Marketing and Audience Research

Research Report

Word Count: 1800

Executive Summary
The topic of this report is the predictors of Online Retail Shopping. It centres on the question of what are the determinants of Australian consumers’ attitudes toward online retail shopping. A sample size of depth interviews will be analysed, cross referenced and used to infer behavioural patterns. The target audience is English speaking adults in Australia who have previously engaged in online retail shopping.

1.1 Importance of the Research
Online shopping is gaining exponential momentum in modern society, and empirical evidence indicates this trend will only continue to grow (Hooson 2011). Given that marketing ultimately drives every product, service, idea and attempt to influence consumer behaviour – it is an invaluable tool for any company. In order to effectively market your product, research into the wants, needs and behaviour of your target audience is integral to the development of your businesses collateral and positioning.

Marketing Research is one of the few tools that allows researchers to get primary evidence into what actually shapes the buying behaviour of consumers; as well as opinions, attitudes and beliefs about certain brands or products. Once accumulated, this information can be used to discern the most effective means of marketing. Considering the number of industries with high barriers to entry, substantial costs in establishment, and growing competition in almost every vertical – the importance becomes apparent.

Consumer Behaviour studies show that purchasers use their experiences with stimuli they are exposed to, cross referenced against their needs and wants, to ultimately arrive at purchase decisions (Sandhusen, 2001). These stimuli can be environmental, such as technology and culture, as well as marketing stimuli, like the 4Ps