Periodic or Continuous Tracking Studies: Matching Methodology with Objectives Available to Purchase

Marketers may use a variety of research tools to“track” or evaluate the various components of their marketing mix. Should the data for such a study be collected continuously or on a periodic basis? Insights are offered to help answer this question, through a review of the literature related to consumer tracking studies, by a presentation of the pros and cons of both methods of data collection and by identifying the conditions under which one type would be more desirable than the other.