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Market Research Definitions

A Priori Segmentation:
Market segmentation which is not empirically based. It involves segmenting markets on the basis of assumptions, custom or hunches.

A.C. Nielsen Retail Index:
Provides consumer oriented and media research market intelligence from various sources.

Accuracy:
The ability of a measurement to match the actual value of the quantity being measured.

ACORN:
ACORN is a geo-demographic tool assisting business in understanding their target market. ACORN focuses on population location and other lifestyle variables. Individuals in rural locations have different purchasing behavior than those residing in bustling downtown neighborhoods. The information gathered by ACORN allows business to concentrate marketing strategies for specific geographic locations. This impacts marketing campaigns, where to open the next franchise, which store location to close and more.

Action Devices:
A direct marketing technique creating involvement by the respondent through the physical use of an involvement device. Involvement devices typically are tokens or stamps that are used with the marketing material. Publisher’s Clearing House is a good example employing this marketing theory. Related Terms: Involvement Device.

Active Buyer:
An active buyer is a consumer that has made a purchase during the previous 12 months.

Ad Blocker:
Ad blockers prevent an Internet browser from displaying online advertisements. However, ad blockers can prevent useful Internet browsing functions.

Ad Concept Testing:
Testing on a target market segment employed to evaluate advertising theme concepts. The testing results can determine the most appropriate pricing, brand concepts, appeals, and positioning strategy concepts. Respondents provide responses to questionnaires, surveys or interviews.

Ad Hoc Surveys:
A developed survey for the target audience with no previous contact by the examiner.

Ad Positioning Statement Tests:
The evaluation of a positioning statement measuring audience response. Since the positioning statement is the vision or image of a particular brand this testing process is critical.

Ad Recall:
This measures a respondent’s recollection or recall of an advertisement. The respondent’s answers provide insight to the most memorable attribute of the advertisement. Generally, ad recall is requested immediately after the respondent views the advertisement. Recall is lessened over time.

Ad Tracking Research:
A study tracking an advertisement over time. The performance of the advertisement is reported throughout the duration of the study.

Adaptive Conjoint Analysis (ACA):
Sawtooth Software enhances traditional conjoint analysis with Adaptive Conjoint Analysis. The software measures the respondent’s answers to the initial interview questions. Based upon these initial responses, the software adapts and focuses on subject matter most valued by the respondent. This method overcomes burdening the respondent with extraneous information which can reduce the respondent’s attention span. For more information visit Sawtooth Software & GMI that offers Sawtooth's conjoint solution.

Adaptive Scripting:
Adaptive scripting is a tailored list of questions. The respondent’s response dictates which question to ask next.

Address Coding Guide (CG):
A comprehensive directory of addresses listing the beginning and ending of house numbers, ZIP codes and other geographic data for all city delivery service and streets.

Advertising Research Foundation (ARF):
ARF is a collaborative effort to improve advertising, marketing and media research. ARF hosts conventions and training courses for continuing education. Visit the Advertising Research Foundation for further information.

Affective Component of Attitudes:
The emotional response attached to an attitude. An emotion generated in response to a person, object or event. The emotion feeling toward a person or object is the affective component of attitudes. Related terms: Cognitive Component; Behavioral Component.

Affiliate Marketing:
Affiliate marketing is revenue sharing advertising between two websites. The affiliate website will display an online advertisement of another website. Internet traffic from the affiliate site will be driven to the other website. The affiliate is compensated for displaying the advertisement. GlobalTestMarket offers impressive affiliate marketing opportunities.

Affinity Marketing:
Targeting consumers on the basis of their established buying patterns or trends.

After-Only with Control Group:
An experimental design involving groups of respondents. Neither group is measured before the experiment. During the experiment the control group is not subjected to the experimental variable. At the conclusion of the experiment, both groups are measured. The control group’s measurement is deducted from the other group’s measurement.

Allowable Sampling Error:
An acceptable amount of error during the research.

Alternative Hypothesis:
A statement of what a statistical hypothesis test is set up to establish. The test result is communicated by rejecting the null hypothesis in favor of the alternative hypothesis or not rejecting the null hypothesis. The test does not reach an acceptance or rejection of the alternative hypothesis.

American Standard Code of Information Interchange (ASCII):
Code used for transmitting data from one database to another.

Analysis of Variance (ANOVA):
A statistical method establishing the existence of a difference between several sample means.

Anthropomorphic:
A research method requiring respondents to assign human like characteristics to inanimate objects, animals or forces of nature.

Applet:
Applets typically are Java programs that can display interactive animation, execute immediate calculations, and provide more uses for a market research questionnaire.

Application Service Provider (ASP):
An ASP is a company that hosts services, products and applications on their server. Individuals then can purchase a subscription to access those services, products and applications hosted on the server. GMI (Global Market Insite, Inc.) provides this service for market research.

Applied Research:
Research directed toward a current need. The purpose of the research is to discover results that can be applied to the need.

Area of Dominant Influence (ADI):
A radio or television market region in which that specific population receives the same programming.

Area Samples:
A sample design targeting specific geographic areas.

Asterisk Bills:
A law preventing telemarketing or telephone interviewers calling the phone numbers of subscribers requesting not to be contacted.

Asynchronous Qualitative Research:
The researcher and respondent are not required to interact during the study at the same time.

Asynchronous Research:
The technique in which the respondent records their response on their own time. The response is not prompted by a direct question or event.

At-Home Testing:
The respondent is allowed to bring the product home for testing use. The respondent provides product information and reaction in a telephone survey, written survey or in a group session scheduled after a certain period of time.

Attempt:
Contacting a potential research respondent. The attempt does not require actual contact or that the potential respondent has agreed to participate.

Attitude, Awareness & Usage (AAU) Study:
A market research tracking study recording changes in consumer attitudes, awareness and usage levels for a product category or specific brand.

Attitudinal Scaling:
A two dimensional technique in which the respondent determines the two most important characteristics of a product.

Audio Computer-Aided Self-Administered Interviewing (ACASI):
A survey that the respondent self-administers by listening to the interview with computer aided audio. The respondent’s interview answers are typically recorded via a computer questionnaire. Related terms: Audio SAQ

Audio SAQ:
The respondent conducts a self-administered survey by listening to the interview questions over headphones. The answers are recorded on a paper questionnaire. Related Terms: ACASI.

Audit:
The examination of the marketing plan. The marketing plan is researched before and during implementation. Internal and external influences are evaluated allowing for plan adjustment.

Augment:
This is the process of increasing the amount of research interviews for a particular subgroup within the population. If the client requires 30 completed surveys from Hispanic males and only 20 were completed from the initial research, an augment of 10 surveys of Hispanic males would be conducted.

Autocorrelation:
The same variable is observed over time. The observations produce different values which are correlated.

Automatic Interaction Detector (AID):
A technique of multivariate analysis. It provides characteristics of a market segment. Demographic attributes and buying behavior are often targeted results.

Awareness:
The familiarity of a product, brand name, company, new concept or trademark.