The American Marketing Association defines Marketing Research as a function. The function being to link the consumer, customer, and public to the marketer through information. This information is used to identify and define marketing opportunities and problems. They generate, refine, and evaluate marketing actions while monitoring marketing performance, which improves the understanding of marketing as a process. .
Marketing Research specifies the information required to address these issues. It designs the method for information collection by managing and implementing the data collection process. Finally, marketing research analyzes the results and communicates or links the findings to their implications.1.
Marketing research through the Internet offers marketers endless possibilities. With the increasing numbers of users on the Internet, marketers are able to increase their opportunities by increasing the methods regarding how they reach consumers. The Internet provides various forms of efficiency that marketers can utilize to obtain the information necessary sound decision-making. For example, a researcher using a desktop system (personal computer) can conduct the following analysis about demographic data application: .
1. Identify the growing metropolitan areas where marketing efforts can yield the best sales and profits.
2. Match these areas with the company's records to see whether profitable areas are being missed.
3. Inform marketing executives where increased sales effort will yield increased profits.6.
The Internet has changed marketing research dramatically by offering many resources through the Internet. Current methods of conducting most types of research may soon seem obsolete due to the fact many researchers would rather research online then searching through books because it will save more time. Innovative techniques and strategies for conducting traditional marketing research are appearing online in increasing numbers every day.