Classical approach to the theory of marketing research during the predigital economy

The aim of the article. The purpose of the article is to generalize classical approaches to the theory of marketing research, systematize the stages of development of scientific thought according to marketing research and the corresponding methodological basis, develop a typology of the goals of marketing research, provide relevant methods of marketing research, and propose a classification of marketing research in the period of the pre-digital economy. The results of the analyses. Methods of marketing research use methods, procedures and operations of theoretical and practical research, empirical research, analysis of the marketing environment of enterprises. Conducting marketing research contributes to reducing the level of information asymmetry. First, due to the enterprise obtaining reliable information about the parameters of the external market environment: the size and structure of current and future market demand, the possible production volumes of competitors, the market situation, trends in the development of the industry and scientific and technical policy in the industry, the political and economic situation, conditions competition. This is due to increasing the effectiveness of communication activities, which is one of the objects of research. Conclusions and perspectives for further research. With scientific thought, a wide range of arguments, definitions and classifications has been developed on issues, methods of conducting and results of marketing research, technology of making marketing decisions; identifying marketing opportunities and solving marketing problems. The results of marketing research are determined by research goals and are formed in a form that depends on the type of research: search, descriptive, experimental, innovative. Marketing research methods have multiple classifications depending on a wide range of features. The paper systematizes the stages of the development of scientific thought regarding marketing research and the corresponding methodological basis, the goals of marketing research and the methods of marketing research corresponding to them, a classification of marketing research is proposed based on the generalization of existing approaches. In further developments in this direction, it is planned to modernize the theoretical foundation of marketing research in the conditions of the digital economy.