Abstract:

The aim of this paper is to convey to all marketing research experts present at the current ESOMAR Seminar some idea of the major changes taking place in Europe at this moment with respect to methods and techniques of market research on industrial products. Looking back over the past ten years of our activity in this field we believe that these changes are largely due to new requirements and increased possibilities in the field of data collection and processing. We shall expound this point of view in three points which, we hope, will provide a starting point for discussion and an opportunity of confrontation between various domains of experience. The three parts of our paper are entitled: - Limitations of traditional research; - Data collection at the industrial level; - Data and informatics.