Marketing Research and Analytics in a Global Environment

                   STUDENT EXAMINATION NUMBERS： YUTING SONG 203029159

                                                           RUIQIAN JIA  204029487

                                                           PENG LIN    204011798

                                                        XI WANG    204049453

MODULE NO:         MAN00064M

MODULE TITLE: Marketing Research and Analytics in a Global Environment

Module Tutor:        Dr. Hector Gonzalez Jimenez

   Essay Title:        Marketing Research and Analytics in a Global Environment

                                Word Count:1282

Abstract

The study was designed to investigate the qualitative research and quantitative research in China and the UK, which one is better for the fashion cloth pre-market research. The researcher used a qualitative research design, utilizing document literature and web-based surveys to gather secondary data and to analyze the difference between the collection of a primary and secondary source. The analysis of the data obtained showed that the online survey of quantitative in China and Britain fashion market is a better choice. These findings have theoretical and practical implications for marketers.

Content

Introduction        3

Why choose the UK and China        3

The reasons of choose quantitative research        4

The comparison of intercept survey, personal survey and online survey        5

Conclusion        8

References:        8

Appendix        12

Introduction

This report focuses on China and the UK’s fashion markets as our target. The researchers used a quantitative research design, utilizing online surveys in China as well as Britain to gather primary data. This report pays attention to the reason why the researchers choose online survey as the main research method as well as the distinction between quantitative and qualitative research methods. This report consists of three parts. Firstly, the reason for choosing these two countries. Besides, the contrast quantitative to qualitative surveys by stating the advantages and changes of both sides. Finally, the causal analysis of using the online survey in China and the UK.

Why choose the UK and China

In this case, China and the UK plan to be the target markets, since China is a focus of interest in the Asia-Pacific region because of its potential and the increasing number of Chinese consumers with the ability to purchase foreign apparel products (Dickson et al., 2004), and many British companies have long been market leaders and pioneers all around the world, whose reputation, innovation, design, as well as ambition, are well-known. Although these two nations have different cultural backgrounds and different geographical locations, there are also many similar features of the two countries. For instance, both countries have vast and rapidly developing markets and huge opportunities (Stephen, 2014). Besides, with the development of science and technology, the proportion of the people in these two countries who use electronic products raise rapidly, and people living in these two countries had already adapted to use the internet (see Appendix 4). Based on this situation of the two target markets, what method is the most suitable one for the pre-market research will be discussed.

The reasons of choose quantitative research

Judith (2014) stated that qualitative researcher always pays attention to understand the opinions of individuals by using general method to collect non-numerical and unstructured data, while quantitative research base on statistical analysis. Data collection of the fashion research is a significant feature of the strategic decision making before entering target market (Keegan, 2017).

There is no doubt that some qualitative research plays an important role for some in-depth information collect which help leader decrease the risk in the new market (Keegan, 2017), but it might work better for the service feedback (Fowler, 2012).

In another aspect, there are many limitations for the qualitative research (see Appendix 2). For example, in-depth interview is difficulty in selecting a broad topic or area for research (PhD and C.Boyce, 2006), while survey could easer do that (see Appendix 3). Compared with the survey, observation is usually used to complement other research methods in the marketing research rather than collect information for pre-market (Fowler, 2012). Based on the analysis of the quantitative research and quantitative research, using quantitative research for the fashion pre-market is better. However, there are various methods for the quantitative research which have different pros and cons respectively (see Appendix 3).

The comparison of intercept survey, personal survey and online survey

Intercept survey, personal survey and online survey are the three main methods of the survey (Schmidt and Hollensen, 2006). Among the three surveys, intercept survey is interviewing the interviewers by using face to face method, which always occurs on the high street or the shop centre, to reduce the cost of the data collection. Compared with intercept survey, the personal survey is paying more attention to respondents’ security and in-depth information, it always does the research in the respondent's home or offices (Fowler, 2012). Finally, online survey highly controls the target respondents and time of spreading the questionnaires even if it is difficult to make sure the response rates (Schmidt and Hollensen, 2006). The three methods will be compared and chosen one to enter China and the UK fashion cloth market.

First, compared with personal survey and the online survey, although personal survey could research the information face to face and earn more in-depth information than the online interview, it always collects too many in-depth messages which are useless and cost more money than the online survey (Schmidt and Hollensen, 2006). In another aspect, compared with intercept survey which could interview respondents directly (see Appendix), online survey could be done timely because of the wide usage of the social media (Mintel data, 2016).