Qualitative research in marketing: what can academics do better?

Abstract

Qualitative research is designed to generate in-depth and subjective findings to build theory. Combined with the quantitative bias of top-tier journals, many qualitative researchers do not utilise the full-benefits of their adopted methodologies. This makes it challenging for qualitative researchers to publish their work at this level. Therefore, this current paper is intended to help academics and postgraduate researchers to be aware of the mistakes that can be made when undertaking qualitative research. These include very small (and weak) sample sizes, single-source studies, and poorly-written data analysis processes. This investigation contributes to the extant literature by suggesting some ways to improve the credibility of these methodologies, like accessing the correct informants, reporting on larger (or richer) samples, conducting pilot studies, clearly presenting qualitative data, and triangulation. By drawing upon a range of best practices from the broader commercial literature, some illustrations are offered on how to effectively undertake qualitative research.