In analysing customer decision-making, all firms need to understand the
factors that their customers take into account in making up their minds. In
order to do so, the obvious method is to ask them to describe the factors in
a properly constructed and administered market research survey.
The problem for the analyst is that what people say may not be the
truth. Rather, it may perhaps reflect what they regard as an acceptable
answer, rather than an accurate description of the factors they really take
into account. This difference between the claim and the truth is known in
Marketing as the difference between “Apparent” and “True” needs.