95% confidence level, this study has a margin of error of +/- 2.38%.●Since the methodology was limited to those on a purchased list of consumers interestedin fashion, travel, and accessory apparel, the results may not be representative of Buhi’starget market.

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TERMSThe following terms and definitions are gathered from the “Market Research Essentials” digital textbook by Steven Stromp. Aided awareness: survey questions that use a predefined list of brands or products in order to obtain a definitive read on awareness for brands in the categoryClosed-ended questions: questions where respondents choose from a distinct set of predefined responses, such as options on a rating scale or options in a list of multiple choicesDouble-barreled questions: two questions in one, usually recognized by the inclusion of “and” in the statement or by lists of several itemsLeading questions: survey questions that are slanted to imply preference to a particular response, thus biasing the resultLikert scale: survey response scale that offers a range of options from one extreme to anotherLoaded questions: survey questions that suggest respondents give a socially desirable answerOrder bias: the sequence of response options or sequence of questions influencing respondent behaviorUnaided awareness: asks respondents to list all of the brands, products, or services they can recall in a particular category; useful to determine if the brand or product the company is researching is “top-of-mind” or notTOOLSThe following excerpt is from Steven Stromp’s “Market Research Essentials” digital textbook:“The purpose of a brand perception study is to gather unbiased perceptions of an organization or brand. Data from these studies are used in developing new marketing plans, addressing any negative perceptions, and for learning which positive perceptions to use as leverage. Due to the importance of unbiased responses, brand perception surveys are almost always kept blind ... [B]lind studies are those in which the sponsor is not disclosed to respondents.”TIPSrelevant feedback that addresses the client’s questions and research interests.2. When selecting questions for your brand-perception survey, keep in mind:• Your survey should be mostly closed-ended but include well-crafted, open-ended questions.• Your survey should use appropriate response options.• It is crucial to include proper question sequencing. 3. Avoid common survey mistakes like• Complex questions• Leading and loaded questions• Ambiguous questions• Double-barreled items• Order bias• Overlapping response options4. Before submitting the survey, ask yourself, “When I get results for these questions, how will that information help me answer the client’s research objective?” If a question does not help address the original research objective, it likely needs revision. ROUND 8Terms, Tools, and Tips1. Don’t forget to review the RFP. This will help you focus on gathering

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Survey-building GuideSurvey introductions should include the survey topic, an explanation of how results will be used, the due date, and mention of any incentive. Typically, clients are not revealed in brand-perception and new-product-development surveys because doing so might bias results. Include required components in your introductionWhen creating surveys, make sure each question addresses the research objective and questions. Don’t ask unnecessary questions: Surveys must be brief for decent completion rates. Stay on topicYou should avoid using double-barreled or triple-barreled questions. Question wording should be clear and concise yet explanatory enough for respondents to clearly understand what they are rating. For example, asking about the importance of durable material in a new-product-development survey about luggage would yield less useful information than asking about specific materials such as aluminum alloy, genuine leather, or polycarbonate. Use clear and detailed languageQuestion sequencing is important, especially in new-product-development and brand-perception surveys. These types of surveys are often “blind,” meaning the sponsor is not revealed. This prevents bias. In a brand-perception survey, unaided awareness questions about the competitive landscape should be asked before aided awareness questions. Also, order is important when collecting brand descriptors and gauging key, brand attributes. So as not to bias responses, an open-ended question asking for top-of-mind words and phrases that describe the brand should precede a predefined, key-brand-attribute sequence that uses a rating scale.Properly sequence your surveySurveys are mostly quantitative because researchers typically gather robust sample sizes. Therefore, it is best to ask questions that can be answered using closed-ended responses because they can be converted into statistics. Open-ended questions should be used sparingly because they can be taxing for respondents and researchers.Provide response options that are conducive to quantitative researchThe following tips were compiled by Steven Stromp, author of the “Market Research Essentials” digital textbook.1.2.3.4.IntroSurveyTopicClearConcise12345

As mentioned, respondents shouldn’t be tasked with extra questions. For example, if the topic is perception of innovation, questions about customer service satisfaction might not be useful. Always double check your client’s research objective and questions.When possible, include items found from secondary research or from primary qualitative research such as focus groups. This will help you assure you test relevant items. On the other hand, surveys can be a good way to gather ratings on exploratory ideas, but these should ideally come from research conducted prior to survey development. Test relevant attributes, items, and/or featuresYou should not ask unnecessary or personal demographic questions. Think about sensible ways you might split data on the backend. Where might likely differences in preferences be by different segments of the target market? If a demographic question will not be useful in the development of a product variation or communication plan, don’t include it. Only include demographic questions if you can use them to segment data Question wording is crucial because respondents will interpret what you attempt to measure. It is also important for questions to naturally flow into their response options. For example, if a question asks how much a respondent agrees with a list of statements, the scale should not rate importance. Be sure your response scales match your questions Survey response options should not overlap. If a 25-year-old was asked her age, which option would she choose if the options were 18-25, 25-40, or 40-55?Be sure your response options are mutually exclusive1 2 3 4 5?AA6789