What does marketing research include?

Marketing research encompasses a variety of methodologies used to collect and analyze data about markets, consumers, and competitors. The selected answer correctly identifies that marketing research primarily involves the methods and techniques utilized to gather information and subsequently analyze it. This encompasses a broad array of applications, including surveys, focus groups, observations, and statistical analysis, which are all essential for understanding market dynamics and consumer behavior.

While product development and testing, consumer satisfaction surveys, and sales tracking techniques are all important components related to marketing and valuable for businesses, they are applications or specific areas within the broader scope of marketing research. They each utilize the foundational methods of gathering and analyzing data that define what marketing research entails. Thus, the research aspect focuses specifically on techniques rather than specific applications of those techniques.