Marketing Research: Holden Commodore's Online Buying Strategy Analysis

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of a marketing research study conducted for Holden Commodore, focusing on the company's initiative to introduce online car buying options. The study explores four key aspects: target market alternatives, methods for defining the population, the sampling frame, and the sampling approach. The report identifies the target market as individuals proficient with online shopping, particularly busy professionals aged 35-50, who would appreciate the convenience of purchasing cars from home or office. It distinguishes between target and accessible populations for research purposes, emphasizing the importance of selecting a population that aligns with research criteria. The report also examines the sampling frame, highlighting the use of existing customer databases, website visitors, and telephone directories. Finally, it explores various sampling approaches, such as stratified sampling, to determine the most effective method for understanding the target market's receptiveness to the new online initiative. The study emphasizes the importance of proper market research for business success, especially in the context of evolving consumer behavior and technological advancements.

Running head: MARKETING RESEARCH
MARKETING RESEARCH
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Executive Summary
The purpose of the study is to derive four outcomes based on the case study of Holden
Commodore. Holden has taken a new initiative to start an online buying option for their cars
where the people who are interested in their product could purchase cars from the comfort of
their homes or office. The company conducts a research and focuses on four aspects of the
research study. The target market alternatives for the new Commodore, the alternative ways
of defining the population, alternatives of defining sampling frame and alternatives of
defining sampling approach are determined in this study.

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Table of Contents
1. Target market alternatives for the Commodore.....................................................................3
2. Alternative ways of defining the ‘population’ for a research study on the Commodore
target market...............................................................................................................................4
3. Alternative ways of defining the ‘sampling frame’ for the research on the Commodore......5
4. Alternative ways of defining the sampling approach for the research on the Commodore...6
References:.................................................................................................................................8

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1. Target market alternatives for the Commodore
The target market for a company is the market where they want to sell their product
and services. The target market comprises of a set of customers towards whom the marketing
techniques are aimed. The most important step of a marketing plan is to identify the target
market. The target market is chosen through various segments such as demographic,
psychographic, geographic and purchasing power (Burns, Bush and Sinha 2014). The target
market should be chosen properly by the company since the wrong identification of the target
market could lead the company to fail in their marketing procedure and therefore their sales.
A lot of time and capital is spent by companies to identify the right target market. Holden
Commodore offers new initiatives which make it possible for people to purchase cars online.
They can purchase Holden cars from the comfort of their homes and through any device.
They have made continuous changes in their technology, marketing and other aspects and
their latest technology and marketing technique have led them to initiate online purchasing
for their cars. Their focus has always been customer-centric and they have brought
innovations which would make their customers attracted towards their product. The target
market for Holden Commodore would be people who are highly proficient with online
shopping and have a busy life. This is because people like them would not have the time to
go to a store to buy their car. The online shopping technique would then successfully work
for them. The target market could be determined for people who are between the ages of 35-
50 and are mostly businessmen. This is because, at this stage, the people who are mostly
businessmen would be busy with their work and would prefer to buy cars online so that they
do not have to waste their time by going into a store and choosing the right car. They will be
able to choose their cars in their free time from their home or office. Moreover, the car would
be delivered right at their doorstep which would be an added advantage for the targeted
population since they do not have to go anywhere to bring their car. Therefore, the target

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market that has been determined by the company would help them to increase their growth as
well as their sales and thereby establish a strong foothold in the market.
2. Alternative ways of defining the ‘population’ for a research study on the Commodore
target market
Population in a research study is defined as the set of people who has the same
characteristics which are defined with the help of sampling criteria which is decided by the
researcher. The research population is the main focus of the whole research (Dawson 2014).
This because the research is conducted for the benefit of the population and therefore, the
information of the population is important for the researcher. The researcher possesses a
query to the population, and based on the answers conducts the complete research. The
answers to the survey that is taken from the population are analysed to get the findings of the
research. The findings of the research complete the purpose of the research. The research
study on the Commodore target market defines the population based on demographic and
psychographic factors. The age, gender, buying capability, taste and preferences and other
factors. The research study would determine the number of people who are using the online
services of Holden and purchasing their cars from the online website. The population for this
research study can be selected in two different ways. They are the target population and the
accessible population. The target population is a selected group of people who are selected
specifically for the purpose of the research and meet the criteria that are needed by the
researcher to complete their research successfully. On the other hand, the accessible
population are the set of people who are easily accessible to the researcher. They can be a
subset of the target population. They might come with certain restrictions such as being
limited to a certain region or state. Even though they complete the purpose of the research,
they might not meet all the criteria of the researcher. The population in case of Commodore
research study would preferably be a targeted population which will hold all the criteria that

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are needed by the researcher so that successful research is developed. The population, in this
case, would be the online users and people who prefer online shopping as compared to
traditional shopping. The targeted population would also have to meet the demographic
components needed for the research. This will help to get a better understanding of the
purpose of the research.
3. Alternative ways of defining the ‘sampling frame’ for the research on the
Commodore
The sampling frame is a set of information which is used to identify a population in a
research for the use of statistics. It is a database from which a sample is used in the market. It
is the set of people who can be called to take active participation in the research. This frame
can be used for both qualitative and quantitative research. The sampling frame is derived
from various sources such as email addresses, government registers, purchased telephone
numbers and customer lists (Ritchie, Lewis and Elam 2013). Identifying the number and the
name of the person is the most important part of a sampling frame so that these people can be
contacted to take part in the research, however, other aspects such as their location or habits
can also be required as additional information which would be used during the research
procedure. These data are used during the analysis of the information which is derived from
the sample frame. Sampling frame needs to be checked properly since there could be several
mistakes and errors during the collection process of such a huge quantity of database. A good
sampling frame would help to understand the reaction of the population towards the product
that has been specified in the research. Holden Commodore has a sampling frame which
consists of their existing customers, the people who have visited their website earlier or their
showrooms to gather information about their cars. Moreover, the sampling frame is derived
from telephone directories as well. The researcher would be able to contact his desired
sample for the research study and get the needed result as the sampling frame would support

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the rest of the research. Since Holden has aimed to start their new initiative with a pilot in
Melbourne, the sample frame will mostly hold the people of Melbourne to understand their
readiness for the initiative that would be taken by Commodore. The importance of online
purchase of cars for the people of Melbourne will help the researcher to understand whether
the initiative will be a success in the metro city. Therefore, the sample frame is the major part
of the research that would be conducted on Commodore.
4. Alternative ways of defining the sampling approach for the research on the
Commodore
Sampling approach is also known as the sampling method and is the procedure
through which the sample is defined and analysed to derive the results of the research. There
are different types of sampling approaches such as random sampling, systematic sampling,
stratified sampling, judgement sampling, convenience sampling and quota sampling. Random
sampling is the most common and the purest form of sampling. In this approach, the samples
are selected randomly from the population. Systematic sampling selects the nth number of the
individual from the population. The nth number is selected randomly. Stratified sampling is a
kind of probability method which helps to reduce the error of sampling (Acharya et al. 2013).
A single characteristic is used to select the sample from the population and this characteristic
would align with the purpose of the research. Judgement sampling is a kind of non-
probability method where the sample is selected based on the judgement of the researcher.
This is also a part of convenience sampling as the researcher would mostly choose the
convenient sample. Convenience sampling is choosing the most convenient or easily
accessible sample from the population. Quota sampling is a non-probability method similar to
stratified sampling. In this approach, a single characteristic is determined like stratified
sampling, and then a convenient sample is selected based on that characteristic. The sampling
approach that could be used for Holden Commodore research study could be stratified

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sampling which means that the researcher would determine one characteristic to select the
sample. The characteristic, in this case, could be using of online services which would help
the company and the researcher to understand the number of people who are proficient in
using technology and can easily trust and purchase online products. The sampling approach
will help to get an understanding of the probability of people who will be using the new
initiative that have been started by people. This probability will help to determine a result for
the research so that the company understand the success rate of their research in the market.

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References:
Acharya, A.S., Prakash, A., Saxena, P. and Nigam, A., 2013. Sampling: Why and how of
it. Indian Journal of Medical Specialities, 4(2), pp.330-333.
Burns, A. C., Bush, R. F., and Sinha, N., 2014. Marketing research (Vol. 7). Harlow:
Pearson.
Dawson, J.F., 2014. Moderation in management research: What, why, when, and
how. Journal of Business and Psychology, 29(1), pp.1-19.
Ritchie, J., Lewis, J., Nicholls, C.M. and Ormston, R. eds., 2013. Qualitative research
practice: A guide for social science students and researchers. sage.