The article selected for analysis is titled “Factors Influencing Consumers’ Choice of Oral
Hygiene Products: A Cross-sectional Study” (Awais, Shahzad, Naheed & Khan, 2019). The
purpose of this study was to determine the factors that motivate and influence consumers when
selecting oral hygiene products. The research design was a cross-sectional field survey. A close-
ended questionnaire survey was administered to patients attending the outpatient department of
Sheikh Zayed Medical Center in Lahore, Pakistan. The cross-sectional study was conducted in
March, 2016 on participants that attended the World Oral Health Day camp. The entire team of
healthcare professionals from the oral health department participated in the survey, and 410
patients aged between 10 and 70 years that visited the healthcare facility took part in the close-
ended questionnaire survey. According to Awais et al (2019), the factors under investigation
included packaging, cost, media advertisements, previous experiences, and perceptions.
The cross-sectional research design is very relevant in the field of marketing research for
various reasons. According to Chrysochou (2017), cross-sectional field surveys are one of the
most common survey techniques that are used in conducting market research. This type of study
design seeks to draw comparisons between the subjects under study in a solitary moment, like
capturing a snapshot using one observation or survey. This survey method is relevant in the field
of marketing because it can help marketers to come up with better profiles of their target markets
based on responses offered by the participants or subjects in the study or the attitudes they have
towards a service or product. Consequently, the cross-sectional research design is very relevant
in the marketing field as it can offer valuable insights into consumer attitudes and behaviors.
According to Stokes (2014), cross-sectional studies entail analyzing data from a
population at a specific point in time. The participants in such types of studies are usually
included based on certain variables of interest. The studies are usually employed in many
disciplines including psychology, healthcare, education, and social sciences. These studies are
normally observational in nature and they are referred to as descriptive research, meaning that
they cannot be used to determine cause-and-effect relationships. The researcher simply records
the data that is present in a population under study, but they cannot manipulate the variables.
Stokes (2014) further noted that cross-sectional studies are valuable tools of investigation
for marketers when there’s need to collect data from a pool of subjects with diverse
characteristics and demographics. These demographics or characteristics are referred to as the
variables and they include aspects like age, gender, education, ethnicity, religion, household
income, etc. Due to these attributes, cross-sectional studies are useful when conducting consumer
surveys. For instance, they can be useful in consumer surveys undertaken for new household or
consumer products in a supermarket. When conducting such a survey, the products of interest are
given out and demonstrated to customers in the supermarket for a specified period of time. The
shoppers will be asked to fill out a survey and get a sample of the product in exchange. The
shoppers then become a source convenience sampling since they were present when the free
samples of the new products were being given out in the supermarket and they provide a
snapshot of the consumer response.
3
References
Awais, F., Shahzad, H. B., Naheed, K., & Khan, A. A. (2019). Factors influencing consumers’
choices of oral hygiene products: A cross-sectional study. Makara Journal of Health
Research, 23(3), 3.
Chrysochou, P. (2017). Consumer Behavior Research Methods. Retrieved from:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/315109715
Stokes, P. (2014). Research Methods. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.