International Journal of Management and Economics Fundamental
26
https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ijmef
VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue 03 2025
PAGE NO.
26-29
10.37547/ijmef/Volume05Issue03-04
Improving the methodology for assessing the
effectiveness of marketing research in the field of freight
transportation
Ibragimova Feruza Axtamovna
Senior Teacher, University Of Science And Technology, Uzbekistan
Ikramova Durdona Olimjon Qizi
Student Of University Of Science And Technology, Uzbekistan
Received:
14 January 2025;
Accepted:
16 February 2025;
Published:
11 March 2025
Abstract:
This article presents a multidimensional framework for evaluating the effectiveness of marketing
research in freight transportation. Drawing on both quantitative and qualitative methods, the study identifies and
tests key performance indicators (KPIs) that integrate operational, strategic, and perceptual factors. Three freight
companies
—
representing maritime, road, and rail transport
—
participated in a six-month pilot, applying the
proposed framework to gauge the impact of marketing research on outcomes such as load factor, delivery
accuracy, market expansion, and customer loyalty. Results indicate that the most reliable measures link marketing
insights to operational efficiency and strategic growth; purely perceptual metrics, such as brand awareness,
proved comparatively less predictive of sustained business improvements. Additionally, the study highlights the
importance of internal alignment across marketing, operations, and finance divisions to ensure consistent data
collection and maximize the benefits of research initiatives. The findings offer practical guidance for practitioners
and researchers seeking a systematic, evidence-based approach to refining marketing strategies in the freight
transportation sector.
Keywords:
•
Freight transportation
•
Marketing research
•
Assessment methodology
•
Operational performance
•
Strategic indicators
•
Customer loyalty
•
Multidimensional framework
•
Logistics management
Introduction:
The freight transportation sector plays a
crucial role in sustaining global supply chains, enabling
goods to reach markets efficiently and reliably. In an
increasingly competitive environment, companies
involved in freight transportation
—
be they logistics
operators, freight forwarders, or carriers
—
must
leverage marketing research to better understand
market
trends,
customer
expectations,
and
competitive dynamics. By systematically collecting and
analyzing data on client needs, cost structures, and
service differentiation, freight transportation firms can
adapt more rapidly to changes in demand and improve
their operational strategies. However, measuring the
success of such marketing research remains a
International Journal of Management and Economics Fundamental
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International Journal of Management and Economics Fundamental (ISSN: 2771-2257)
challenge. Many organizations either rely on purely
quantitative metrics (such as the number of leads
generated) or use intangible measures (like brand
awareness), often without integrating these indicators
into a cohesive assessment methodology. This gap
makes it difficult to evaluate how effectively the
research supports decision-making and contributes to
long-term business performance.
In response to these challenges, researchers have
emphasized the need to develop robust methodologies
for assessing the effectiveness of marketing research,
with particular attention to domain-specific factors.
Freight transportation is characterized by unique
constraints: cyclical demand patterns, strict regulatory
requirements, cost-sensitive operations, and complex
multi-modal interactions that span land, sea, and air
transportation. Traditional marketing metrics
—
such as
conversion rates or brand visibility
—
only partially
capture the value of information gathered in this
environment. Consequently, a refined framework must
incorporate operational indicators (like load factors,
delivery times, and route optimization), strategic
metrics (including market share evolution and
competitor positioning), and intangible outcomes (for
instance, improved customer loyalty or enhanced
brand reputation). Only by considering all these factors
together can freight firms gain a holistic view of how
effectively marketing research drives results.
This study aims to contribute to this evolving
conversation by proposing and testing an improved
methodology that integrates a spectrum of
quantitative and qualitative indicators to provide a
more accurate measure of marketing research
effectiveness in freight transportation. The present
article follows the IMRAD structure. In the Methods
section, the specific research design, data collection
techniques, and analytic strategies are outlined. The
Results section presents empirical findings from a
multi-phase
study
involving
market
surveys,
stakeholder interviews, and benchmarking analyses.
Finally, the Discussion interprets these findings in light
of
existing
literature,
offering
practical
recommendations
for
freight
transportation
companies seeking to strengthen the nexus between
marketing insights and strategic decision-making. By
advancing a refined assessment methodology, this
study hopes to spur more data-driven, comprehensive
marketing strategies within the freight industry.
METHODS
The research design employed for this study combined
both quantitative and qualitative approaches to
achieve a robust assessment of marketing research
effectiveness. The first stage involved a thorough
review of existing methodologies, with an emphasis on
frameworks used in logistics and transportation
contexts. Articles, conference proceedings, and
industry reports served as primary sources, enabling
the identification of commonly used performance
indicators for marketing activities. These indicators
ranged from standard marketing metrics, such as brand
recall, to more transportation-specific measures,
including
freight
volume
fluctuations,
route
optimization success rates, and cost-per-shipment
comparisons.
Following the literature review, the second stage of the
study engaged industry experts to refine and prioritize
these indicators. Ten professionals from different
segments of the freight transportation sector
—
road
haulage, maritime shipping, rail logistics, and air
cargo
—
participated in semi-structured interviews.
They were asked to evaluate the relevance of identified
indicators and suggest any additional factors that may
influence the effectiveness of marketing research.
Questions focused on challenges unique to freight
markets, the role of customer satisfaction surveys,
brand positioning strategies, and the ways in which
marketing intelligence translates into operational
improvements.
Based on these expert interviews, a preliminary
assessment framework was constructed. This
framework contained three main categories of
indicators: operational (e.g., fleet utilization, delivery
accuracy, transit times), strategic (e.g., market share,
partner network expansion, new market penetration),
and perceptual (e.g., customer loyalty, brand
reputation, service quality perceptions). Each category
included measurable variables, described with
definitions and potential data collection methods. For
instance, the “customer loyalty” variable included
repeat business rates and Net Promoter Score data,
while
“delivery accuracy” included the frequency of on
-
time deliveries without loss or damage.
The third stage was a pilot study conducted with three
freight transportation companies operating in different
contexts: an international logistics provider specializing
in sea and air freight, a regional trucking company
focusing on just-in-time deliveries, and a rail freight
operator serving bulk commodity markets. Each
company was asked to implement the preliminary
assessment framework over the course of six months.
Their marketing departments collected data on the
identified indicators, with additional support from
operations and finance teams to ensure consistent
reporting. During this period, the researchers
maintained regular contact with key stakeholders to
provide clarification on definitions, ensure data quality,
and solicit feedback on any methodological challenges
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International Journal of Management and Economics Fundamental (ISSN: 2771-2257)
encountered.
Upon completion of the pilot phase, a final data set was
compiled and analyzed using statistical software for
quantitative measures and coding tools for qualitative
inputs (such as open-ended survey responses and
manager interview notes). Correlation analyses,
regression models, and qualitative content analysis
were employed to determine how well each indicator
captured the impact of marketing research efforts.
Through iterative refinement, the team discarded
redundant metrics and adapted the framework to
highlight the most predictive factors. This process
ultimately yielded a streamlined methodology
intended to deliver clear, actionable insights for freight
transportation managers.
RESULTS
The analysis of pilot study data revealed several key
insights about marketing research assessment in
freight transportation. First, the strongest correlations
emerged in indicators that bridged operational and
strategic considerations. For instance, improvements in
load factor consistency
—
an operational metric
—
were
strongly linked to enhanced customer loyalty,
indicating that customers perceived more reliable
service when capacity was managed effectively.
Similarly, companies that invested in targeted market
research for route planning saw an increase in new
market penetration, suggesting that deeper customer
and industry insights informed more competitive
service offerings.
Second, purely perceptual indicators such as brand
awareness showed weaker direct correlations with
concrete business outcomes like revenue growth or
reductions in cost per shipment. Although brand
recognition did play a role in differentiating services,
especially in highly competitive trade lanes, many
experts noted that freight customers (particularly in
business-to-business
contexts)
often
prioritize
reliability, cost, and compliance with shipping
standards over brand image. As a result, while
perceptual metrics cannot be ignored, they should be
weighted carefully when evaluating overall marketing
research effectiveness in the freight sector.
Third, qualitative feedback from company stakeholders
underscored the importance of aligning marketing
research goals with broader corporate strategies. In
cases where marketing research was undertaken to
guide expansion into new geographical markets or to
support
an
industry-specific
service
(e.g.,
pharmaceutical cold chain logistics), managers
consistently reported more pronounced benefits. This
alignment allowed them to design research initiatives
that directly addressed service gaps, which in turn led
to measurable improvements in route utilization, on-
time performance, or new account acquisition. By
contrast, marketing research conducted in a vacuum
—
without clear ties to operational objectives
—
yielded
little practical benefit and often failed to justify its cost.
Notably, the pilot study also identified specific
methodological
challenges.
Data
collection
inconsistencies arose in two of the three participating
companies, where different departments used varying
definitions of key terms like “on
-
time delivery” or “cost
per shipment.” These inconsistencies caused minor
discrepancies in the final data set, underscoring the
need for careful stakeholder engagement and
standardized reporting protocols. Additionally, certain
metrics, such as “ease of doing business,” were found
to be highly subjective and dependent on customer
perceptions that varied significantly across regions and
shipment types.
DISCUSSION
The findings suggest that improving the methodology
for assessing the effectiveness of marketing research in
freight transportation requires an integrated, multi-
dimensional approach. Simply transferring traditional
marketing metrics into the freight context proves
insufficient because it neglects the operational realities
and performance-driven culture of the industry.
Instead, the proposed framework highlights the
importance of balancing three categories of indicators:
operational performance (which addresses real-time
logistics challenges), strategic outcomes (reflecting
market positioning and expansion efforts), and
perceptual factors (gauging customer attitudes and
loyalty). By measuring these interrelated domains in
tandem, companies are better equipped to see how
marketing intelligence influences everything from
route efficiency to brand perception.
This study also underscores the critical role of internal
alignment. The success of a marketing research
program hinges not only on well-chosen metrics but
also on collaboration across multiple departments.
Marketing, operations, finance, and even compliance
divisions must share standardized definitions, data
reporting procedures, and strategic objectives. This
cross-functional coordination ensures that marketing
research insights seamlessly feed into service
enhancements and pricing strategies, as well as
compliance protocols vital to freight transportation.
Failing to establish these channels of alignment
diminishes the potential return on investment from
marketing research, as important findings may remain
siloed or lack immediate application in day-to-day
freight operations.
Finally, while perceptual and brand-related measures
International Journal of Management and Economics Fundamental
29
https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ijmef
International Journal of Management and Economics Fundamental (ISSN: 2771-2257)
remain part of any holistic assessment framework, the
freight transporta
tion sector’s emphasis on cost and
reliability means such measures should serve as
complementary insights rather than primary drivers of
strategic decisions. Future work could involve refining
tools that capture intangible aspects of the customer
experience, recognizing that the choice of freight
service providers can hinge on trust and relationship
factors that are not always captured by operational
metrics alone. By refining how these softer variables
are measured and weighted, the freight industry can
develop a more nuanced understanding of how to build
and sustain customer loyalty over time.
Overall, the proposed methodology and the
accompanying findings encourage managers and
researchers in freight transportation to adopt a
broadened perspective on evaluating marketing
research. With a careful blend of quantitative
performance metrics and qualitative insights,
companies
can
more
accurately
gauge
the
effectiveness of their marketing efforts, justify research
expenditures, and ultimately refine their service
offerings to better match evolving market demands.
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