Primary Data Collection: Observation Chapter Six

Chapter Six Objectives To develop a basic understanding of observational research. To learn the approaches to observational research. To understand the advantages and disadvantages of observational research. To explore the types of human observation. To understand the types of machine observation and their advantages and disadvantages. To explore the impact of scanner-based research on the marketing research industry. To learn about observation research on the Internet. Chapter Six

The systematic process of recording patterns of occurrences or behaviors without normally communicating with the people involved. The needed information must be either observable or inferable; The behavior should be repetitive, frequent, or in some manner predictable; The behavior must be relatively short in duration. Nature of Observation Research Chapter Six

Natural vs. Contrived: Is the setting made up by the researcher or are you observing a naturally occurring event? Open vs. Disguised: Does the subject know the purpose of the research? Structured vs. Unstructured: Is the researcher taking detailed notes or is the researcher making more general observations? Garbologist - “Forensic Observation”: Going through people’s “garbage” to analyze consumption patterns. Sometimes used as generic term for forensic observation – the clues people leave behind. Nature of Observation Research Chapter Six

Mechanical: Eye movement recorders – Pulpilometer; Voice pitch analysis; People monitors in TV; Traffic counters; Audits – Qualitative & Quantitative People Reader / Meter; Physiological measurement; devices – “lie detectors” Galvanic skin responses; Electroencephalograph; Rapid Analysis Measurement System (RAMS); Scanners - such as the grocery “BehaviorScan”. Ethnographic: The study of human behavior in its natural context, involving observation of behavior and physical setting. Nature of Observation Research Chapter Six

You see what people actually do - rather than what they say they do; Firsthand information is less prone to biases; The observational data can be executed quickly and relatively accurately; Electronic collection such as scanners is more efficient than manual counts; Clients can also observe their customers along with the researcher. Only physical or behavior can be measured; Can’t measure attitudes, beliefs, intentions, or feelings; Not always a good representation of the general population; Interpretation is somewhat subjective depending on observation type; Data analysis is generally more qualitative than quantitative; It can be expensive and time consuming if subjects not readily available; Data can be time sensitive making predictive analysis tricky. Nature of Observation Research Chapter Six

People who pose as customers and shop at a company’s own stores or those of its competitors to collect data about customer-employee interactions and to gather observational data; they might also compare prices, displays, and the like. Mystery Shopping Click for More Information Chapter Six

The mystery shopper calls/contacts the business with a script with questions and notes the experience. The mystery shopper visits the business and makes a quick purchase with little or no customer-employee interaction. Mystery Shopping Levels Chapter Six

The mystery shopper visits the business for a more involved experience to include a scripted scenario to gauge the customer-employee interaction. Level III usually does not involve a major purchase - although detailed discussion about the product or services will likely occur. The mystery shopper visits the business with great knowledge about the products. This knowledge can be used to test the employees. A purchase - and/or issues related to the purchases - might likely be involved. Mystery Shopping Levels Chapter Six

Measuring employee training; Preparing for or monitoring new competition ; Comparison shopping; Recognizing good employees; To build a profile of the shoppers’ patters of behavior. Audits: Examination and verification of product sales; One-Way-Mirror-Observation: Practice of watching behaviors and activities from behind a one-way-mirror; ESOMAR - formerly the European Society for Opinion Research offers mystery shopping guidelines. Click for Information Conducting Mystery Shopping Understanding Behavior Through Observation Chapter Six

Predictive Consumer Intelligence: Web site should mirror the customers’ buying process; Click sequence / patterns should enhance predictive capability. Conversation Trackers: Used to develop a cohesive message from thousands of conversation threads in newsgroups, chatrooms, listservs, message boards, etc. Observation Research on the Internet Chapter Six

Mystery Shopping Observation Methods Observation Research Defined Index