The overall goal of marketing research is to develop a marketing direction that will maximize the company's competitive position in the marketplace. The qualitative phase is typically followed by a quantitative phase in which the various hypotheses developed are proven . This cycle of research, in addition to enabling the marketer to measure the level of awareness and market share the brand enjoys, will also help measure other issues important for marketing success. The in-depth nature of this technique provides an understanding of the range of target audience attitudes and brand selection considerations that might come to bear in response to your brand's and its competitors' products. Thus, in a cost and time-efficient manner, you can gain valuable insight as to the linkage between the various components that create interest in and attitudes towards various market alternatives and explore the basis for expectation versus fulfillment in the selection of a product.
Qualitative research is extremely flexible.
The practical result of doing this prior to developing a questionnaire for quantitative research is that it will ensure that the questionnaire is an optimally relevant, on-target, and an efficient research tool. It is useful, prior to development of a questionnaire for a broader-based test, to have a clearer understanding of customers who make decisions regarding products such as yours. Through the qualitative exploration, we can identify and learn how to distinguish those users who are most likely to be predisposed to your product. We are also able to isolate the key variables against which we can expect the customer to evaluate fulfillment, as input for quantitative questionnaire development. After completion of the focus groups, questionnaire development should commence.