Many companies conduct market research to gain knowledge and understanding of current customer behavior and culture, competitors, and market trends. There are different techniques that businesses can use to obtain valuable research, and each technique has its own application. There are many research tools used by businesses to bring together primary and secondary research to make marketing decisions. Primary and secondary research techniques have different characteristics and achieve different objectives, and are used when applying qualitative and quantitative approaches. Additionally, certain research tools are used for these approaches for various reasons. Primary and Secondary Research Tools When a company conducts primary research, the information collected is new and original and is usually undertaken by researchers who have collected secondary data. A popular market research tool is a personal interview survey (Aaker, Kumar, & Day, p. 271, 2007). This form of primary research involves a researcher, an interviewer, an interviewee, and the interview environment. These interviews can be conducted face-to-face or online. Door-to-door interviews are also very effective ways of gathering information due to rapid respondent feedback and special questionnaires, and they allow participants to feel comfortable in their own environment. Another primary research tool is the use of mall intercept surveys (Aaker, Kumar, & Day, p.247, 2007). These surveys are often conducted in shopping centers and are inexpensive. Mall intercept surveys allow companies to save money on their research efforts because researchers do not have to travel to find buyers for interviews. Spe...... middle of paper ......useful information is primary and secondary data. The tools used to conduct primary and secondary research provide businesses with both quantitative and qualitative types of data. There are many research tools used by businesses to bring together primary and secondary research to make marketing decisions. Primary and secondary research techniques have different characteristics and achieve different objectives, and are used when applying qualitative and quantitative approaches. Additionally, certain research tools are used for these approaches for various reasons. Works Cited Aaker, DA, Kumar, V. and Day, GS (2007). Marketing Research (9th ed.). Retrieved from the University of Phoenix eBook Collection Database. Burns, AC and Bush, RF (2006). Marketing Research (5th ed.). Retrieved from the University of Phoenix eBook Collection Database.