Quantitative methods of data collection are carried out in order to obtain numerical information about such research objects as buyers, consumers, enterprises, organizations, etc. Quantitative methods allow to cover a large number of respondents and answer the questions of “who”, “what”, “when”, “how much”, “how often”.
The advantage of quantitative methods is that they allow to obtain a large amount of information with a high degree of reliability.
The results of quantitative methods are used for making management decisions: on the choice of the target market / segment, marketing tools, in the field of investment.
One-to-one interview (face-to-face, F2F) is the most common method of collecting quantitative data in sociological and marketing research.
Personal interview at the place of residence, allows you to explore the habits and preferences of the target audience, consumer models of making decisions about purchases, to explore the lifestyle of the audience. Such surveys provide a large amount of information from respondents with a high degree of accuracy.
The interview takes place with the direct communication of the interviewer with the respondent. A questionnaire is a data collection tool. Before the launch of the project, all interviewers undergo a briefing – training, within which the questionnaire is examined in detail, its logic, explains how to select respondents and how to establish contact.
During the survey, the interviewer asks the questions in a strictly defined sequence in accordance with a well-defined transition logic. Different materials can be shown to the respondent: cards, photos, samples, packaging mock-ups and so on.
Advantages of personal interview at the place of residence are:
- Possibility to conduct lengthy interviews
- Wider coverage of target audience
- Feasibility to demonstrate visual materials
- High representativeness of information (a reflection of the real picture, the data can be extrapolated to the entire population)
A street interview allows to collect the target audience opinion on a given topic, identifying specific consumer preferences. It is conducted on the street, in crowded places, in points of sale.
The search for respondents occurs randomly with a specific algorithm. With the target sample, respondents are polled according to the specified quotas. All answers are entered in the questionnaire.
Advantages of such interviews are:
- Efficiency
- Relatively short time to execute
- Low cost
- Low failure rate
- Ability to quickly search for specific target groups relevant to the customer
CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing) is a system by means of which it is possible to conduct telephone interviews using computer terminals.
CATI is commonly used for:
- Measuring the level of knowledge and brand consumption
- Measuring loyalty and brand perception
- Analysis of the level of effectiveness of advertising campaigns, etc.
The advantages of this method include:
- Possibility of 100% control: all interviews are recorded
- Low cost (relative to other methods of collecting information): the numbers of respondents are dialed automatically, which allows for increased reachability, reduced time and costs, respectively
- Operational efficiency: Research data are automatically reflected in the database, which allows the customer to receive preliminary information on the respondents’ answers at all stages of the survey
Novak has been conducting telephone interviews with CATI for 15 years.
Our team employs 30 professional telephone interviewers on an ongoing basis, who successfully implement dozens of research projects every year.
The hall test (a survey in a central location) allows you to get unique information about consumer behavior and the assessment of consumer properties of a product according to different tested characteristics.
A hall-test feature is the direct contact of the respondent with the tested object (for example, a taste test, smell).
The interview is conducted in a rented room with free access (cinema, restaurant, concert hall foyer, etc.). Respondents can be recruited both on the street, just before the beginning of the interview, and in advance. In the course of the survey, potential consumers can test a new product, packaging design, name options at the stage of its development, compare various product sample options among themselves or with competing products, test advertising appeal during the development of an advertising campaign.
There are two options for recruiting respondents for a hall test:
- Street recruitment assumes that specially trained recruiters invite people to participate in a study on a street near the hall test location. This recruitment method is possible if the respondents are the target audience.
- If the target group is difficult to reach, we use a preliminary search and selection of respondents according to certain criteria.
Interviews can be conducted using all possible means: on paper, on tablets, laptops and desktops.
Advantages of the hall test:
- Ability to conduct a fairly long interview within short period of time
- Ability to use a wide range of visual materials, testing and tasting
- High quality control
- Using CAWI technology (computer-assisted web interview), when respondent’s answers are recorded by a computer, data are transmitted to the customer in on-line mode
The peculiarity of the enterprise survey is that the respondents are not individuals, but representatives of legal entities: directors, deputy directors, managers, accountants, etc. Accordingly, the research topic concerns the activities of legal entities. The workplace of the respondent is, as a rule, the place for conducting surveys, but any other location convenient for the respondent is acceptable: at home, in a cafe, on the street. Telephone survey is also possible as well as the use of modern instant messengers: Telegram, Viber, Skype and Whatsapp.