Marketing Research for Managers, 3rd Edition

12	Using research in experiments

12.1	Introduction
12.2	Types of research experiment
12.3	Types of experimental design
12.4	Setting up research experiments
12.5	Summary

12.1 Introduction

Experiments are used when some decision is under consideration and the results cannot be predicted from the existing experience either of the organization itself, or of the activity of other organizations within the marketplace. Experiments attempt to measure change under, as far as possible, normal marketplace conditions. The problem is that they are expensive and can disclose plans to competitors. It may also be difficult to achieve normal marketplace conditions on a sufficiently small scale for the exercise to be considered an experiment ...