Secondary research?
This is existing data that was originally collected for another purpose. Also known as desk research because it always used to be done sitting at a desk!
Secondary data should ALWAYS be gathered FIRST.
It is often described as being less expensive than primary. This can be the case but not always. The activities need to be planned and closely managed to ensure that they do not absorb significant amounts of time and therefore cost.
Much online research is undertaken by secondary data gathering using search engines, directories, forums and so on. Secondary data provides a basis for primary research and can, sometimes, meet current research needs without the need to continue to a primary stage.
Secondary research involves searching for existing data that was originally collected by someone else. You might look in journals, libraries, or go to online sources like the US census. You will apply what you find to your personal research problem, but the data you are finding was not originally collected by you, nor was it obtained for the purpose you are using it for. I hope that makes sense. If not, read on for some examples and a little more detail.
Data forms
Data comes in two forms. Qualitative and quantitative.
Qualitative data is gathered by using …”A body of research techniques which seeks insights through loosely structured, mainly verbal data rather than measurements. Analysis is interpretive, subjective, impressionistic and diagnostic.”
Source: The Market Research Society
It is important to remember that this type of data is non-quantifiable. It is about what people ‘feel’, their perceptions, views, attitudes and so on. Things that are hard to quantify but just as important as numbers in many ways. The techniques to gather this data tend to be largely unstructured enabling respondents to talk about things in the way that they wish to.
Quantitative data is gathered by using “… a structured approach with a sample of the population to produce quantifiable insights into behaviour, motivations and attitudes”
Source: Alan Wilson – Marketing Research – An Integrated Approach
So this is about numbers – Percentages, rankings, scores, values, shares, numbers of those that buy, don’t buy, might buy, prices and so on.
This is existing data that was originally collected for another purpose. Also known as desk research because it always used to be done sitting at a desk!
Secondary data should ALWAYS be gathered FIRST.
It is often described as being less expensive than primary. This can be the case but not always. The activities need to be planned and closely managed to ensure that they do not absorb significant amounts of time and therefore cost.
Much online research is undertaken by secondary data gathering using search engines, directories, forums and so on. Secondary data provides a basis for primary research and can, sometimes, meet current research needs without the need to continue to a primary stage.
Secondary research involves searching for existing data that was originally collected by someone else. You might look in journals, libraries, or go to online sources like the US census. You will apply what you find to your personal research problem, but the data you are finding was not originally collected by you, nor was it obtained for the purpose you are using it for. I hope that makes sense. If not, read on for some examples and a little more detail.
Data forms
Data comes in two forms. Qualitative and quantitative.
Qualitative data is gathered by using …”A body of research techniques which seeks insights through loosely structured, mainly verbal data rather than measurements. Analysis is interpretive, subjective, impressionistic and diagnostic.”
Source: The Market Research Society
It is important to remember that this type of data is non-quantifiable. It is about what people ‘feel’, their perceptions, views, attitudes and so on. Things that are hard to quantify but just as important as numbers in many ways. The techniques to gather this data tend to be largely unstructured enabling respondents to talk about things in the way that they wish to.
Quantitative data is gathered by using “… a structured approach with a sample of the population to produce quantifiable insights into behaviour, motivations and attitudes”
Source: Alan Wilson – Marketing Research – An Integrated Approach
So this is about numbers – Percentages, rankings, scores, values, shares, numbers of those that buy, don’t buy, might buy, prices and so on.