Many companies conduct market research to gain insights and understand current customer behavior and culture, competitors, and market trends. There are several techniques that companies can use to gain valuable research, and each technique has its own unique application. There are many research tools used by companies to gather primary and secondary research for marketing decisions. Primary and secondary research techniques have different characteristics and achieve different objectives and are used when applying qualitative and quantitative approaches. Furthermore, some research tools are used for these approaches for various reasons. Primary and Secondary Research Tools When a company conducts primary research, the information collected is new and original and is typically undertaken by researchers who have collected secondary data. A popular tool for market research is a personal interview survey (Aaker, Kumar, & Day, p. 271, 2007). This form of primary research involves a researcher, an interviewer, an interviewee, and the interview setting. These interviews could be conducted face-to-face or online. Door-to-door interviews are also very effective ways to gather information due to quick feedback from interviewees, special questionnaires, and allow participants to feel comfortable in their environment. Another primary research tool is the use of shopping center intercept surveys ( Aaker, Kumar, & Day, p. 247, 2007). These surveys are often conducted in shopping malls and are quite cheap. Mall intercept surveys allow companies to save money on their research efforts because researchers don't have to travel to find shoppers for interviews. Spe... middle of the paper ...... reliable information is primary and secondary data. The tools used to conduct primary and secondary research provide companies with both quantitative and qualitative types of data. There are many research tools used by companies to gather primary and secondary research for marketing decisions. Primary and secondary research techniques have different characteristics and achieve different objectives and are used when applying qualitative and quantitative approaches. Furthermore, some research tools are used for these approaches for various reasons. Works Cited Aaker, D. A., Kumar, V., & Day, G. S. (2007). Market Research (9th ed.). Retrieved from the University of Phoenix eBook Collection database. Burns, A. C., & Bush, R. F. (2006). Market Research (5th ed.). Retrieved from the University of Phoenix eBook Collection database.