The raw material generated by market research in the form of customer comments and responses to formal research methods. These raw data points become the material around which market-focused new products are built.

The actionable result gained from the process of garnering customer feedback. Insights are the result of customer feedback combined with analytical methods and market wisdom.

Ethnography is a research methodology that embraces anthropological approaches such as field work and immersion. For example, an ethnographer might spend an afternoon in the supermarket with a mom to understand how moms shop. Field visits at home are also very popular, as they provide greater context for how a consumer engages with products in a "native environment."

Product developers use ethnographers' systematic approach to real-life experience to understand the desires and cultural practices around their products. Ethnography uses a number of means both visual and verbal to link what customers say to what they do when using the product in their own environment.

These efforts provide more context and greater insights for product developers and marketers.

A form of research in which a group of people is asked about their perceptions and attitudes towards a product or service in an interactive group setting. Focus groups may also consider subsidiary facets of a product or service such as a concept, advertisement or packaging. 

Market research is a business discipline that gathers and synthesizes consumer feedback providing actionable insights about consumers’ behaviors, attitudes and demographics. It helps capture consumer motivations, providing insights that can help guide product development, marketing and positioning.

A new study commissioned by Microsoft, titled Cross-Screen Engagement.

The study identified four kinds of consumer behaviors when they engage with multiple-devices:

• Content Grazing: This is the most common way consumers interact with multiple devices. 68 percent of consumers use two or more screens simultaneously to access unrelated content; for example, watching a show on TV while checking email or texting.
• Investigative Spider-Webbing: 57 percent of consumers use one device to find information related to what they are doing on another device. For example, they may watch a movie on the TV and look up what other movies the actors have been in on a tablet or PC.
• Quantum Journey: 46 percent of consumers use of multiple devices to accomplish a task. For example, taking a picture of a pair of shoes on a phone then looking up reviews about the shoes on a PC before purchasing.
• Social Spider-Webbing: This is the least common use of multiple screens. 39 percent of consumers share content about activities they’ve accomplished on other devices. An example of this is sharing scores from a gaming console on a smartphone or tablet.

A form of market research where consumer perceptions are tested using a set of guide questions or a formal questionnaire. Surveys may be administered in person, over the telephone or via e-mail or website. Surveys often ask questions concerning consumer satisfaction, demographics (for example, "What is your age?"  "What is your gender?), and product interest.

Tests designed to measure the ease of use and accessibility of a new product or service. Usability testing focuses on users and their interaction with the product or service. Typical usability is done one-on-one: a researcher will watch a consumer engage in a variety of tasks, for example, registering and shopping on a website.

A process for capturing a customer’s expectations, preferences and dislikes. This information is then used to create a set of customer requirements, organized and prioritized in terms of relative importance. It may also consider levels of satisfaction with respect to current offerings.