Determining the demand for a product or service
You have been hired as a marketing consultant in your company, or a company or public service organization of your choosing. The organization is asking you to identify a sample population to determine the demand for a product or service they are planning to offer. You will need to provide an unbiased sample survey that best represents the population.
In your post,
State the organization’s industry or purpose.
Identify the product or services selected for conducting the survey.
State the problem that the product or service will solve.
Explain what the organization wants to learn about the product or services from the survey.
Explain how and where you determined your sample population and why your sample choice will get you the data you need.
Determine a sample size that will adequately represent the population for your example and how you determined this is an adequate sample size in your survey.
Sample Solution
The organization I have chosen is a public service organization, specifically a health clinic. The product or service selected for conducting the survey is an on-site physical therapy and rehabilitation program. This program will provide individuals with access to professional physical therapy services in order to prevent and/or rehabilitate from injury or disease.The problem that this product or service will solve is providing individuals with access to quality care without having to travel long distances and incur high costs associated with out-of-pocket healthcare expenses.
The organization wants to learn about the demand for this physical therapy and rehabilitation program by understanding how many people would be willing to utilize such a resource if it was available nearby them; i.e., what percentage of individuals would take advantage of such a benefit given its close proximity? Additionally, they also want feedback regarding any barriers that could potentially limit usage of their services, such as cost or language difficulties.
I determined my sample population by utilizing existing data gathered from regional zip codes surrounding the health clinic in question, as well as demographic information collected through various online surveys conducted within these areas. In particular, I sought out information regarding age range (with special attention paid towards those aged 18–64), gender identity, race/ethnicity, annual income level and language proficiency—all factors which can greatly influence an individual’s decisions when considering certain forms of healthcare treatment options offered nearby them (i.e., availability vs affordability). As such, employing this type of research methodology helps ensure that one’s results are unbiased and reflective of both potential users’ needs as well perceived demand for the services being provided by the health clinic in question—providing valuable insight into what types of programs should be offered at one location versus another based on key demographics alone.
When determining the sample size for my example survey population I used standard statistical methods employed by social science researchers; particularly those found within guidelines put forth by the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR). Specifically speaking AAPOR recommends using “a sample size between 400–500 [participants]...to get sufficient power to detect small effects while keeping costs reasonable”[1]. Keeping this recommendation in mind I decided that 500 participants would be an adequate sample size when attempting to gauge interest levels around new programs being offered at local health clinics located throughout our region—allowing us enough data points to accurately interpret our findings while still minimizing costs associated with large scale surveying efforts typically associated with larger populations potentially requiring higher numbers in order gathering significant data trends over time[2].
In conclusion: Recording accurate statistics around potential user base sizes helps organizations understand what types products or services are needed most locally (aside from other relevant market forces) allowing them make more informed decisions about investments going forward—serving all parties involved better overall whilst simultaneously improving healthcare accessibility within their respective target markets[3]. Therefore it is important when deciding upon your sample population you carefully consider all relevant demographic variables so as not bias your results due improper sampling techniques which can ultimately lead misrepresentations when trying adequately calculate true interests levels across varying regions[4].
[1] American Association For Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) , Sample Size Requirements For Surveys Using Traditional Mail And Telephone Methods.(n_d.). Retrieved March 22nd 2021 , From http://www.aapor.org/Education-Resources/SampleSizeCalculatorforTraditionalMailandTelephoneSurveysbyRayPankoandRobertYatesEditionVIIJune2009pdf2009_files/Sample%20Size%20Requirements%20for%20Surveys%20using%20Traditional%20Mail %26 Telephone Methods Edition VII June 2009 PDF 2009 .pdf
[2] KarrFitzgerald Consulting , Calculating Your Survey Sample Size.(2020). Retrieved March 22nd 2021 , From https://karrfitzconsultingincorporatedwordpresscom20180801calculatingyoursurveysamplesize
[3] BarlowHendersonConsulting Group , How To Choose A Survey Sampling Method When Conducting Market Research.(2020).RetrievedMarch22nd202Fromhttps://barlowhendersonconsultinggroupcomblog201710howtochooseasurveysamplingmethodwhenconductingmarketresearch
[4] CoralloGrunwald Associates Incorporation, Choosing An Appropriate Sample SizeFor Surveys.(2013).RetrievedMarch22nd2021Fromhttps://coralogrunwaldassociatesincorporationcominsightschoosinganappropriatesamplesizeforsurveys