Primary Data

For many businesses it is absolutely important that they understand their customers. In the process of understanding their customers they can learn valuable information. This information can be how they feel about a certain product or how it could be improved, this also could include customer suggestions as to new products the company could produce. In an effort to do this companies need to collect data. One type of data is primary data. This is data and information that comes directly from the consumers, as opposed to secondary data which comes from reports of internal and/or external sources. A way in which companies collect primary data can be through sampling, surveys, interviews, or even questionnaires. Although these methods are important for companies the can prove to be tricky to come about. In the world we live in today everything is about speed and everyone wants everything to have been done 10 minutes ago. With this being the case ways to gather this primary data can prove to be a challenge. In an effort to get this information sometimes companies will pay you or give you some sort of coupon or discount for participating. This discount can easily be made up for by the profits they receive from good feedback.

For myself, I have personally been approached by people in efforts to collect this information. I have been approached as I was walking through the mall to participate in a short interview. I have also been asked by certain websites that I use frequently to participate in short surveys. I have also been asked to fill out questionnaires. A few specific examples include the site Yahoo! which recently asked me to take a short survey. I was also approached on campus to take a short questionnaire while I was eating lunch. For me I personally found the interview to be a burden and because of this I shied away and chose not to participate. However, when it came to the survey and the questionnaire I had no problems helping out. For me I felt as if both of these were on my own time which made them more convenient. I think this directly shows how sensitive people are to types of primary data collection, and it is absolutely something that proves to be tricky to companies and something they must pay much attention to.

How do you feel about this type of data collection (primary)? What method of primary data collection do you feel is most effective in efforts to get your attention, why so? Or do you feel as if more attention should be payed to secondary data collection?