Observational Research Exercise
Observational Research Exercise
MARK 2120 Marketing Management, Spring 2015
Part of the design of this course is to give students hands-on experience in understanding how consumer behaviors relate to everyday activities. The purpose of this exercise is to help students consider the challenges and value of what appears to be a simple endeavor—observing consumers.
This exercise is to be conducted in pairs (i.e., groups of two). It must be submitted in hard copy (NOT email) at the beginning of class on Friday, March 6.
1. It is imperative that as a member of HKUST you should collect data in an ethical manner. You must respect individuals’ privacy particularly in situations where privacy is expected.
2. Choose a consumer activity to observe.
You may define consumer activity broadly or narrowly. As a marketer, it is important to understand many different aspects of consumer behavior. So be creative. Put yourself in the shoes of a business that is trying to understand and improve some element of its product or service offering.
For example,
1) Go to electronics stores and watch how people choose from among phones. How many phones do they try? Which ones on the display do they tend to look at? Do they go seek help? Do they look confused? Do they pick them up and feel how heavy they are?
2) Go to a supermarket and watch how people choose toothpaste. How much time do they spend? How many brands do they pick up? Are they looking at the prices?
3) Alternatively, observe people using a product or service in a particular setting. For example, imagine you are working for a marketer of ice tea drinks. Go to a restaurant and watch how people order and consume their drinks. What is the process by which brands are chosen? Is it different from how product categories are chosen? Do lone customers behave differently from those who are in large groups?
3. Spend (at least) one hour in total observing and making notes. Don’t just count numbers.
To help you observe,
MARK 2120 Marketing Management, Spring 2015
Part of the design of this course is to give students hands-on experience in understanding how consumer behaviors relate to everyday activities. The purpose of this exercise is to help students consider the challenges and value of what appears to be a simple endeavor—observing consumers.
This exercise is to be conducted in pairs (i.e., groups of two). It must be submitted in hard copy (NOT email) at the beginning of class on Friday, March 6.
1. It is imperative that as a member of HKUST you should collect data in an ethical manner. You must respect individuals’ privacy particularly in situations where privacy is expected.
2. Choose a consumer activity to observe.
You may define consumer activity broadly or narrowly. As a marketer, it is important to understand many different aspects of consumer behavior. So be creative. Put yourself in the shoes of a business that is trying to understand and improve some element of its product or service offering.
For example,
1) Go to electronics stores and watch how people choose from among phones. How many phones do they try? Which ones on the display do they tend to look at? Do they go seek help? Do they look confused? Do they pick them up and feel how heavy they are?
2) Go to a supermarket and watch how people choose toothpaste. How much time do they spend? How many brands do they pick up? Are they looking at the prices?
3) Alternatively, observe people using a product or service in a particular setting. For example, imagine you are working for a marketer of ice tea drinks. Go to a restaurant and watch how people order and consume their drinks. What is the process by which brands are chosen? Is it different from how product categories are chosen? Do lone customers behave differently from those who are in large groups?
3. Spend (at least) one hour in total observing and making notes. Don’t just count numbers.
To help you observe,