International Marketing Research: Practices and Challenges

GROUP MEMBERS
Shilpa Avhad
Harish rRampalli Rachita Vyas

03
44 59

Abhishek Paul
Faisal

97
112

International Marketing Research

International marketing managers need to constantly monitor the different forces affecting their international operations International marketing research is especially complex

International Marketing Research

International marketing research is the systematic design, collection, recording, analysis, interpretation, and reporting of information pertinent to a particular marketing decision facing a company operating internationally.

Research of Industry, Market Characteristics, and Trends

Acquisition analyses Diversification analyses Market-share analyses Export research

International Buyer Behavior Research

Brand preferences Brand attitudes Brands awareness studies Purchase behavior studies Consumer segmentation studies

International Product Research

Concept development and testing studies Brand name generation and testing Product testing Competitive product studies Packaging design studies Test marketing

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International Distribution Research

Import/export analyses Channel performance and coverage Plant/warehouse location studies

International Promotion Research

Studies of premiums, coupons, and deals Advertising effectiveness research Local media research Studies pertaining to personal selling activities

Sales Force Compensation Quota Territory

International Pricing Research

Studies projecting demand Currency and counter trade studies Studies of inflation rates and pricing Studies of negotiation tactics

The International Marketing Research Process

STEP 1 Define the international research problem and agree on the research objectives

Exploratory Research Descriptive Research Causal Research

STEP 2 Set specific objectives

The International Marketing Research Process, continued

STEP 3 Develop the International Research Plan STEP 4 Define Information Sources

Secondary Data
- Researchers must determine if the information is available, and, if so, how reliable it is - Internal data is useful only if company has collected similar info from relevant respondents in a country with similar environment

Secondary Data Constraints

Conceptual Equivalence

Concepts have different meanings in different cultural environments

Products themselves may be used for different purposes in different country environments

Functional Equivalence

Secondary Data Constraints, continued

Availability, Reliability, and Validity

Accuracy of secondary data can be questionable: Published statistics may be unreliable

Sources of reliable data:
- World Bank - United Nations Development Program - Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) - Euromonitor

Primary Data
Information collected for a specific purpose, to address the problem at hand.

The costs of collecting primary data in foreign markets are likely to be much higher given the lack of an appropriate marketing research infrastructure

Primary Data Research Approaches

Qualitative research has been particularly useful as a first step in studying international marketing phenomena.

Focus Groups Observation

Constraints: Responses can be affected by culture, individuals may act differently if they know they are being observed.

Primary Data Research Approaches, continued

Quantitative research are more structured, involving either descriptive research approaches, such as survey research, or causal research approaches, such as experiments.

Content Analysis Survey Research Experimental Research

Constraints: Respondent factors, infrastructure factors

Data Collection
STEP 5 Design Data Collection Instrument

Emic instruments measure phenomena specific to each culture. Etic instruments measure the same phenomenon in different cultures.

Constraints: Translation; Instrument Reliability; Reluctance to answer certain questions

Data Collection, continued

STEP 6 Decide on the Sampling Plan

Sample Unit Sample Size

Sampling Procedure

STEP 7 Collect, Analyze, and Interpret Data

Decision Support Systems for Global Marketing

A coordinated collection of data, systems, tools, and techniques, complemented by supporting software and hardware designed for the gathering and interpretation of business and environmental data