Case Study Six to Seven Six to Seven is a telecommunications company marketing state of the art telecommunications equipment. The company is currently in the process of developing a new generation type of mobile phones. When developed, this phone will enable users not only to make standard telephone calls and connect to the Web, but will have a small screen which will enable users to view the person at the other end of the line in high definition, unlike competitors models whose definition characteristics leave a lot to be desired. Needless to say, investment to develop the technology and market the product is substantial.

As part of the development process, the company is eager to find out more about potential customers for this product. In particular, they are interested in finding out if there is a market for the product, how big this market might be, and how customers will respond to this concept. They propose hiring a specialist market research agency with skills in the area of researching buyer behaviour, particularly for new product concepts.

QUESTIONS 1. What areas of buyer behaviour should this proposed research encompass, and why? 2. What types of research techniques might be useful in researching these areas?