the internet and primary research

the internet and primary research

the internet and primary research

Primary research involves gathering data for a specific research task. It is based on data that has not been gathered beforehand. Primary research can be either qualitative or quantitative.

Primary research can be used to explore a market and can help to develop the hypotheses or research questions that must be answered by further research. Generally, qualitative data is gathered at this stage. For example, online research communities can be used to identify consumer needs that are not being met and brainstorm possible solutions.
Further quantitative research can investigate what proportion of consumers share these problems and which potential solutions best meet those needs.

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In 2005, General Motors launched a blog called Fast Lane. They said: “We’ve been wanting to create this direct line of communication so that our various stakeholders aren’t going to message boards to talk about us - they have an opportunity to come and talk directly to us. We’re big into getting feedback from our customers, employees and others, taking their comments to become a better company and develop better products. We’re really getting some excellent feedback. Just about every discussion we have on the FastLane blog, we’ve had an excellent dialog.” This communication medium has become an important source of customer research, eliciting comments and feedback from committed consumers. Source: http://www.commoncraft.com/interview-michael-wiley-gm-fastlane-blog