CONSUMER RESEARCH AT P&G IS CONSIDERED A SCIENCE

When P&G conduct qualitative consumer research to generate new ideas, some of the tools they use include: Focus group discussions: Focus groups are used for exploring ideas and making initial evaluations. A small group of people is brought together and asked to talk about consumer preference issues. In-home visits: Interviews are used to ask questions about how and why people use a product. Being in the home provides an opportunity to understand the actual conditions under which the task is performed and what the constraints are from the users point of view. - In-context visits: Ethnographic research is used to study people performing a task or using a product. This type of research provides insight into the details of how people use a product, how they judge its benefits, and which improvements they require. - In-store interviews: Intercept interviews are used to ask shoppers questions to better understand how actual purchase decisions are made at the point of sale. P&G also use quantitative research to generate facts on usage and to evaluate product prototypes. The tools they use are: Habits and practices These are large-scale studies that require respondents to keep written records of the details of product usage for an extended period of time. -Blind tests: Blind tests are product usage tests in which a new or upgraded product is given to participants who do not know the brand or the product. Participants are then asked to compare it with the current product or a key competitors product. -Concept aided usage test/concept and use test: Participants are first presented with a concept and then given a product to learn to use to see if the product delivers as promised. Quality monitoring: After people have purchased a product, they are asked if that product meets their expectations.

QUESTION 2 (20 Marks)

The result of a research project may be reported in written and or oral format, however the importance of effective reporting cannot be overemphasised as the quality of the report is often used as a major indicator of the quality of the research itself. Based on this statement,

2.1. Outline the primary objectives of a research report.

2.2. Discuss what a good research report must entail.