In order to offer the correct product or service, to the right consumer, at the right time, the marketer needs to have a comprehensive understanding of both the consumer and the marketing environment. To gain this understanding, marketing research is required. This textbook offers a comprehensive overview of what marketing research entails by focusing on introducing the marketing research process, determining appropriate research designs and methods, and describing the process involved in both qualitative and quantitative research as well as what mixed methods entails.

Globally, there is an increasing focus, in both academia and industry, on conducting qualitative research in order to obtain deeper insights and not solely focusing on the quantitative research approach. Although there is an increasing appreciation for qualitative research, many textbooks don’t offer a complete explanation of what the qualitative research approach entails. Instead, the textbooks explain qualitative research as an afterthought. This is where this textbook differs as an entire section of the textbook describes the fundamental considerations of the qualitative research process. In addition, this textbook also includes a discussion on the mixed methods research approach – covering the best of both approaches.

The key features of this textbook include:

• A detailed discussion of both the quantitative and qualitative research approaches (including a discussion on a mixed methods research approach)
• Ethical considerations that researchers need to be aware of
• A chapter focusing on differentiating academic and industry research
• Self-assessment questions per chapter
• PowerPoint slides