Stebbins, Don

Whitehorn, Norman

English

Texas A&M University

L-2257
Texas Agricultural Extension Service
Developing Your Local Economy:
Consumer Opinion Survey Using
Consumer Panels
Don Stebbins and Norman Whitehorn *
A well-developed, prosperous retail trade and
service sector is an essential part of a healthy
community economy. Dissatisfied consumers
will spend their money in other trade areas.
Therefore, it is vital that a community's business
leaders be aware of possibilities for creating a
more satisfying shopping experience.
All out-of-town shopping cannot be stopped,
but it usually can be reduced by making
adjustments within the business community.
This survey procedure uses panels of con-
sumers to estimate how much out-of-town shop-
ping is occurring, why consumers leave town
to buy and what changes are necessary to in-
crease local spending.
All out-oj-town shopping cannot be stopped, but
it usually can be reduced by making adjustments
within the business community.
The advantages of using consumer panels to
gather this type of information are that the
technique allows consumers to express
themselves in their own words and relate ex-
periences that were instrumental in forming
their opinions about local businesses. In addi-
tion, the interaction among panel members, as
they support or disagree with one another, leads
to frequent clarification and elaboration
providing further insight which cannot be ob-
tained in other ways. Because consumers are
not randomly selected and may not be
representative of the total consumer population,
this type of survey is not statistically valid. If
• Extension community development specialists, Texas
Agricultural Extension Service, The Texas A&M University
System.
statistical validity is an important consideration,
another survey technique is required.
The main purpose of the survey is to assist
local businesses and community leaders
develop strategies to strengthen the local retail
.. .key injormation is always: (1) why are some
residents shopping out-oj-town? (2) how much
agreement and disagreement is there with reasons
given jor out-oj-town shopping? and (3) what
changes can the local retail trade and service sector
make to increase local shopping?
trade and service sector as part of a broader
economic development plan. Although the
survey can be used to analyze a neighborhood
trade area in a larger city, most previous surveys
have been conducted in cities of 25,000 or less.
The following explanation is divided into two
sections: (1) guidelines related to the roles of
the participants and (2) an identification of the
steps required to organize and conduct the
survey.
Participants in a Consumer
Opinion Survey
The Sponsor
A community organization needs to act as
sponsor. Typically, a chamber of commerce,
retail merchants association or similar organiza-
tion with strong interest in the retail trade and
service sector fills this role. A necessary con-
dition is that the sponsor is respected by the
business community and can ensure support.
Texas Agricultural Extension Service • Zerle L. Carpenter, Director • The Texas A&M University System • College Station, Texas
The sponsor will be responsible for the
following:
• Legitimize the survey to community residents and businesses.
Businesses should not feel threatened-they have to be con-
vinced that the survey will be done professionally, sensitive
findings will be handled with tact and that the sponsor is con-
ducting the survey with the business community's best interests
in mind. Consumers need to feel their input is valued and the
survey is a useful project from their perspective.
• Identify and recruit consumers to be on the panels.
• Provide logistical support for the survey. The sponsor is respon-
sible for making meeting site arrangements and soliciting
questions from businesses.
• Arrange for the distribution of survey results. Most sponsors
know what they want to do with the results prior to planning
a survey. If not, the decision must be part of planning. Alter-
natives include a public meeting, private conferences between
business owners/managers and the interviewer, retention by
the sponsor or some combination of these possibilities.
The Consumer Panels
Consumers are the most important
participants in the survey. Their cooperation, ex-
periences, perceptions and candidness are
critical to the success of the project. Four to
seven panels are normally used. Each panel
consists of approximately 10 discussants. While
everyone is a potential panel member, practical
experience indicates that women are often more
knowledgeable and candid about their family's
buying decisions. The following panels are
recommended (Panels 1, 2, 3 and one other will
be sufficient for many surveys):
1. A panel of newcomers who have lived in town between I and
3 years;
2. A panel of longer-term residents who have lived in town 5 years
or longer;
3. A panel from the surrounding rural area who are well within
the trade area but not immediately adjacent to town (to discuss
family spending decisions of rural residents);
4. A panel of farmers and ranchers (to discuss business spending
decisions);
5. A panel of teenagers;
6. A panel of ethnic and racial minorities;
7. A panel of low-income consumers, and
8. A panel of retired persons.
The Interviewer
The interviewer serves as discussion
moderator and facilitator for each consumer
panel. He or she has the responsibility of com-
piling a report and distributing the results.
Selecting a professional, confidential, tactful,
knowledgeable person who has the confidence
of the business community and consumers is
obviously very important. Occasionally it is
necessary, especially in smaller communities,
to recruit an interviewer from outside the trade
area. A local person may be capable but known
by too many people with an interest in the
survey to get objective information.
Steps In Organizing and
Conducting the Survey
Step One: Plan It Well A planning meeting con-
ducted by the sponsor is required. All persons
expected to have responsibility in organizing,
conducting and reporting should attend.
Therefore, the interviewer will have to be iden-
tified before the meeting.
The enclosed Planning Guide will assist in
assigning tasks, setting deadlines and making
decisions about reporting and the composition
of consumer panels. Sponsors should use this
or a similar guide to minimize chances that an
important step will be omitted. When complete,
the guide will help with all of the remaining steps
and a copy should be given to everyone who
has a responsibility.
Step Two: Inform the Community and Solicit
Questions Informing the business community
and general public provides an opportunity to
minimize concern about and opposition to the
survey. If possible, a meeting of interested
businesses should be held to explain the survey
and answer questions.
A very useful option that should be offered
to businesses is to submit one or two confiden-
tial questions about their business - answers
will be given in a private conference between
the owner/manager and interviewer. A
procedure to collect these questions needs to
be established. Most businesses will not sub-
mit questions but those who have during
previous surveys received excellent, candid
answers and were pleased that they accepted
the offer.
Consumers can be informed through the
media. Ideally, a series of news releases about
why the survey is being conducted, the impor-
tance of consumer input, the survey procedure
and related topics can be developed and
distributed. The purposes of this exposure are
to enhance public support and induce con-
sumers to accept invitations to participate.
Step Three: Recruit Consumer Panels and Arrange
for Facilities During the planning meeting the
number and composition of consumer panels
will have been identified. Careful attention must
be paid to selecting discussants who are as
representative as possible of the total consumer
population (including minorities, low-income
consumers and retirees if they are not on
separate panels). Business owners and
managers, their key employees and their family
members cannot be panel members. Individuals
known to be unusually dominant or who in some
way might intimidate or upset other panel
members are poor choices.
Potential panel members should be contacted
about a month prior to the interview and, if they
accept, told that they will be part of a small
group discussion lasting about 2 hours; that the
discussion will be tape recorded; and that their
identity will be kept confidential by the sponsor
and interviewer. A typical day of interviewing will
have sessions scheduled approximately 4 hours
apart; evening sessions are required to accom-
modate persons who work during the day. Writ-
ten confirmation shortly after the discussants
accept and a telephone reminder the day before
the discussion are essential to increase par-
ticipation. Meeting sites can be reserved at the
same time as people are being recruited. The
sites need to be quiet, convenient and comfor-
table with parking and restroom facilities. The
panel members should be seated at a table.
Step Four: Conduct the Interviews The dis-
cussions will be tape recorded. To overcome in-
itial uncertainty by panel members about what
is expected and how to proceed, the interviewer
should spend sufficient time thoroughly ex-
plaining the procedure and establishing ground
rules. In addition, he or she should ensure con-
fidentiality (and that all members agree to keep
identities and comments confidential) and, in
general, create an environment in which the
discussants are prepared to proceed.
An effective way to begin gathering informa-
tion is with a brief written questionnaire (without
recording). The written questionnaire does three
things: (1) focuses the attention of panel
members on the subject, (2) provides the inter-
viewer with enough initial information to effec-
tively direct the discussion on out-of-town
spending and (3) provides information for the
survey report. A Pre-Discussion Questionnaire
that has been successfully used is included.
After the questionnaire is completed, the tape
recorder should be turned on. Questionnaire
answers can be used to get the discussion
started. For example, if a particular consumer
indicates that his or her family buys an unusual-
ly large proportion of their food out-of-town, the
discussion about food purchases may begin
with that person. Once the discussion starts,
panel members usually learn the procedure
quickly and little prodding is required by the in-
terviewer. Two hours is insufficient to cover all
items and let the panel members relate all their
experiences. Therefore, the interviewer has to
make a determined effort to minimize excessive
digressions and ensure that every member has
an equal opportunity to express his or her
opinions. Also, since the tape recorder cannot
detect nonverbal responses, the interviewer
should be attuned to signals from panel
members that lead to additional questioning and
further insight.
Specific questions will be asked in a variety
of ways but the key information is always: (1)
why are some residents shopping out-of-town?
(2) do consumers agree or disagree with
reasons given for out-of-town shopping? and (3)
what changes can the retail trade and service
sector make to increase local shopping?
Near the end of the allotted time, questions
submitted by individual businesses need to be
asked. In addition, the following may be asked:
• If you could add, delete or change a couple of things in this
community, what would they be?
• What new businesses do you think the community needs?
• If there were an employee- or owner-of-the-year award for some-
one who does an outstanding job of serving you, whom would
you nominate?
• Newcomers may be asked, "How was your reception to the
community? Were people friendly? Did you experience any dif-
ficulties becoming part of the community?"
Step Five: Analyze the Comments If extensive
conferring with individual businesses is part
of the planned reporting procedure, some in-
terviewers prefer to have all tapes transcribed
into a written transcript. Given that the tapes
will have 8 to 14 hours of information from 25
to 70 discussants, transcribing is a time-
consuming, expensive job. An alternative that
has been successfully used is to make the
analysis directly from the tapes. Interviewers
who have used this latter approach believe
that listening to the tapes shortly after the in-
terview session better recalls the seriousness
of the points being made and the nonverbal
communications accompanying the
discussion.
Analysis identifies areas of agreement within
and among groups and focuses on their images
of the following:
The Selection Available:
Are there important products or services that
are unavailable locally? Is the available selec-
tion broad enough (style, price ranges, sizes,
color, etc.) to meet most consumers' needs?
What recommendations do the consumers
have about selection?
Prices and Quality:
Are prices perceived to be in line with the
quality of goods and services provided local-
ly? Do consumers feel local businesses need
to be more competitive with other shopping
areas? (Most consumers recognize that
prices may have to be higher in small markets
but have different perceptions of what is fair.)
Service:
Do local businesses stand behind their
products or services better than out-of-town
merchants? (Perceptions about price and ser-
vice are usually related. Consumers may be
willing to pay higher prices if they are assured
better service. If local businesses cannot
match out-of-town prices, they have to offer
better service to retain customers.)
Personnel:
Are owners/managers and their employees
helpful, friendly and professional? Do they
know the product or service being sold? Are
their sales and other skills adequate? Are
they too aggressive or do customers get
ignored when they enter an establishment?
Miscellaneous:
Includes comments, answers and sugges-
tions that cannot be classified in other
categories.
Step Six: Reporting the Results During the in-
ception and planning stages, decisions about
reporting the results will have been made. One
possibility is submitting a written report to the
sponsor. The sponsor, in turn, controls the
distribution of results to the media and business
community. This procedure is appropriate if the
results are primarily used for internal planning
purposes by the sponsor. An example written
report from a recent survey is available from the
authors (call 409-845-2340).
An alternative is for the sponsor to arrange
a public meeting at which the interviewer gives
a report. Sponsors who wish to maximize the
visibility and publicity associated with the survey
prefer this procedure. Since specific comments
by consumers are often very candid and
directed at identifiable businesses and in-
dividuals, the interviewer must be very tactful
in planning and conducting this meeting.
Interviewers who have given public reports
from past surveys have found it effective and
convenient to organize their presentation as
follows:
• Explain how the study was conducted, the guarantee of
anonymity, the number and composition of panels (no names),
how many people were in the households of the discussants,
what percentage of their spending was out-of-town, the pur-
pose of the survey, how a healthy retail trade and service sector
is vital to the overall economic health of the community and
so forth. Point out that the survey is not statistically valid
because the discussants were not randomly selected. The
results may not adequately represent all consumers.
• Explain the reporting procedure(s).
• Recognize that what consumers said mayor may not be true,
but it is what they believe and the basis for their buying deci-
sions. The purpose of this meeting is to present the customers'
opinions-businesses have to decide what to do with the
information.
• Fit the comments into the concept of a "package" of shopping
decisions. While every business is independent, consumer
satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the total package available
often determines where customers shop.
• Briefly discuss customer loyalty to the community.
• Explain how the business community rated (+ or -) on the key
items: selection, prices and quality, service and personnel.
• Using types of goods and services (e.g., clothing, food, etc.),
provide as much insight about consumer opinions as can be
tactfully presented. Do not mention businesses by name. Given
the way the survey is conducted, many comments will be critical
of the businesses. It is tempting to offset the negative nature
of the comments by identifying businesses that are doing ex-
ceptionally well; this probably should be avoided because it can
lead to hard feelings by competitors not mentioned.
In a small town, reference to one type of good
or service identifies a certain store. This creates
a problem in a general meeting. The interviewer
has to choose words with care and sometimes
modify or make an explanation such as " ... it
is very difficult to provide what these consumers
were asking for. However, there may be some
opportunities that have been overlooked and
would be worth exploring." If businesses sub-
mitted individual questions to the consumer
panels, the final step in reporting is for the in-
terviewer to make an appointment with each
business and give the responses at a private
conference.
Educational programs conducted by the Texas Agriculturai Extension Service serve people of all ages regardless of socioeconomic
level, race, color, sex, religion, handicap or national origin.
Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension Work in Agriculture and Home Economics, Acts of Congress of May 8, 1914, as amended,
and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture. Zerle L. Carpenter, Director, Texas Agricultural
Extension Service, The Texas A&M University System.
1.5M-10-87, New CRD
Consumer Opinion Survey
Pre-Discussion Ouestionnaire
I n order to identify the reasons you and your family shop out-of-town, an estimate of
how much you spend elsewhere is needed. Please take a few minutes to complete this
brief questionnaire and then we will begin our discussion.
How many people in your household? _
purchases
1. Food (to be prepared at home)
2. Women's clothing
3. Men's clothing
4. Children's clothing
5. Eating out in restaurants
6. Items usually found in hardware stores
7. Automobiles (buying)
8. Drug store items
9. Recreation
10. Medical services
11. Furniture and/or appliances
Fraction or percentage
spent out-of-town for
these Items
(during an average year)
I n which town(s) do you
most often do your
out-of-town shopping?
1. __________ 2.
3.
Consumer Opinion Survey
Planning Cuide
A. Specific Responsibilities
Task
Inform Business Community
Inform Public
Solicit Questions from Businesses
Identify Consumer Panel Members
Recruit Consumer Panels
Arrange for Meeting Sites
Confirm Consumer
Participation Just Before Interviews
Interview Consumers
Summarize Findings
Report Results
When
(Deadline) How Who
B. Consumer Panels to Be Interviewed (at least four)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
C. Summary
Site and Date
Completion Dates
Questions from Businesses
Recruiting Consumer Panel Members
Interviewing
Reporting Results
To Sponsor
By Public Meeting
Private Meetings


Developing Your Local Economy:  Consumer Opinion Survey Using Consumer Panels.

Texas A&amp;M Repository

L-2257Texas Agricultural Extension ServiceDeveloping Your Local Economy:Consumer Opinion Survey UsingConsumer PanelsDon Stebbins and Norman Whitehorn *A well-developed, prosperous retail trade andservice sector is an essential part of a healthycommunity economy. Dissatisfied consumerswill spend their money in other trade areas.Therefore, it is vital that a community's businessleaders be aware of possibilities for creating amore satisfying shopping experience.All out-of-town shopping cannot be stopped,but it usually can be reduced by makingadjustments within the business community.This survey procedure uses panels of con-sumers to estimate how much out-of-town shop-ping is occurring, why consumers leave townto buy and what changes are necessary to in-crease local spending.All out-oj-town shopping cannot be stopped, butit usually can be reduced by making adjustmentswithin the business community.The advantages of using consumer panels togather this type of information are that thetechnique allows consumers to expressthemselves in their own words and relate ex-periences that were instrumental in formingtheir opinions about local businesses. In addi-tion, the interaction among panel members, asthey support or disagree with one another, leadsto frequent clarification and elaborationproviding further insight which cannot be ob-tained in other ways. Because consumers arenot randomly selected and may not berepresentative of the total consumer population,this type of survey is not statistically valid. If• Extension community development specialists, TexasAgricultural Extension Service, The Texas A&M UniversitySystem.statistical validity is an important consideration,another survey technique is required.The main purpose of the survey is to assistlocal businesses and community leadersdevelop strategies to strengthen the local retail.. .key injormation is always: (1) why are someresidents shopping out-oj-town? (2) how muchagreement and disagreement is there with reasonsgiven jor out-oj-town shopping? and (3) whatchanges can the local retail trade and service sectormake to increase local shopping?trade and service sector as part of a broadereconomic development plan. Although thesurvey can be used to analyze a neighborhoodtrade area in a larger city, most previous surveyshave been conducted in cities of 25,000 or less.The following explanation is divided into twosections: (1) guidelines related to the roles ofthe participants and (2) an identification of thesteps required to organize and conduct thesurvey.Participants in a ConsumerOpinion SurveyThe SponsorA community organization needs to act assponsor. Typically, a chamber of commerce,retail merchants association or similar organiza-tion with strong interest in the retail trade andservice sector fills this role. A necessary con-dition is that the sponsor is respected by thebusiness community and can ensure support.Texas Agricultural Extension Service • Zerle L. Carpenter, Director • The Texas A&M University System • College Station, TexasThe sponsor will be responsible for thefollowing:• Legitimize the survey to community residents and businesses.Businesses should not feel threatened-they have to be con-vinced that the survey will be done professionally, sensitivefindings will be handled with tact and that the sponsor is con-ducting the survey with the business community's best interestsin mind. Consumers need to feel their input is valued and thesurvey is a useful project from their perspective.• Identify and recruit consumers to be on the panels.• Provide logistical support for the survey. The sponsor is respon-sible for making meeting site arrangements and solicitingquestions from businesses.• Arrange for the distribution of survey results. Most sponsorsknow what they want to do with the results prior to planninga survey. If not, the decision must be part of planning. Alter-natives include a public meeting, private conferences betweenbusiness owners/managers and the interviewer, retention bythe sponsor or some combination of these possibilities.The Consumer PanelsConsumers are the most importantparticipants in the survey. Their cooperation, ex-periences, perceptions and candidness arecritical to the success of the project. Four toseven panels are normally used. Each panelconsists of approximately 10 discussants. Whileeveryone is a potential panel member, practicalexperience indicates that women are often moreknowledgeable and candid about their family'sbuying decisions. The following panels arerecommended (Panels 1, 2, 3 and one other willbe sufficient for many surveys):1. A panel of newcomers who have lived in town between I and3 years;2. A panel of longer-term residents who have lived in town 5 yearsor longer;3. A panel from the surrounding rural area who are well withinthe trade area but not immediately adjacent to town (to discussfamily spending decisions of rural residents);4. A panel of farmers and ranchers (to discuss business spendingdecisions);5. A panel of teenagers;6. A panel of ethnic and racial minorities;7. A panel of low-income consumers, and8. A panel of retired persons.The InterviewerThe interviewer serves as discussionmoderator and facilitator for each consumerpanel. He or she has the responsibility of com-piling a report and distributing the results.Selecting a professional, confidential, tactful,knowledgeable person who has the confidenceof the business community and consumers isobviously very important. Occasionally it isnecessary, especially in smaller communities,to recruit an interviewer from outside the tradearea. A local person may be capable but knownby too many people with an interest in thesurvey to get objective information.Steps In Organizing andConducting the SurveyStep One: Plan It Well A planning meeting con-ducted by the sponsor is required. All personsexpected to have responsibility in organizing,conducting and reporting should attend.Therefore, the interviewer will have to be iden-tified before the meeting.The enclosed Planning Guide will assist inassigning tasks, setting deadlines and makingdecisions about reporting and the compositionof consumer panels. Sponsors should use thisor a similar guide to minimize chances that animportant step will be omitted. When complete,the guide will help with all of the remaining stepsand a copy should be given to everyone whohas a responsibility.Step Two: Inform the Community and SolicitQuestions Informing the business communityand general public provides an opportunity tominimize concern about and opposition to thesurvey. If possible, a meeting of interestedbusinesses should be held to explain the surveyand answer questions.A very useful option that should be offeredto businesses is to submit one or two confiden-tial questions about their business - answerswill be given in a private conference betweenthe owner/manager and interviewer. Aprocedure to collect these questions needs tobe established. Most businesses will not sub-mit questions but those who have duringprevious surveys received excellent, candidanswers and were pleased that they acceptedthe offer.Consumers can be informed through themedia. Ideally, a series of news releases aboutwhy the survey is being conducted, the impor-tance of consumer input, the survey procedureand related topics can be developed anddistributed. The purposes of this exposure areto enhance public support and induce con-sumers to accept invitations to participate.Step Three: Recruit Consumer Panels and Arrangefor Facilities During the planning meeting thenumber and composition of consumer panelswill have been identified. Careful attention mustbe paid to selecting discussants who are asrepresentative as possible of the total consumerpopulation (including minorities, low-incomeconsumers and retirees if they are not onseparate panels). Business owners andmanagers, their key employees and their familymembers cannot be panel members. Individualsknown to be unusually dominant or who in someway might intimidate or upset other panelmembers are poor choices.Potential panel members should be contactedabout a month prior to the interview and, if theyaccept, told that they will be part of a smallgroup discussion lasting about 2 hours; that thediscussion will be tape recorded; and that theiridentity will be kept confidential by the sponsorand interviewer. A typical day of interviewing willhave sessions scheduled approximately 4 hoursapart; evening sessions are required to accom-modate persons who work during the day. Writ-ten confirmation shortly after the discussantsaccept and a telephone reminder the day beforethe discussion are essential to increase par-ticipation. Meeting sites can be reserved at thesame time as people are being recruited. Thesites need to be quiet, convenient and comfor-table with parking and restroom facilities. Thepanel members should be seated at a table.Step Four: Conduct the Interviews The dis-cussions will be tape recorded. To overcome in-itial uncertainty by panel members about whatis expected and how to proceed, the interviewershould spend sufficient time thoroughly ex-plaining the procedure and establishing groundrules. In addition, he or she should ensure con-fidentiality (and that all members agree to keepidentities and comments confidential) and, ingeneral, create an environment in which thediscussants are prepared to proceed.An effective way to begin gathering informa-tion is with a brief written questionnaire (withoutrecording). The written questionnaire does threethings: (1) focuses the attention of panelmembers on the subject, (2) provides the inter-viewer with enough initial information to effec-tively direct the discussion on out-of-townspending and (3) provides information for thesurvey report. A Pre-Discussion Questionnairethat has been successfully used is included.After the questionnaire is completed, the taperecorder should be turned on. Questionnaireanswers can be used to get the discussionstarted. For example, if a particular consumerindicates that his or her family buys an unusual-ly large proportion of their food out-of-town, thediscussion about food purchases may beginwith that person. Once the discussion starts,panel members usually learn the procedurequickly and little prodding is required by the in-terviewer. Two hours is insufficient to cover allitems and let the panel members relate all theirexperiences. Therefore, the interviewer has tomake a determined effort to minimize excessivedigressions and ensure that every member hasan equal opportunity to express his or heropinions. Also, since the tape recorder cannotdetect nonverbal responses, the interviewershould be attuned to signals from panelmembers that lead to additional questioning andfurther insight.Specific questions will be asked in a varietyof ways but the key information is always: (1)why are some residents shopping out-of-town?(2) do consumers agree or disagree withreasons given for out-of-town shopping? and (3)what changes can the retail trade and servicesector make to increase local shopping?Near the end of the allotted time, questionssubmitted by individual businesses need to beasked. In addition, the following may be asked:• If you could add, delete or change a couple of things in thiscommunity, what would they be?• What new businesses do you think the community needs?• If there were an employee- or owner-of-the-year award for some-one who does an outstanding job of serving you, whom wouldyou nominate?• Newcomers may be asked, "How was your reception to thecommunity? Were people friendly? Did you experience any dif-ficulties becoming part of the community?"Step Five: Analyze the Comments If extensiveconferring with individual businesses is partof the planned reporting procedure, some in-terviewers prefer to have all tapes transcribedinto a written transcript. Given that the tapeswill have 8 to 14 hours of information from 25to 70 discussants, transcribing is a time-consuming, expensive job. An alternative thathas been successfully used is to make theanalysis directly from the tapes. Interviewerswho have used this latter approach believethat listening to the tapes shortly after the in-terview session better recalls the seriousnessof the points being made and the nonverbalcommunications accompanying thediscussion.Analysis identifies areas of agreement withinand among groups and focuses on their imagesof the following:The Selection Available:Are there important products or services thatare unavailable locally? Is the available selec-tion broad enough (style, price ranges, sizes,color, etc.) to meet most consumers' needs?What recommendations do the consumershave about selection?Prices and Quality:Are prices perceived to be in line with thequality of goods and services provided local-ly? Do consumers feel local businesses needto be more competitive with other shoppingareas? (Most consumers recognize thatprices may have to be higher in small marketsbut have different perceptions of what is fair.)Service:Do local businesses stand behind theirproducts or services better than out-of-townmerchants? (Perceptions about price and ser-vice are usually related. Consumers may bewilling to pay higher prices if they are assuredbetter service. If local businesses cannotmatch out-of-town prices, they have to offerbetter service to retain customers.)Personnel:Are owners/managers and their employeeshelpful, friendly and professional? Do theyknow the product or service being sold? Aretheir sales and other skills adequate? Arethey too aggressive or do customers getignored when they enter an establishment?Miscellaneous:Includes comments, answers and sugges-tions that cannot be classified in othercategories.Step Six: Reporting the Results During the in-ception and planning stages, decisions aboutreporting the results will have been made. Onepossibility is submitting a written report to thesponsor. The sponsor, in turn, controls thedistribution of results to the media and businesscommunity. This procedure is appropriate if theresults are primarily used for internal planningpurposes by the sponsor. An example writtenreport from a recent survey is available from theauthors (call 409-845-2340).An alternative is for the sponsor to arrangea public meeting at which the interviewer givesa report. Sponsors who wish to maximize thevisibility and publicity associated with the surveyprefer this procedure. Since specific commentsby consumers are often very candid anddirected at identifiable businesses and in-dividuals, the interviewer must be very tactfulin planning and conducting this meeting.Interviewers who have given public reportsfrom past surveys have found it effective andconvenient to organize their presentation asfollows:• Explain how the study was conducted, the guarantee ofanonymity, the number and composition of panels (no names),how many people were in the households of the discussants,what percentage of their spending was out-of-town, the pur-pose of the survey, how a healthy retail trade and service sectoris vital to the overall economic health of the community andso forth. Point out that the survey is not statistically validbecause the discussants were not randomly selected. Theresults may not adequately represent all consumers.• Explain the reporting procedure(s).• Recognize that what consumers said mayor may not be true,but it is what they believe and the basis for their buying deci-sions. The purpose of this meeting is to present the customers'opinions-businesses have to decide what to do with theinformation.• Fit the comments into the concept of a "package" of shoppingdecisions. While every business is independent, consumersatisfaction or dissatisfaction with the total package availableoften determines where customers shop.• Briefly discuss customer loyalty to the community.• Explain how the business community rated (+ or -) on the keyitems: selection, prices and quality, service and personnel.• Using types of goods and services (e.g., clothing, food, etc.),provide as much insight about consumer opinions as can betactfully presented. Do not mention businesses by name. Giventhe way the survey is conducted, many comments will be criticalof the businesses. It is tempting to offset the negative natureof the comments by identifying businesses that are doing ex-ceptionally well; this probably should be avoided because it canlead to hard feelings by competitors not mentioned.In a small town, reference to one type of goodor service identifies a certain store. This createsa problem in a general meeting. The interviewerhas to choose words with care and sometimesmodify or make an explanation such as " ... itis very difficult to provide what these consumerswere asking for. However, there may be someopportunities that have been overlooked andwould be worth exploring." If businesses sub-mitted individual questions to the consumerpanels, the final step in reporting is for the in-terviewer to make an appointment with eachbusiness and give the responses at a privateconference.Educational programs conducted by the Texas Agriculturai Extension Service serve people of all ages regardless of socioeconomiclevel, race, color, sex, religion, handicap or national origin.Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension Work in Agriculture and Home Economics, Acts of Congress of May 8, 1914, as amended,and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture. Zerle L. Carpenter, Director, Texas AgriculturalExtension Service, The Texas A&M University System.1.5M-10-87, New CRDConsumer Opinion SurveyPre-Discussion OuestionnaireI n order to identify the reasons you and your family shop out-of-town, an estimate ofhow much you spend elsewhere is needed. Please take a few minutes to complete thisbrief questionnaire and then we will begin our discussion.How many people in your household? _purchases1. Food (to be prepared at home)2. Women's clothing3. Men's clothing4. Children's clothing5. Eating out in restaurants6. Items usually found in hardware stores7. Automobiles (buying)8. Drug store items9. Recreation10. Medical services11. Furniture and/or appliancesFraction or percentagespent out-of-town forthese Items(during an average year)I n which town(s) do youmost often do yourout-of-town shopping?1. __________ 2.3.Consumer Opinion SurveyPlanning CuideA. Specific ResponsibilitiesTaskInform Business CommunityInform PublicSolicit Questions from BusinessesIdentify Consumer Panel MembersRecruit Consumer PanelsArrange for Meeting SitesConfirm ConsumerParticipation Just Before InterviewsInterview ConsumersSummarize FindingsReport ResultsWhen(Deadline) How WhoB. Consumer Panels to Be Interviewed (at least four)1.2.3.4.5.6.7.C. SummarySite and DateCompletion DatesQuestions from BusinessesRecruiting Consumer Panel MembersInterviewingReporting ResultsTo SponsorBy Public MeetingPrivate Meetings

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Developing Your Local Economy: Consumer Opinion Survey Using Consumer Panels.

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Developing Your Local Economy: Consumer Opinion Survey Using Consumer Panels.

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Texas A&M University

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Texas A&M Repository