1.

Research problem:
As with secondary data, specificity is vital. Exhibit 6.10 shows some typical
internet marketing research problems that electronic data can help solve.
2 . Research plan:
Research approach. On the basis of the information needed, researchers
choose from among experiments, focus groups, observation techniques, and
survey research, or Web conversation monitoring, real-time, and real-space
techniques.
Sample design. At this stage, researchers select the sample source and the
number of desired respondents.
Contact method. Ways to contact the sample include traditional methods such
as the telephone, mail, and in person, as well as the internet and other
technology-enabled approaches.
Instrument design. If a survey is planned, researchers develop a questionnaire.
For other methods, researchers develop a protocol to guide the data collection.
3. Data collection.
Researchers gather the information according to plan.

4. Data analysis.
Researchers analyze the results in light of the original problem.
For quantitative research, this step includes using statistical
software packages for traditional survey data analysis or data
mining and other approaches to find patterns and test
hypotheses in databases.

5. Distribution of findings/Addition to the database.

Research data might be placed in the marketing knowledge
database and be presented in a written or oral form to marketing
managers.
 Internet-Based Research Approaches
The internet is a fertile ground for primary data collection. One
reason is declining cooperation from consumers when using
traditional research approaches. Here are four examples of
successful online research:
Creative test
Leo Burnett, the advertising agency, built a panel of 50
elementary schools for the purpose of testing advertising
directed to the “kid” market. Burnett put some advertising
posters online and sent e-mails directing students to the Web
pages displaying the posters
Customer satisfaction: British Airways posted a questionnaire
on its Web site to gather opinions of company services among
Executive Club members. More than 9,000 people completed
the questionnaire within nine months.
• product development: The University of Nevada, Reno,
posted a questionnaire on the marketing program Web
site, inviting practitioners and academics to give
opinions about what should be included in e-
commerce programs at the university level; 140
respondents helped to shape new courses.

• Reputation management: A large manufacturing

company made a small mistake and shortly afterward
found negative comments in 90 percent of the first
page and 80 percent of the second page of Google
search results for the company.
Online Experiments experimental Research

• Attempts to test cause and effect relationships, as in the

Purina example. Offline, a researcher will select subjects,
randomly put them into two or more groups, and then expose
each group to different stimuli. The researcher then measures
responses to the stimuli, usually in the form of a
questionnaire, to determine whether differences exist among
the groups. If the experiment has been carefully controlled.
• Online Focus Groups Focus group research
It is a qualitative methodology that attempts to collect in-
depth information from a small number of participants.
Focus groups are often used to help marketers understand
important feelings and behaviors prior to designing survey
research.
• Online observation
Observation research monitors people’s behavior by
watching them in relevant situations. For example, retailer
video-tape shoppers to see the pattern they choose in
moving through the store and to monitor other shopping
behaviors. Some researchers believe that actions speak
louder than words, making customer observation stronger
than surveys that record people’s statements from memory
about what they believe and do. Of course, as a qualitative
approach, observations of a small number of people cannot
be used to describe how all people might act.