Research evidence tells a business something, but not everything, and what people say is not the same as what they will do. This lesson is about reading a result for what it can support, keeping fact, opinion and interpretation apart, and finishing with a conclusion that is useful and honest.
It brings together framing the question, the type of data, question wording and sample limits. It closes the market research module learning route.
What can a piece of evidence actually support?
Think of three layers:
- Fact: what was recorded. “32 of the 50 people asked ticked yes.”
- Opinion or intention: what respondents said. “They said they would buy.”
- Interpretation: what the business concludes. “There is strong demand.”
The fact is only as good as the survey. The opinion may not turn into behaviour. The interpretation is the part that can go furthest beyond the evidence, so it needs the most care.
How to use evidence, step by step
- State the finding exactly: the number, the group and the question asked.
- Label it: is it recorded behaviour, or stated opinion or intention?
- Apply the limits from the sample and the wording.
- Look for a second source that tests the claim, such as a trial or past sales.
- Write a conclusion that matches the strength of the evidence, with a next step.
Worked example
Encik Rahim’s juice stall in Johor Bahru surveyed 50 lunchtime passers-by. 32 said they would buy a RM9 mango smoothie weekly. A count at the stall shows about 1,500 people pass in a typical lunchtime week.
The owner’s first claim: “64% of passers-by want smoothies, so I will sell 960 a week.”
Step 1, the finding: 32 ÷ 50 = 0.64, which is 64% of the 50 respondents.
Step 2, label: this is stated intention, not recorded buying.
Step 3, limits: 50 people is a small sample, asked at one time and place. Passers-by who say yes may not stop at the stall.
Step 4, a second source: the owner runs a five-day trial with a borrowed blender and sells 85 smoothies. Since 85 ÷ 1,500 = 0.0567, about 5.7% of weekly passers-by bought one.
Step 5, conclusion: the owner’s first estimate was 1,500 × 0.64 = 960 a week. The trial shows 85. Even allowing that a trial may be short and a borrowed blender slow, the gap is large.
“The survey suggests interest among lunchtime passers-by, but intentions overestimated actual buying in the trial. The owner should not plan around 960 a week. A longer trial or a survey with more people would give a firmer basis before spending RM2,400 on a machine.”
Notice that the conclusion uses both figures, states a limit and gives a next step.
The mistake to watch for
A common slip is to turn an opinion into a certainty.
Mistaken answer: “The survey proves that 64% of customers want smoothies, so the machine will make a profit.”
This treats a stated intention as a market fact, and it jumps to profit without any costs or sales evidence.
The correction is to change both verbs: “The survey suggests that 64% of the 50 people asked said they would buy, but this is intention, from a small sample. Profit depends on real sales and costs.” You do not have to reject the evidence. You only have to say what it supports.
Check yourself
Try these, then open each answer.
1. Label each as fact, opinion or interpretation: (a) “36 of 40 respondents said they like the new flavour.” (b) “The flavour will be popular.” (c) “The shop sold 120 cups last week.”
Show answer
(a) Opinion, recorded as a fact about what respondents said. (b) Interpretation: a prediction going beyond the evidence. (c) Fact about behaviour: recorded sales.
2. In a survey of 25 online followers, 20 say they love a sambal. Rewrite “Research proves 80% of Malaysians love our sambal” with care.
Show answer
20 ÷ 25 = 0.8, which is 80% of the 25. A careful version: “In a survey of 25 online followers, 80% said they like the sambal. This suggests some interest, but the group is small and may already like the brand, so it does not describe all Malaysians.”
3. Give one way a business could test whether stated intention matches real behaviour.
Show answer
It could run a short sales trial, such as selling the product for a week and recording real purchases. It could also compare with sales of a similar product, or ask customers to pre-order.
Where this leads next
With the five lessons done, test the whole topic using the market research practice set. Marketing choices that rely on this evidence are in marketing choices, and the cost side of a decision like the smoothie machine is built in costs, revenue and break-even.
Students often know every step but still struggle to phrase a balanced judgement under timed conditions. Our teachers can practise this with you in online one-to-one Business tuition.