“I got the skills to pay the bills” sang the Beastie Boys, but the fact is some skills pay a whole lot better than others. In today’s data-driven world, the ability to gather and interpret information effectively can be worth a fortune. Without that, many brands won’t just struggle to thrive, they’ll struggle to even survive.
The two main techniques – qualitative and quantitative research – are very different, so what are their pros and cons? Why use one instead of the other? What even are they, for goodness’ sake? Glad you asked.
The short answer is qualitative research goes deep into the “why” behind human behaviors and experiences, while quantitative research zeroes in on the “what” through numbers and statistical analysis.
Both research methods are widely used by market research companies and consumer research platforms. They act as powerful sources of insight for marketers, storytellers, journalists, psychologists, economists, brand managers, social scientists – the list goes on.
Now let’s get down and dirty with both methodologies to see how they can help you understand audiences on a much deeper level.
Qualitative research is a research method focused on understanding people’s thoughts, feelings, and experiences. It goes beyond numbers to capture vivid, detailed stories that reveal all the nuanced richness of human behavior. A good example of qualitative research in action is the insight that 37% of internet users say they mainly read reviews when looking for information about brands, products, or services, and 34% say they trust what they discover.
As you might expect, there are several forms of qualitative research:
All these formats give participants the opportunity to express their thoughts at their own pace, making it easier to capture a wide range of experiences.
Qualitative research wins big when it comes to creating deep, contextual understanding. As we’ve seen, it’s all about uncovering the “why” behind behaviors, helping researchers explore emotions and motivations in a way raw numbers can’t match.
However, the very richness of detail can make it hard to see the wood for the trees. While that’s rarely a problem in the lumber industry, it can cause the dreaded “analysis paralysis” in consumer research. Also since qualitative data usually comes from smaller groups, the insights might not be representative of larger populations, making it tricky to generalize findings.
By its nature qualitative data is pretty subjective, which can open the door to the classic challenge of researcher bias.
Finally, analyzing qualitative data usually demands time and expertise – fine if they’re available, not so fine if they aren’t.
Despite these hurdles, qualitative research is invaluable for capturing the human element, helping brands craft more empathetic strategies.
Quantitative research is a research method that uses numerical and statistical techniques to measure behaviors, opinions, or events. It provides a data-driven foundation for spotting trends and predicting outcomes. A good example of quantitative research in action is the insight that people aged 65 and older are 67% less likely to take part in cycling compared to the average person.
Quantitative research typically relies on structured methods:
Quantitative research shines in generating results that can be generalized across larger populations. Its structured, objective approach minimizes researcher bias and delivers clear, reliable data.
But this emphasis on numbers comes with limitations. While it measures the “what,” quantitative often misses the “why.” Closed-ended surveys and controlled experiments can overlook the deeper motivations driving human behavior, so the picture it paints isn’t truly complete.
Despite these issues, quantitative research is vital when it comes to spotting trends and making strategic decisions with precision, especially when combined with qualitative insights.
The main way qualitative and quantitative research differ is their focus. As we’ve said, qualitative research seeks to understand the “why”, exploring emotions and experiences, while quantitative research measures the “what” with statistical precision. If you’ve got a sneaking feeling that neither of these techniques are quite enough on their own you’d be right.
Combining qualitative and quantitative research is where the magic really starts to happen. Mixed methods research brings together the depth of qualitative insights with the breadth of quantitative data to address complex questions more fully – which sounds like a win/win to us.
For instance, quantitative data might reveal how many customers are satisfied, while qualitative data explains why – delivering a richer, more nuanced perspective.
Mixed methods research can be applied sequentially (starting with one method and following up with another) or concurrently (using both methods simultaneously). This flexibility makes it particularly valuable in fields like healthcare, education, and social sciences.
Although it’s usually more resource-intensive, mixed methods research reliably delivers deeper, actionable insights that lead to better decision-making.
Qualitative research uses a variety of data collection methods:
In contrast, quantitative research relies on techniques such as:
Obviously we hope every word here stays with you forever, but if not, perhaps the biggest takeaway from this blog is that while qualitative and quantitative research are powerful on their own, it’s when they’re brought together that things get really interesting.
That’s often the key to identifying and defining audiences, and understanding how, where, and when to reach them for maximum impact.
To do this, more and more brands and marketers are turning to audience profiling data like GWI’s to analyze audience behaviors and perceptions on a massive scale so they can tailor their activity to their consumers. But that’s another blog for another day.