Showing papers in "International Journal of Market Research in 2008"

Do Data Characteristics Change According to the Number of Scale Points Used? An Experiment Using 5-Point, 7-Point and 10-Point Scales:

Abstract: This study examined how using Likert-type scales with either 5-point, 7-point or 10-point format affects the resultant data in terms of mean scores, and measures of dispersion and shape. Three groups of respondents were administered a series of eight questions (group n’s = 300, 250, 185). Respondents were randomly selected members of the general public. A different scale format was administered to each group. The 5and 7-point scales were rescaled to a comparable mean score out of ten. The study found that the 5and 7-point scales produced the same mean score as each other, once they were rescaled. However, the 10-point format tended to produce slightly lower relative means than either the 5or 7point scales (after the latter were rescaled). The overall mean score of the eight questions was 0.3 scale points lower for the 10-point format compared to the rescaled 5and 7-point formats. This difference was statistically significant at p = 0.04. In terms of the other data characteristics, there was very little difference among the scale formats in terms of variation about the mean, skewness or kurtosis. This study is ‘good news’ for research departments or agencies who ponder whether changing scale format will destroy the comparability of historical data. 5and 7-point scales can easily be rescaled with the resultant data being quite comparable. In the case of comparing 5or 7-point data to 10-point data, a straightforward rescaling and arithmetic adjustment easily facilitates the comparison. The study suggests that indicators of customer sentiment – such as satisfaction surveys – may be partially dependent on the choice of scale format. A 5or 7-point scale is likely to produce slightly higher mean scores relative to the highest possible attainable score, compared to that produced from a 10-point scale. International Journal of Market Research Vol. 50 Issue 1

Web Surveys versus other Survey Modes: A Meta-Analysis Comparing Response Rates:

Abstract: One question that arises when discussing the usefulness of web-based surveys is whether they gain the same response rates compared to other modes of collecting survey data. A common perception exists that, in general, web survey response rates are considerably lower. However, such unsystematic anecdotal evidence could be misleading and does not provide any useful quantitative estimate. Metaanalytic procedures synthesising controlled experimental mode comparisons could give accurate answers but, to the best of the authors' knowledge, such research syntheses have so far not been conducted. To overcome this gap, the authors have conducted a meta-analysis of 45 published and unpublished experimental comparisons between web and other survey modes. On average, web surveys yield an 11% lower response rate compared to other modes (the 95% confidence interval is confined by 15% and 6% to the disadvantage of the web mode). This response rate difference to the disadvantage of the web mode is systematically influenced by the sample recruitment base (a smaller difference for panel members as compared to one-time respondents), the solicitation mode chosen for web surveys (a greater difference for postal mail solicitation compared to email) and the number of contacts (the more contacts, the larger the difference in response rates between modes). No significant influence on response rate differences can be revealed for the type of mode web surveys are compared to, the type of target population, the type of sponsorship, whether or not incentives were offered, and the year the studies were conducted. Practical implications are discussed.

Web 2.0, Social Networks and the Future of Market Research:

Abstract: Market Research is often accused of failing to provide the insights sought by our clients, and in an increasingly complex society we are challenged to embrace a different model of thinking with different principles at its centre. We believe that a Web 2.0 research platform and a social network approach offers marketing research new tools to meet the challenges of the future. The paper identifies a number of trends that may well provide fertile ground for marketing researchers to develop new approaches. The open source movement will not only affect the way that we think but the very methodologies that we use. The emergence of Web 2.0 offers us an array of collaborative tools with which to develop new research approaches to explore the rapidly changing social and media environment. At the same, the rapid growth of online social networks has fuelled the already rich research literature on the importance of studying humankind in ‘tribes’ or ‘groups’. We argue that the combination of social computing tools and an understanding of social networks will allow us to build new types of research communities, in which respondents interact not only with the researchers but with the clients and most fertilely with each other. Moreover as we examine these types of networks we will become increasingly better able to handle multiple sources of data, and be as comfortable with these new forms of user generated content as we are with the traditional data collection tools of the last fifty years. We believe that these social software tools and trends provide the blueprint for researchers to build new types of ‘participatory panels’ or ‘research communities’ and we describe our experiences in developing such a community.

The Conceptualisation and Measurement of Consumer Value in Services

Abstract: Consumer value has been widely recognised as a key factor in organisational management, marketing strategy and consumer behaviour. However, because of the scattered and non-conclusive pattern of re...

Brand Trust as a Second-order Factor: An Alternative Measurement Model:

Abstract: ion relative to its various dimensions. In previous research, brand trust has been treated exclusively as a first-order factor. This practice can lead to serious problems in scale development and model specification. We propose and test a reflective-formative model of brand trust. In our model, brand trust is specified as a second-order factor that is determined by first-order factors of competence and benevolence. A series of empirical studies were conducted to develop a multidimensional scale and test this alternative model. The results of confirmatory factor analyses and structural equation modelling lend support to our conceptualisation and the proposed measurement model.

New trends in innovation and customer relationship management: a challenge for market researchers

Abstract: For decades, one of the key roles of market research has been to help companies forecast customer acceptance of innovation and of changes to the market mix (the 4 Ps). However, traditional market research is in danger of being left behind by new practices in Sales, Marketing and R & D. Reflecting an increasingly participative approach to customer relationships, these disciplines are moving towards customer involvement and co-creation of value rather than innovation mainly generated by head office and only then tested among customers (Roberts, Baker and Walker, 2005). Co-creation involves working participatively with customers to enhance the value customers get when buying and using goods and services. It enables firms to understand and respond to deeper and more valuable customer needs and reduces the inherent risks of innovation. Nor is this increasing trend towards co-creation limited to new product introduction. As companies invest in customer relationship management (CRM) programmes, they need to design new forms of relationships with those directly affected: their customers. As customers use internet-related technologies to manage their relationships with suppliers, co-creation will become a more important component of innovation and growth strategies. In this context, traditional market research approaches begin to look outdated. The authors illustrate how Action Research can provide tools and methods by which market researchers can assist and improve the co-creation process with a case study of a dot.com company. The implications for market researchers and research practices are identified.

Fifty years using the wrong model of advertising

Abstract: This paper investigates the dominance of the information processing model in TV advertising. Despite theoretical and empirical evidence that supports the importance of factors such as emotional content and creativity, the authors show that a rational information-based persuasion model, which pre-dates the development of formal marketing, persists in its domination of almost all TV advertising development and evaluation. It is postulated that this persistence derives from a sociological desire to maintain a positivist worldview of simplistic, well-ordered value systems operated by rational and predictable consumers. The authors suggest that both advertisers and researchers need to adopt a Critical Realism perspective in order to move beyond the philosophical straitjacket of this information processing model, and they summarise the implications that this has for current research practice.

The myth of China as a single market – the influence of personal value differences on buying decisions

Abstract: China. is. a. large. heterogeneous. market. with. diversified. consumer. behaviour. in. different. regions .. This. study. aims. to. examine. personal. value. differences. between.consumers. in.China’s. inland.and.coastal.regions,.and.further.examine. their. influence.on.retail.buying.decisions ..Data.are.collected.from.coastal.cities. (Shanghai. and. Guangzhou). and. inland. cities. (Chengdu. and. Harbin). using. the. matched. sampling. method .. Statistical. analyses. reveal. that. China’s. coastal. consumers.are.more.individualist.in.their.value.priorities.than.inland.consumers,. while. inland. consumers. are. more. collectivist. than. coastal. consumers .. As. a. consequence.of.these.value.differences,.we.find.that.functional.product.attributes. are.more.important.to.coastal.consumers.than.to.inland.consumers,.while.social. attributes. appeal. more. to. inland. consumers. than. to. coastal. consumers .. This. study. adds. to. the. body. of. knowledge. of. marketing. in. China. by. contrasting. coastal–inland.consumer.buying.decisions.as.influenced.by.within-country.values. variation,.and.has.implications.for.both.academics.and.practitioners .

Improved Scale Development in Marketing: An Empirical Illustration:

Abstract: The old adage of 'what gets measured gets done' is as true today as it was when it was first coined. Managers often see the value of hard numbers, as these are supposed to remove the problems associated with subjective judgement and the interpretation of qualitative data. That is why we today have balanced scorecards, quantified performance measures and marketing audits, as well as textbooks such as The Science of Decision Making (Denardo 2001) and Marketing Engineering (Lilien & Rangaswamy 2004).

Measuring customer loyalty to product variants

Abstract: This paper measures patterns of loyalty for variants of a product, such as differentpacksizesorflavour Unlikebrands,productvariantsarefunctionally highlydifferentiated Thestudyundertakeslarge-scaleanalysisofpaneldataand the results shows that product variants can attract markedly different loyalty levels However,thesedifferentloyaltylevelsarecloselyrelatedtobigdifferences in the variants’ market shares – higher loyalty predictably goes with higher sales Some variantswere found to be very popular, and some are bought by only a fractionof themarket However, neither large nor small variants seem generally to attract a special orunusually loyal customerbase The functional differentiation embodied in product variants therefore affects consumers’ preferences but not the persistence of these preferences, i e loyalty The study also illustratesamethodologicalbasis for theanalysisofconsumerpaneldata Themathematicalmodelusedhereprovidesbenchmarksforthevariants’loyalty measures Thestudyhaspracticalimplicationsinanalysingmarketperformance of variants, customer switching behaviour, and understanding the relationship betweenproductdifferentiationandconsumerchoice

A New Measure of Brand Attitudinal Equity Based on the Zipf Distribution

Abstract: In this paper the authors present a parsimonious measure of attitudinal equity for all brands in a survey at respondent level. Their purpose is to provide marketing researchers with a survey-based measure of brand strength that is attitudinally pure and can therefore be used with confidence for modelling purposes. The authors validate the measure against typical ‘within survey’ metrics, but also against individual behaviour as established in diary and scanner panels. In both cases, they show that the measure correlates strongly with the way that each person in the survey distributes her/his share of wallet across brands in a category. The measure outperforms other attitudinal indicators of brand strength both in terms of ‘within survey’ validation and in terms of ex-survey panel data.

Negative Brand Beliefs and Brand Usage

Abstract: This research focuses on consumer brand usage segments and the responses they give to negative attributes in brand image studies Analysis was conducted across three markets and four approaches for measuring brand beliefs with respondents who were current users, past users or had never tried a brand The major finding of this study was that past users of a brand consistently have the highest tendency to elicit negative beliefs about brands Further, those who have never used a brand typically have a lower propensity than current brand users to elicit negative brand beliefs These results suggest that negative beliefs about a brand are developed as a result of purchase behaviour, rather than as mechanisms to reject a brand prior to purchase These findings have implications for the role of negative beliefs in consideration of set formation and the trial of a new brand They also provide insight into the patterns that may be expected when measuring and interpreting negative brand beliefs across different usage groups

Forum - Participation Cycles and Emergent Cultures in an Online Community:

Abstract: The ILX community was centred on a number of message boards. While message boards and forums are often included in discussions of Web 2.0, they in fact date from the earliest days of the internet: modern social media tools and networks such as Facebook did not invent interactivity or user-generated content; they simply made it more accessible. Message boards are still a very common part of the online experience: they remain the most useful means of enabling discussion online. From a research point of view, they are one of the most important web methodologies, as they are easy to guide and moderate. They also centralise content (all users in a discussion are posting to the same page) rather than network it (as in Facebook 'Wall' posts, where content is spread over multiple locations). When this paper talks about communities, it is primarily talking about this kind of centralised content community, rather than networked online communities.

‘Connected Research’ - How Market Research can Get the Most out of Semantic Web Waves:

Abstract: The new internet evolutions (Web 2.0 and beyond) have not yet been truly embedded in the market research process. We introduce the term ‘connected research’ as an embedded form of market research t...

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions: Multiple Pathways to Choice:

Abstract: This paper details an alternate methodology that permits the consumer decision process to be observed without the constraint of model phases or 'sets'. A new custom-developed computerised process tracing methodology is utilised, identifying the decision wave boundaries in a durable product purchase scenario. The electronic process tracing methodology reveals multiple pathways to consumer choice for a durable purchase decision. Consumers choose an air conditioning alternative using up to ten decision waves, forty percent of which may be outside our current decision models. This research suggests that most consumers do not construct a choice set to make a purchase decision, and this may have an impact on product positioning and differentiation decisions, as well as identifying the importance of being the 'last alternative standing'. This research found three common pathways to consumer choice. Marketing tactics must address the informational requirements of each pathway for their product to become a candidate for selection.

Forum: Building better causal models to measure the relationship between attitudes and customer loyalty

Abstract: Market research is inherently concerned with customers' attitudes towards product/services/brand/companies because these subjective evaluations are indicators of company performance and a key determinant of the customer's future repurchase behaviour. Perceived quality, satisfaction and brand/corporate image/reputation are probably the most widely used variables in investigating these attitudes, and several models have been proposed for analysing the relationships between these variables and customer loyalty (See Figure 1). The focus of all these models is similar: to study the causal mechanism that relates customers' evaluations with their future expected behaviour, using the structural equation modelling methodology.

A hybrid online and offline approach to market measurement studies

Abstract: This paper presents a case study of how GfK NOP is moving one of the UK's major market measurement studies online. In this case study we share our learning and illustrate, with empirical data, the ...

Optimising the Language of Email Survey Invitations

Abstract: Online research provides market research practitioners with a number of benefits such as lower costs, shorter duration of fieldwork, and convenient mechanisms to target special segments, respectively. In the last few years, internet-based market research has had a huge impact on the market research industry. This interest stems largely from the significant administrative cost and time savings that are possible on the internet. In fact, online research offers a number of additional and even more important benefits, beyond the obvious advantages of lower cost and faster results. Among them are the ability to reach and communicate with consumers globally and interactivity; richer content and context; flexibility; reduced interviewer bias; and the capability to examine data as they are being collected, i.e. 'real-time analysis'. However, there are also a number of issues that may affect the validity of online research, such as the inappropriate use of samples and incentives, as well as poorly designed questionnaires (e.g. Dillman et al. 1998; Couper 2000; Musch & Reips 2000; Peden & Flashinski 2004).

Quantifying the extent of temporal decay in service quality ratings

Abstract: This paper seeks to synthesise the disparate research to date that has been done on the temporal decay of service quality and satisfaction responses. We aim to verify if this measurement artefact exists and, if so, to see if its magnitude can be quantified and generalised across a range of conditions. Using the existing published results from various ad hoc studies to date that have looked at the issue, we quantify the reported decays in service quality and satisfaction scores. In addition, we extend the research into two new crosssectional studies in the catering and financial planning industries. Service quality ratings decay as the time since the service experience increases. The extent of this decay is generalisable to approximately a 10% decline in service scores over a one- to three-month period. The majority of the decay occurs within the first month of the service encounter and then this rate of decline slows down or stabilises. This research adds to the body of knowledge concerning moderators of service quality ratings. It makes an important managerial contribution through providing a generalised decay figure of about 10% that can be used by managers and researchers to separate the confounding effects of temporal decay from real changes in customers’ service quality perceptions.