Descriptive analysis plays a vital role in converting raw data into meaningful patterns that reveal respondent behavior and attitudes. Measures such as mean, median, and mode serve as the foundation for interpreting how the majority of survey participants think or behave. For instance, in a customer satisfaction survey, if the average rating for service quality is 4.7 out of 5, that central tendency indicates consistently positive customer experiences. As noted in the textbook, these insights allow marketers to quickly identify areas of strength or needed improvement (Burns et al., 2024). Moreover, descriptive statistics facilitate effective communication of findings to decision-makers by providing clarity and focus.

Follow-up Question: How might relying solely on central tendency measures overlook important nuances in the data distribution, and how could marketers address these limitations?