How do you design and conduct a consumer behavior experiment in a laboratory or field setting?

3 Choose a setting and sample

The third step in the experiment is to choose a setting and sample. The setting is the environment or context where the experiment will take place, such as a laboratory, a field, or online. The sample is the group of participants who will be involved, such as customers, prospects, or panelists. The setting and sample need to be tailored to the research question, hypothesis, design, method, and resources. Factors to consider include laboratory vs. field - with laboratory being a controlled and artificial environment where variables can be manipulated and measured precisely - and convenience vs. representative - with convenience being a group of easily accessible participants willing to take part in the experiment. Each option has its own advantages and disadvantages such as internal vs. external validity, demand vs. ecological effects, cost vs. convenience, feasibility vs. generalizability, bias vs. accuracy, and size vs. quality.

4 Implement and monitor the experiment

The fourth step is to implement and monitor the experiment. This involves preparing the materials, instructions, and procedures for your experiment, such as the stimuli, tasks, questions, and measures. You also need to recruit, screen, and assign the participants to the groups or conditions of your experiment, such as using randomization, stratification, or matching techniques. Moreover, you need to conduct the experiment with ethical and professional standards, such as obtaining informed consent, ensuring confidentiality, and avoiding deception or harm. Finally, you need to monitor the experiment with quality and reliability checks, such as testing the equipment, recording the data, and detecting any errors or anomalies.

5 Analyze and interpret the data

The fifth step is to analyze and interpret the data from your experiment. This involves applying appropriate statistical methods and tools to test your hypothesis and examine your results, such as descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, or multivariate analysis. You also need to interpret the data with critical and logical reasoning, such as explaining the patterns, trends, and relationships among the variables, comparing the groups or conditions of your experiment, and evaluating the significance, effect size, and confidence of your findings. Furthermore, you need to consider the limitations and implications of your data, such as acknowledging the sources of error, bias, or confounding, and discussing the practical and theoretical contributions of your results.

6 Communicate and report the findings

The sixth and final step is to communicate and report the findings from your experiment. This involves presenting and visualizing the data with clear and concise formats, such as tables, charts, graphs, or diagrams. You also need to write and summarize the data with coherent and persuasive language, such as using an abstract, introduction, method, results, discussion, and conclusion structure. Moreover, you need to cite and reference the data with accurate and ethical standards, such as using APA, MLA, or Harvard styles. Finally, you need to share and disseminate the data with relevant and appropriate audiences, such as peers, managers, clients, or media.