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A current awareness resource for students & faculty members in Business & Economics


Ingredients for successful taste tests + other primary market research

Published by Mark Bodnar
Simple line drawing of a smiling heart with a fork and a knife above it.
One of this fall's BUS 345 sections is going to be conducting some taste test experiments as they learn about primary market research. As is often the case, I see their assignment as an opportunity to highlight some powerful research resources available for all SFU researchers while also helping the BUS 345 students.

If you're in BUS 345 and doing a taste test assignment, start here for time-saving tips. If, on the other hand, you are doing any other sort of primary market research, still start here because there's a good chance these tips apply to your work as well!

<Read on for many time-saving tips!!>

On meal kits and primary market research...

Published by Mark Bodnar

Line drawing of a bowl with chopsticks
Our intrepid BUS 345 students are embarking on a primary market research project focused on meal kits this term, so I thought I'd repost (with updates) a mini-guide I created to support a similar assignment a couple years ago. Even if you aren't in BUS 345, this post might give you a sense of the secondary resources available to establish the context for efficient & effective primary market research.

The students have a huge amount of flexibility when it comes to choosing the research questions they want to explore, so it would be difficult to suggest specific resources and search strategies for them. Instead, I thought I'd try a different approach:

Simple line drawing of two people with a light bulb above them to indicate creative ideas
I'll highlight just a few of the possible research questions to give you a sense of the range of research that goes into marketing (section A below). I'll aim to demonstrate the amount of lateral/creative thinking that a market researcher has to do, but my list won't be anywhere near as detailed as that of a real marketer.

Then I'll list the guides and blog posts that cover the sorts of resources I'd normally use to answer such questions (section B).

Finally, I'll return to the target product and talk about research resources that are specifically about meal kits (section C).

Here we go...   <Read on!>

On meal kits: Primary research questions & secondary resources

Published by Mark Bodnar

Line drawing of a bowl with chopsticks
One of our BUS 345 sections (hi, D100!) will be doing some primary market research focused on meal kits this term.

The students have a huge amount of flexibility when it comes to choosing the research questions they want to explore, so it would be difficult to suggest specific resources and search strategies for them. Instead, I thought I'd try a different approach: 

Simple line drawing of two people with a light bulb above them to indicate creative ideas
I'll highlight just a few of the possible research questions to give you a sense of the range of research that goes into marketing (section A below). I'll aim to highlight the amount of lateral/creative thinking that a market researcher has to do, but my list won't be anywhere near as detailed as that of a real marketer.

Then I'll list the guides and blog posts that cover the sorts of resources I'd normally use to answer such questions (section B).

Finally, I'll return to the target product and talk about research resources that are specifically about meal kits (section C).

Here we go...   <Read on!>

A feast of resources for those researching alternative protein markets! (redux)

Published by Mark Bodnar

One of our marketing classes (BUS 345 E100) is going to be doing some primary research on alternative protein products & consumers again this semester.

In support of that class, I've listed some key resources, but students in other classes may also want to use this post as a case study to learn about some of the powerful market research tools available to SFU researchers.  Bon appetite!

<Read on for a menu of delicious databases>

Ingredients for successful taste tests: Supporting your primary market research

Published by Mark Bodnar

A couple of our classes are going to be doing some primary consumer/market research this term in which they design and conduct taste tests.  

It's rare that I get a chance to blog about our many resources aimed at supporting primary research, so I thought I'd use this topic as an opportunity to riff a bit about the cool stuff available.  Even if your primary research has nothing to do with taste tests, you might find the following resources and search techniques useful.

1. Let's start with one of the odder resources...

<Read on to learn about MSH, PsycTests, and much more!>

A feast of resources for those researching alternative protein markets!

Published by Mark Bodnar

A couple of our marketing classes are going to be doing some primary research on alternative protein products & consumers this semester.

In support of those classes, I've listed some key resources, but students in other classes may also want to use this post as a case study to learn about the powerful market research tools available to SFU researchers.  Bon appetite!

<Read on for a menu of delicious databases>

On orange juice and primary/secondary market research

Published by Mark Bodnar

basic drawing of an orange-coloured bottle next to a orange that has been cut open
Students in one of our marketing classes are going to be doing some primary research on Orange Juice this term.

If you're in that class, see below for some initial thoughts on resources that might be helpful as you frame your topic and design your study.

(And if you're not in that class, but just want a sample topic to use as you explore our powerful market research resources... read on!)

Market research resources on J. Crew and clothing retail

Published by Mark Bodnar

simple drawing of a man standing in front of a clothing rack with shirts hanging on it.

Our intrepid BUS 345 students will be doing some primary research on J.Crew and clothing retail this term. If you're in that class, see below for some initial thoughts on resources that might be helpful.

(And if you're not in that class, but just want a sample topic to use as you explore our powerful market research resources... read on!)

<Read on for lots of great resources!>

On J. Crew and clothing retail: Markets & consumers

Published by Mark Bodnar

In addition to cheese, the other major primary research topic for BUS 345 this term is J.Crew (clothing retail).  

If you're in that class (or if you just have a burning desire to learn about our market research resources and want to use this as an excuse/example to explore them), see below for some...

<Read on for more!>