Compare and contrast Industrial Marketing Research with Consumer Marketing Research Essay

Market Research is considered to be a type of business research.  Business-to-Business Marketing Research was earlier called as the Industrial Marketing Research. ( Industrial Marketing Committee Review Board, 1954) Industrial or business-to-business is a unique part of the research market, dealing with research on product use or services in the business zone.  Industrial market research is a field where developed scientific method is necessary. ( Self, 1964) Such research extends over a broad band of subjects-starting from product testing for the purpose of industrial use, their necessitated functional, design and other aspects-to unique types of sponsorship, price structure, user-satisfaction, means as well as forms of direct sale or distribution through particular channels, product or service image, the importance of trade fairs, exhibitions as well as demonstration facilities, and particular weakness as well as strengths in comparison to competition. 

In pursuit of industrial market, research analyses the equal process and tools as applied with consumer market research, tailored as essential, depending on the kind and complexity of the object of the research. ( Research projects: Methodology) Consumer marketing research is a kind of functional sociology that focuses on learning the attitudes, whims as well as preferences of consumers in a market-based economy.  The arena of consumer marketing research as a statistical science was championed by Arthur Nielsen with the formation of the ACNielsen Company in the year 1923. ( Marketing research: Wikipedia)

There prevail four crucial determinants that turn the industrial market research and consumer market research to be different: Firstly, the decision formulating unit is more intricate in industrial markets than that in the consumer markets.  Secondly, the industrial products and their applications are more compound than consumer products.  Thirdly, the industrial marketers deal much with a few numbers of customers, those who are much greater in their consumption of products than actually is in consumer markets and finally, personal links are crucial in industrial marketing research than that of the consumer market research. ( B2B Marketing–Publications: White Papers)

The study on decision-making in industrial markets is very intricate or at the minimum it has the power to be so.  Taking into consideration the intricacy of the decision making unit and the many influences on such decisions, it is no surprise that it is problematic to reach at a need based division in industrial market research.  The study of industrial products and their applications are far more possibly being compounded than is the reality in the consumer markets research.  While the purchase of a consumer product necessitates less expertise, the purchase of an industrial product often necessitates a qualified expert to deal with it.  On the other hand, industrial products regularly have to be incorporated into the broader systems and due to this have really unique necessities and require intimate, expert analysis as well as modification.  Such differentiations have much effect on the study of consumer and industrial products to be marketed. ( B2B Marketing–Publications: White Papers)

Further most of the industrial market research depicts a customer distribution that caters to the Pareto Principle or 80: 20 rules.  Since a few customers take the lead in the sphere of businesses, database management is a critical aspect of industrial research marketing than that of consumer market research.  There also exists an issue of scale.  In consumer markets there exist heavy users of all consumer products, however, the isolation of light user as well as the heavy user is a matter of small magnitude in comparison to the scale of differences with regard to industrial marketing research.  And a few customers of broadly varied sizes are major distinguishing characteristics of industrial research marketing and this necessitates a totally varied marketing research strategy to that necessary for consumer markets.  Moreover, consumer marketing study is featured by larger application of mass communication as well as research techniques than that of the industrial marketing since it is harder as a result of the amount of consumers for companies to be approximately equal to the actual market players. ( B2B Marketing–Publications: White Papers)

The unique feature that distinguishes between industrial market research and consumer market research is the much greater number of buyers in the consumer or end markets.  This implies consumer marketers are essentially more associated in polling type research to deduce information regarding the population of consumers.  They are also more associated with mass communication like print, television as well as radio advertising than in comparison to their industrial competitors. ( Abraham, 2001) Industrial marketing research is essentially more intricate than consumer market research.  The research is necessary to acknowledge what type of complex approach will be able to answer the objectives, since it is rarely possible to detect the solutions applying just one approach.  Detecting the appropriate respondents is essential in industrial market research unlike the consumer market research, since they are sometimes busy, and may not desire to involve.  Motivating them to open up is also another idea necessary to the industrial market researcher.  Last but not least, most industrial research, unlike the consumer market research gives rise to strategic decisions and this implies that the industrial researchers must have expert knowledge and experience in improving strategies that are strongly involved in the research findings and are considered acceptable to the customer. ( Marketing research: Wikipedia)

In spite of the differences between consumer marketing research and industrial marketing research is that there is a similarity of a common difficulty for both industrial and consumer marketers and it is necessary to really comprehend their customer necessities and to be capable of communicating that their products or services are uniquely important in order to satisfy them.  There is normally considerable scope for development in both the aspects. ( B2B Marketing–Publications: White Papers)

To conclude, it could conveniently be stated that the base for expecting probable future demand depends in industrial market research that is thorough and it is presently acknowledged as an important business tool in decreasing the risk and growing sales.  The consumer market research on the other side which is valid to business and industrial purposes is considered as a crucial device in the link with the customers.  The consumer market research permits one to visualize business through the vision of their customers.  Presently, the customers have more high quality substitute than ever earlier.  While competition for customers expands, one necessitates the cutting-edge consumer market research as well as the staff satisfaction research to enhance both the customer as well as the loyality of the employees.