Marketing Research Proposal on Apple Product Customer Preferences

This research proposal examines the marketing strategies and customer preferences related to Apple products. It begins with an introduction and overview of the research, emphasizing the significance of customer satisfaction in the retail industry and Apple's global dominance. The proposal outlines the research question, hypothesis, aims, and objectives, focusing on understanding why consumers prefer Apple products. It discusses the background and significance of Apple's evolution as a consumer electronics company, including its strong customer base and brand reputation. The research methodology includes data collection methods, questionnaire design, and data analysis strategies. The literature review covers marketing trends, product analysis, and customer behavior. The proposal also addresses ethical considerations and concludes with a discussion of the research's potential impact on understanding customer satisfaction and brand loyalty within the competitive retail landscape. This detailed proposal provides a framework for conducting a comprehensive analysis of Apple products and their market performance.

Running head: RESEARCH PROPOSAL ON MARKETING
Research Proposal on Marketing
Name of Student:
Name of University:
Author’s Note:

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Table of Contents
Introduction:....................................................................................................................................3
Overview:........................................................................................................................................3
Background and Significance:.........................................................................................................4
Research question/ Hypothesis:.......................................................................................................4
Aims and Objectives:.......................................................................................................................5
Aims:............................................................................................................................................5
Objectives:...................................................................................................................................5
Rationale behind the research:.........................................................................................................6
Ethics:..............................................................................................................................................6
Literature Review:...........................................................................................................................7
Research Design and methods:........................................................................................................8
Population and study sample:......................................................................................................9
Sample size and selection of sample:..........................................................................................9
Sources of data:............................................................................................................................9
Collection of data:......................................................................................................................10
Questionnaire design:................................................................................................................10
Reliability of the data:...............................................................................................................10

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Data Analysis strategies:................................................................................................................10
Conclusion:....................................................................................................................................11
References:....................................................................................................................................13

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Introduction:
This particular research proposal explains the reasons for research, the problem
statement, the aims and objectives of the study and the specific research questions and objectives
of the particular section. The main topic of the research, which is to be chosen for the
dissertation, is the product analysis of Apple Inc., and the proposal includes the background of
the research, which focuses on the growth of apple products in the market and how they attained
a state of global dominance. The research proposal discussed as follows helps to give a proper
understanding as to the way in which the research will be carried out. Market analysis of a
particular product or brand becomes extremely crucial in the present competitive scenario. The
research proposal therefore focuses on the specific steps, which are followed in the dissertation
research procedure on the customer satisfaction and their choice with respect to the Apple
products (So et al. 2016, pp.170-193).
Overview:
The major schedule of this particular research paper is “the illustration of the importance
of customer satisfaction in the retail industry specifically in case of Apple products”. The retail
industry is the highest competitive field in the present world. Therefore, the ability of fulfilling
“customer expectations and demands” becomes the most essential element for the sustainable
growth in the industry as well as for the attainment of significant profit margins. This research
paper will aim to understand the reasons behind customers wanting to stick with Apple products.
It also helps in understanding what actually the nature of the products is striking to the
customers.

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Not a hugely significant amount of research has been conducted in this particular domain.
Hence an idea as to what are the major determinants of customer satisfaction of the apple
products is an important way to understand the brand’s global dominance (Singla, Ahuja and
Sethi 2017, pp.142-158).
Background and Significance:
Apple started in the year 1976 as a computer company. It is a multinational corporation
which is responsible for creating a range of products including customer electronics, personal
computers, servers and also computer software. The company has a range of computer software.
“In the last decade, apple has expanded to a very intricate company which specializes in much
more than just the concept of computers (Shin, Hanssens and il Kim 2016, pp.503-528). Apple is
basically a consumer goods company and therefore the evaluation of its value requires a proper
understanding of the products and consumers”. It has been said, “For reasons varying from the
philosophy of comprehensive aesthetic design to its distinctive advertising campaigns, Apple has
established a unique reputation in the consumer electronics industry. One of the most unique
things about Apple is its strong customer base.”
Research question/ Hypothesis:
The aim of this particular research is to understand why the customers and consumers of
the product brand are liking a particular product. Therefore, the main question to be answered in
this case is that “What is the major reason for which consumers prefer apple products over any
other?” In this connection, it can be said that the related questions, which would be considered,
are:

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 What is the rate at which apple products have grown in the past few years?
 What are the target customers of the apple products?
 What are the policies, which are to be adopted by the company to ensure customer
loyalty?
The primary hypothesis, which is to be tested in this particular case, is “whether the
marketing of the apple products has a significant impact on the preferences of the
customers”.
The research is conducted based on the above research and hypothesis in order to help
understand the techniques in the customer preference and analysis.
Aims and Objectives:
Aims:
The aim of the present project is to institute the significance as also the significance of
customer satisfaction on the sustainable growth as well as the profit of a company and to
understand the reasons for the customers to choose the Apple Products (Shin, Hanssens and il
Kim 2016, pp.503-528). This particular research aims to study “the different reasons for
customer satisfaction in the background of the Apple product range.” The research therefore also
aims to throw light on the fact that how the incapability to provide the required level of
“customer satisfaction can take a severe toll on the customer base of any particular company.”
Objectives:
The main objectives behind the carrying out of this particular research are:
 To evaluate the role of the customer satisfaction in the retail industry

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 Identification of the standard causes of customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction in terms
of the Apple product range
 To analyse in case any policies are being taken up by the company as a response to
customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction
 To gather several facts and figures of the Apple stores and also their customer bases
Rationale behind the research:
Customers are the backbone of any company and they are solely responsible for the
success or failure of any major business. Customer choice and customer satisfaction therefore
becomes a crucial part of any industry, which is important in this particular context. In case the
customers are pleased with the services and products of the company, they become loyal to that
particular firm and praise the products, which they use. This therefore results in the word of
mouth communication for the company ultimately leading to its success. This also leads to the
growth and profit of the business as a whole (Parise, Guinan and Kafka 2016, pp. 411-420).
Consequently, in order to recognize the significance of the customer satisfaction with regard to
the policies and growth of the Apple Products it is necessary to collect suitable data and analyse
the data to understand the reasons behind the study. Apple is therefore the perfect example for
this case study. Therefore, Apple is responsible for the study to utilize the significance of
customer satisfaction in the expansion of a particular industry.
Ethics:
Apple is one of the biggest multi-national companies at present. Therefore, in case the
Company has to divulge certain confidential information, the researcher needs to take prior

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permission from the suitable authorities. This is done to ensure that the information, which is
collected from the company solely, does not have any sort confidentiality regarding the facts.
Apart from this fact, ethics also need to be maintained at the time of data collection and
survey conduction. This is because of the reason that it is genuinely ethical to maintain the
privacy of the respondents who take part in the survey and help in the research analysis (Ou,
Verhoef and Wiesel 2017, pp.336-356). Therefore, it is to be ensured that the personal
information of all the respondents are to be kept private.
Literature Review:
Consumers usually implement preferences when they go for the comparison of different
alternatives and choices. The preference based on a certain amount of scientific evaluation is
more or less reasonable. Marketing in the real life is concerned with dealing with a limited
number of resources in a particular environment which has several drawbacks. The utilization of
traditional marketing techniques in these situations is inevitably partial and also unequal.
Marketing trends change with respect to the changing circumstances of the environment.
Marketing plays a pivotal role after the establishment of target specifications, concept generation
and concept of screening and scoring. Marketing is basically categorised into two basic types
namely product selling and concept selling. It is believed that the marketing of a product can be
reached at a certain level by the concept of product selling (Nisar and Prabhakar 2017, pp.135-
144).
The idea behind concept selling is to sell a particular concept to the customers after
getting their feedbacks by several ways. This can be through face-to-face interactions, electronic
mails, panel discussions, interactions with extreme users, written surveys and by word of mouth

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publicity. Marketing communications are the means by which the customers are informed,
persuaded or incited directly or indirectly regarding the brands, which are sold by them. In this
particular case is the idea of product selling majorly (Lewrick et al. 2015, pp.239-268).
In order to be market driven the companies need to build a strong capability for product
management. Most companies are incapable of creating a role in their businesses, which is
specifically geared towards their particular target market. In case a company understands the
different factors, which are responsible for driving value in the organisation, they are able to
incorporate the particular insight into the procedure of product development. After the collection
of the results from the survey, it is necessary to collect the information and analyse it for future
importance. Analysis of the target market is also important in connection to understanding the
customer preferences with reference to a particular product which needs to be analysed (Lewis
2015, pp.473-475).
Product analysis is an important project management procedure, which is crucial for the
projects, which have a product as a part of a deliverable. It is basically supposed to mean that at
the time of analysis of the product, there might be several questions which can be asked about
the product. The research aims to through light on the several types of product analysis
techniques are to be discussed with respect to the apple products in the survey (Kumar, Anand
and Song 2017, pp.96-119).
Research Design and methods:
The research methodology discusses the several methods, which need to be utilized for
the particular research. This research is to be done to find the best outcome from it and be
genuine and productive in enhancement of information about the significance of customer

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satisfaction in the expansion of the industry and profit of the business. The procedure of the
classification of the data into the primary and secondary data is to be understood. The research is
to be conducted in a systematic as well as an organised manner with every characteristic of the
research needing to be appropriately intended and the selection of the present choices and a
smooth execution. The research findings are bound to help in the establishment of the customer
satisfaction is the backbone of the expansion and growth in the different countries.
Population and study sample:
It is important for any research to have a particular population and a particular sample for
the research and the analysis to be conducted. It can be said based on the particular research that
the population comprises of people who are users of apple products. This particular population of
the people is bound to help and develop a particular sample such that the research questions and
research objectives can be developed and understood. The total range of users of the apple
products are to be considered (Kozlenkova et al. 2015, pp.586-609).
Sample size and selection of sample:
The sample comprises of a certain segment of the population who are to be studied. A 5%
or 10% sample from the total population of members is to be chosen and their responses are to be
collected for analysis. It is desirable that the sample of people chosen is representative of the
population so that the results, which are obtained from the study, are not skewed of any kind
(King and Baatartogtokh 2015, p- 77).
Sources of data:
The sources of data collection in this particular research comprise of the people who are
to be selected as a sample and those who are to give their opinions regarding the reasons for

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choice of the apple products as also the factors concerning their brand loyalty. The data sources
are therefore primary as the respondents who come under the 5-10% sample of apple consumers
comprise the sample.
Collection of data:
The primary data collection is strenuous and time taking. It also involves the presence of
a lot of funds and their collection. This is because of the reason that the respondents have to be
interviewed separately and their responses have to be categorised based on their nature and their
types. In order to conduct a survey among the sample population, questionnaires need to be
formulated and circulated among the respondents of the survey.
Questionnaire design:
The questionnaire is a survey questionnaire and therefore comprises of several close-
ended questions pertaining to the product about which the interview is being taken. The
questions are closed ended and therefore the answers can be given in any of the possible
alternatives, which are provided after each question.
Reliability of the data:
At the time of collection of primary data, the collection method should be completely
accurate and suitable. This is because of the reason that the accuracy of the data plays a huge role
in the determination of the accuracy of the data collection and results. In case the data are not
accurate, the results of the analysis will also not be accurate and cause several problems for the
analysis. The brand concerned is also a huge and significant one and this puts a huge amount of
pressure on the researches (Greenland, Combe and Farrell 2016, pp.35-55). Proper attention
needs to be given to the way in which the survey is being conducted.

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Data Analysis strategies:
It is to be considered that the technique of data collection is primary and the nature of the
research is qualitative in nature. The nature of the data collected is primary by nature. The data
collected is primary because the data is collected from the respondents themselves. The
qualitative method of research results in large amounts of data, which are contextual and
abundantly detailed. These data usually initiated from interview transcripts or observation notes
and needs to be pared down to symbolize main themes or group, which explain the particular
occurrence, which is being studied.
Qualitative research studies are distinctive and therefore demand exclusive strategies for
the purpose of study. The qualitative data analysis comprises of identifying, coding as well as the
categorisation of patterns, which are found in the data. The major types of qualitative data
analysis involve thematic analysis, data coding and qualitative software. These methods of
analysis have specific applications in different research situations. The concept of thematic
analysis is a method of seeing as well a way of coding qualitative information. It can be said that
with reference to the topic and context of study, the method of analysis to be chosen is that of a
thematic analysis. This is done in order to identify the different reasons and concepts that arise
out of the survey conducted among a sample of the users of Apple products.
Conclusion:
Thus, this is the framework of the proposed method of research with respect to the topic
for the type of the research applicable. In case this particular discovered is found to be
appropriate enough, then the research is to be approved out as per the structure in order to
effectively complete the research based on the attainment of the aims and objectives of the