Marketing research – market research

The value of market research is not only in ensuring that the product is
suited to market requirements, but also that costly mistakes are avoided -
like the UK company that produced a range of ladies’ fashion garments for
Scandinavian countries. Naturally they produced a winter range because it
is often cold in that part of Europe market. Unfortunately, they realised too late
that the UK concept of a winter and summer range of clothes was of no
relevance to Scandinavian countries, where the distinction between ’indoor’
and ’outdoor’ is far more important. The market research is actually for lightweight,
indoor, clothes; functionality is more important than fashion for outdoor
wear.

market research

The list of expensive mistakes is almost endless. A bone china dinner
service specially designed for Italian taste, did not sell at all due to the
absence of a pickle bowl. White false teeth produced for the Far East did not
match the betel nut stained teeth of the potential recipients, who objected to
a mouth which resembled a piano keyboard.
Packaging may be more important than the product as the company
selling powdered milk into West Africa discovered. Their traditional metal
container was replaced by a more cost-effective container but the customers
found it difficult to carry water, and even more difficult to cook, with a
cardboard box. The company totally misunderstood the usage of their
product. As did the exporter of depilatory creams who discovered, too late,
that the majority of their west African market research was male, and not female,
who used the cream as an alternative to shaving.
Even when the product is right for the market research, the name it is given can
render it unsaleable. Some years ago the Chevrolet Nova caused quite a stir
in Latin American markets; ’no va’ is Spanish for ’won’t go’, and Toyota’s
competitor to the Mini would not have sold so well if they had persisted with
the name ‘Toyolet’. When you do market research look on names – it may therefore be necessary to sell the same product
with a range of different names.