Marketing research of the market: an example. Carrying out market analysis Market analysis marketing and sales

The world's leading brands invest large sums in marketing research, the results of which largely influence the adoption of key management decisions. The cost of such studies starts from 60,000 rubles and more - cosmic sums, especially for small businesses. However, knowing how to analyze the market, you can extract key information yourself.

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First of all, you need to clearly define goals. The subject of research depends on what kind of information you want to receive. The main structural components of the market analyzed by the entrepreneur are:

state of the market (capacity, conjuncture, trends, reaction to new products);
share of different companies in the market, their opportunities and prospects;
target segments, their behavior and requirements for the product, the level of demand;
the price level and rate of return in the industry;
free niches in which you can do business;
competitors, their strengths and weaknesses.

Speaking about how to properly analyze the market, it is worth emphasizing that a specific, understandable goal allows you to reduce costs, not waste time processing useless information and immediately choose the most effective research methods.

General market analysis plan

Comprehensive marketing research is usually carried out at the stage of starting or expanding a business. Its goal is to collect as detailed and comprehensive information about a particular niche as possible. How to analyze the market?

Stage 1: Gathering basic information

The "starting point" in conducting a comprehensive analysis is Market Research (actually, studying the market and its prospects). Ideally, it is necessary to analyze the information for the last 3-5 years.

The key indicator here is market capacity. In simple terms, this is the amount of goods that consumers can buy in a certain period of time - a month or a year. For calculations, the formula is used:

V=A×N

where: V is the size of the market, A is the size of the target audience (thousand people), N is the rate of product consumption for the period.

Based on this indicator, it is calculated what maximum level of sales a company can achieve in a given region.

The next criterion to pay attention to is the level of demand. It is important to take into account the dynamics of the market, whether it is developing or, on the contrary, declining. In the first case, it is necessary to determine its potential and the boundaries of growth, and at the stage of stagnation, to understand how long this will continue.

In addition, they study the factors affecting the market, the share of key competitors in the total sales volume, and the ways of selling products.

Based on the data obtained, it is necessary to identify the main trends and directions of development, as well as analyze the market prospects - what consumers are choosing now and how their preferences may change in the foreseeable future.

Tip: Up-to-date statistics and research results of individual markets at the international and national levels can be found in trade journals and economic reports.

Stage 2: Identification of target segments

So, we know the volume of the analyzed market as a whole. Now it is necessary to determine which groups of consumers bring the company the main profit, what unites them. Different criteria are used to segment the audience - gender, age, profession, income level, social status, interests, etc. Depending on the priorities, the significance of individual factors may differ.

To decide which segments to focus on in the first place, they additionally analyze:

volume of each segment (number of potential customers);
geographical location;
availability of various consumer groups;
Estimated costs of time and finances to start the activity.

A competent choice of target audience in the future will save the entrepreneur from unnecessary costs and will allow directing resources to attract the most "profitable" buyers.

Stage 2: Study of external factors

Any market is constantly exposed to outside influences. Modern marketers identify 6 types of external factors that affect organizations:

political (state policy in the areas of transport, employment, education, etc., taxes);
economic (inflation rate, loan interest rate);
social (population, worldview, level of education);
technological;
legal (laws regulating the creation and operation of enterprises);
ecological.

Some trends appear slowly, they are easy to predict - for example, back in the 70s, people began to discuss the problems of protecting the environment, and now eco-friendly business has become a global trend. At the same time, the economic situation can change at any moment, and it is simply impossible to say with certainty what will happen in 3-5-10 years.

Stage 4: Analysis of competitors

Speaking about how to learn how to analyze the market, special attention should be paid to the study of enterprises that are already operating in this industry. First of all, you need to learn as much as possible about the companies themselves and their capabilities:

technologies that are used in the production of goods and services;
availability of patents and unique technological advantages;
staff qualification level;
access to limited, scarce resources;
opportunity for additional investment.

The next step is to study the products and services of competitors. It is necessary to evaluate "through the eyes of the consumer", taking into account both rational and emotional factors.

It remains to systematize the data and objectively compare the main market players. For convenience, we suggest using a simple template.

By filling out the table, you will get a basic understanding of the main market players and their activities, as well as be able to compare their performance with your own.

Stage 5: Price Analysis

To see the full picture, it is necessary to break down all market players into price segments - economy, premium, etc. It is also important to understand the price structure (cost, promotion and advertising costs, markup) and approximately calculate the profit from each sale.

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Everyone who takes part in economic interaction necessarily functions in some market. The concept of the market is very significant, including in the field of marketing. Often the level of marketing firm does not meet generally accepted requirements. This is usually what causes low sales. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct analytical work and explore the marketing market.

Marketing market and its types

marketing market- this is the total number of all buyers of products (both existing and potential). These subjects have common needs or requests that can be satisfied through the exchange. Therefore, the size of the market is determined by the number of buyers who need any product. They have resources to exchange, as well as the desire to give these resources for the goods in which they feel the need.

The market in marketing must be clear. It is characterized by specific indicators:

Customer needs that provoke corresponding demand;

Geographical position.

In accordance with the needs that generated the demand for specific products, one can name main market types.

The market of producers (or the market of industrial products) is formed by companies and firms that buy goods / services for their future use in the production process.

The consumer marketing market (or consumer goods market) is made up of individuals who buy goods/services for personal use.

The market for public institutions is represented by state-owned companies that buy goods/services to carry out their work.

Intermediary marketing market - these are legal entities and individuals who need goods / services for future resale in order to make a profit.

The international market includes all buyers of products that are located abroad (these will include manufacturers, individuals, intermediaries and government organizations).

If we take the market as a combination of buyers with a related geographical location, then we can name the following types of marketing markets:

Regional - covers the entire territory of a particular country;

Local - covers one or more areas of the state;

World - includes all countries of the world.

An essential parameter in the characteristics of the marketing market is the combination of supply and demand for specific products. In this case, we can distinguish between a "buyer's market" and a "seller's market".

In the seller's market, the leading figure is, respectively, the seller. This works when the existing demand overlaps the supply. In this scenario, the seller does not need to spend money on marketing. In any case, his goods will be purchased. By organizing marketing research, the seller will only waste money.

In a buyer's market, the buyer sets the tone. This alignment encourages the seller to expend additional forces to sell their products. This is one of the factors that encourage the use of marketing research on the market for services and goods. Rather, it is only in such a situation that we can talk about the implementation of the idea of marketing.

Why does a company need market analysis?

Marketing analysis is an essential moment in the work of a marketing manager. A detailed analysis makes it possible to quickly find unoccupied market niches, choose the most suitable target market, and better understand consumer needs.

Before starting the analysis, it is necessary to specify the objectives of the market research. The following elements need to be clarified:

Company's products: analysis of market development and share of the company's products in the segment;

Market structure: analysis of the conjuncture and marketing capacity of the market, assessment of market trends;

Consumer: analysis of demand, basic needs in the market, close marketing study of the behavior and expectations of the target audience;

Target segment: analysis of the prospects of market segments for choosing a field of activity;

Free niches: marketing analysis of market segments to identify free market niches and new sources of sales;

Rivals: analysis of the activities of rivals to identify the competitive superiority of products and search for weaknesses in the company;

Prices: Marketing analysis of competitors' price positions as well as the current price structure in the industry.

Clarity in this regard will make it possible to avoid working on unnecessary information. A clear goal will help to correctly develop an analytical plan, to adopt the most productive method of market research. Marketing assessment of the market will allow you to use only the necessary tools for studying, which will reduce the cost of searching and processing information.

After that, you need to correctly build a marketing analytical plan. It looks like a series of thematically grouped questions.

The enlarged stages of marketing research of the firm's market are as follows.

Market research, its segmentation and identification of the most significant segments.

Marketing research of volume, dynamics and potential of market development.

Study of prices and general economic analysis of the market.

Competitive analysis.

The study of the structure of distribution or distribution of goods in the market.

Identification of key market and consumer trends.

Study of demand, main needs and nuances of consumer behavior.

This list of questions acts as a universal scheme for organizing marketing research of the market. You don't need to do detailed analysis often. He has a fundamental nature. Such an analysis will provide the necessary information for two to three years of work.

How is a marketing analysis of the market carried out at the enterprise: the main stages

Stage 1. Determine the purpose of the market analysis

Before analytical work, it is necessary to outline the goals of market research. What should be considered:

company's products;

market structure;

Consumer;

target segment;

Free niches;

Competitors;

Specification will weed out unnecessary information and help build the right marketing analytical plan.

Stage 2. Product or service research

Through procedures related to product marketing research, market needs for new types of goods/services are identified. It also clarifies the characteristics (functional and technical) that should be modified in products already on the market. In the course of marketing research, the parameters of products that best meet the needs and desires of customers are determined. Such analytical work, on the one hand, demonstrates to the company's management what the buyer wants to receive, what properties of the product are significant for him. On the other hand, in the course of marketing analysis, you can understand exactly how to present new products to potential customers. Perhaps it makes sense to focus on individual characteristics when improving the product and promoting it on the market. Marketing research of the market of products and services provides information about what new prospects for the buyer provide new products or changes in existing ones.

Product analysis consists in comparing the characteristics of the products supplied by the firm with the parameters of competing products. For a marketing-oriented organization, the key to learning about a product is determining its comparative competitive advantage. It is necessary to get a clear answer to the questions: for what reason will potential customers choose the company's products, and not competitors' products? Who are these potential buyers? The results of marketing analytical work make it possible to identify those sales regions where the company has a comparative advantage in relation to rivals. The study of products is also necessary in the design and organization of sales.

When marketing an analysis of the market for goods, it is always necessary to follow the rule: the product must be where the buyer expects it most - and for this reason, most likely, he will buy it. This process is called product positioning in the market.

Stage 3. Determining the market capacity

Potential market capacity is the total number of orders that a company and its competitors can expect from customers in a particular region during a specified period of time (usually a year is taken). The capacity of the marketing research market is calculated for a separate product for a specific sales region. First of all, it is calculated in physical terms (the number of goods sold for a specific period - quarter, month, year). The marketing assessment of the potential market capacity in terms of value is also essential for the company. This is especially important when studying the dynamics of market capacity. In this case, the management of the company will need to determine:

Is there an increase in demand for the company's products? Or the demand is falling - and you need to think about re-profiling activities;

What are the prospects for activities in this regional sales market.

In a marketing study of the potential market capacity, it is important to identify the factors of influence that can provoke both a decrease in capacity and its increase. These factors are fluctuations in the amount of consumer income.

Stage 4. Carrying out market segmentation

This is, without a doubt, one of the most significant components of market research.

A market segment is a group of consumers that has strictly defined general stable characteristics or one quality that determines their behavior in the market. Thus, the essence and purpose of marketing market segmentation is the search for that group (or a number of groups) of consumers who, with the maximum probability, will buy a particular product.

Marketing segmentation of the market makes it possible to:

Find out the specifics of the most possible buyer of this product; demonstrate the nuances of consumer qualities in different market segments; determine which of the properties of the consumer group are sustainable and therefore more significant for designing the needs and desires of consumers;

Clarify (correct) the possible market capacity, simplify sales forecasting;

Understand how to change the properties of the product (device, cost, delivery, appearance, packaging, etc.) when selling in different market segments.

A sign of segmentation is a sign and a system of characteristics that unite any buyers into a stable group. They can be selected by income and social activity, by demographic and geographical characteristics, by nationality, and even by a common historical path. In general, the unifying criterion can be anything.

For the company, in sales, it is important which of the properties of the consumer group are in first place at the moment or will be there in the near future. Based on these properties, it is possible to establish the target market segment - the most significant or promising for the company, the one that meets its specifics. The correct choice of the target segment (that consumer group in which the most likely buyers of a particular product are collected) is a characteristic feature of a marketing-oriented company.

An analysis of the marketing research market shows that it is necessary to clearly understand the difference between a market segment and its niche. These terms should not be confused in practical and methodological terms. A market niche is also a consumer group, but it has a number of differences. First, it is small in terms of numbers. Secondly, niche consumers have several characteristics, each of which can be characteristic of different segments of the same market or different markets and industries. Thirdly, a distinctive feature of a market niche is a significant weakening or complete absence of rivalry in it. Based on these nuances, the process of finding a market niche, as one businessman said, is similar to a neurosurgical operation, since it involves the maximum accuracy of actions.

Stage 5. Study and analysis of the consumer

At this stage, it turns out: who is the potential consumer of the product, what is the structure of the wishes of buyers in the market of a particular company. Here, the management of the company will need to answer many questions.

Work in this direction will help to identify the most vulnerable places in the first place. This applies both to the product and to the variant of its implementation, to the economic tactics of the company as a whole. At this stage, the profile (portrait) of a potential buyer is specified.

In the course of such analytical work, not only the inclinations and customs, habits and preferences of the consumer are considered. It also clarifies the reasons for the behavior of specific consumer groups. This makes it possible to predict the future structure of their interests. At the moment, a serious arsenal of tools is used for marketing research of consumer behavior, their subconscious and conscious reactions to certain products and the advertising that accompanies them, to the current state of affairs in the market. Study methods include: questionnaires, surveys, testing. All of them provide an opportunity to find out the opinion of consumers of goods about the changes made to the product or service. With the help of these tools, you can monitor the consumer reaction to the efforts to release and market the product on the market on an ongoing basis. Building customer feedback and continuously improving based on feedback from products and manufacturing techniques is one of the characteristics of a marketing-oriented firm.

Step 6. Research marketing methods

Marketing research of the sales market includes the search for the most effective combination of methods and forms of sale of goods / services, their strengths and weaknesses, belonging to a market segment or sales region. It examines the means needed to bring the product to the market. The work of companies directly selling goods/services on the market is being studied. Marketing analytical work involves consideration of the functions and features of the activities of different types of companies that are engaged in wholesale and retail trade. Their strengths and weaknesses are determined, the nature of the established relations with manufacturers is studied.

As a result, it is specified:

Who can act as an intermediary (an autonomous trading company or the company's own sales department);

To sell the company's products in a particular market as correctly as possible, with greater benefit.

Along with this, it is necessary to calculate all types of expenses for the sale of goods. It is necessary to think over the ways of implementation with the help of intermediaries and through the organization of your own sales network. It is also required to clarify the percentage of sales costs in the final cost of the goods, etc.

This component of the marketing research of the enterprise market is responsible for analyzing the effectiveness of different types and methods of advertising and promoting the product on the market. It also includes personal selling, company image building, and sales promotion.

In order to master the market, or at least start selling their products, a company needs advertising. It is required to search for and inform customers, form an attractive company image, and collect orders.

Selection of the most suitable types and means of advertising;

Finding out the most preferable sequence of using different advertising media;

The importance of advertising and the effectiveness of an advertising campaign are evaluated by the final indicators of the company's economic activity. First of all, this can be seen in the increase in sales volumes. At the same time, certain types of advertising are aimed at the long term. They cannot be quantified.

Stage 8. Develop a pricing strategy

Pricing is one of the key factors for successful competition in the market. In the course of working on the correct pricing policy, it will be necessary to think over not only the correct pricing strategy and the scheme of attractive discounts for customers. It is also required to determine the price range to increase profits and optimize sales volume.

Stage 9. Research of the level of competition

The study of rivals is one of the key components of marketing at the moment. Its results provide an opportunity not only to develop the right economic strategy and market policy of the company. It immediately becomes clear what is done improperly in the goods, sales network, advertising and other elements of the firm's marketing activities.

During the study of rivals, first of all, it will be necessary to identify the main competitors of the company in the market (direct and indirect), to find their strengths and weaknesses. This is especially important when a company enters the market with a new product, develops an unknown area of economic activity, tries to penetrate a new market. To determine the comparative advantages of rivals and evaluate your own resources, it is not enough just to study the products of competitors. You need to get information about other aspects of their work: goals in a particular market, the nuances of production and management, pricing policy and financial situation.

Company leaders need to know:

What exactly does it consist of;

The ratio of the cost of your product and the products of rivals;

What sales channels do competitors rely on when selling goods;

What branches of economic activity do rivals want to penetrate in the future;

What types of privileges do competitors offer to customers and regular customers;

Who do they use as intermediaries in the sale of goods, etc.

At the moment, along with direct competition, the specialization of companies is increasingly deepening. Consumer demand, desires and needs of people are increasingly individualized. In this regard, it is necessary to learn to discover any ways for joint work and alliance (primarily in production and technology) with potential rivals. This is necessary in order to protect yourself from a price war in which no one is likely to win. This goes against the usual division of the market, with the struggle of enterprises to increase the territory in the sales market. Of course, price competition in any case remains (in certain segments of the market, in the production of similar goods, it even increases). However, it does not play a major role in the long-term victory in the competition. The formation of various alliances between companies - potential rivals (joint ventures, strategic coalitions) gives them the opportunity not only to more effectively respond to consumer demand, but also to further increase the market capacity.

Stage 10. Sales forecasting

The basis of planning in a company under market conditions is the development of a sales forecast. That's where planning starts. Not from the rate of return or return on invested capital, but from the sales forecast. This refers to the potential sales volume of a certain type of goods / services for all branches of the company. The primary goal of marketing analysis of the market is to find out what and in what quantities can be sold. Only then can you begin to build a production plan.

With the help of sales forecasts, financial and production work is planned. Decisions are made about where and how much to invest. What (or after what time) the company will need new production resources. It becomes clear what new supply channels need to be found. What design solutions or technical innovations to send to production. Marketing work in this direction allows you to understand how to change the range of goods / services in order to increase the overall profitability of the company, etc.

However, a sales forecast is primarily a forecast. In this case, the influence of uncontrollable, sudden or unforeseen factors is great, their impact on the state of affairs of a company of any type. In this regard, such a forecast must be multicomponent, justified and multivariate to the maximum.

What methods are used for marketing analysis of the market

There are many ways to study the market. All of them are used in specific situations, to solve specific marketing tasks. Methods of collecting information in the implementation of marketing research can be divided into two groups: qualitative and quantitative.

Quantitative market analysis is most often associated with the organization of various surveys. They are based on the use of structured closed-ended questions. The answers are given by a large number of respondents. Distinctive features of such marketing research are: the analysis of the information obtained is carried out in the course of ordered procedures (quantitative in nature predominates), the format of the information collected and the sources for obtaining it are strictly defined.

Qualitative marketing analysis of the market consists of collecting, studying and interpreting information by observing how people behave and what they say. Monitoring and its outputs are of a qualitative nature and are carried out outside the standards.

The selection of the study method depends on financial and time resources. The main methods of market research are as follows.

Focus groups. Round table or discussion, where there is a conversation on a specific topic. The target consumer group takes part. At this event, there is a moderator who leads the conversation on a specific list of issues. This is a qualitative method of market research and is useful for understanding the causes of behavior. Focus groups help formulate hypotheses, explore the hidden motives of customers.

Polls. They imply a survey of the target market using a strict questionnaire. Sizes are both small and large. In a marketing survey, sampling is very important. The larger it is, the clearer and more valid the result will be. This is a quantitative marketing method. It is used when you need to get specific indicators on certain issues.

observation. Monitoring the behavior of a representative of the target audience in a normal environment (for example, video filming in a store). Refers to quality marketing research methods.

Experiments or field studies. Refers to quantitative marketing methods. They provide an opportunity to test any assumptions and alternatives in real life.

In depth interviews. Conversation with one representative of the target audience on a specific list of open questions. They provide an opportunity to understand the topic in detail and form hypotheses. Relate to quality marketing methods.

You can name, among other things, a group of analytic and prognostic methods. To conduct market research, apply:

The theory of probability;

Linear planning;

Network planning;

Methods of business games;

Economic and mathematical modeling;

Methods of expert evaluation;

Economic and statistical methods.

And yet, it is not often that a firm has sufficient funds to carry out a systematic marketing study of an industry market (from the development of hypotheses in focus groups, conversations, and ending with a large-scale survey to obtain accurate information).

Often, a marketing manager needs to make a personal effort to collect the information about the market that will be useful for developing a marketing strategy for the firm.

Ways to find marketing information about the market

Social networks and forums. It is worth taking advantage of the network. There you can find out the opinion of buyers in social networks, on forums. Skype and email will also help. All of these channels will reduce the cost of market research.

Personal conversations. Conduct the interview yourself (5-10 conversations). Engage brand advocates, consumers and non-consumers of the market. Talk to those who make the decision and control the purchase, as well as those who use the purchased products. Such conversations will take less than a week, but they will provide a lot of useful information.

Organization employees. Ask your questions to the staff of the firm to get their opinion. Pay special attention to the sales department. If you are participating in market research as an independent party, talk to the management of the enterprises.

Internet resources. Explore information posted on the Web on a given topic. Do not pass by information about adjacent markets.

Own experience. Try to buy your products and record the impressions.

Own observation. Take a look at the behavior of people at points of sale for yourself: how they choose certain products.

Stay realistic. Enter into the marketing analysis of the market only the information that can really be collected and processed. Remember that it is not worth analyzing for the sake of the process of analysis itself. Only those results that will be useful in developing the company's marketing strategy matter.

The marketing environment of the market: why it is important to analyze it

The analysis of the marketing environment deserves maximum interest in the implementation of marketing research. It is updated all the time - either due to threats, or due to opening horizons. It is extremely important for any company to monitor such changes and adapt to them in time. The marketing environment is a combination of active actors and processes that operate outside the company and influence the prospects for its successful cooperation with the target audience. In other words, the marketing environment is the factors and forces that determine a company's ability to establish and maintain beneficial relationships with customers. These moments are not all and not always subject to direct management by the company. In this regard, they separate the external and internal marketing environments.

The external environment of the company is most often divided into macro- and microenvironment.

macro environment covers the entire state of affairs in the business space of the city (region, state). Its distinctive features have an impact on the work of all economic entities, regardless of the form of ownership and product differences. This influence will extend to a major food manufacturer, a five-star hotel, and a private beauty salon.

The external marketing environment is characterized by great mobility, so it is most often not subject to active influence from any company.

Microenvironment represented by the properties of a single market taken and the state of affairs in it. This market is of particular interest to the company. Let's say it can be a market for hotel services or a market for cotton fabrics.

The microenvironment includes forces that can influence a company's ability to serve customers:

Marketing intermediaries;

The company itself;

Buyers;

Competitors;

Suppliers;

General public.

Internal marketing environment consists of such components as:

Organizational and managerial resources of the company;

Human resources of the company;

The production potential of the company;

Design and engineering resources of the company;

Material and financial capabilities of the company;

Sales potential of the company.

The functioning of any organization in the market depends on the factors affecting it in the course of performing any actions. These elements form opportunities or threats for the organization, which, respectively, help or hinder the implementation of various actions and the achievement of tasks.

Knowledge of the properties and power of these factors makes it possible to develop such guiding decisions in the field of marketing that will help protect the company from threats and maximize the opportunities that have appeared for the benefit of the company.

Market marketing strategies: types and stages of development

Marketing strategy is a component of the overall strategy of the company. Thanks to it, the main directions of the company's activity in the market in relation to rivals and buyers are formed.

The development of market marketing strategies is influenced by:

The main goals of the company;

Its current position in the market;

Available resources;

Evaluation of market prospects and expected actions of rivals.

Since the state of affairs in the market is constantly changing, the marketing strategy is also characterized by mobility and flexibility. It can be adjusted all the time. There is no one size fits all marketing strategy. To raise sales of a particular company or promote any type of product, you need your own development of lines of business.

Marketing strategies are most often divided into specific strategies.

integrated growth. Its goal is to increase the structure of the company through "vertical development" - the launch of the production of new products.

concentrated growth. It implies a change in the product sales market or its modernization. Often, such marketing strategies are aimed at fighting rivals to gain a larger market share (“horizontal development”), finding markets for existing products, and improving products. As part of the implementation of these types of strategies, the company's regional divisions, dealers and suppliers are monitored. In addition, there is an impact on the final consumers of goods.

Abbreviations. The goal is to increase the efficiency of the company after a long development. In this case, both the reorganization of the company (for example, the reduction of any departments) and its liquidation (for example, a smooth curtailment of activities to zero while obtaining the maximum available profit) can be carried out.

diversified growth. It is used if the company does not have the opportunity to grow in the current market conditions with a specific type of product. The firm can concentrate on the release of a new product, but at the expense of available resources. In this case, the product may not be significantly different from the existing one or be completely new.

In addition, the company's marketing strategy can be directed both to the entire market and to its individual target segments. Main strategies for individual segments:

Differentiated marketing strategy. Here the goal is to cover as many market segments as possible with the release of products specially designed for this purpose (appearance, improved quality, etc.);

Concentrated marketing strategy. The forces and resources of the company are concentrated on one market segment. Products are offered to a specific target audience. The emphasis is on the originality of any goods. This marketing option is most suitable for companies with limited resources;

Mass (or undifferentiated) marketing strategy. Aimed at the market as a whole, without any differences in consumer demand. The competitive advantage of goods consists mainly in reducing the cost of their production.

Common mistakes businesses make

Mistake #1. The firm thinks little about the market and is weakly focused on the client.

Market segments are not prioritized.

The segments themselves are not clearly defined.

A large number of company employees are of the opinion that customer service is the responsibility of marketing departments, therefore, they do not strive to treat consumers better.

There are no managers who are responsible for specific market segments.

Mistake #2. The firm does not fully understand its target customers.

Sales of products do not reach the expected level; rivals' goods are bought better.

Product returns and customer complaints are exorbitant.

The last marketing study of the consumer audience was conducted more than two years ago.

Mistake #3. The firm does not effectively detect its rivals and monitors their activities poorly.

There is no system for collecting and disseminating information about rivals.

The firm is too focused on its closest competitors. There is a risk of losing sight of both distant rivals and technologies that threaten the well-being of the company.

Mistake #4. The company illiterately builds interaction with all stakeholders.

Distributors, dealers, suppliers are not the best (do not pay due attention to the company's products, poor quality supplies).

Investors remain dissatisfied (it looks like an increase in the interest rate of loans and a fall in the share price).

Dissatisfied employees (there is a high turnover of staff).

Mistake #5. The company is not looking for new development prospects.

The vast majority of projects implemented by the organization ended in failure.

Recently, the company has not been striving for new horizons (interesting offers, sales markets, etc.).

Mistake #6. The marketing planning process has significant drawbacks.

The plans are not related to the modeling of financial results, they do not work out alternative ways.

The plans do not consider the possibility of unforeseen circumstances.

There are no mandatory components in the marketing plan or there is no logic.

Mistake #7. Service strategy and product strategy require changes.

The company offers too many free services.

The organization does not have the resources for cross-selling (selling products along with additional goods / services - for example, a shirt with a tie, a car immediately with insurance, etc.).

The list of the company's products is too large, which negatively affects production costs.

Mistake #8. The firm does not make efforts to form a strong brand.

The budget section between different marketing tools practically does not change.

The procedures related to the promotion of products do not take into account the indicators of income on invested finances to the required extent (the role of investments is underestimated).

The target audience does not know the company well. People do not consider a particular brand to be the best.

Mistake #9 Illiterate organization of the activities of the marketing department hinders the productive marketing of the company.

Employees of the department do not have the skills required to work in the current conditions.

The marketing department is in a difficult relationship with other departments.

The head of the marketing department does not cope with his duties, he lacks professionalism.

Mistake #10. The company does not use to the maximum the possibilities of modern technologies.

The organization's automated sales system is noticeably outdated.

The marketing department needs to develop dashboards.

The company practically does not use the Internet in its work.

With the utmost automation of the sales system, a large number of daily marketing calculations can be carried out not by the employees of the company, but by software. This option makes it possible to optimize these solutions and helps to save a lot of working time.

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VVS provides exclusively analytical services and does not advise on theoretical issues of the foundations of marketing(capacity calculation, pricing methods, etc.)

This article is for informational purposes only!

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We have one service that I really like to perform. I feel like I'm in a spy movie starring me as I collect classified information to complete a top-secret mission.

Since we always work as a team, my colleagues help me. Do I present them as assistants who provide me with valuable information? thanks to which I will collect information bit by bit, summarize it and save ... not the world, but our client (or customer, if we speak the language of films).

What kind of service is this, where fantasy plays like that? Meet. This is marketing analysis.

what is marketing analysis

But after all, this is an analysis of data based on information that was collected as a result of various marketing researches for carrying out tasks (the same 4P) in order to generalize, systematize and change them.

How difficult... I will go

Whatoooo? Really! Let's just. Incomprehensible smart pages from Wikipedia and abstracts you can read on other sites. And here let's be expressed in simple language and understandable sentences. Better yet, back it up with concrete examples.

What is marketing analysis in our understanding, or what do we do? Here are a couple of examples of the work we have done:

Example 1 The client has some land (7 hectares is not much :)), and he wants to build a camp site on it. He comes to us with the following questions:

What kind of hostel to build (concept required)?
What kind of marketing should be used to promote it?
What investments are needed?
How and in general will this whole idea pay off?

Example 2 The client has a company that sells woodworking equipment in one region and a great desire to go not even outside the region, but throughout Russia.

You just need to understand what product to go out with in the first place (a fairly wide range), what actions to take and what budget is needed for this.

Example 3 The client has his own rather successful business, but he wants to open a second, radically different direction.

There are certain plans to open a small plant (I will not reveal the niche). Of course, this is a little more complicated and the queries are as follows:

Development and ;
Development of an advertising concept with detailed study;
Detailed study of business and financial plans (of course, we do not specialize in this, but we have partners);
Well, of course, prepare all the documents for the bank (few people now have more than 100 million rubles in stock).

Such examples are far from the only ones, there is experience in developing hostels, niches in, launching a new product on the market, franchising, and so on.

I think my analogy with movie spies is now clear. Business plans with numbers are one thing, but researching the client's competitors, and even throughout the region or country, is a completely different calico.

But this is in our understanding. And if we return to the classical concept, then marketing analysis is necessary when:

Market research;
Market trends;
Studying demand and the factors that influence it;
Studying prices and pricing;
Studying competitors (especially strong or fast-growing ones) and competitiveness;
Studying your company (its strengths and weaknesses);
And a dozen more subtasks.

what to do for analysis

"How many terrible words." This is the phrase that comes to my mind when I start reading the description of what needs to be done to conduct a marketing analysis:

Carrying out marketing research;
Collection, processing and generalization of data obtained as a result of research;
Selection of key points from the processed data;
Conceptualization (God, what a terrible word!) - processing key points and considering them in the right way;
Extrapolation (but who invents them!) - determining how this data will be played in the long term;
Creating conclusions.

I translate into human Russian, plus I immediately explain what needs to be done step by step in order to conduct a more or less human marketing analysis. Yes, generalized, but understandable.

Marketing analysis of the market. Collect all the information about the market that you can find and reach. Thanks to the Internet, you have almost all the information that exists in the world. So look, it's not difficult. For example, I found all the relevant statistics I needed on settling in hotels / hostels / hotels in the city I needed.
By the way, there was a rather interesting scandal recently. European student decided to nominate for the Nobel Prize, thanks to the results of the study, which he did. The scandal is that it is based on medical reports, rather closed, but leaked to the Internet;
Marketing analysis of a firm/organization/company. You study the entire organization from the inside. Everything means everything! Marketing, sales, sales, production. Everything that happens within the company, all business processes. And then suddenly it happens that you will establish marketing in a manufacturing company, but forget about production, and instead of the prescribed 3 days, orders will be fulfilled in 10-14 days.
Marketing analysis of competitors. Here! This is the most important thing for any leader and owner. Or rather, the most enjoyable. Conduct competitor analysis and find out what they are better at. Guys, let's do this, if we are better than competitors, then in everything. That is why you study competitors;
Marketing analysis of the product. You need to determine how your product (in this case, this word includes both goods and services) will be competitive and viable when entering the market.
If organization analysis is necessary, competitor analysis is interesting, then product analysis is what the whole analysis is for, so study it in detail and consider all possible options;
Marketing analysis of the project. Everything is simple and clear here. It is necessary to estimate and calculate how viable the whole project is in the long term (1-3-5-10 years), and whether it is worth starting it.

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let's move on to practice

In general, the theory, the theory and nothing but it. But we need practice. Let's imagine that you decide to do a marketing audit yourself.

Market analysis

In short, find all the information you can about the market (supply and demand). If you want to consider what exactly, then here is an article to help you, which we already wrote earlier -. In addition, these services will help you:

Federal State Statistics Service - thanks to this service, you can find extremely interesting and, surprisingly, up-to-date information;
Estimating the market volume is generally a service for checking a counterparty, but with the right settings and, as they say, “if you dig deeper”, you can pull out interesting data.
For example, estimated sales in a certain niche (data are taken from the financial statements of companies). I highly recommend.

Company Analysis

First impression of the company;
First contact;
Sales algorithm;
Marketing;
Competence of employees and owner.

And now attention!

The first 2 points should be checked and performed not by the business owner and not by the manager. It's banned. This should be a completely independent person who will then tell you the whole truth.

It doesn’t sound very pleasant, but if you let a professional into your company, he will tell you a lot of new and interesting things about the company itself and about your employees.

Competitor analysis

As I already wrote, this is the favorite pastime of most entrepreneurs, who play spies in this very block.

I watch...

You need to identify your main competitors. At least 3-5, and not one or two, as is commonly believed;
Find all the information about them on the Internet. In particular, view and swipe detailed, social networks, current location;
Run a mystery shopper to them. If you can't go, send a friend. But it is better to hire a professional company with audio recording and reports (naturally, you need to prepare them in advance and on your own);
Collect all advertising information and analyze them. On the Internet, offline (billboards, newspapers, magazines);
Based on this information, make a list of the strengths and weaknesses of your competitors.

We consider patency

Come in the morning and make a cheap purchase from him. In the evening you make a second purchase from him. The trick is that if you have a cash desk, you get a check with a number.

By calculating the difference between checks (= number of customers per day) and multiplying it by the average check and the number of days in a month, you can calculate the approximate turnover of a competitor.

Relevant for catering and retail stores (especially with inexpensive products).

Product analysis

This is where you have to work hard. To do this, you must first know the answers to the following questions:

Who is yours?
Is there a detailed one?
And carried out?
Then what are their weaknesses that we can take away, strengthen them and rise through this?
What will be our positioning? And the USP?
Is the marketing thought out and worked out?
Are the distribution channels well thought out?

And dozens of similar questions that you need to answer. Think it doesn't matter? Well then, congratulations!

You plan to do "marketing from the market, not from the product." This is the trap many entrepreneurs fall into. In detail about this and about what it threatens, I wrote in the article.

We live in a market economy. Whether we like it or not, the strategy of any enterprise is based on a correct understanding and application in practice of the laws of the market. Whether you are just starting your business or have been in business for many years, market research is an essential part of your job. After all, products produced but not sold on the market, no matter how good they are, do not bring benefits (profits), neither to you nor to society.

The study, analysis and processing of information about the state of the market, in a certain area, is called marketing research. Such studies are carried out by specialized companies, marketing services of large organizations and holdings, or they are done by “amateur specialists”. Both the fate of a small boutique in a shopping center and the effectiveness of multibillion-dollar investments depend on the correctness, completeness and objectivity of such works. No serious company in the world makes even tactical (not to mention strategic) decisions without analyzing the market, marketing prospects for a new product or improving technology.

Goals of marketing research

Market research, depending on the tasks, can have a different focus. This includes the search for new areas of activity, expanding the range of goods and services, tracking competitors, and so on. If we talk about the global goal, then it is one - to expand sales and increase profits. But there are a lot of directions aimed at achieving this ultimate goal. There are several main areas:

search and analysis of problems in a specific market segment;
description of the situation on the market, which has the character of current information;
forecast of market development trends in the future;
testing the market in order to choose between different strategies of action;
analysis of new scientific and technological trends that can significantly affect the market;
analysis of related areas of activity in order to identify the possibility of new products (services) that affect the market.

Significant differences have studies of internal and external nature.

A huge role is played by marketing research in determining the directions of investment in the scientific and technical sphere. These investments are very expensive, long-term, and, if successful, can lead to a revolutionary breakthrough. As an example understandable today to everyone, we can cite the situation in the mid-80s of the last century in the image fixation market. In other words, photographs.

In the mid-80s, there were opportunities for a significant improvement in the quality of images in traditional (film) photography, while digital technologies were still “in diapers” and could not compete in the market in terms of any technical and economic indicators. As you know, the forecast errors of a number of companies in this area led to their collapse over the next 20-25 years.

What Marketers Research (Objects)

Consumers of products / services have different requirements for the proposed product. These are not only quantitative and qualitative technical and economic indicators that can be expressed in numbers. A huge role is played by tastes, traditions (religious and cultural), climate or age categories of consumers. Identification of the motives that guide buyers when choosing a product is also the most important subject of study.

So, for example, one of the well-known European manufacturers of wall tiles managed to significantly expand sales in Iran and Pakistan, focusing on a range of colors that gravitate towards green. The reason is simple - green is one of the favorite colors of Islam.

We should not forget that the producers themselves can directly influence and shape the tastes and preferences of the target audience. This goal is served by direct and indirect advertising, PR actions, the formation of new needs. The word "imposition" has a negative connotation, but, nevertheless, it is the most important element of the struggle for the consumer, stimulating consumption.

The object of marketing research can be, for example, the logistics system of competitors, which helps to reduce costs in the supply of goods and services. And to what truly tectonic shifts in the beverage market the creation of new types of packaging has led, there is no need to speak.

The most important, if not the main, object of research are end users, that is, you and me. This is the most "difficult" object. For its study, the entire arsenal of sociology and consumer psychology is involved. Most often, the most important element of such a study is a survey of target (focus) consumer groups. Here, a correctly compiled questionnaire and the conscientiousness of the persons conducting the surveys play a very important role.

Every resident of Russia can be called a consumer. And the one who does not speak Russian is also a consumer, only then he is called spozhivach (Ukrainian), consumer (“consumer”, English), or verbraucher (Austrian German), or konsument (German), or something else. Every time we consume something, we make an impact on the socio-economic environment that is imperceptible to us.

By consuming, we influence sellers. Sellers, having made an act of sale, thereby influence distributors, who, in turn, influence producers, and those - on suppliers of raw materials. Each time such an imperceptible act of consumption leads to growing waves of influence that involve an increasing number of economic entities in a continuous process...

Under conditions of totalitarian socialism or a monarchy, this process is strictly regulated from above. In a liberal (or, in our case, rather “slightly more liberal”) economy, this process is “driven by the market.”

Each participant in the process has an alternative - what to consume. When choosing from at least two proposals, we must be guided by some criteria. Often these are quite specific criteria, for example, price. Sometimes they are more difficult to grasp (eg brand preference), other times it may be the need to satisfy some deep-seated needs (eg, the unmet need to feel power over other people may result in the purchase of a sports car).

Just in order to feel good in the market, rules of conduct were invented, which were named in the American manner marketing. Such rules (which, upon closer examination, turn out to be not so simple) allow any Russian company to compete with global giants such as Procter & Gamble. Yes, they brought together leading specialists in the marketing department. Yes, they pay good wages. But not everything is so sad, because there is such a word as "marketing".

Marketing is your guide to the market game. Anyone who has mastered marketing can, if not defeat the international monsters, then at least grab a piece of his pie.

Nevertheless, our goal is not to teach you marketing techniques, but to help you in such an important matter as market research, the results of which are the information base for marketing activities. You can learn more about this service by going now to the services section of our call center -.

Market Research

For any company striving for success, marketing research acts as the beginning and logical conclusion of any cycle of its marketing activities. Market research significantly reduces the uncertainty in making important marketing decisions, which allows you to effectively allocate economic potential to achieve new business heights!

Marketing research, the study of the external and internal environment and its regular monitoring for any enterprise is an important element of the strategy for successful development in a market economy. The role of research increases many times in the conditions of the unformed market segment or with the uncertainty of a new business.

Whether you decide to introduce a completely new product to the market or enter a new market with an existing one, you will face the problem of a lack of information about market conditions and other necessary ingredients for a successful market entry. Does the market need your product, and if so, in what volume?

Most likely, you have a certain vision of the market. But perhaps this is not enough to choose the right strategy. It is in this situation that our specialists will help you to study the market in detail and develop a competitive marketing concept.

As a first step, it is necessary, which will allow you to solve, both in combination and separately, the following tasks:

Determine the real and potential market capacity. Studying the market capacity will help you correctly assess your chances and prospects in this market and avoid unjustified risks and losses;
Calculate or predict your market share. The share is already a reality, and it is quite possible to build on it, forming future plans, and then increase it in the future. Market share is an important indicator of your company's success;
Analyze the behavior of your customers (demand analysis). This analysis will assess the degree of consumer loyalty to the product and the company, answer the question: “Who buys and why?” And, therefore, it will help to establish competitive prices for products, make changes to the product itself, optimize promotion channels and advertising strategy, organize sales effectively, that is, adjust all components of the marketing mix;
Conduct an analysis of the main competitors (offer analysis). Knowledge of competitors' products and marketing policies is necessary to better target the market and adjust your individual pricing and promotion policies to ensure your competitive success;
Analyze distribution channels. That will allow you to determine the most effective of them and form a ready-made chain of optimal movement of the product to the end consumer.

Carrying out marketing research

- this is the collection, processing and analysis of data on the market, competitors, consumers, prices, the internal potential of the enterprise in order to reduce the uncertainty associated with making marketing decisions. The result of marketing research are specific developments that are used in the selection and implementation of the strategy, as well as the marketing activities of the enterprise.

As practice shows, without market research it is impossible to systematically collect, analyze, and compare all the information necessary for making important decisions related to market activity, market selection, determining sales volumes, forecasting and planning market activities.

The objects of market research are the trend and process of market development, including an analysis of changes in economic, scientific, technical, legislative and other factors, as well as the structure and geography of the market, its capacity, sales dynamics, market barriers, the state of competition, the current situation, opportunities and risks. .

The main results of the market research are:

Forecasts of its development, assessment of market trends, identification of key success factors;
Determination of the most effective ways of conducting a competitive policy in the market and the possibility of entering new markets;
Implementation of market segmentation.

Marketing research can be directed to various objects and pursue different goals. Let's look into this in more detail.

Tasks of marketing research

Qualitative research is carried out to solve the following problems:

Market analysis;
Consumer analysis;
Analysis of competitors;
Promotion analysis;
Testing advertising concepts;
Testing advertising materials (layouts);
Testing the marketing complex of the brand (packaging, name, price, quality).

Marketing research of consumers

Consumer research allows you to identify and explore the whole range of motivating factors that guide consumers when choosing goods (income, education, social status, etc.). The subject of the study is the motivation of consumer behavior and the factors that determine it, the structure of consumption, the provision of goods, consumer demand trends are studied.

The purpose of consumer research is consumer segmentation, selection of target segments.

Competitor Research

The main task of competitor research is to obtain the necessary data to provide a specific advantage in the market, as well as to find ways of cooperation and cooperation with possible competitors.

For this purpose, the strengths and weaknesses of competitors are analyzed, the market share they occupy, the reaction of consumers to competitors' marketing tools, and the organization of business management are studied.

Exploring Potential Intermediaries

In order to obtain information about possible intermediaries through which the company will be able to be present in the selected markets, a study of the company's market structure is carried out.

In addition to intermediaries, the enterprise must have an idea about the transport, forwarding, advertising, insurance, financial and other organizations, creating a set of marketing infrastructure for the market.

Research of the product and its values

The main purpose of product research is to determine the compliance of technical and economic indicators and the quality of goods with the requests and requirements of consumers, as well as an analysis of their competitiveness.

Product research allows you to get the most complete and valuable information from the point of view of consumers about the consumer parameters of the product, as well as data for the formation of the most successful arguments for an advertising campaign, the choice of the most suitable intermediaries.

Objects of product research: properties of analogue products and competitor products, consumer reaction to new products, product range, service level, prospective consumer requirements

The results of the research enable the company to develop its own range of products in accordance with the requirements of customers, increase their competitiveness, develop new products, develop a corporate identity, and determine the ability of patent protection.

Marketing price analysis

Price research is aimed at determining such a level and price ratio that allows you to get the most profit at the lowest cost.

The objects of study are the costs of development, production and marketing of goods, the degree of influence of competition, the behavior and reaction of consumers to prices. As a result of the conducted studies of the goods on prices, the most effective ratios of "cost-price" and "price-profit" are selected.

Merchandising and sales research

The study of product distribution and sales aims to determine the most effective ways, methods and means of quickly bringing the product to the consumer and its implementation. The objects of study are trading channels, intermediaries, sellers, forms and methods of sale, distribution costs.

It also analyzes the forms and features of the activities of various types of wholesale and retail enterprises, identifies strengths and weaknesses. This allows you to determine the possibility of increasing the turnover of the enterprise, optimize inventory, develop criteria for choosing effective channels of product distribution.

Study of sales promotion systems

The study of the sales promotion system is one of the important areas of marketing research. The objects of research are: the behavior of suppliers, intermediaries, buyers, the effectiveness of advertising, the attitude of the consumer community, contacts with buyers. The result of the study makes it possible to develop a policy of "public relations", to determine the methods of forming the demand of the population, to increase the efficiency of commutative communications, including advertising.

Research of advertising activity

Stimulating the promotion of goods on the market concerns not only advertising, but also other aspects of the company's sales policy, in particular, research on the effectiveness of competitions, discounts, premiums and other benefits that can be applied by the company in their interaction with buyers, suppliers, intermediaries.

Research of the internal environment of enterprises

Studies of the internal environment of the enterprise aim to determine the real level of competitiveness of the enterprise as a result of comparing the relevant factors of the external and internal environment.

Marketing research can also be defined as the systematic collection, recording and analysis of data on marketing and marketing issues in order to improve the quality of decision-making and control procedures in the marketing environment.

Goals of marketing research

The objectives of marketing research can be divided as follows

Search targets- collection of information for a preliminary assessment of the problem and its structuring;
Descriptive purposes- description of the selected phenomena, objects of study and factors influencing their state;
Causal goals- testing the hypothesis about the presence of some causal relationship;
Test Goals- selection of promising options or assessment of the correctness of the decisions made;
Forecast goals- predicting the state of the object in the future.

Each company independently determines the subject and scope of marketing research based on its capabilities and needs for marketing information, so the types of marketing research conducted by different companies may be different.

Basic concepts and directions, experience in conducting marketing research

Previously, it was emphasized that marketing research is a scientific analysis of all factors influencing the marketing of goods and services. It follows that the scope of this function is practically unlimited, and therefore we will consider only those types of research that are most often encountered in practice.

Essentially, the goal of marketing research is to answer five basic questions: who? what? when? where? and as? Related question: why?- expands the study to contact with the field of social psychology and sometimes stands out in an independent area known as motivational analysis (motivation research), i.e., the study of the motives of consumer behavior.

Ways to organize marketing research

Marketing research can be organized and conducted either through a specialized research agency or through the firm's own research department.

Organization of research with the help of our own research department

Own research department is engaged in marketing research in accordance with the information needs of the company.

Organization of research with the help of a specialized research agency

Specialized research agencies carry out a variety of studies, the results of which can help the company solve existing problems.

Advantages	Flaws
The quality of research is high, as research firms have rich experience and highly qualified specialists in the field of research. The results of the study are highly objective, as the researchers are independent of the customer. Specialized firms provide great opportunities in the choice of research methods due to the availability of special equipment for conducting research and processing their results.	The cost of research is quite high, research is more expensive than that performed by an internal research team. Knowledge of product features is limited to general ideas. There is a higher chance of information being leaked as there are many people involved in the research.

Advantages

Flaws

The quality of research is high, as research firms have rich experience and highly qualified specialists in the field of research.
The results of the study are highly objective, as the researchers are independent of the customer.
Specialized firms provide great opportunities in the choice of research methods due to the availability of special equipment for conducting research and processing their results.

The cost of research is quite high, research is more expensive than that performed by an internal research team.
Knowledge of product features is limited to general ideas.
There is a higher chance of information being leaked as there are many people involved in the research.

Marketing Research Department

Judging by how often one hears the statement that business competition is getting more and more intense, one would assume that most firms probably have marketing research departments. In fact, very few firms have such departments. The most recent data is hard to come by, but it is known that in a survey conducted by the British Institute of Management, only 40% of the responses were received from 265 companies surveyed (in all likelihood, because most firms did not have research departments).

However, it would be a mistake to assume that this fact means the same low level of use of the research results, since a significant part of the work on marketing research is carried out by specialized organizations. Also, in many companies, marketing research departments often go by other names, such as “Economic Information Department,” etc.

The decision to create your own marketing research department depends on an assessment of the role that it can play further in the activities of the company as a whole. Such an assessment is mainly qualitative and varies from firm to firm, which makes it difficult to establish precise criteria. For our purposes, it is sufficient to assume that the decision to create such a structural unit has been made and attention is focused on those issues that should be taken into account in this case.

They can be grouped as follows:

The role and functions of the marketing research department;
Position in the organizational structure of the company;
The role and functions of the department manager.

Role and Functions of the Marketing Research Department

Considering the above list of types of research related to marketing, it is obvious that a very large department would be required to cover all the areas mentioned.

When a firm undertakes this kind of work for the first time, it is strongly recommended to create a list of tasks, arranging them in order of importance, and limit yourself to trying to achieve the most important ones first. This does not mean that other studies should not be carried out at all, since setting too rigid demarcation lines between tasks can only lead to an inflexible approach and to the fact that auxiliary studies that complement the main ones are abandoned.

Too often, firms make the mistake of making a newly created marketing research department responsible for maintaining the company's accounting records. Transferring this function to him inevitably generates friction and reduces the efficiency of the company, since, on the one hand, this slows down the work of departments that need reporting data for their current activities, for example, the sales department, and on the other hand, it distracts the marketing research department from its main function - research.

In cases where the creation of a specialized research department is preceded by extensive data collection and reporting, it is better if other departments retain this function, providing information they have as needed. To avoid both duplication and dissipation of effort, the responsibilities of each department should be clearly defined, and only those reports that are essential to in-house research activities should be required from the marketing research department.

Place for marketing research in the organizational structure of the firm

The location of the marketing research department within a firm largely depends on its organizational structure. As a rule, he should have a direct relationship with the managing director, since this department performs an advisory function and in many cases provides the chief administrator with the initial data on which the general policy of the company is based (as opposed to operational decisions).

In large organizations where executive directors lead function-based divisions, the marketing director may be given the responsibility of setting the direction of the research department and deciding what reports should be presented to the head of the firm.

Even in this case, it is advisable to provide a direct link between the managing director and the research department, in order, on the one hand, to ensure that reports that criticize this or that aspect of the company's activities will be heard by the head of the company in order to avoid deterioration of relations between the director of marketing and directors responsible for other divisions.

In addition, it is the managing director who deals with the effectiveness of the company as a whole and. therefore, it is better than other managers to assess the significance of research results for a particular department.

Some authors believe that the manager of the marketing research department should have the same status as the heads of the main operational structural units, but this is not true due to the usually existing differences in the size of the departments and the level of responsibility. Provided that the manager has access to the board of directors, his status should be directly determined by the importance that the department has within the organization as a whole.

Role and Functions of the Marketing Research Manager

The nature of the job of the manager of the marketing research department depends on the size and function of the department, as well as on the degree of control and leadership from above. At the same time, in any case, the manager must be a person competent in his field and have personal integrity and honesty.

Competence implies not only the presence of experience and knowledge in the field of marketing and methods of its analysis, but also the ability to turn management problems into real research projects, carried out taking into account time and financial constraints.

The requirement of personal integrity and honesty means that the manager of the marketing research department must interpret the results of the analyzes carried out objectively, in accordance with generally accepted principles of scientific research. “Statistics in the service of lies” - such a situation can only exist when unscrupulous people use facts fabricated through subjective selection, manipulation and deliberate presentation to prove unfounded conclusions, i.e., as the researchers say, “looking for data” .

The manager must meet not only the basic requirements mentioned above, but, in addition, possess the qualities that are necessary for all leadership positions, namely: have the ability to administrative work, be able to understand the behavior of people and be able to effectively influence them.

Planning and conducting marketing research

Marketing Research Process

Marketing research can be divided into two main categories: permanent and episodic. Marketing is a continuous process taking place in constantly changing conditions. Therefore, systematic research is essential if a firm is to remain aware of changes in the underlying determinants of demand and be able to modify its policies accordingly. Extensive information of this type is collected by specialized organizations and government departments, but this information is often too generalized and may not meet the specific requirements of an individual firm. As a result, it has to be supplemented by research conducted by the firm itself.

In addition, many marketing situations are so peculiar (for example, launching a new product on the market) that they require special studies.

Such studies are carried out according to a certain scheme, consisting of the following stages:

Justification of the need for the study;
Analysis of the factors that determine this need, i.e. the formulation of the problem;
Exact formulation of the purpose of the study;
Drawing up a plan for an experiment or survey based on the analysis provided for in paragraph 2;
Data collection;
Systematization and analysis of data;
Interpretation of results, formulation of conclusions, recommendations;
Preparation and submission of a report containing the results of the study;
Evaluation of the results of actions taken based on the findings of the researchers, i.e.
Establishing feedback.

It is obvious that constant research is built according to the same scheme as at the beginning, however, in the future, the first four stages disappear.

Marketing research methods

The first task of choosing methods for conducting marketing research is to familiarize yourself with the individual methods that can be used in the collection and analysis of marketing information.

Then, taking into account the resource capabilities of the organization, the most appropriate set of these methods is selected. The most widely used methods of conducting marketing research are methods of document analysis, sociological, expert, experimental and economic-mathematical methods.

The goals of marketing research can be exploratory in nature, i.e. be aimed at collecting preliminary information designed to more accurately identify problems and test hypotheses, descriptive, i.e. consist in a simple description of certain aspects of a real marketing situation and casual, i.e. be aimed at substantiating hypotheses that determine the content of the identified cause-and-effect relationships.

Each such direction includes certain methods of collecting and analyzing marketing information.

Exploratory study is carried out in order to collect preliminary information necessary to better determine the problems and assumptions (hypotheses) put forward within which marketing activities are expected to be implemented, as well as to clarify terminology and set priorities among research objectives.

For example, it has been suggested that low sales are due to poor advertising, but exploratory research has shown that the main cause of undersales is poor distribution system, which should be studied in more detail in the subsequent stages of the marketing research process.

Among the methods of conducting exploratory research, the following can be distinguished: analysis of secondary data, study of previous experience, analysis of specific situations, work of focus groups, projection method.

Descriptive research aimed at describing marketing problems, situations, markets, for example, demographics, consumer attitudes towards the organization's products.

When conducting this type of research, answers are usually sought for answers to questions that begin with the words: who, what, where, when and how. As a rule, such information is contained in secondary data or collected through observations and surveys, and experiments.

For example, it is investigated, "who" is the consumer of the organization's products? "What" is considered as the products supplied by the organization to the market? "Where" is considered as the places where consumers purchase these products? "When" characterizes the time when consumers are most actively buying these products. "How" characterizes the way the purchased product is used.

Note that these studies do not answer questions that begin with the word “why”. "Why" increased sales after the advertising campaign? Answers to such questions are obtained by conducting casual research.

casual research conducted to test hypotheses regarding causal relationships. At the heart of this study is the desire to understand some phenomenon based on the use of logic such as: "If X, then Y."

For example, the hypothesis being tested is: Will a 10% reduction in the fee for a given organization's service result in an increase in the number of customers sufficient to compensate for the loss from the fee reduction?

If we consider the methods of marketing research in terms of the nature of the information received, then they can be divided into two groups: quantitative and qualitative.

Quantitative Marketing Research aimed at studying consumer behavior, purchase motivation, consumer preferences, attractiveness and consumer qualities of the product, price / consumer qualities ratio, assessment of the capacity and characteristics of the real and potential markets (various segments) of the product or service.

Quantitative methods make it possible to obtain a characteristic of the socio-demographic, economic, psychological portrait of the target group.

The characteristic features of such studies are: clearly defined format of the collected data and sources of their receipt, processing of the collected data is carried out using ordered procedures, mostly quantitative in nature.

Data collection in marketing research

Methods for collecting primary data in quantitative research include polls, questioning, personal and telephone interviews based on the use of structured closed-ended questions that are answered by a large number of respondents.

The survey is conducted at points of sale or by address/route sampling at the place of residence (place of work) of the respondent. The reliability of the results is ensured by the use of a representative sample of respondents (respondents), the use of qualified interviewers, control at all stages of the study, professionally compiled questionnaires and questionnaires, the use of professional psychologists, sociologists, marketing specialists in the analysis, the use of modern computer tools for statistical analysis of the results, constant contact with the customer at all stages of work.

Qualitative research involves collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data by observing what people do and say. Observations and conclusions are of a qualitative nature and are carried out in a standardized form. Qualitative data can be quantified, but this is preceded by special procedures.

The basis of qualitative research is observational methods, which involve observation rather than communication with respondents. Most of these methods are based on approaches developed by psychologists.

Qualitative analysis methods make it possible to describe the psychographic characteristics of the studied audience, behavior patterns and reasons for preferring certain brands when buying, as well as to receive from consumers the most in-depth information that gives an idea of the hidden motives and basic needs of consumers.

Qualitative methods are indispensable at the stages of developing and evaluating the effectiveness of advertising campaigns, studying the image of brands. The results are not numeric, i.e. presented solely in the form of opinions, judgments, assessments, statements.

Types of marketing research

An enterprise in the modern world can only succeed if it does not ignore the needs of consumers. To increase efficiency, research and satisfaction of the maximum number of customer requirements is required. Marketing research contributes to the solution of such problems.

Marketing deals with the study of consumer behavior, which includes its needs and requirements.

The principal feature of marketing research, which distinguishes it from the collection and analysis of internal and external current information, is its targeted focus on solving a specific problem or a set of marketing problems. This purposefulness turns the collection and analysis of information into marketing research. Thus, marketing research should be understood as a targeted solution to the marketing problem (set of problems) facing the company, the process of setting goals, obtaining marketing information, planning and organizing its collection, analysis and reporting on the results.

The main principles of conducting marketing research include objectivity, accuracy and thoroughness. The principle of objectivity means the need to take into account all factors and the inadmissibility of accepting a certain point of view until the analysis of all the information collected is completed.

The principle of accuracy means the clarity of setting research objectives, the unambiguity of their understanding and interpretation, as well as the choice of research tools that provide the necessary reliability of the research results.

The principle of thoroughness means detailed planning of each stage of the study, high quality of all research operations, achieved through a high level of professionalism and responsibility of the research team, as well as an affective system for monitoring its work.

Summary

In a competitive environment and constantly changing market conditions, a lot of attention is paid to marketing research. The results of these studies in the future are the basis for the formation of sales estimates, and based on this, the planned levels of revenue and profit from product sales.

The most frequent problems arise in the process of selling goods. Therefore, the main tasks of marketing research are the study of:

market;
buyers;
competitors;
suggestions;
goods;
prices;
effectiveness of the product promotion policy, etc.

Marketing research helps the company to solve the following tasks:

Determine the possibility of mass production of goods or services;
Establish a hierarchy of characteristics of goods or services that can ensure their success in the market;
Conduct an analysis of the typologies and motivations of existing and potential clients;
Determine prices and optimal conditions for the sale of goods and services.

The purpose of marketing research is to resolve the following problems of the enterprise:

Studying and establishing the potential of the market or product on the possible volume of its sales, terms of sale, price levels, the ability of potential clients;
Study of the behavior of competitors, the direction of their actions, potential opportunities, pricing strategies;
Sales research to determine the best territory in terms of sales, sales volume in the market, which is the most effective.

Companies develop a general marketing research plan, which is drawn up in the context of marketing of individual goods or services, by type of buyer, by region.

Thus, we can say that marketing research is a comprehensive system for studying the organization of production and marketing of goods and services, which is focused on meeting the needs of specific consumers and making a profit based on market research and forecasting.

The most difficult tasks of marketing research are the analysis and decision-making on pricing and sales promotion.

The result of marketing research is the development of the company's marketing strategy, the purpose of which is to select the target market and marketing mix, the compliance of which will help ensure the maximum effect of product and service sales.

When choosing a target market, it is necessary to justify the answer to the question: what product does the consumer need? To do this, it is necessary to establish rational segments of a concentrated, differentiated or undifferentiated market that the organization will serve.

The choice of a marketing complex is associated with the establishment of the optimal combination of its elements: the name of the product, its price, place of distribution and sales promotion. On the basis of the adopted marketing strategy, the main management decisions are developed that orient the company's activities towards resolving problems that arise or may arise for a potential consumer of goods, works and services.

This principle may be feasible if the basis for making decisions on organizational, technological, social and production issues is the result of an analysis of the needs and requests of potential buyers.

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