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street. Now days, it can also be undertaken online by tracking down the images and posts shared by people on social media. Ethnography can be good to bring innovation in marketing strategies and foresee where a brand can expand into. For instance marketers of a well known brand of washing machines were surprised to find that their product was actually being used to make Lassi an Indian refreshing drink in state of Punjab, India. Another ethnographic study in Europe revealed that consumers use mobile to check their bank balance as a habit and not just in emergencies. This provided financial companies important stimuli to restructure their mobile banking marketing mechanism.

Qualitative over Quantitative Market Research 定性定量市场研究

Quantitative market research is the mathematical part of the market research. It uses statistical models and theories to indicate results. They conduct research with the help of structured questionnaires and surveys and use a standardized set of questions for each individual. This facilitates accuracy and comparability in data sets.

Qualitative research on the other hand aims at identifying factors that cannot be quantified such as culture , socio economic norms , role of gender , psychological barriers etc. it thus tries to fill the gaps left by quantitative market research.

In short, while quantitative market research quantifies variations in data that determine varied consumer actions, qualitative research seeks to identify reasons behind such factors.

When companies undertake qualitative market research, they usually expect a number of substantive advantages. Following are some advantages of qualitative market research over quantitative market research:

They help in understanding the reasons (why and how) behind a certain behavioural action.
Studies intangible factors that are responsible for changes in consumer behaviour thus providing a holistic view. For e.g. psychological factors such as perceptions, motivation and learning can only be understood using qualitative market research.
They stimulate new dynamic thinking amongst participants and helps in evoking emotions and unadulterated latent reactions from the participants for better insights.
It adds flexibility to the research process. There are no structured yes and no questions. Participants are encouraged to provide their opinions and understanding.
Studies like ethnography are done in the natural environment of consumers, thus, providing a realistic picture and first hand information on issues concerned.
The information from in-depth interviews is very rich and detailed.
Thus, qualitative market research provides marketers with insights into drivers of consumer behaviour, purchasing habits and other opportunities for innovative product development and sustained competitive advantage. We can safely say that qualitative market research is surely here to stay and as the competition sores, is going to gain more importance. This is why there is an unprecedented rise in qualitative market research agencies. Also, many global companies like Unilever, P&G, and ITC have already brought on board anthropologists in their marketing department. With growing innovation in the field, numerous other examples of qualitative research techniques available for practice in future are online focus groups, bulletin boards and so on.