Laddering in the practice of marketing research: barriers and solutions

Abstract

Purpose

The paper seeks to present discussion on laddering application in the practice of marketing, considering both academic and market researches.

Design/methodology/approach

It provides summary points of laddering as a qualitative research technique and the importance it can have in better understanding behaviour.

Findings

The paper argues that laddering is a useful and powerful technique but still underused by scholars and practitioners. The authors consider that the main apparent barriers precluding its proper use can be related to the following aspects: time‐consuming and expensive interviews; artificial set of answers; researcher biases; and simplistic analysis of the results.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to a better practice of laddering since it highlights its limitations and suggests alternatives to cope with them.

Citation

Modesto Veludo‐de‐Oliveira, T., Akemi Ikeda, A. and Cortez Campomar, M. (2006), "Laddering in the practice of marketing research: barriers and solutions", Qualitative Market Research, Vol. 9 No. 3, pp. 297-306. https://doi.org/10.1108/13522750610671707