P1 Activity 1: Guide
There are a range of primary research methods that are involved in market research. Information that an organisation collects from its own research efforts is termed as “primary”.

Observation research involves different research methods used to observe consumers interacting with products and services in their natural surroundings. But the main point is that the consumer is meant to be unaware when being monitored which allows the researcher to gain access and make an objective analysis.

A business can use observation research Observation for the collection of benchmarking data, or measurement of the progress since the last time a similar business research project was initiated.

Postal Surveys which are sent to the address of potential customers who complete then send it back with the pre-paid envelope provided. This type of research is cheap and covers wide geographical areas. But a negative side is that response rate is very low and can take a long time to receive completed surveys.

A business can use postal surveys by sending the survey to a company's customers home who live in a specific geographical area.

Face to face surveys are where respondents may be approached on the street and asked to complete a survey.

A business can use face-to-face or direct interviews through the researcher adapting the questions as necessary, clarify doubt and ensure that the responses are properly understood, by repeating or rephrasing the questions. The researcher can also pick up nonverbal cues from the respondent.

Surveys via telephone “Automated surveys” are used to collect information and gain feedback via the telephone and the internet. Automated surveys are used for customer research purposes by call centers for customer relationship management and performance management purposes. They are also used for market research.

A telephone survey is a systematic collection of data from a sample population using a standardized questionnaire. A telephone survey is a method of public opinion polling where telephone numbers are used to contact potential respondents; either from the general population or from a known sample (for example, license buyers or members of an organization). Of all the methods employed in public opinion polling, telephone surveys are the preferred choice to maximize response rates, as well as to maintain control over the quality of the data.

A business can use telephone surveys for customer research purposes in terms of collecting information and gaining feedback via the telephone. This technique is generally used in market research.

Experimentation in terms of market research, it means making a change within the marketing mix and then recording and analysing the results. Experiments allow marketing researchers to study the effects of an independent variable on a dependent variable. The researcher is able to manipulate the independent variable (i.e. he/she is able to change the value of the independent variable such as price, advertising, positioning and observe what effect, if any, this has upon the value of the dependent variable. Put another way, an independent variable is one which can be manipulated independently of other variables.

A business can use experimentation such as economic experiments which provide forecasts and expected outcomes of decisions. Businesses will perform experiments to assess changes to retail price, materials or inventory which affects the bottom line.

E-Mail and M-Mail involve delivering a survey to a computer or mobile phone e-mail address. This would work in circumstances where the computer or mobile device has a keypad attached to it which makes it easier to fill in the survey. The survey may be filled in when the recipient has nothing else to do e.g. on a long train journey. But the main problem is that computer and mobile phone users suffer from “Survey Fatigue” this is simply because they are asked to fill out a