ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines recent developments in the availability and use of marketing and customer data.
It aims to give marketing researchers some insights into the processes at work that generate new sets of data which may be used to provide commercial researchers with some insights as to how they should use data. It discusses a wide range of data issues, technical, operational, strategic and legal, and how they are changing under the impact of the internet.
The chapter also briefly discusses the difference social media is making in the way marketing research is being conducted, identifying the area as one where marketing researchers are already making a significant contribution to turning social media into one of the most important sources of marketing research information for companies.
