Market research glossary

Qualifying questions are present during a market research screener, to ensure the correct target group is captured. They ensure the selected participant meets the criteria to continue with the main bulk of the questionnaire.

A research approach which involves a small number of carefully selected individuals and is used to produce non-quantifiable insights into behaviour, motivations, attitudes and opinions. Qualitative methodologies include focus groups, bulletin boards and depth interviews.

A research approach which is structured to produce quantifiable insights into behaviour, motivations and attitudes, typically by interviewing a Representative Sample of the target population. This research method is characterised by the use of structured questionnaires and set questions with limited responsiveness to context. Quantitative research usually involves interviews with a fairly large sample of the target population to ensure that the results are statistically significant. Quantitative methodologies include online surveys, telephone surveys and face-to-face surveys.

A market research questionnaire is a carefully compiled set of questions used to gather data about a particular topic, product, or service.

The term quota in market rearch refers to a group of key demographics that a client will be looking to reach. Within the larger sample of participants, a target number of those sharing key demographics to aim to reach will be set, and referred to as a ‘quota’. For example, if 100 responses are to be recruited, with a fixed quota of 25% male and 75% female, the quota a researcher would aim to reach by the end of fieldwork would be 75 female participants and 25 male participants.