Operationalization in market research: From concept to measurable reality
Market research often deals with complex concepts such as customer satisfaction, brand perception and buying behavior. But how do you go from these abstract terms to concrete, measurable data? This is where operationalization comes into play – an essential step on the way to valid insights that are relevant to practice.
What does operationalization mean?
Operationalization is the process of translating vague or complex concepts into specific, measurable variables. For example:
- How is “customer satisfaction” measured? Through star ratings? Net Promoter Scores? Text analysis of feedback?
- How is “brand loyalty” captured? Through repeat purchases? Survey responses? Social media engagement?
Why is operationalization so important?
Operationalization that is unclear or inaccurate leads to data that is difficult to interpret or even unusable. Well-thought-out measurement methods, on the other hand, are the basis for reliable insights that drive business decisions.
A practical example:
Let’s assume a company wants to study the “price perception” of its products. To operationalize this concept, the following steps could be taken:
- Definition: What does “price perception” mean in this context? For example: Is the price perceived as fair, too high or as a bargain?
- Indicators: Which aspects influence price perception? Possible factors could be: comparison with competitor prices, perceived quality or advertising measures.
- Measuring instruments:
• Direct: A survey asks the question: “How do you feel about the price-performance ratio?”
• Indirect: The purchasing behavior during discount campaigns or the number of products in the shopping baskets is analyzed.
Involving stakeholders in the operationalization process ensures that the indicators developed are also relevant to the business and not just convincing from an academic point of view.
Operationalization should be seen as a bridge between theory and practice. It is often the factor that distinguishes good market research from great market research.
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Freundt, Emotionalisierung von Marken, 2006
Eggert, Kundenbindung aus Kundensicht, 1999
Eggert et al., Marketing-Einführung, 2025