In marketing

Marketing

Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...

 and the social sciences, observational research (or field research) is a social research technique that involves the direct observation of phenomena in their natural setting. This differentiates it from experimental research

Experimental techniques

Experimental research designs are used for the controlled testing of causal processes.The general procedure is one or more independent variables are manipulated to determine their effect on a dependent variable...

 in which a quasi-artificial environment is created to control for spurious factors, and where at least one of the variables is manipulated as part of the experiment.
Compared with quantitative research

Quantitative marketing research

Quantitative marketing research is the application of quantitative research techniques to the field of marketing. It has roots in both the positivist view of the world, and the modern marketing viewpoint that marketing is an interactive process in which both the buyer and seller reach a satisfying...

 and experimental research

Experimental techniques

Experimental research designs are used for the controlled testing of causal processes.The general procedure is one or more independent variables are manipulated to determine their effect on a dependent variable...

, observational research tends to be less reliable but often more valid.