Descriptive research is a type of marketing research whose primary goal is to better describe marketing problems, situations, or markets. Unlike studies that investigate cause-and-effect relationships, this research focuses on answering the “who, what, where, and when” questions regarding a given marketing phenomenon.
Typical objectives of descriptive research include determining the market potential for a given product, the demographic profile of customers, or measuring consumer attitudes, preferences, and behavior. Methods such as surveys, observations, and panels are used to collect data, with the results used to refine marketing strategies and form the basis for future, more in-depth research.
