Irish Based Consumers Attitudes to Sales Promotions - Assignment Example

Irish Based Consumer’s Attitudes to Sales Promotions Introduction The primary focus of this research is to look into the attitudes of Irish consumers to sales promotions and discounting of cosmetic products. In this section, we focus on the research methodology, data collection process and data analysis. To begin with, we shall look at the objectives of the study, study design & methodology and finally the data collection and analysis process. Objectives Aims of the Study To establish the attitudes of Irish consumer’s to sales promotions of cosmetics To establish the attitudes of Irish consumer’s on discounting of cosmetics Objectives of the Study To carry out a literature review on Irish customer reactions to promotions of cosmetics To search secondary sources for information on Irish cosmetic products To gather information from primary sources on Irish customer reactions on sales and promotions of cosmetics To issue questionnaires and conduct interviews with key informants to collect primary data Research Methodology Study Design & Methods The methodology for this research will use both qualitative and quantitative methods of study. The qualitative approach used in this research will include a literature review while the quantitative methods will include questionnaires and interviews. Qualitative Methods The literature review will be the only qualitative method used for this study. Using this method, the researcher will carry out an analysis of the secondary sources of information which will include books, journals and internet sources. The use of this method is important as it allows the researcher to begin the work by reviewing previous works in the study area. It also allows the researcher to carry out a theoretical analysis of the research topic. This theoretical analysis and review of previous work will help the researcher to lay a theoretical framework that justifies the investment and efforts taken in conducting further studies using quantitative methods[ CITATION Way04 \l 1033 ]. Quantitative Methods The primary sources of data used will give the researcher an exploratory and analytical approach to answering the research questions. The researcher will use these quantitative methods after conducting a literature review of the existing sources to lay a theoretical framework that justifies further investigations by using primary sources i.e. interviews[ CITATION Way04 \l 1033 ]. The quantitative study will be conducted in a way to reduce the cost and the logistical efforts that will be expected from the researcher. The collection of primary information will include interviews. The way in which these techniques are implemented will determine the quality, the cost and the logistical efforts required in carrying out the study. Where possible, the researcher will carry out interviews online using various open source chat technologies. However, the method used in each case depends on the availability of the respondent, presence of an internet connection and the costs related to such a method. Study Area & Population The study area for this research will be ideally in Ireland. However, the researcher can also find some Irish cosmetics consumers in other areas near the location of the study. Of particular importance to this research is the responses of Irish respondents regardless of their area of stay. To carry out effective research, we shall consider a population of 20 respondents to answer the questionnaires. Once this data is collected, it will be compared against data collected from primary sources during the analysis phase of this project. Data collection Process To gather sufficient data for this survey, at least 20 questionnaire interviews will be carried out using some semi-structured questionnaires. In these questionnaires, the demographic data about the respondents will be collected to give a better analysis of the responses of different respondents in different areas. In the questionnaires the Likert Scale will be used for most questions. The questionnaire is designed that it will let the respondent choose from a range of choices that vary from ‘Strongly Agree’ to ‘Strongly Disagree’. Key Informant Interviews A key informant is a person who has unique skills or professional background related to the area under study, who is knowledgeable about the research project, or has access to other information of interest to the investigators. Key informants help the study team to understand the issues being explored better, as well as provide information on the overall social context in which the study is taking place[ CITATION Way04 \l 1033 ]. An additional advantage of the key informant interview is that the participation of these influential individuals increases the credibility of the study within the local setting. They also provide a vital pathway to access key populations for participation in the study. For this study, key informants will be professionals in the cosmetic business. Such informants bear important information acquired from experience in the industry. Other key informants include Irish cosmetic products users. This research will target to conduct interviews with at least 5 key informants to collect primary data. Data Analysis Data analysis is done using SPSS version 17.1 analysis software’s for quantitative data. Using this type of analysis, the researcher will be able to fill the data into tables, model the data and come up with the identifiable trends. This kind of analysis also allows the researcher to identify outliers from the data and any other inconsistencies as may be found[ CITATION Way04 \l 1033 ]. Primary Data Out of the 20 usable questionnaires issued and filled to the respondents, 25% are male residents and 75% are female residents. Out of the 20 respondents, 50% of the respondents are located in Ireland while the rest 50% are Irish populations living in different areas. Various income levels are represented as well. The researcher has also interviewed 5 key informants. Out of the 5 informants, 3 are professionals while 2 are long time users of cosmetic products. The questionnaires begin by asking the consumer the preferred method of promotions. It is important to examine the preferred mode of promotions since it determines the customer’s response to the promotion.   Promotion Type   Coupon Price Discount Free Sample Bonus Pack Preferred 8 12 13 18 19 Not-preferred 10 4 0 0 0 Undecided 2 1 4 1 0 No Answer 0 3 3 1 1 Table. 1. Preferred promotion methods Finally, the questionnaire examines the influences of the different promotion methods on the Irish consumers. Here, the researcher answers the key questions of the research by looking at the influences of different promotion methods on Irish consumers. Promotion Type Positively Influenced Negatively Influenced Undecided Coupon 18 0 2 Price 16 0 4 Discount 15 1 4 Free Sample 19 0 1 Bonus Pack 18 0 2 Table. 2. The influence of different promotion methods on Irish cosmetics consumer’s Reference List CITATION Way04 \l 1033 : , (Wayne & Melville, 2004), Appendices Appendix 1. Preferred Promotion Methods   Promotion Type   Coupon Price Discount Free Sample Bonus Pack Preferred 8 12 13 18 19 Not-preferred 10 4 0 0 0 Undecided 2 1 4 1 0 No Answer 0 3 3 1 1 Appendix 2. The influence of different promotion methods on Irish consumers Promotion Type Positively Influenced Negatively Influenced Undecided Coupon 18 0 2 Price 16 0 4 Discount 15 1 4 Free Sample 19 0 1 Bonus Pack 18 0 2 Read More