The goal of marketing is to create customer satisfaction profitably by building value-laden relationships with important customers. If everyone's needs, wants, desires, preferences, and expectations were the same, then marketing would be easy. Modern customers demand more from products and services, which must be customized to satisfy individual tastes and preferences. For example, computer buyers have different preferences for speed, memory, screen size, and multimedia options. Some customers are more sensitive to price, promotions, and advertising.
Statistics is used to quantify the extent of variation in customers' needs and wants.
Focus groups provide in-depth, unstructured information that is often used in designing more formal surveys or experiments. Sample Surveys - Sample surveys provide a structured method for collecting customers' needs, wants, and expectations by having participants respond to a battery of items. Surveys are conducted by mail, over the phone or Internet, and at malls. Designed Experiments - Subjects experience new products or services under controlled, laboratory conditions. Field Experiments and Test Markets - Companies isolate a small city to test the acceptance of a new product or manipulate marketing variables, such as price or advertisements, to determine customers' response to a product and marketing effort.