Observation
As a method of field research in marketing, it differs from a survey in that in this case there is no dependence on the desire and readiness of the object being studied to transmit the necessary information. Within the framework of this form of marketing activities, a systematic and planned analysis of the subject or phenomenon being studied is carried out.
Observation is understood as the recording of events or characteristic moments related to the behavior of the factors being studied, either openly or hidden from the object being studied. The subject of analysis may be the behavior of people (customers, sellers, readers, etc.), the properties of things, products, and processes. Observation is used as a method of field research into customer behavior when making purchases, and communication features (attentiveness, politeness, prudence). In addition, it is used to measure psychological manifestations, behavioral factors, customer satisfaction/dissatisfaction, and to analyze their impressions of communication.
Observation can be viber database classified based on the type of researcher's participation: active (participatory) or inactive (simple). In the first case, marketing analysis is conducted openly, and in the second - incognito. During active observation, the marketer immerses himself in the environment being studied and studies it from the inside: to identify the target audience's attitude to the product, he can act as a seller to collect buyers' opinions. In the simple form, he records what is happening from the outside. Active observation is used less often in marketing. Such studies demonstrate particular effectiveness in sales analysis. More often, marketers resort to simple observations, which demonstrate a more extensive picture.
Observation in Marketing
There is another classification of this research method. It involves dividing observations into laboratory and field. In the first case, research is more often focused on analyzing the behavior of an object in its usual environment. With the laboratory method, an artificial environment is formed that is as close as possible to real conditions.
The most significant drawback of observation as a research method is considered to be the fact that the researcher most often cannot choose the observed object. There are also situations when it is impossible to simultaneously record the entire set of characteristics that are important for analysis, or to obtain an assessment of subjective behavioral factors. In addition, when conducting active observation, its object can influence the research process itself.
The described methods of data collection often involve the use of special technical equipment: voice recorders, video recording devices, side-view mirrors, etc.
Marketing observations and experimental studies have shown that visitors to retail outlets scan product displays with their eyes in the same way as when reading text pages with an epigraph. The viewing starts from the top right and continues from left to right and from top to bottom. Thus, the most unfortunate location for product placement is the lower right corner. At the same time, moving a product located approximately at the level of the buyer's hands to the height of direct view allows increasing its sales by 60%. And if you raise the product that is at the very bottom there, then sales increase by 80%.