Why is it important to conduct primary and secondary research?
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Primary research is research conducted by you or your team that examines and collects information directly from the context of the design problem. Simply put, primary research is research that is your own original work. For example, if a researcher is interested in learning about the dietary habits of people in a particular region, he or she could administer a survey to residents of that region inquiring
about what types of food they typically eat. Here, the researcher would be performing primary research. Contrary to primary research, secondary research is research that was originally conducted by someone else. Using our example from above, if after doing some investigation the researcher learns that a similar study has already been performed, he or she could utilize the results and findings from that study to assist him with his
overall goal. Here the researcher would be performing secondary research. Related: Why You Should Consider Secondary Data Analysis for Your Next Study Imagine that you’ve been tasked with developing an exercise program for elderly people. The goal of the program is to outline and schedule exercises and workouts in order to promote healthy lifestyles amongst senior citizens. But there’s a catch — You don’t
have any experience in exercise science or developing this kind of program. The best place to start in order to kick off the project would be to leverage existing research. You could review publicly available materials on exercise regimens optimized for the age of your target audience. This could involve reading published research reports, books, or articles. Your findings from this secondary research could then help you define your own approach for how you plan to create the fitness plan for senior citizens. Additionally, starting with secondary research gives you an understanding of what's already been done, and it alerts you of where there may be gaps. Secondary research can help you understand what you don’t know.Continuing on with our example above, you may realize that after researching existing materials on senior citizens and exercising that you know very little about what will motivate elderly people to exercise. If you find yourself in a similar situation, continue to identify resources to educate yourself on the matter at hand. In this case, secondary research has already saved you some time. If you had opted to not perform secondary research, and instead had made an attempt to build the exercise program from scratch using gut instinct, you would have spent a considerable amount of time banging your head against a theoretical wall to no avail. If after digging into the available secondary sources, you realize that you still don’t have the precise knowledge needed to develop an effective program, you might then decide that primary research is the only viable way for you to move forward. Using Primary Research and Secondary Research TogetherOnce you have a deep understanding of the problem at hand thanks to your secondary research, you can then plan your primary research efforts accordingly, so that you can fill in any gaps and obtain any information that was previously missing. Both methods are most effective when they work together. Surveys Are Great Tools for Performing Primary ResearchSurveys are one of the most commonly used ways in which original data not found through secondary research is collected. This is because surveys are context-specific, meaning that the data collected from the survey comes directly from your exact target audience. Plus, there are essentially limitless ways to customize and tailor your survey to resonate with your target audience, which allows you to collect only the most pertinent data for your project. To start building and administering powerful surveys today, start a trial with Alchemer! Request a Demo By accessing and using this page, you agree to the Terms of Use . Your information will never be shared.
Both types of market research are valuable, but primary research is often veiled in a deeper sense of mystery. How is primary data collected? Why is it necessary to carry out primary market research, and what expertise is required? A quick web search may not provide concrete answers for these questions. Many top-ranking articles on primary market research are vague, focus on broad definitions, and are not written by professional market researchers. For a deeper dive into this subject, I turned to Jennifer Christ, a long-time analyst and manager at The Freedonia Group, a leading market research firm and division of MarketResearch.com. As part of her job, Jennifer trains analysts to gather and evaluate primary data — such as consumer surveys and phone interviews — for use in industry studies. The Key Advantages of Primary ResearchAccording to Jennifer, secondary research provides a solid foundation for understanding a market at a high level, but primary research can help fill in the gaps and offer a richer, more nuanced perspective. Primary data allows analysts to validate market size estimates and growth outlooks and gain targeted insights into specific industry developments or drivers. “We really seek to evaluate a market from multiple angles, and primary research helps us better explore other viewpoints that might get less coverage in industry, business, or the general media,” Jennifer explains. “It also lets us ask questions and talk about trends and issues that might not be mentioned in other sources.” In addition, primary research enables analysts to see beyond the hype and get a reality check on hot trends. “For instance, a supplier of an innovation or technology may think it’s going to be market changing, but checking in with potential end users, we might learn that they are satisfied with what they are using, the new tech doesn’t solve an existing problem, or they think the cost to change outweighs potential benefits, so they are far less enthused,” Jennifer says. Primary research based on consumer survey data can also shed light on consumer attitudes, their decision-making process, and the reasons why they make certain purchases. Analysts can break down this data based on demographic information such as age, region, gender, income levels, family size, living situation, whether they work from home, and other relevant attributes. Using survey data to understand different types of consumers and the motivations that drive them can help companies build more effective marketing and product development strategies. Primary Market Research Methods: A Brief OverviewPrimary research can be conducted through a variety of methods, but these approaches often require a high level of expertise to produce accurate, meaningful results. For example, consumer survey data can be gathered through online and booklet-based surveys, but it’s important to screen for quality and use an appropriate sample size that is representative of the overall target population. Once the data is collected, the information must be put into context and evaluated based on historical trends and other key factors. Phone interviews are also more complex than they may first appear. To conduct interviews with industry participants, analysts need a strong network of contacts within specific industry sectors that allows them to see a product or market category from many different angles. For example, Jennifer often targets end-users, manufacturers, retailers and distributors, or material suppliers for individual or group interviews. She recommends speaking with up-and-coming participants, as well as established players and market leaders. Research analysts must also engage the right people within an organization. “We reach as broadly as we can, but we find that people in positions working in marketing or sales (at a manager or VP level) tend to be aware of a company’s performance and pain points and trends and positioning for the industry in general,” Jennifer explains. “Anyone who works in a company’s internal insights or customer analysis team is also often quite helpful. Obviously, if our questions are more technical, we seek out people in research and development areas.” To engage busy senior-level managers in primary research, it's also crucial to build strong rapport and strive for a mutually beneficial conversation. “I like to keep it as conversational as much as possible,” Jennifer says. “Not only are people more comfortable in that mode, but it is more likely to bring up things I might not have thought of. Also, I think it’s important for the person I’m talking to to feel like they learned something from our chat as well. They are more likely to think that talking with us is worth their valuable time.” There's no doubt primary market research involves extra legwork, skill, and dedication, but it also provides a "boots on the ground" level of industry knowledge that's difficult to achieve through any other approach.
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