Ad hoc or continuous?

If your organization needs to make a certain decision, but you don't have all the necessary insight in the issue, you can have a marketing research conducted to gain knowledge. The results of the research can help you make the decision. This is a reactive type of research, as the problem or question occurs before the start of the research. We describe this as ad hoc research.

When an organization conducts proactive, continuous research, the problem (read: opportunity) occurs as well, but it becomes apparent thanks to the research. Subsequently you can take action. Ad hoc and continuous research can complement each other. You can for example find out during the monitoring of customer satisfaction that there is a market for additional services within your organization. The result of an ad hoc research about the exact nature of these services can support you through the rest of the development process.