Final answer:
Marketers can purchase quantitative data from data providers to study market trends and consumer preferences which inform business strategies and decisions. Examples include Nielsen Media Research for TV ratings and J.D. Power for automotive quality and customer satisfaction.
Step-by-step explanation:
Marketers can purchase a standard set of quantitative data on a regular basis from providers like Nielsen Media Research (for TV ratings) or J.D. Power (for automobile quality and customer satisfaction). These data collection agencies use various methodologies to gather information such as surveys, in-depth interviews, focus groups, and analysis of content sources. For example, Nielsen Media Research determines the popularity of television programming through scientific market research by collecting viewership data, while J.D. Power collects customer satisfaction and product quality data for the automotive industry.
Surveys, while not all designed as scientific research, have a variety of applications ranging from sociological inquiry, depicted by instruments like the U.S. Census, to market research that can influence business strategies, media content, and even legislation. The data collected help businesses understand consumer preferences, like whether consumers prefer brand X bread or brand Y bread. In the case of the electronics chain store, collecting data on the ages of customers via questionnaires or assessing the proportion of children using a public library both serve to drive data-informed decisions.