What is the difference between Qualitative and Quantitative Research? By Becky L. Amble © 2022

Once you decide you are going to get professional help to better understand your customers, the research company will ask some questions about what you want done. It can be frustrating because you basically need to know “research” to know what you want to “buy”. Let’s talk about a couple concepts that you’ll want to know about. The two main types of research are Qualitative and Quantitative Research.

Qualitative and Quantitative Research - The difference

Qualitative Research

Qualitative research is a valuable and interesting way of conducting research. It is considered subjective and is descriptive. Participants are asked open-ended questions.

The questions ask for opinions, perceptions or actions around a product or service. The research can be more in-depth than in quantitative studies. Qualitative research helps us to understand why, how, or what happened in different situations, uses or behaviors.

Qualitative research has become popular in academic and professional fields. It can result in developing new concepts or theories, and even explains about social changes of people. It is more common that quantitative in many international journals.

Doing qualitative research properly is challenging. The interviewer needs to be highly skilled and able to draw out the participant without leading or creating bias

Those who love data and statistics are often less interested in qualitative research yet it is extremely valuable when done properly.

Sometimes, qualitative research is used because there is limited data available, the research conditions may be variable, there is a small sample from which to interview, or the response rate may be low.

Advantages of Qualitative Research

1.    It is a flexible approach.

2.    You can use open-ended questions.

3.    You can gather opinions, perceptions or observe the product/service in use.

4.    It can be used where there is limited data available, a small universe from which to interview, research conditions are variable, or a low response rate is common.

5.    You want to describe the deviations or variations of an issue, question, experience or anomaly.

6.    You want to conduct in-depth research.

7.    It’s great for exploratory purposes.

Disadvantages of qualitative data

1.    It’s not a statistical method

2.    It can require multiple sessions, which can result in inconsistent conclusions.

Methods of Qualitative research

1.    One-on-one interviews [phone, online or in-person]

2.    Diads

3.    Triads

4.    Focus Groups/Round tables

5.    Observation

6.    Forum

7.    User Group

8.    Case Study

9.    Journaling

In any customer research you have done, the first four methods will be most commonly used.

Quantitative Research

This type of research is statistical, number-based, measurable and countable. In quantitative research we learn how many, how much, or how often something occurs. The results are calculated.

To analyze the results of the quantitative questions, statistical analysis is usually done. The data collected is evaluated to identify any patterns or trends. Most of this analysis is done with computer software. The data is numerical and analyzed mathematically.

Advantages of quantitative data

1.    Generally quick and easy to collect.

2.    Easy to draw conclusions.

3.    The data lends itself to specific statistical methods or analysis. 

4.    Findings are more straightforward and less likely for error and subjectivity.

5.    The study can be replicated.

Disadvantages of quantitative data

1.    You may not learn the the full story because there is no opportunity to “dig deeper”. 

2.    Depending on the data, it can be inconclusive.

3.    It can be limited, and lead to missing wider themes and connections.

4.    There is a chance of missing broader information or nuances which could be significant when focusing entirely on numbers

Methods of Quantitative research

1.    Surveys

2.    Polls

3.    Experiments

In any customer research you have done, surveys will generally be the method used.

Now What?

So what do you want to do to get your customer research? First be clear on your objectives for the research. That might direct you to one method or the other.

Often the research is done in phases. First, qualitative research is done to get a better idea what the research will uncover so that multiple choice/ranking/rating questions can be written. Also, qualitative research is done first because it gets at the bigger picture before the research gets more specific which it does in the quantitative method.

When the budget is an issue, I opt for Qualitative Research. Again, the big concern here is having a highly trained and experienced interviewer. For B2B businesses a qualitative approach is often effective due to the size of the population you will have available to contact. [It is generally smaller in B2B than B2C] If you have a consumer product or retail business then you often need a larger sample because your target market is larger and more diverse. For a small business in the consumer or retail space, start with qualitative research and decide what to do after that is completed. In a small business you likely have a smaller target market so the qualitative research may work well. If you are in a larger company, you likely will be doing both qualitative and quantitative research and possibly retain a large research firm or have your own in-house department.

Photo by RODNAE Productions

Becky Amble has spent over 25 years leading organizations to grow and increase profits through cutting-edge marketing strategies, market information and future trends. She has worked as a general manager and Vice President in corporate America and been a consultant and factional marketing resource for Fortune 50 companies to micro businesses. She has successfully navigated in over 30 different industries in the B2B space from med tech to professional service firms. She is a bestselling author of over 10 books and numerous articles. She continues to help her businesses grow by identifying market needs, demographic trends and results-oriented business strategies.

For more information go to

Becky.amble@thePlatinumgrp.com

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