Industrial Marketing Research - Theory and Practice

Abstract

Industrial marketing research is generally speaking a low priority item for industrial companies in South Africa. However, marketing research should form the basis of most marketing planning. Marketing research budgets in industrial companies are usually small because management feels that most projects are either too expensive or too time consuming. The objective of this article is to show that industrial marketing research need not be expensive or time consuming. Industrial marketing research has failed to receive much attention in standard marketing books and journals, in spite of the fact that the size of the industrial market is larger than the consumer market in South Africa. The author discusses a simple method which can be followed by people in industrial companies with little or no marketing background. The scope of industrial marketing research and the planning of an industrial research project are discussed; besides a report on a field study undertaken among 20 industrial plastics manufacturers on the Witwatersrand to establish the \u27state of the art\u27 as far as their marketing research was concerned. Industriele bemarkingsnavorsing is gewoonlik \u27n saak van lae prioriteit vir industriele maatskappye in Suid-Afrika. Bemarkingsnavorsing behoort egter die basis van bemarkingsbeplanning te vorm. Begrotings vir bemarkingsnavorsing in nywerheidsmaatskappye is gewoonlik klein omdat bestuur meen dat die meeste projekte of te duur, of te tydrowend is. Die doel van hierdie artikel is om aan te dui dat industriele bemarkingsnavorsing nie duur of tydrowend hoef te wees nie. lndustriele bemarkingsnavorsing het tot dusver nie veel aandag in standaard bemarkingsboeke en -tydskrifte ontvang nie, ten spyte van die feit dat die grootte van die industriele mark in Suid-Afrika groter as die verbruikersmark is. Die outeur bespreek \u27n eenvoudige metode wat deur mense met min of geen bemarkingsagtergrond gebruik kan word. Die terrein van industriele bemarkingsnavorsing word bespreek, asook die beplanning van \u27n industriele navorsingsprojek. \u27n Verslag volg oor n veldstudie, wat oor 20 vervaardigers van industriele plastiek op die Witwatersrand gedoen is, om vas te stel wat hulle kundigheid, benadering en gebruike wat betref bemarkingsnavorsing is