In an era where technology is advancing continuously, it is not surprising that digital marketing is dominating in the marketing business. According to the statistic posted in statista, more or less 3.9 billion individuals are using the internet, which is more than half of the worldwide population. However, marketing is not as easy as counting 1 to 3. Experts have been conducting numerous types of researches to market in the digital world effectively. One of the essential studies they have done is quantitative market research. No wonder that during the third and fourth quarters of 2018, an online survey is the most used quantitative research method in the market research industry, followed by a mobile review.
Quantitative research is a systematic investigation of an observable event or any other perceptible subject. This empirical research uses statistical, mathematical, or computational techniques for data collection. You can use the quantitative or numerical data that you gather by using samples and online surveys, online polls, questionnaires, etc. Through quantitative research, you can develop mathematical models, theories, and hypotheses concerning the subject. Thus, it has contributed great importance to science, such as physics. However, you can also use this research type in psychology, economics, sociology, marketing, community health, and political science.
As you might have known, quantitative and qualitative research are the two approaches that you can use to collect and analyze data for a study. However, you should know that these two research methodologies have distinct characteristics. One of these differences is the expression of the data. In quantitative research, the data is expressed in numbers and graphs, while qualitative research shows the data in words to understand the concept, thought, and experiences. While qualitative research focuses on inspecting ideas and developing theory and hypothesis, the quantitative study aims to test these theories and hypotheses. In qualitative research, you may create open-ended research questions, while in quantitative analysis, you can only create closed questions such as questions that are answerable with multiple choices.
To give you more understanding of quantitative research, refer to the following examples. Through these downloadable documents, you will get an idea of how this type of research should look like in a research paper.
Conducting quantitative research can be hard, especially on a larger scale. However, there are a few tips that we can recommend for the process to go smoothly, which we included below.
There are circumstances where you need to associate complexity in getting things done, such as data analysis, but have you asked yourself if you can do things such as the research questions in a more straightforward way? More often than not, using simple questions in getting the answers or data that you need can be practical and effective. Let’s be real. Most of your research respondents are not as knowledgeable as you are in your field. Thus, it is safer to keep things simpler and converse using universal phrases that anyone can easily understand.
In decision making, people judge both emotionally and rationally. As a researcher, you need to cover both responses to get the most accurate data. To do it, you must strategically compose the crucial research questions and come up with a tactical data collection method. For example, you can include a list of emotions that the respondent can choose from in your survey questionnaires.
There are times that, as a researcher, you would want to confirm the theory that you already have. However, it is crucial to remember that this circumstance may lead to gaining biased and unreliable information. Thus, you must avoid keeping your thoughts about the study regardless if you are getting the information that you are not expecting to get.
As part of composing a strategic data gathering, decide on the indicators that you and your team consider as success. Think about the result that you are expecting. Consider assigning a benchmark or a control scoring system, which will serve as a basis for the success of the activity.
In quantitative research, you will need to use close-ended questions. However, there are situations that this type of item will not suffice the requirement of your research. Thus, you need to be creative in developing the data gathering framework. For example, instead of asking simply “why?” you can ask, “can you provide situations that this problem affects you?”
Construct your research methodology in a way that you can easily replicate in the future. There may be instances where you will need to repeat your experiment for comparison purposes. For example, you can document the details of the research so that in times where another person has to interfere or come in, he or she can easily pick up where you left off.
When conducting quantitative research, there may be a perfect time for the data-gathering. Consider the affecting such as seasons, holidays, reporting deadlines, etc. to avoid doing it in a last-minute, which can affect the quality of the study that you are conducting.
Quantitative research is one way to reach a data-driven resolution that you can use in various industries and sectors. As a business owner, it is essential to know how to conduct this type of research or hire someone knowledgeable in this field to ensure that whenever your organization encounters a relevant problem, your team can come up with the right action or resolution for the said issue.