When conducting marketing research in order to gather consumer information, it is important to select the right form of research that will yield the most useful insights. There are several forms of marketing research that can be used to gain a better understanding of consumers and their needs, preferences and behaviors related to a product or service. These include qualitative research such as focus groups, interviews and surveys; quantitative research such as market segmentation studies and customer satisfaction surveys; secondary data analysis utilizing existing datasets from sources such as public records; experimentation with A/B testing for products/services; observational studies through direct observation of customer behavior in-store or online; and technology-driven approaches by leveraging AI algorithms for more accurate data collection.

Qualitative methods are particularly effective at uncovering motivations behind customers’ decisions and uncovering deeply held beliefs about certain aspects of the product/service being studied. Focus groups provide an opportunity for marketers to get direct feedback from customers on topics like pricing, branding, feature enhancements etc., while interviews allow researchers to probe further into customer opinions in depth and also identify potential new ideas relating to product development or improvements.