Marketing research has been upgrading its methods and techniques almost as fast as technology does. As rapid changes in techno and info go by, so does marketing research. Once upon a time, businesses only used to be as big as one's own country. Then it expanded internationally, extending its reach to a few foreign places, and now, because the world has become closer, more accessible, and more convenient through the internet, it's no longer impossible to reach out to almost every country across the globe - giving birth to global marketing. Global marketing researchers collect info that would help the company penetrate each country without needing extreme alterations in the brand, the quality of the product and even maintain a certain range of selling prices. Many companies have made use of this method to expand their businesses go beyond borders. Some of the popular brands that have taken advantage of global marketing are Coca-Cola, Unilever, McDonald's, Microsoft, Canon, Samsung, and so on. Global Marketing Researchers dig for information about: The Culture. A country's culture can tell much of what the people in that area need or prefer. This helps the company add or remove features of their product to suit a culture without sacrificing the main product itself. For example, in some countries like Korea and Japan, McDonald's sells a meal composed of only chicken and a drink while it sells a meal of chicken with rice in the Philippines. The Religion. In Muslim countries, products with pork are prohibited due to their belief and some products like canned 'Vienna sausage' is sold in pure beef unlike in other countries where pork and chicken are mixed. The Ingredients/Materials. In some countries it may be more economical to use starch instead of sugar. The Cost of Living. Learning the lifestyles of the people in the countries targeted can tell how much a product should or will sell. At what range is it considered expensive? Affordable? The list goes on. Of course, entrepreneurs already have a summary of what they need and with mobile research at the disposal of marketing research solution providers and multi-language translations available as tools, all these queries could be answered quickly making it possible for companies to make a move and be there in time to provide a supply for a demand, to create a new trend, to set a new standard. Not only is there a race now to make sense of the information gathered but also in the speed of analysing and providing solutions for it. What better way to do that than with mobility.
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