Market research Cambridge IGCSE Business Studies revision

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In plain words

Before spending a fortune on a new product, a business tries to find out whether anyone will buy it. Gathering that information is market research.

It can collect new information itself, or use what other people have already published.

6 things to know

  1. Market research is the collecting and analysing of information about a market: its customers and its competitors.
  2. Its purposes: to identify customer needs, to find gaps in the market, to reduce risk, and to inform decisions.
  3. Primary research collects new, first-hand information: questionnaires and surveys, interviews, focus groups, observation, and test marketing (launching in one small area first).
  4. It is up to date, specific to the business and not available to competitors, but it is expensive and slow.
  5. Secondary research uses information that already exists: the internet, government statistics, published market reports, and the business's own sales records.
  6. It is cheap and quick, but it may be out of date, not exactly what is needed, and available to competitors.

Tips and tricks

  • Primary is first-hand and new. Secondary is second-hand and already collected. The names tell you which is which.
  • A focus group is a small group of consumers who discuss a product together. It gives opinions and reasons, not numbers.
5 questions, about 2 minutes.

It lands in your notebook with its questions as flashcards.

Market research: 5 questions and answers

These are the quiz’s questions. Do the quiz first, then come back here for the ones that got you.

  1. Which is a method of primary research?
    • reading a newspaper report
    • using government statistics
    • a questionnaire given to shoppers (the answer)
    • looking at a competitor's website

    It collects new information directly.

  2. Which is an advantage of secondary research?
    • It is specific to the business.
    • It is cheap and quick to obtain. (the answer)
    • It is always up to date.
    • Competitors cannot see it.

    The data already exists.

  3. A drinks company sells a new flavour in one town before launching it nationally. This is
    • a focus group
    • secondary research
    • test marketing (the answer)
    • a questionnaire

    A small-scale launch tests the reaction before a full one.

  4. Why does market research reduce risk?
    • It guarantees that the product will sell.
    • It shows whether customers want the product before money is spent on it. (the answer)
    • It removes competitors.
    • It lowers the price of materials.

    Decisions are based on evidence, not guesses.

  5. Which is a disadvantage of primary research?
    • It is out of date.
    • It is available to competitors.
    • It is expensive and takes time. (the answer)
    • It is not relevant to the business.

    Collecting new data costs money and time.

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