Question

One popular use of marketing research is in the development of new products. Probably at some time in our lives, each one of us has been involved in a marketing research project to assist in the development of a new product. Take just a minute and think about a company that specializes in pet toys or in children’s (age 1 to 3) toys. Choose one of these two scenarios. Remember the focus is to determine what the subject of the research will play with (pet or child) and not what the parent (yes, pet owners are referred to as pet parents) wants to purchase. Describe in a paragraph how you would collect this information. Please make sure to include support materials to your process.

Answer 1

I chose child toys as I am around more children (not willingly) than pets (thanks allergies), when it comes to the research of children I would first research what grabs a child’s attention, it’s safe to safe that what grasps the child’s responsiveness and holds onto it for a prolonged period of time would satisfy the parent and persuade them to buy it. Ranging from ages 1 to 3, the aspects of toys that grab their attention are things that focus on developing their cognitive skills. Creating toys that benefit stabilizing and perfecting their 5 senses, the facilities of sight, smell, hearing, taste and touch benefit the age groups 1 to 3 the most. That would mean a toy with shapes, with bright colors, possibly a building aspect for touching and with safe products as children that age are also prone to putting EVERYTHING in their mouths.

“As children experiment by stacking, balancing, or building with blocks, they need to share, respect other children’s constructions, ask for desired blocks and describe what they are creating. Perhaps more importantly, children develop problem solving skills, creativity and imagination in creating their masterpieces. Finally, let’s not forget persistence where children try again and again to build the tallest tower or most elaborate castle.”

For secondary research, I would choose to observe the children in that specific age groups interacting with each other and the toys, once again parents tend to have children play together to develop their social skills or simply because they interact with the childcare industry. If the toys also serve a purpose of benefiting the child’s sense and interaction capability then that proves to be, once again, advantageous to the child.

"Your baby is fascinated by cause and effect and will enjoy any toy that responds to his actions and makes use of newly acquired motor skills," says psychologist Robin Goodman, Ph.D., director of NYU Child Study Center's Website, www.aboutourkids.org. For instance, he'll love toys that allow him to hit a ball with a hammer as well as toys with buttons that cause music to play or characters to pop up. Some high-tech toys for this age will name a letter, a shape, or a number when your baby presses a button. He's too young to actually learn his ABCs, but he'll still enjoy interacting with these toys and being exposed to language.”