Chapter 6 The Importance of Market Research
DOI: 10.23912/9781915097132-5078 | ISBN: 9781915097132 |
Published: March 2022 | Component type: chapter |
Published in: Customer Service for Hospitality and Tourism 3rd edn | Parent DOI: 10.23912/9781915097132-5067 |
Abstract
The focus of market research is on the analysis of markets (Kinnear et al., 1993), and it is a critical marketing function. Unfortunately, in the tourism and hospitality sector, many smaller organizations feel that ‘real’ market research is a costly and time-consuming luxury only available to large companies that have professional research staff, sophisticated computers, and almost unlimited budgets. Other organizations see market research as something to be undertaken when a major event is about to occur – the introduction of a new product, the acquisition of a new property, or a change in target markets. Its value at these junctures is recognized, but its ability to contribute to an organization’s success on a day-to- day basis is often overlooked. Another common problem in the tourism industry is that organizations are not making full use of the information that already exists and is easily accessed. Sometimes information is available and studies are done, but the results are either ignored or not fully considered in the final decision- making process. The opening Spotlight profiles a hotel in Hong Kong that understand the significance of doing research in order to provide guests with the best possible experience.
Contributors
- Dr. Simon Hudson, University of South Carolina (Author)
- Louise Hudson, Freelance Journalist (Author)
For the source title:
- Dr. Simon Hudson, University of South Carolina (Author)
- Louise Hudson, Freelance Journalist (Author)
Cite as
Hudson & Hudson, 2022
Hudson, D.S. & Hudson, L. (2022) "Chapter 6 The Importance of Market Research" In: Hudson, D.S. & Hudson, L. (ed) . Oxford: Goodfellow Publishers http://dx.doi.org/10.23912/9781915097132-5078
References
Bell, V. (2015) 'The marketing industry has started using neuroscience, but the results are more glitter than gold', The Guardian, 28 June. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/jun/28/vaughan-bell-neuroscience-marketing-advertising.
Boote, J. and Mathews, A. (1999) 'Saying is one thing; doing is another: The role of observation in marketing research', Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 2(1), 15-21.
https://doi.org/10.1108/13522759910251909
Carey, R., Kang, D. and Zea, M. (2012) 'The trouble with travel distribution', McKinsey Quarterly, February.
Cronin, J. and Taylor, S. (1994) 'SERVPERF versus SERVQUAL: Reconciling performance based and perceptions-minus-expectations measurement of service quality', Journal of Marketing, 58(1), 125-131.
https://doi.org/10.1177/002224299405800110
Dempsey, M. (2021) 'How market research reveals what you really think', BBC, 18 June. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-57399780
Durosini, I., Triberti, S., Savioni, L. and Pravetonni, G. (2021) 'In the eye of a quiet storm: A critical incident study on the quarantine experience during the coronavirus pandemic', PLoS ONE, 16(2).
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0247121
Dwoskin, E. and Rusli, E.M. (2015) 'The technology that unmasks your hidden emotions', Wall Street Journal, 29 January: B1.
Gordon, J. and Perrey, J. (2015) 'The dawn of marketing's new golden age', McKinsey Quarterly, February.
Gremler, D. D. (2004) 'The critical incident technique in service research', Journal of Service Research, 7, 65-89.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1094670504266138
Hudson, S. and Shephard, G. (1998) 'Measuring service quality at tourist destinations: An application of Importance-Performance Analysis to an Alpine ski resort', Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing, 7(3), 61-77.
https://doi.org/10.1300/J073v07n03_04
Hudson, S., Hudson, P. and Miller, G. A. (2004) 'The measurement of service quality in the UK tour operating sector: A methodological comparison', Journal of Travel Research, 42(3), 305-312.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287503258839
Hudson, S. and Hudson, L.J. (2017) Marketing for Tourism, Hospitality, and Events, Sage: London.
Keith, N.K. and Simmers, C. S. (2011) 'Measuring service quality perceptions of restaurant experiences: The disparity between comment cards and DINESERV', Journal of Foodservice Business Research, 14(1), 20-32.
https://doi.org/10.1080/15378020.2011.548209
Kinnear, T., Taylor, J., Johnson, L. and Armstrong, R. (1993) Australian Marketing Research, Sydney, Australia: McGraw-Hill.
Knutson, B., Stevens, P., Wullaert, C., Patton, M. and Yokoyama, F. (1990) 'LODSERV: A service quality index for the lodging industry', Hospitality Research Journal, 14(2), 277-284.
https://doi.org/10.1177/109634809001400230
Koc, E. (2018) 'Service failures and recovery in hospitality and tourism: A review of literature and recommendations for future research', Journal of Hospitality & Marketing Management, 28(7), 1-25.
https://doi.org/10.1080/19368623.2019.1537139
Kozak, M. and Rimmington, M. (1999) 'Measuring tourist destination competitiveness: Conceptual considerations and empirical findings', Hospitality Management, 18 273-83.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0278-4319(99)00034-1
Lovelock, C. and Wirtz, J. (2007) Services Marketing: People, Technology, Strategy, 6th edition, New Jersey, USA: Prentice Hall International.
Martilla, J. A. and James, J. C. (1977) 'Importance-Performance Analysis', Journal of Marketing, 41(1), 13-17.
https://doi.org/10.1177/002224297704100112
Min, H. and Min, H. (2011) 'Benchmarking the service quality of fast-food restaurant franchises in the USA: A longitudinal study, Benchmarking: An International Journal, 18(2), 282-300.
https://doi.org/10.1108/14635771111121711
Oh, H. and Kim, K. (2016) 'Customer satisfaction, service quality, and customer value: Years 2000-2015,' International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 29(1), 2-29.
https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-10-2015-0594
O'Shea-Evans, K. (2012) 'Confessions of a hotel mystery shopper', Travel + Leisure, 23 July. http://edition.cnn.com/2012/07/23/travel/confessions-hotel-mystery-shopper.
Ozkul, E., Boz, H., Bilgili, B. and Koc, E. (2019) 'What colour and light do in service atmospherics: A neuro-marketing perspective', In Volgger, M. and Pfister, D. (Ed.) Atmospheric Turn in Culture and Tourism: Place, Design and Process Impacts on Customer Behaviour, Marketing and Branding (Advances in Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research, Vol. 16), Emerald Publishing Limited, Bingley, pp. 223-244.
https://doi.org/10.1108/S1871-317320190000016022
Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V. A. and Berry, L. L. (1985) 'A conceptual model of service quality and its implications for future research', Journal of Marketing, 49(4), 41-50.
https://doi.org/10.1177/002224298504900403
Qualtrics (2014) JetBlue Airways. Voice of the Customer Case Study. Accessed 06/10/2017 from https://www.qualtrics.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/2014.12.4_JetBlue- VoC-Qualtrics-Case-Study.pdf
Stevens, P., Knutson, B. and Patton, M. (1995) 'DINESERV: A tool for measuring service quality in restaurants', Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 12(2), 25-37.
https://doi.org/10.1177/001088049503600226
Wisner, J. D. and Corney, W. J. (1997) 'An empirical study of customer comment card quality and design characteristics', International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 9(3), 110-115.
https://doi.org/10.1108/09596119710164641
Yuksel, A. and Rimmington, M. (1998) 'Customer-satisfaction measurement', Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 39(6), 31-46.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0010-8804(99)80007-X
Zeithaml, V. A., Bitner, M. J., Gremler, D., Mahaffey, T. and Hiltz, B. (2007) Services Marketing: Integrating Customer Focus Across the Firm, Canadian Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill.