Question

Gold Pelican, Inc. is a small e-commerce company that sells custom-made briefcases to customers spread across the globe. The company is now planning to expand its operations by opening stores in many countries. Hence, the company decides to conduct a survey to understand what its existing customers think about it as a brand, its product quality, pricing, and their future expectations. Keeping in mind the budget constraints of a small business and the need to cover customers all over the world, which of the following is the most appropriate way to conduct a survey?

A. Internet.
B. In-person.
C. Telephone.
D. Focus group.

Answer 1

The most appropriate method for Gold Pelican, Inc. to conduct a customer survey, given their budget constraints and global customer base, is through the Internet. This allows for cost-effective and broad reach, despite facing challenges like potential repeated responses and sampling representation, which can be managed with careful survey design.

Step-by-step explanation:

Considering Gold Pelican, Inc.'s need to conduct a survey while handling budget constraints and the necessity to reach a global customer base, the most appropriate way to conduct a survey would be through the Internet. An online survey would allow the company to efficiently reach its customers regardless of their geographic locations. Furthermore, the company can design the survey to work on a variety of browsers and devices, maximizing its reach to different demographics, including the crucial younger demographics.

Face-to-face methods such as focus groups or in-person interviews would be prohibitively expensive and time-consuming, especially with customers spread globally. Similarly, telephone surveys could limit the demographic reach and incur high international calling costs. In contrast, the Internet allows for a broader reach and cost-effectiveness—key considerations for a small business expanding to new markets.

While online surveys do have challenges, such as potential multiple responses from a single individual and difficulties ensuring a representative sample, these issues can be mitigated with careful survey design and implementation. The use of survey invitations and monitoring could enhance the validity of the collected data. As for focus groups, they could be considered as a supplementary approach, but primary data collection over the Internet remains the most practical solution for Gold Pelican, Inc.