Observation methods for researching consumer behaviour are widely used.
             This type of method also includes the use of mechanical/technological means and scanning.
             Observation is, as it sounds, a research method used by observing/monitoring individuals/groups of consumers in order to evaluate various factors and areas of a business plus consumer behaviour.
             ¡§Observation involves the personal or mechanical monitoring of selected activities.¡
             Essentials of Marketing Research - Tony Proctor - 2nd ED - 2000
             ¡§Observing how people behave in different surroundings or how they handle pieces of equipment is valuable in helping a company meet a specified aim, such as entering a new market, and in developing products to meet future needs that consumers have not yet recognised.¡
             Financial Times - Alison Smith - 5th December 1997
             Observational research is increasing in utility, due to the progression of technology, allowing for advanced surveillance material/technology to make it easier to both obtain and analyse relevant data.
             ¡§Dorothy Leonard, writing in the current issue of the Harvard Business Review, identifies five types of information available from observation¡Kthe triggers that prompt people to use a product or service; how the product relates to the consumers environment; how consumers customise the product (and so how manufacturers can make those modifications for them) and the intangible qualities consumers value in the product.¡
             Financial Times - Alison Smith - 5th December 1997
             Although observation is a 'growing in popularity¡ technique, this method still shares various negative aspects, along side it¡s positive.
             Observation research is acquired instantaneously and so information gathered will remain accurate. In many instances, an observer can, and ultimately will, make a mistake in recalling events and data. Observation techniques and on the spot recording decreases such short comings.
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