color preference. In Birmingham and DetrolJi 

 there is less loyalty to red salmon among 

 users ^o prefer that color than exists for 

 pink salmon. Twenty-seven percent of the 

 red salmon preferrers in Blrmlnj^am some- 

 times bviy pink salmon; only 8 percent who 

 prefer pink salmon sometimes buy red salmon. 

 The ccsnparable proportions in Detroit sure 

 20 percent and 7 percent respectively. 



Percentage of 

 respondents 



100 - 

 80 - 

 60 

 1»0 

 20 



Bizmingham Boston Detroit 

 ^^3 pink I I red 



FIGURE II.— CONSUMER PREFERENCES IDR 

 PINK SALMON AND RED SALMON 



An important technique used in 

 motivational research is the "open 

 question" - one which seeks the 

 why of consumer behavior. Such 

 questions permit the respondent 

 to reply freely and do not re- 

 strict his choice of euiswers to 

 the limited categories imposed 

 by the direct or closed type. If 

 the respondent's reply Is meaning- 

 ful it gives a reason as to why 

 he thinks or feels the way he does. 

 A response of the type "Just be- 

 cause I like it" would not be con- 

 sidered adequate and it would be 



the responsibility of the inter- 

 viewer to focus the respondent on 

 more specific are&B in which to 

 ansver. The focusing process is 

 known as probing; it is not used 

 in Instances where the initial 

 reply is deemed satisfactory by 

 the specleLlly trained interviewer. 

 In cases where probing is used, 

 it must be handled skillfully so 

 as not to bias the respondent's 

 soiswer. 



The first open question asked of 

 salmon users sought the reasons for changes 

 in their purchase of canned salmon from red 

 to pink or pink to red. Lower price was 

 the major reason given for buying other 

 than the preferred color. 



Buying Habits 



For the most part, the salmon users 

 in the three cities stated that they had 

 planned to buy canned salmon before they 

 went to the store, not after their arrival 

 there. One-fifth of the Birmingham and 

 Detroit purchasers reported making their 

 decision to buy while in the store; only 

 one- tenth of the Boston users were in this 

 category. 



Open questions and the probing 

 technique also may be used >rtien 

 attempting to ascertain consumer 

 motives for impulse purchases. 

 Specific, spontaneous responses 

 of a type elicited only after 

 skilled probing, are important 

 sources of information for those 

 Interested in expanding the 

 market for canned salmon. 



Impulse buyers were asked what made 

 them decide to buy salmon; 59 percent in 

 Birmingham and 39 percent in Detroit indi- 

 cated that they "saw it and Just bou^^t it," 

 In addition, 56 percent in Detroit men- 

 tioned "special price or sale" as their 

 reason, as ccanpared with ik percent in 

 Birmingham. The number of impulse buyers 

 in Boston was too ""tn for a percentage 

 breakdown indicating their motives. 



