marketing research		seeks to discover the cause of a specific problem by discussing the problem with informed sources both inside and outside the firm, and by examining data from other information sources
exploratory research		a small group of individuals in one location to discuss a subject of interest
hypothesis		a marketing research technique that involves introducing a new product in a specific geographic area and then observing its degree of success
research design		a technique in which a user employs special software to search through computerized data files to detect patterns
secondary data		the data that originates in unprecedented volume and at unprecedented speed from the world around us
primary data		a testable statement about the relationship among variables
interpretative research		the use of marketing intelligence data and model scenarios to create forecasts
focus group		a method in which a researcher observes a customer or group of customers in their natural setting and interprets their behavior based on a understanding of the social and cultural characteristics of that setting
test marketing		the process of collecting and using information for marketing and decision making
big data		a master plan for conducting marketing research
data mining		information collected for the first time specifically for a marketing research study
predictive analytics		information from previously published or compiled sources