Self-Reports in Consumer Research

A central goal of marketing research is to systematically gather information from consumers in order to adequately understand and ful ll their needs. In pursuit of this goal, researchers ask consumers to express their attitudes toward products (e.g., Do you feel that organic food tastes better than conventional food?), estimate their support for new products (e.g., If there was a service that allowed you to organize all your nancial information under one roof, would you use it?), and report their behaviors (e.g., How frequently have you visited the local mall in the past month?). Marketing managers use this survey information to make strategic decisions including forecasting demand and return-on-investment, identifying new areas for growth, gauging customer satisfaction, and segmenting the market.