Limitations: Marketing Research Essay

Like everything else, there are advantages and disadvantages or limitations in research. The imitations are basically the downside of a marketing research. These limitations are manipulated by many factors such as the constant change in human behaviours and marketing environment. Therefore, the information can be used for a period of time. Some of the major limitations include marketing research is costly, time consuming, has a limited scope and practical value. It cannot predict consumer behaviour, neither does it give 100% accurate results nor does it provide solutions, only suggestion. Unfortunately marketing research does not have the availability of qualified or experienced staff and it has a fragmented approach. In other words, it does not take into account all possible problems, just one or two. The research can be misused, reliable data may not be available and finally marketing managers may not use suggestions mentioned in the report. In the marketing research for Choice Mobile Ltd, some of these limitations were encountered. First is that the research is time consuming. The steps to conduct a marketing research report are vital and therefore take a lot of time to gather. None of the steps should be neglected or avoided. In pursuing the research, gathering the secondary data was difficult as there were limited sources. Even when some information needed was sourced it was not in depth. The lack of information is most probably the competitors’ way to protect their strategies from new market entrants looking for ideas. Time is also strained by the length of time taken to receive responses to the survey questionnaire which delays the time needed to analyse and state the outcomes. Next is that it has a limited scope. This is where the research paper is unable to assist businesses in solving certain business-related problems, like consumer behaviour, income and expenditure relationships, etc. The survey for Choice Mobile Limited had its limitations because the distribution was limited to people of a narrow age group. Therefore, the research from the sample does not accurately represent the population. Furthermore, research can be conducted to analyse consumer behaviour but the results would not be completely accurate because researchers would not have responses from all members of the target market. Some sample populations may not have the expected responses in a particular subset such as a particular age group. In Choice Mobile Ltd the sample does not include any users over the age of fifty but in the full population they make up a substantial amount. Even if marketing research is done to analyse consumer behaviour there can never be a clear prediction of consumer behaviour. The research is not accurate because consumers’ decision making and buying patterns constantly changes. Their behaviours are influenced by moods, social factors, religious factors, family, economic factors and other factors. For example, a customer can decide to end their contract with Bmobile and switch to Digicel and vice-versa. In the case of Choice Mobile Ltd, the research may reflect that there is a 50% chance that consumers will change to their service but in reality it may be much more or much less depending on the influence of the factors mentioned at that point in time. Marketing research cannot give 100% accurate results. This is mainly applicable to consumer behaviours and the marketing environment that cannot be predicted due to their constant changes. Respondents chosen to part take in a questionnaire survey may not be interested and will answer questions just to get passed it. Others may not understand what the questions are asking due to their confusing structure. When this happens respondents may answer incorrectly or not answer at all. Accuracy is also compromised when respondents do not remember the details asked and they guess. In secondary research this problem is faced when information is outdated or comes from an unreliable source. Finally, in the research, it was found that there is a lot of non-availability of reliable data meaning people may not be sure of what they are asked in a questionnaire. Due to the ways in which people can interpret a question determines how they answer them. The research states that many people are post-paid customers but they use instant messaging more than internet apps such Whatsapp, etc. If people knew what services allowed the full use of their smart phone capabilities, the usage percentage of Wi-Fi, EDGE, 3G and 4G would have been much higher. Post-paid customers are also users of EDGE and/or 3G/ 4G simply through the purchase of a regular package. If they were more educated about these features, the response results would have been different. Thus, if the respondents understood what the questions really asked, the answers could have been different. If the questions are not 100% accurate, the results would not be either.