Students should understand the difference between qualitative and…

The idea

Market research gathers information to support business decisions. Qualitative research explores opinions, motivations and feelings, producing non-numerical data such as interview comments or open-ended questionnaire responses. Quantitative research measures quantities and patterns, producing numerical data such as sales figures, website visits or closed-questionnaire percentages. The difference lies in the data produced and the insight gained: qualitative answers 'why' and 'how', while quantitative answers 'how many' or 'how often'. For example, a café owner might use a focus group (qualitative) to understand why customers prefer certain cakes, then a survey of 200 customers (quantitative) to estimate what proportion would buy a new product. Both types can be used together to improve reliability and depth of understanding.

What earns the marks

• Defines qualitative research as collecting non-numerical data that explores opinions, reasons and feelings.
• Defines quantitative research as collecting numerical data that can be measured, counted or expressed statistically.
• Contrasts the type of data produced: words, images or observations versus numbers, percentages and frequencies.
• Explains how each type supports different business decisions, such as understanding motivations versus estimating market size.
• Uses a relevant business example to show when each approach is appropriate.
• Recognises that both methods can be combined to provide a fuller picture of the market.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

• Confusing qualitative with quantitative.

  Put it right: Qualitative deals with opinions and non-numerical data, while quantitative deals with numbers and measurable data.

• Assuming qualitative research is always less useful.

  Put it right: Qualitative research provides depth and insight into customer motivations that numbers alone cannot reveal.

• Believing that quantitative research must involve large samples.

  Put it right: Quantitative data can come from small numerical datasets, though larger samples often improve reliability.

Exam tips

• When defining the terms, state clearly whether the data is numerical or non-numerical and give a brief example for each.
• Use a business context in your answer, such as a new product launch, to show how each type of research would be used.
• If asked to compare, structure your answer around differences in data type, purpose and typical methods rather than listing methods only.