Marketing research plan. Process and example of marketing research

We live in a market economy. Whether we like it or not, the strategy of any enterprise is based on a correct understanding and application in practice of the laws of the market. Whether you are just starting your business or have been in business for many years, market research is an essential part of your job. After all, products produced but not sold on the market, no matter how good they are, do not bring benefits (profits), neither to you nor to society.

The study, analysis and processing of information about the state of the market, in a certain area, is called marketing research. Such studies are carried out by specialized companies, marketing services of large organizations and holdings, or they are done by “amateur specialists”. Both the fate of a small boutique in a shopping center and the effectiveness of multibillion-dollar investments depend on the correctness, completeness and objectivity of such works. No serious company in the world makes even tactical (not to mention strategic) decisions without analyzing the market, marketing prospects for a new product or improving technology.

Goals of marketing research

Market research, depending on the tasks, can have a different focus. This includes the search for new areas of activity, expanding the range of goods and services, tracking competitors, and so on. If we talk about the global goal, then it is one - to expand sales and increase profits. But there are a lot of directions aimed at achieving this ultimate goal. There are several main areas:

• search and analysis of problems in a specific market segment;
• description of the situation on the market, which has the character of current information;
• forecast of market development trends in the future;
• testing the market in order to choose between different strategies of action;
• analysis of new scientific and technological trends that can significantly affect the market;
• analysis of related areas of activity in order to identify the possibility of new products (services) that affect the market.

Significant differences have studies of internal and external nature.

A huge role is played by marketing research in determining the directions of investment in the scientific and technical sphere. These investments are very expensive, long-term, and, if successful, can lead to a revolutionary breakthrough. As an example understandable today to everyone, we can cite the situation in the mid-80s of the last century in the image fixation market. In other words, photographs.

In the mid-80s, there were opportunities for a significant improvement in the quality of images in traditional (film) photography, while digital technologies were still “in diapers” and could not compete in the market in terms of any technical and economic indicators. As you know, the forecast errors of a number of companies in this area led to their collapse over the next 20-25 years.

What Marketers Research (Objects)

Consumers of products / services have different requirements for the proposed product. These are not only quantitative and qualitative technical and economic indicators that can be expressed in numbers. A huge role is played by tastes, traditions (religious and cultural), climate or age categories of consumers. Identification of the motives that guide buyers when choosing a product is also the most important subject of study.

So, for example, one of the well-known European manufacturers of wall tiles managed to significantly expand sales in Iran and Pakistan, focusing on a range of colors that gravitate towards green. The reason is simple - green is one of the favorite colors of Islam.

We should not forget that the producers themselves can directly influence and shape the tastes and preferences of the target audience. This goal is served by direct and indirect advertising, PR actions, the formation of new needs. The word "imposition" has a negative connotation, but, nevertheless, it is the most important element of the struggle for the consumer, stimulating consumption.

The object of marketing research can be, for example, the logistics system of competitors, which helps to reduce costs in the supply of goods and services. And to what truly tectonic shifts in the beverage market the creation of new types of packaging has led, there is no need to speak.

The most important, if not the main, object of research are end users, that is, you and me. This is the most "difficult" object. For its study, the entire arsenal of sociology and consumer psychology is involved. Most often, the most important element of such a study is a survey of target (focus) consumer groups. Here, a correctly compiled questionnaire and the conscientiousness of the persons conducting the surveys play a very important role.

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A huge (and common) mistake is to include head-on questions in a survey program. For example, “what color of the knife handle do you prefer - black, white, and so on.” The respondent must directly (or better indirectly) answer the most important questions:

• what does he want;
• when and how often he is interested in this product / service (season, vacation, trips, and so on);
• what characteristics of the product / service are important to him and which he pays attention to in the first place;
• where he prefers to buy goods (specialized store, supermarket or Internet);
• whether he buys for himself, relatives or as a gift to friends and so on.

Naturally, a marketing research plan is always focused on a specific goal, answering clearly posed questions. Let's look at some specific examples.

Market research

Work on studying the market, its structure and development trends is one of the most demanded requests from manufacturers. In a number of areas, marketing research (ready-made examples) can be obtained from specialized consulting firms that specialize in various fields. This is the most budgetary, but not always optimal, way.

Whether you want to open a restaurant, make shoes or make cars, you need answers to a number of questions, including the following:

• total market volume today and in the near/long term;
• regional (geographical) distribution of consumers;
• the level of competition in this market segment, the main manufacturers, their share and, if possible, their plans for the future;
• the most demanded price categories of goods/services, price dynamics, the impact on them of the emergence of new players;
• the impact of advertising on the market and the strategy of activity in this area.

It is very difficult to give an example of market research that would have a universal character. The dependence of specific content on the nature of the product/service is extremely high. In addition, good works of this kind are very voluminous and occupy hundreds of pages.

We will give a characteristic structure of the report on the study of the market for household appliances. The report includes the following sections:

• a general part that specifies the subject of the study, for example, only washing machines or electric heaters;
• the structure of the market in the ordered region (the world as a whole, the country or its separate part);
• market volume (in general, by price categories, quality characteristics, and so on);
• market development trends;
• information about competitors, their production capacities, technologies, development prospects;
• trends in the development of alternative technologies, such as boilers using renewable energy sources.

Product research and marketing

Such studies are most often performed jointly, as they are strongly interconnected. Very often, such work is carried out as part of an internal analysis of the market situation. As an example, let's take a company that manufactures detergents. At the same time, consumers of products are both households and industry.

A comparative analysis of our own products and those offered by competitors allows you to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses, find new market niches.

Here, one should not overestimate the dynamics of changes in sales within the company, but make a comparative analysis in conjunction with general market trends. If your dynamics differ from the general one, then understanding the reasons for this state of affairs allows you, sometimes, to open up new perspectives and trends.

The marketing research plan defines the course of work necessary to achieve the goal and objectives of the research. The plan prescribes the methods of collecting information, the characteristics of the sample, specific tools and research schedules.

A distinctive feature of a good marketing research plan is the maximum validity of each move indicated in it. Before describing specific steps, we always ask ourselves a few questions:

What is the main objective of this study?

What is the best way to measure the characteristics under study?

What sample will allow us to obtain the most reliable data?

Depending on the answers to these questions, we choose the most appropriate type of research (exploratory, descriptive, causal), the appropriate scaling method (comparative, non-comparative), and also draw up a sample that represents the properties of the general population.

The accuracy of the wording, the validity of each chosen method, the observance of a strict sequence of work - these are the necessary requirements that Research SM specialists put forward to the marketing research plan.

Marketing study covers a wide variety of activities, including:

• * study of trends in business activity;
• * study of marketing strategy options;
• * analysis of movements and sales results;
• * study of offers of competitors;
• * short-term forecasting of sales and business activity;
• * long-term forecasting of sales and business activity;
• * study of reaction to new products;

Conducting a marketing research is preceded by drawing up a plan that includes the following sections corresponding to the stages of the research.

• 1. Formulating the task of marketing research: the formulation provides for the identification of potential consumers (customers), goods (objects) in various regions within the country, clarification of the prospects for bidding for the issuance of an order, identification of the main competitors, the parameters of the objects they offer and the production processes used, as well as their pricing policy.
• 2. Collection of internal secondary information: accounting documents, business correspondence and computer databases provided by the organization entrusted with carrying out this market research in their interests are studied. Requests and proposals on the subject of the object and the circle of interested organizations are highlighted. The available financial information is analyzed based on the results of work on objects similar to the one under consideration, in terms of the timing and cost of the main stages, conditions and results of attracting subcontractors and co-executors, and prices for materials and components. Surveys and informal conversations with employees are conducted, the results of which are streamlined and documented.
• 3. Collection and analysis of external secondary information: external information is collected from sources such as commercial databases, periodic specialized information publications of various government and commercial structures, advertising collections, catalogs and price lists, materials of exhibitions and symposiums, etc. The reliability of information is checked, for the sake of whereby direct contacts are established, commercial inquiries and offers are made, in the process of which information is also formed on the possible limits of the pricing policy.
• 4. Obtaining primary information: begins the decision on the need to generate data specifically designed for the tasks of a particular study, which can be carried out by survey or observation methods.

Standard design studies consist of 8 stages:

Definition of research objectives.

Collection of existing information.

Choice of methods, and development of questions, hypotheses, and research samples.

Develop questions and research instrument.

Tool pre-test.

Conducting research.

Choice of methods of analysis.

Description of the results and shortcomings of the study.

Compliance with all stages of the study allows you to increase the reliability of the results and minimize errors in the conclusions and calculations.

Study example

Consider an example where a company plans to hold a promotion in Moscow to stimulate sales. In order to properly plan an action, we need to have some information. To simplify the example, consider only the main aspects.

Who should be eligible for the promotion?

Where should the promotion take place, at points of sale or elsewhere?

What motivates customers the most?

So, in order to answer these questions, it is enough for us to do a little research. Let's develop the research structure:

Definition of goals:

1. Who should be eligible for the promotion:

determine the demographic portrait of the buyer by age, gender and family income;

determine the share of buyer groups in the total volume.

2. Where the promotion is to be held, at the point of sale or elsewhere:

we determine the behavioral characteristics of buyers, namely, where (in the store or before coming to the store) the buyer makes a purchase decision.

3. What motivates buyers the most:

we determine the orientation of buyers on price, quality or additional value.

Existing Information

There is no information available for this product.

Research Method, Sample and Research Questions

The research method was a survey with a sample of 500 people in Moscow using the Convenient Sampling Technique (sampling method). The survey is conducted in 10 priority points of sale with the help of in-house consultants.

Research questions:

RQ1: There is a relationship between demographic variables.

RQ2: As demographic variables change, the buying decision process of buyers changes.

RQ3: As demographic variables change, buyer orientation changes.

Development of questions and research instrument

The research instrument is a questionnaire that reveals the following parameters: age, gender, family income, making a decision to purchase a given product before coming to a store or in a store, customer orientation on price, quality or additional value. All questions are developed on the basis of the nominal scale (Nominal Scale).

Tool pre-test

After compiling the questionnaire, a pre-test is carried out with a sample of 20 respondents to identify the shortcomings of the tool. To do this, respondents who are part of the target audience are invited to fill out a questionnaire and, if questions arise, enter these comments in special fields. Based on these comments, a subsequent instrument is compiled, taking into account all the shortcomings of the previous questionnaire. This is a necessary process to minimize the error when respondents fill out the questionnaire.

Conducting research

Instructions, plan and methods of control over the conduct of the survey are being developed.

Choice of methods of analysis

The data obtained are analyzed using SPSS 10 software. This study is not complex, and to obtain the results, a Cross tabs table is used for all study variables and Significance Testing is carried out.

Description of the results and shortcomings of the study

A report is drawn up on the conducted research with a description of the results obtained, answers to research questions and indicating the difficulties in conducting this research. Information about the shortcomings of the study allows you to plan more effective studies in the future.

After the study, we get something like the following picture:

Target audience of the product. Assume that, as a result of the study, the most significant share (70%) belongs to the group of buyers aged 21 to 30 with a monthly income of 500 USD. Most of them are men (85%). The second most important group is men (60%) aged 31-40 years (25%) with an income of 1000 USD. per month.

Making a purchase decision. In the first group, 60% of buyers make a decision to purchase a product in a store, and in the second group - 90%. We also found that as income increases, the percentage of shoppers who make a purchase decision in a store increases significantly.

Buyer Orientation. The results of the study show that in the first group of buyers, 50% are focused on price, 20% on quality and 30% on additional value of the product, and in the second group 60% are focused on quality, 35% - on additional value and only 5% - for the price.

The data of this study show that it is necessary to carry out an action at the points of sale of the product. The most effective promotion is the promotion aimed at the first group of buyers. In this example, the most effective promotion would be the one that encourages customers to make a subsequent purchase by providing discounts in price. In addition, the results of the study will be sufficient to draw up a financial forecast of the return on the action.

The considered example makes it possible to verify the expediency of the study and the comparative simplicity and accessibility of the analysis itself. In this case, any company can conduct such research on its own without the involvement of third-party experts.

When solving more complex problems, such as forecasting and calculating the effectiveness of advertising, choosing a competitive strategy, branding, etc., the process of collecting information becomes more complicated. In this case, the help of experts is needed. However, it is always worth remembering that in order to save money and time, it is necessary to clearly understand the goals of the research and be sure that the experts also understand these goals.

Outline of the marketing research document

DEVELOPING THE RESEARCH PLAN

The creation of a research plan is second in importance to the problem definition phase. A plan is essential to successful research and requires great skill and skill from marketers. A good plan guarantees high efficiency of the planned research.

Marketing research plan - details the methods needed to obtain information with which to solve a research problem

But this stage includes not just the choice of certain methods for conducting marketing research, but the development of specific tasks within the framework of these studies.

At this stage of the research, marketers should take the following steps:

• 1. Determine the need for information, its type, sources and methods of obtaining.
• 2. Draw up a budget and schedule for the project.
• 3. Calculate the sample size for quantitative and qualitative research methods.
• 4. Develop questionnaires, scenarios (guides) and other forms to be filled out during field research.

Question 3. The choice of tools (methods) of marketing research. Methodological approaches to their implementation

The sequence of choosing research methods and obtaining information

In the process of marketing research and information gathering, marketers use:

• 1. Desk research method.
• 2. Method of field research.

Desk research method involves the study of secondary data, that is, already existing information. Processing of secondary information is carried out by marketers in the workplace, so such research is often called desk research.

Secondary information is information previously collected for other purposes unrelated to the current research problem.

Secondary information is of two types:

• 1. Internal (internal data):
  • - Annual reports of the company.
  • - Reports of heads of functional areas.
  • - Financial and production documentation.
  • - Complaints and reclamations of consumers.
  • - Development plans.
  • - Business correspondents et al.
• 2. External (external data):
  • - Laws, decrees and resolutions of state bodies
  • - Official statistics (Goskomstat, CIS Statistical Committee)
  • - Information of regulatory authorities (Customs Committee, STS. GAI)
  • - Periodical economic publications: newspapers and magazines
  • - Industry and special editions
  • - Business - directories
  • - Databases on various business areas
  • - Ready marketing researches on similar problems
  • - Internet, etc.

Combining secondary information on the same problem is often not possible due to different classifications of the same research objects.

Benefits of Secondary Information

For small and medium-sized companies, conducting large-scale field studies is financially impossible. Therefore, they are limited to desk research and very simple field research (rapid projects) with a small sample size.

Before you start collecting primary data, you need to carefully examine the secondary data.

You should start with the latter. It is possible to proceed to the collection of primary data only when all sources of secondary information have been exhausted or severely limited.

So, secondary studies (desk research), as a rule, are based on already available information. That is why they are called desk studies. Secondary research in its content is an analysis of available sources about the studied, researched problem in the marketing system.

In relation to the firm, there are external and internal sources for secondary research. As internal sources of information, there can be: marketing statistics (characteristics of turnover, sales volume, sales volume, import, export, complaints), data on marketing costs (by product, advertising, promotion, sales, communications), other data (on the performance of installations , equipment, price lists for raw materials and materials, characteristics of the storage system, consumer maps, etc.).

The external sources are:

• - publications of national and international official organizations;
• - publications of state bodies, ministries, municipal committees and organizations;
• - publications of chambers of commerce and industry and associations;
• - yearbooks of statistical information;
• - reports and publications of industry firms and joint ventures;
• - books, messages in magazines and newspapers;
• - publications of educational, research, design institutes and public scientific organizations, symposiums, congresses, conferences;
• - price lists, catalogs, brochures and other company publications.

The significance for secondary studies of internal or external information in each case is determined by the researcher. X. Meffert proposed an information matrix (Table 4) for selecting sources of information when conducting secondary research, which shows the frequency of using sources of internal and external information depending on the object of study (sales channels, pricing, etc.).

Table 4. Information matrix for desk research of marketing activities

In the numerator - for own company, in the denominator - for the company - a competitor

The main advantages of secondary research are:

• - the cost of conducting desk research is less than the cost of conducting the same research using field research;
• - for the most part, only secondary information is sufficient for solving research, so primary research becomes unnecessary;
• - the possibility of using the results of desk research, if the goal of marketing research is not achieved, to determine the objectives of the field research, its planning and the use of a sampling method.

In cases where a secondary study does not give the desired result, a primary (field) study is carried out.

The main methods of obtaining primary data are survey, observation, experiment and panel. The most widely used method is the survey and interview. Recently, in connection with the informatization of marketing activities, interactive methods for modeling marketing information have been used. Interrogation, observation, experiment, panel and modeling methods are used to solve research problems of different levels. At the same time, each of the methods can be used in combination with others. Field research is almost always more expensive than desk research, so it is used when:

• - as a result of the secondary research, the required result has not been achieved and it is impossible to conduct an appropriate marketing event;
• - high costs for field research can be offset by the importance and necessity of solving the corresponding problem.

A field study can be full or continuous if it covers the entire group of respondents of interest to the researcher, and partial if it covers a certain percentage of respondents.

Crowded surveys are usually used to study relatively small numbers of respondents (eg large consumers, large firms). On the one hand, continuous studies are distinguished by accuracy, and on the other hand, by high costs of resources and time.

Partial surveys are most often used to obtain information in field studies. In practice, the following methods of partial research are used: random sampling, normalized (according to quota) sampling, concentrated sampling.

In the general case of conducting desk or field research, it should be borne in mind that the collection and processing of data in the research process is carried out by methods that marketing theory borrowed from mathematics, statistics, psychology, sociology, and social economics. The process of forming marketing research methods has its own history. F. Kotler in 1974 described the development of new methods used in marketing research. Characteristics of the methods used in field research.

Unlike observations and experiments, surveys allow you to explore a relatively wide area of ​​problems related to marketing. The main problem of the survey method is how to limit the objectives of the survey, which determine the strategy and interpretation of the information received. The purpose of the survey is related to the problem of the circle of people who participate in the survey (expert, trader, consumer, etc.)

When organizing a survey, attention is paid to the tactics of the survey (especially the wording of the questions), the forms of the survey and the methods of selecting interviewees. We recommend the following procedure for conducting the survey:

• 1) preparatory activities: determining the amount of information; preliminary research; development of a survey plan;
• 2) development of a draft questionnaire: development of test questions; conducting a test-research;
• 3) substantiation of methods for choosing respondents: continuous or selective survey; determination of the type of sample.

The effectiveness of the chosen survey method depends entirely on the presence and level of intensity of feedback from the respondent, as well as on the representativeness of the sample, the accuracy of statements, the dispersion of elements in the total sample and the sample design. These parameters determine the cost and time indicators of the costs of the selective research method.

Surveys can be one-time or recurring. Repeated surveys are called a panel. A group of persons or enterprises can act as a panel. A panel is a kind of continuous selection. It allows you to fix changes in the observed values, characteristics.

The most important forms of the panel are the panel of consumers and the panel of entrepreneurs.

A panel survey is used when studying the opinions of consumers of a certain group for any period of time, when their needs, habits, tastes, complaints are determined.

Primary data collection methods are carried out in a certain sequence. For example, the application of the interview method requires determining the need for its use, developing an interview plan, preparing a list of questions, examples, selecting interviewees, planning a budget, conducting interviews, analyzing results, preparing a report.

Telephone surveys are used when it is necessary to collect information in a short time in a wide geographic market. Interviewing by phone should be done simply by preparing questions in advance.

A written survey can be done in several ways. For example, questionnaires are sent to surveyed consumers by mail.

In this case, a company or its product can be advertised. Using this method, the researcher should be aware that not all questionnaires are returned completed. According to experts, getting answers is from 20 to 50% of the total volume covered by the survey. The use of incentives in relation to the respondents is the key to obtaining a high proportion of completed questionnaires.

When conducting a written survey, one should not forget about the places of distribution of questionnaires among potential partners and consumers of the company, who can participate in exhibitions, fairs, presentations of the company.

Each survey method has its pros and cons. In table. 2.10 shows the advantages and disadvantages of individual methods of this form of marketing research.

The article reflects the methodology of marketing processes of the territorial space. The author's algorithm for conducting marketing research of a local territory is presented, methodological elements of ensuring the participation of the population in conducting marketing research and post-marketing changes are considered. Nine stages of work on a targeted marketing research of a territory are considered in detail, including the stage of pre-marketing (preliminary) research, at which a preliminary acquaintance with the documents and the general situation takes place. The authors propose a solution to the problem of ensuring the participation of the population in conducting marketing research and post-marketing changes, including taking into account the interests of small entrepreneurs in the process of developing and implementing marketing programs. The article presents a list of documents required to work on a territorial marketing program.

marketing research

territory marketing

territory research

small business

marketing program

competitiveness

marketing service

1. Golubkov E.P. Marketing research: theory, practice, methodology. – M.: Finpress, 2004.

2. Morozova G.A. Competitiveness of the region: a marketing approach. - Nizhny Novgorod: VVAGS Publishing House, 2005.

3. Pankrukhin A.P. Territory marketing. - St. Petersburg: Peter, 2006.

4. Razorvin I.V., Kulikova E.S. Features of marketing technologies of the territory // Agrarian Bulletin of the Urals. Economics, publishing house URAGS, 2012. - No. 3. - P. 81-82.

5. Razorvin I.V., Kulikova E.S., Svetlakov A.G. Subjects of territorial marketing, mechanisms of action and implementation of their economic interests // Agrarian Bulletin of the Urals. Economics, publishing house URAGS, 2012. - No. 4. - P. 98-100.

The most important feature of the organization of marketing research of the territory is the combination of two factors that must be taken into account in the process of such an organization. The first is that we are talking about marketing and, consequently, market mechanisms and patterns that should be reflected and taken into account in the adopted territorial programs as the economic interests of subjects of market activity. The second factor involves taking into account the fact that we are talking about marketing a territory that exists in a certain space-time continuum and, therefore, in this case, an administrative resource can be used. At the same time, the absolutization of one or another factor is not allowed, but both are required to be taken into account, it is better to say, reliance on both conditions in order to achieve the optimal result.

One of the fundamental tasks of monitoring is to ensure the participation of the population in the conduct of marketing research and post-marketing changes. The solution of this problem is based in our study on the following methodological and methodological prerequisites.

1. A tool for attracting various strata and groups of the population to marketing processes is the identification and analysis of public opinion. At the same time, respondents should understand the objectives of the study and link them with their own economic interests. In the absence of such a prerequisite, no administrative measures will force the respondents to take an interested and sincere attitude to the proposed questions.

2. The fruitful participation of the population in marketing policy implies its widest possible awareness of the tasks, methods and results of monitoring the state of the external and internal environment. The external environment is the general socio-economic situation in a given region (subject of the Federation) and in the country as a whole, the regulatory and legislative framework of the regional and federal levels, the prospects for a given local territory, etc. The state of the internal environment is determined by the effectiveness of the influence of territory marketing on the social, economic, financial and environmental spheres of the territory.

3. The condition for the interested participation of the population in solving issues of territory marketing is to improve the quality of life - an increase in income, an expansion of the scope of employment and, on this basis, a more complete satisfaction of the needs for housing and communal, medical, educational, transport, household, cultural, sports and other services .

The participation of the population in the implementation of marketing programs is possible only when the latter are aimed at solving these problems. Monitoring is designed to track how such an ideology is implemented in everyday reality.

4. The solution of many specific tasks can be facilitated by involving the administration and various groups of the population of the territory in the formation and implementation of programs proposed based on the results of marketing research.

Rice. 1. Prerequisites for small business

A particularly important task is to take into account the interests of small entrepreneurs in the process of developing and implementing marketing programs.

The following prerequisites have the greatest impact on the development of small business (Fig. 1):

• there was a leap in the development of infrastructure and means of communication;
• the general educational level of people has increased with the simultaneous accumulation of work experience in large companies;
• reducing the size, cost and simplification of the use of information systems;
• promoting small firms to address the issue of unemployment;
• in the creation of small enterprises, an additional incentive was the reduction of the work shift;
• greater competitiveness due to lower costs due to the absence of redundant bureaucracy, lower overhead costs and less wage fluctuations;
• expansion of the service sector based on small enterprises.

Between any pair of the listed prerequisites, one can find a direct or indirect relationship, symbolically indicated by ribbons in the figure. However, in the space-time continuum they act simultaneously, with different sequence and intensity.

The development of small business is one of the decisive conditions for deepening the economic reforms being carried out in Russia, which can ensure the weakening of monopolism and achieve the effective functioning of production and the service sector. This sector of the economy creates the necessary atmosphere of competition, is able to quickly respond to changes in market conditions, fill emerging niches in the consumer sector, creates additional jobs, is the main source of the formation of the middle class, that is, it expands the social base of ongoing reforms.

When implementing any regional program, one cannot do without the involvement of small entrepreneurs, therefore it is so important for entrepreneurs to develop a system of incentives that can interest them in direct participation in the implementation of the program.

It is necessary to identify those industries and sectors of the economy in which small businesses play a decisive role.

First, it is the entire service sector, including technical services, including the repair and maintenance of machinery and equipment; consulting services; consumer services for the population. Secondly, trade and purchasing operations, as well as intermediary activities.

Loss of governance, economic chaos, and legislative confusion have placed law-abiding manufacturing entrepreneurs in an extremely difficult position, incurring high costs, paying high taxes, and being subject to state and non-state racketeering. The lack of a mechanism to support small businesses, difficulties in obtaining loans, production facilities and material resources have put small businesses in an unequal position with large ones. This led to a reduction in their growth and to a focus mainly on trade, procurement and intermediary activities.

An analysis of the development of entrepreneurship shows that the share of enterprises operating in the field of trade and intermediary services occupies a dominant position. In addition, there are a large number of enterprises registered as industrial or multi-purpose (production of consumer goods, provision of various services), but, nevertheless, engaged in trade and intermediary activities as the main one.

Having common prerequisites, territory marketing can be organized in different ways, rely on different segments of the population, be carried out with or without incentive systems.

Considering the territorial aspect of marketing activities, we can formulate the organizational structure of marketing activities as a set of services, departments, divisions of the administration and enterprises operating in a given territory, which include employees engaged in a particular marketing activity and performing communication functions. At the same time, it should be borne in mind that there is no universal scheme for organizing marketing research of a territory.

Marketing departments can be created on different bases; they are usually part of the commercial scope of the enterprise. However, these departments can be an element of the technical or managerial sphere.

The organizational structure of the enterprise marketing service can have one of the following orientations: by function; goods; markets and buyers; regions; functions and products; functions and markets; functions and regions. Taking into account the target tasks of social marketing, coordination of the activities of the marketing departments of the enterprises of the territory and the administration is required. At the same time, coordinating functions remain with the administration of the territory.

A possible scheme of such interaction is shown in fig. 2.

Communication with the marketing departments of the enterprises of the territory is carried out through the commercial directors of the respective enterprises or their deputies.

Work on a territorial marketing program requires organizational and documentation support, as well as discussion of problems in order to find its strengths and weaknesses. Documentation should include the following documents:

Rice. 2. Interaction of marketing departments in the territory

• information of the relevant Territorial Administration Committee;
• improving the development of the industry in the municipality;
• regulation on the coordinating council for the development of the industry under the Head of the administrative region;
• the main directions of the program for the development of the industry on the territory of the municipal district for the period up to 20 ...;
• industry development strategy;
• project business plan;
• PR-project to increase the investment attractiveness of the city, territory;
• monitoring the study of the market potential of the territory;
• questionnaires;
• conference minutes with expert presentations and business plan evaluation.

We distinguish eight stages of work on the targeted marketing research of the territory, not counting the stage of conducting pre-marketing (preliminary) research, at which a preliminary acquaintance with the documents and the general situation takes place.

At the first stage, based on a preliminary acquaintance with the documentation and the current situation in the territory, a general diagnosis of the state of the region takes place. In other words, it turns out whether the territory needs a marketing policy, and its possible directions are determined.

At stage II, information is collected, both official and unofficial, including using such a method as observation. The collected information helps to draw a conclusion about the need to develop a targeted regional program that affects one or more industries.

At stage III, the goals of the territory development program are formulated, which is influenced by the scale of the work to be done, the projected time frame for it, and possible alternatives.

Stage IV is devoted to the choice of the most realistic and effective alternative to achieve the set goals, the definition of priorities, and the general approval of the program.

At stage V, a PR project is formed, the task of which is to attract both consumers and manufacturers of the intended products or services.

At the VI stage, work on the business plan should be completed. The actual development of a business plan begins much earlier, but its refinement requires details that are clarified only in the process of specific work on the program.

Stage VII involves a general examination of the proposed marketing program, taking into account the opinions of professional experts, managers and those business entities that will take part in the implementation of the program.

Finally, at the VIII stage, an overall assessment of the program is given, the likelihood of its successful implementation, and activities are carried out to monitor the program. It is believed that monitoring the decision taken is the weakest point of managers dealing with strategic issues. Therefore, special attention should be paid to monitoring.

Reviewers:

Knyazeva E.G., Doctor of Economics, Professor, Head of the Department of Insurance, FSAEI HPE “UrFU named after the first President of Russia B.N. Yeltsin, Higher School of Economics and Management, Yekaterinburg;

Razumovskaya E.A., Doctor of Economics, Associate Professor of the Department of Insurance, FSAEI HPE “UrFU named after the first President of Russia B.N. Yeltsin, Higher School of Economics and Management, Yekaterinburg.

Bibliographic link

Good day, dear reader! This article is a clear example of the marketing research we talked about in our previous article. After all, it is always easier for a student to show by example than to tell a dry theory. We decided that this material will be very useful for you.

Marketing research on the topic: "The feasibility of opening a bookstore on the territory of N"

1. Research objectives:

1.1 Determine the preferences of potential buyers.

1.2 Create an information and analytical base for making marketing decisions and thereby reduce the level of uncertainty associated with them.

2. Research objectives:

2.1 Choice of methods for conducting research.

2.2 Data collection for analysis.

2.3 Analysis of typologies and motivations of consumers.

2.4. Synthesizing the information received and its subsequent presentation in graphic-textual form.

3. Hypothesis:

In connection with the development of modern information technologies, at the moment, most people who read various literature are less and less dependent on books on paper. Accordingly, assuming that this trend will increase even more in the near future, we hypothesize that opening a new bookstore in the city of N is a very risky business, which most likely will not bring the expected income.

In addition, due to the increased pace of modern life, people have less and less time to read books. In connection with these prerequisites, we assume that after marketing research, this hypothesis will be confirmed by scientific data.

4. Nature of the study:

This marketing research will be descriptive (descriptive) in nature. It will consist in a simple description of certain aspects of the real marketing situation associated with the book market in the city of N.

5. Research plan:

5.1 Problem:

The problem is that at the moment the management of the hypothetical company does not have reliable data. In this regard, the management cannot make the right managerial decision: to open or not to open a new bookstore in the city of N.

5.1 Target group:

A survey of the target group will help to solve the above problem. The target group of this marketing research will be selected taking into account the geographical segmentation of the market, i.e. the target group will include residents of the city of N from 12 years old. This choice is due to the fact that the choice of a narrower segment is impractical due to the small number of potential buyers.

In turn, do b about The larger target group also looks very irrational, because it is unlikely that a person under the age of 12 will buy books in a bookstore.

5.2 Number of respondents:

Of all the inhabitants of the city, a sample of 35 people will be made. This number of interviewed people is enough to assess the feasibility of opening a new bookstore in the city of N.

5.3 Research method:

For the study, one of the methods of field research was chosen, in particular, a study using a questionnaire. Sample participants will be given questionnaires containing a list of 12 multiple-choice questions. In each question, you can choose only one answer option (the most appropriate for the respondent).

5.4.1 Cash costs:

Grand total: 205 rubles

5.4.2 Time costs:

Grand total: 10 hours

Graphical representation of information obtained after conducting a marketing research

Comments: The Gender and Age charts on their own provide little information. However, their presence is due to the need for further information - diagrams immediately with two criteria (for example, the number of people aged 18-30 who read e-books, etc.).

Comments: A large percentage of the married category suggests that this is most likely a young married couple who do not yet have children. These people have recently graduated and are just starting to live independent adult lives. As you know, a young family always has a lot of problems, so these people are unlikely to buy books in a new store (they are not up to them yet).

However, there are also complete families with children who are real potential buyers of educational literature. It can also be seen that a large percentage of the respondents are unmarried/unmarried people. These are teenagers and adults.

Accordingly, this is a group of people that has a wide variety of needs: from educational literature (teenagers) to romance novels (women aged 45-60 years).

Conclusion: This chart does not give a clear picture of the demand for a new bookstore among the residents of N.

Comments: This diagram gives a lot of food for thought. Especially striking is the indicator that says that 69% of people have only about 2 hours of free time. We believe that this is due to the ever-accelerating lifestyle of modern people. Therefore, it can be assumed that this group of people is unlikely to spend their free time reading books, because. they probably have more important things to do.

However, the other part of the respondents (29%) have a fairly large amount of free time per day. So among these people there are definitely those who like to read books at their leisure. Accordingly, this group of city residents can be considered as potential buyers.

The last part of the respondents (5%) who have more than 6 hours of free time are also potential buyers of books in the new store. They have enough free time to read books. However, this percentage is too small to be taken seriously.

Conclusion: Lack of free time is a typical problem for modern people. This is one of the deterrents that keeps people from reading books every day. It is necessary to take this information very seriously when making a final resolution on the opening of a new bookstore.

Comments: As can be seen from this diagram, the majority of people (59%) prefer to spend their free time sitting at a computer or watching various TV shows. Here one can clearly see the influence of modern technologies on the way of life of a person. Reading books is the second most important occupation (18%). However, this is a very small proportion of the respondents (less than one fifth of the respondents).

Conclusion: In this regard, it can be assumed that only a small proportion of people who prefer "traditional" ways of spending their free time will buy books.

Comments: From this diagram it can be seen that most people have time to read in a month, at best, only one book. This once again confirms the assumption that the modern rhythm of life does not provide many opportunities to read this or that literary work in a calm atmosphere. Among the above-mentioned respondents there were also those who said that he manages to read books only on the way to work or study. In this situation, books on paper "lose" in convenience to their electronic counterparts.

Conclusion: Modern people don't read much, which is not a good thing, especially for a company that intends to open a new bookstore.

Comments: It can be seen from the diagram that, on average, a respondent in city N buys no more than 1 book per month. This is partly due to the banal lack of time. However, in our opinion, the main reason for such inactivity in the book market is the possibility of free reading of e-books. This trend is especially pronounced among young people, as evidenced by the summary diagram 13.

Conclusion: Due to the fact that people read little, the layout presented on chart 7, quite expected. In addition, paper books are losing the leading role to their electronic counterparts. Plus, most e-books can be found in the public domain, ie. they are free (although this is illegal in most cases).

Comments: There is a trend. A very small percentage of people prefer only books on paper. Now most people have either completely switched to “digital” or are in a transitional stage. And this is not surprising, because. More and more information is now stored electronically. The remaining percentage of conservatives (17%) are mostly older people who are not used to working with electronic devices.

Conclusion: Quite a lot of people today read books in electronic form. This fact, confirmed by statistical calculations, allows us to conclude that opening a new bookstore is a very risky idea. Only a small percentage of middle-aged and elderly people should be considered as potential buyers. And in the long term, the calculation for this category of people is a big question.

Comments: Almost all respondents have a library at home. This suggests that, at least in the past, people actively bought books. However, as the realities of life show, the home library is, by and large, a “rudiment” of the Soviet past. Previously, people read more, and due to the fact that books were only on paper, in each house, over time, a rather impressive collection of different books gathered.

But due to recent technological advances, books on paper are now bought either for the sake of collecting (which will be discussed below) or for specific purposes (for example, high-end business literature is difficult to find in free access, because it does not attract large masses of people).

Conclusion: Although there are books in the home library in almost every family, however, this home library is rarely replenished with new editions (including due to the high cost).

Diagram 10. Purpose of buying paper books