Guide

Marketing research

Definition, how-to and examples

Marketing research is the process of using surveys, feedback and observations to better understand audiences and the market for your brand and products. Discover how to conduct your own marketing research with examples.

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What is marketing research?

Marketing research is the process of learning about your audience and the industry. Marketing research uses analysis of demographics and business trends to determine the best ways to present and distribute your brand. It also includes feedback from customers, with the help of surveys, focus groups or feedback, for example. Marketing research can help you create a strategy for market segmentation, the division of customers into audience segments based on their wants and needs.

Additionally, the American Marketing Association defines marketing research as “the function that links the consumer, customer and public to the marketer through information—information that is used to identify and define opportunities and problems; generate, refine and evaluate actions; monitor performance; and improve understanding of it as a process.”1

Why is marketing research important?

Marketing research is important because it is an integral part of a marketing strategyand provides you with the knowledge to better understand your audiences and give information to your customers. Marketing research can assist with advertising by exploring if your customers are responding to your messaging. The goal of ads is to reach customers, so it is crucial that your messaging speaks to them and provides helpful information. Marketing research can help you determine if that is happening or not.

Conducting marketing research can also help you learn about your brand’s buyer personas, specific groupings of customers with customised marketing strategies. Using marketing research to learn about buyer personas can ensure your advertising and public relations strategy speaks directly to them.

Without marketing research, your business decisions could be based merely on personal preference or include biases, which is not the best way to make decisions for your audience or improve customer satisfaction.

What is the difference between marketing research and marketing intelligence?

Marketing research addresses the process of advertising and distributing products and brands, while market research assesses the source where these are being distributed. On the other hand, market intelligence is research on external factors in your industry, such as competitors, trends or the economy.

When should you use marketing research?

Use marketing research when you are launching a new product or brand, when you want to improve brand loyalty or when you have questions about your audience, for example. There is no one correct answer for how to create a good marketing research report, but in general, the more information you have, the better.

Examples of marketing research

There are many examples of marketing research from Amazon Ads. A key example is our 2023 Higher Impact study, where we explored consumer sentiments in connection with five industries to better understand how they feel about the role of brands around the issues of sustainability and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Here are additional findings for each industry from our marketing research.

Fashion

In our surveys of the fashion industry, we found that 56% of respondents want fashion brands to be more sustainable.2 Insights such as this show how surveying customers can provide details on how brands could improve their product creation process, as well as exemplifying what customers care about—it is not just the products themselves, but also where they come from.

Travel

Insights from the travel industry show how marketing research can be used to pinpoint issues that brands may face. Almost 4 in 10 (39%) respondents said that travel brands do not meet their expectations of demonstrating commitments to DEI. This is a critical takeaway of customer needs that could lead to changes within the brand’s messaging and strategy to ensure they are aligned with the beliefs of their customers.

Food

In the grocery industry, our research found that audience behaviour varied by demographic. For example, 58% of respondents aged 25-44 stated that prior to making a purchase, they are likely to carry out their own research on sustainability or sustainable options on grocery brands. However, only 49% of respondents aged 45-65 said the same. This shows that different age groups can have different priorities, and your marketing strategy should be adjusted accordingly.

Auto

Respondents in the automotive industry take climate concerns seriously in a time of shifting attitudes, with 46% saying that they will do their own research on the subject. These insights can influence the market as a whole and help advertisers figure out how to help their brand stand out.

Health and beauty

In the health and beauty industry, respondents said that one of the greatest hurdles they faced when making more-sustainable choices was the lack of transparency around product pricing, manufacturing, labour and materials. Insights such as this can inspire companies to better communicate the details of their brands and products, in order to improve their messaging and customer satisfaction.

Types of marketing research

The types of marketing research can be segmented in several different ways. Firstly, there is quantitative and qualitative marketing research. Quantitative research focuses on specific metrics and could include surveys or polls. Qualitative research is more ambiguous, drawing information from casual interviews or observations. Both of these types can be used when conducting primary research, garnered directly from your audience, and secondary research, from external sources.

Primary research

Primary research is conducted directly with your audience. It can range from open-ended questions to research specific to a certain issue. Whether you are gathering general information or solving a problem, primary research can help you find answers.

Surveys

Generally, surveys or polls include questions to ask your audience, often with multiple-choice answers. These could be conducted in person or virtually, and they could also include paid surveys, which provide participants with compensation for their time.

One way to get started with surveys is with the Amazon Shopper Panel. Available to a limited number of Amazon customers in the US, the invitation-only app allows customers to complete short surveys about brands and purchases.

Focus groups

Focus groups provide more open-ended answers, functioning more as discussions about your brand or products.

Individual feedback sessions

In-person, phone or virtual feedback interview sessions could all help you speak directly to your audience to hear their feedback on your brand and products.

Secondary research

Secondary research comes from external resources, such as the US. Census results or articles with information on competitors. This kind of exploratory research is a great first step and is less cumbersome to source. However, it is often not as detailed or tailored to your brand’s specific needs.

How to get started with marketing research

Start by determining the goal or problem that you wish to solve through your marketing research. You can then begin to find the answers.

To do so, set the proper parameters for conducting marketing research. In order to receive actionable feedback, you need to ensure that you are asking the right questions to the right customers. You also need to ensure that you are interpreting the resulting information correctly. Sometimes, marketing research can tell different stories, so it is important to give it the attention that it deserves and not make hasty assumptions. Reviewing your marketing research is even more important than conducting the research.

You can also use a third-party source for marketing research if you do not have the capabilities to do it yourself. Tools from Amazon Ads that could help you get started with marketing research include Amazon Marketing Cloud, which lets advertisers find analytics and reach custom audiences, and Amazon Marketing Stream, which gives you hourly campaign metrics from a push-based messaging system.

1American Marketing Association, 2017
2-6Amazon Ads with Environics Research, 2022 Higher Impact study, CA, DE, JP, UK and US