Market Research Methods: Primary, Secondary and Sampling Techniques
Market research is the process of gathering, recording and analysing information about a market, competitors and customers, split into primary research (field research: data collected first-hand for a specific purpose, such as surveys, questionnaires, focus groups, observation and test marketing, which is current and specific but can be time-consuming and expensive) and secondary research (desk research: existing data already collected by someone else, such as government statistics, trade journals and competitor annual reports, which is quicker and cheaper but may be out of date or not specific enough to the business's exact question). Data gathered can be quantitative (numerical, statistically analysable, e.g. how many customers bought a product) or qualitative (opinions and attitudes, richer detail but harder to compare and more subject to interpretation, e.g. why customers bought it). When primary research uses a sample rather than the whole target population, the sampling method affects how representative the results are: random sampling (every member of the population has an equal chance of selection), stratified sampling (the population is split into relevant subgroups, and a proportional sample is taken from each), quota sampling (researchers fill fixed quotas of respondents from each subgroup, using non-random selection within each quota), and systematic sampling (selecting every nth person from a list).
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Identify whether the research described is primary (collected first-hand for this specific purpose) or secondary (already existing, collected by someone else, for a different original purpose).
- Identify whether the data collected is quantitative (numbers, allowing statistical comparison) or qualitative (opinions, attitudes, richer but harder to generalise).
- If a sampling method is described, identify it from its defining feature: proportional subgroups drawn from known population data is stratified; fixed subgroup quotas filled through non-random selection is quota; every person having an equal chance is random.
- For a stratified sample calculation, find each subgroup's proportion of the total population and apply that same proportion to the required total sample size.
- Evaluate the appropriateness of the method to the business's situation: a small, well-funded business investigating a completely new market benefits most from primary research despite its cost, while a business needing a quick, low-cost overview of an established market may rely more on secondary research.
- Where the question asks for a recommendation, justify the chosen method(s) against cost, time available, the specificity of the information needed, and how large or accessible the target population is.
Worked example
A business wants a stratified sample of 200 customers, drawn proportionally from its total customer base of 5,000 people split into three age groups: 18-30 (2,000 customers), 31-50 (2,500 customers), and 51 and over (500 customers). Calculate how many customers should be sampled from each age group.
- Find each group's proportion of the total customer base: 18-30 is 2,000 / 5,000; 31-50 is 2,500 / 5,000; 51 and over is 500 / 5,000.
- Apply each proportion to the required sample size of 200: 18-30 group sample = (2,000 / 5,000) x 200 = 0.4 x 200 = 80 customers.
- 31-50 group sample = (2,500 / 5,000) x 200 = 0.5 x 200 = 100 customers.
- 51 and over group sample = (500 / 5,000) x 200 = 0.1 x 200 = 20 customers.
- Check the totals add up: 80 + 100 + 20 = 200, matching the required overall sample size, and each group's share of the sample (40%, 50%, 10%) matches its share of the full customer base (40%, 50%, 10%).
Practice questions
Try each question, then tap to reveal the answer.
Q1Define primary research.Show answer
Answer: Field research: data collected first-hand for a specific purpose, such as surveys, focus groups, observation, or test marketing.
Q2Give one example of secondary research.Show answer
Answer: Government statistics, a trade journal article, or a competitor's published annual report (any existing, previously-collected source).
Q3State one advantage of secondary research over primary research.Show answer
Answer: It is usually quicker and cheaper to obtain, since the data has already been collected by someone else.
Q4A population of 4,000 is split into two groups of 3,000 and 1,000. Using stratified sampling for a total sample of 100, how many should be sampled from the group of 1,000?Show answer
Answer: (1,000 / 4,000) x 100 = 0.25 x 100 = 25.
Q5Explain the difference between quantitative and qualitative market research data.Show answer
Answer: Quantitative data is numerical and can be statistically analysed and compared, such as sales figures, while qualitative data captures opinions, attitudes and reasons, which give richer insight but are harder to generalise across a whole population.
Q6State one limitation of using a focus group as a primary research method.Show answer
Answer: The small number of participants involved may not be representative of the wider target market, and views expressed can be influenced by other, more dominant members of the group.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a A Level Business exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Analyse the benefits to a business of using primary research rather than relying only on secondary research when launching a new product.
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MoreliaTech is launching a new fitness tracking app and wants to survey a stratified sample of 400 people from its existing email list of 10,000 subscribers, split into three age groups: under 25 (4,000 subscribers), 25 to 45 (5,000 subscribers), and over 45 (1,000 subscribers). A rival firm instead relied entirely on a two-year-old industry report (secondary research) before its own product launch and later found the report's assumptions about customer age no longer matched its actual buyers. Evaluate whether MoreliaTech's stratified primary research approach is more likely to succeed than the rival's reliance on secondary research.
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