How do we use data analysis in marketing?

• The data analysis that can be done depends on the data gathering that was done

• Qualitative and quantitative data may be gathered from any of the three main data gathering approaches

• Percentages and averages are commonly used in Interaction Design

• Mean, median and mode are different kinds of ‘average’ and can have very different answers for the same set of data

• Grounded Theory, Distributed Cognition and Activity Theory are theoretical frameworks to support data analysis

• Presentation of the findings should not overstate the evidence

Marketing can benefit from the use of big data information and many companies and institutes are already being structured to offer digital research and monitoring services.

Internal reports became more complete and complex, involving information and metrics generated by the company’s digital proprieties (including websites and fanpages), which would also increase the amount of information on consumers, reaching beyond the data on customer profile. With the increase of information from different origins and in different formats, a richer internal database becomes the research source for business, markets, clients and consumers insights, in addition to internal analysis.

If in one hand the volume of information originated from marketing intelligence increases, on the other hand, it  is concentrated on an area with more structured search and monitoring tools, with easier storage and integration. Reading newspapers, magazines and sector reports gains a new dimension with the access to global information in real time, changing the challenge of accessing information to selection of valuable information, increasing, therefore, the value of digital clipping services. The monitoring of competitors gains a new dimension since brand changes, whether local or global, can be easily followed up.