PROBLEMS OF INTERPRETING RESULTS OF MARKETING RESEARCH OF CONSUMER MARKETS / OF CONSUMER PREFERENCES

Abstract

The article is devoted to the consideration of the problems of interpreting the results of marketing research on the preferences of consumers of mass consumer goods markets (FMCG markets, consumer goods markets, mass market). The relevance of the study is established and the reasons for the importance of analyzing the problems of interpreting the results of marketing research on consumer preferences in the markets of mass consumption goods are established. Such reasons are the high level of competition of manufacturers in these markets, the high degree of personalization of needs and the variability of trends in the markets, the complexity of data collection and the high cost of research.

The analysis of the latest research and publications in the field of identifying problems of the organization and conducting marketing research, in particular the description of the problems of conducting research on the preferences of consumers of goods in mass demand, іs performed.

The article notes the characteristic features of mass consumer goods markets, such as large sales volumes, significant volumes of product stocks and high turnover of these stocks, significant intensity of competition and a large number of product manufacturers involved in market participation, a significant variety of products, consumer sensitivity to price changes. Features of conducting marketing research on consumer preferences in mass consumer goods markets are established, including the formation of large databases (the so-called big data), the variability of consumer preferences, the need for periodic updating of the database, the dependence of research results on the degree of representativeness of the sample and the peculiarities of its formation; the dependence of sales volumes on the applied measures to promote goods.

A wide range of problems of interpreting the results of consumer marketing research are grouped into several groups: problems of collecting an adequate and accurate database; application of inadequate methods in the processing of statistical data; insufficient sample size or incorrect sample formation; inconsistency, discrepancy, incompatibility of data, lack of basis of comparison or standardized units of measurement; insufficient understanding of the sociocultural context; subjectivity. Descriptions of the problems inherent in each group and examples of the formation of inadequate conclusions are provided. The main ways and methods of overcoming the problems of misinterpretation of the results of marketing research are presented.