Integrating multiple qualitative research methods (or avoiding the precariousness of a one‐legged stool)

Abstract

This article suggests that market research is enhanced when multiple qualitative methods are combined in a triangulated approach to examining marketing questions. The article begins with a case study that illustrates how a qualitative study can, by itself, be used as a basis for making marketing decisions, when methodological triangulation is employed to guard against unreliable or invalid results. Following the case study is a presentation of the three legs of the qualitative stool—interviews (including focus groups), observations, and document analysis. Each method is described, with a discussion of inherent strengths and weaknesses. The article ends with an argument for increasing the use of integrated, triangulated qualitative studies in the field of market research. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.