Marketing, research and customer relationships
Connect marketing to enterprise aims and customer decisions, choose research and communication methods, and plan how to retain customers.
Exam scope and assessment notes
Cambridge IGCSE Enterprise 0454, examinations 2026–2029. This lesson maps syllabus topics 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4. These are original study examples, not Cambridge questions, pre-release case studies, coursework submissions or official marks. Use Cambridge's current pre-release material only as directed by your centre; prepared notes are not permitted in the written examination. Component 2 is assessed by the centre and externally moderated. Learners must plan and produce their own assessed project and evidence under centre rules; this site does not write, mark or certify coursework.
Before you begin
- Distinguish a stated fact from an estimate or assumption.
- Use the case details in the question before making a judgement.
Work on paper. Try each question before revealing help, and explain why your method works.
Quick readiness check
What makes a marketing method suitable?
What you will learn
- Explain marketing purposes for enterprises and customers
- Compare primary and secondary research
- Measure satisfaction and retention
- Select marketing communications for a target customer
Research before choosing a message
Marketing can raise awareness, establish brand loyalty, defend or increase sales, market share or profit. From a customer's perspective it can improve knowledge of an offer and help people make informed choices.
Primary research collects new information for the enterprise, for example through surveys, interviews or observation. Secondary research uses information already collected, such as reports or published data. Compare cost, access, relevance, reliability and whether the method reaches the intended customers.
Keep customers and communicate suitably
Retention can be assessed using sales, repeat purchases, complaints, questionnaires, focus groups or mystery-shopper feedback. Methods to retain customers include effective customer service, resolving complaints, loyalty rewards and new or improved products and services.
Communication options include television, radio, cinema, newspapers, magazines, posters, leaflets, online media, social media, word of mouth, announcements and sponsorship. Compare cost, availability, suitability for the enterprise and reach to the target market. Local context matters: a low-cost channel is not useful if customers do not use it.
Sources for this lesson
- Cambridge IGCSE Enterprise 0454 subject page
- Cambridge IGCSE Enterprise 0454 syllabus for 2024–2025 · Version 2
- Cambridge IGCSE Enterprise 0454 syllabus update for 2024–2025
- Cambridge IGCSE Enterprise 0454 syllabus for 2026 · Version 2
- Cambridge IGCSE Enterprise 0454 syllabus update for 2026
- Cambridge IGCSE Enterprise 0454 syllabus for 2027 · Version 2
- Cambridge IGCSE Enterprise 0454 syllabus update for 2027
- Cambridge IGCSE Enterprise 0454 syllabus for 2028 · Version 1
- Cambridge IGCSE Enterprise 0454 syllabus for 2029 · Version 1
Pause and explain
Which measure can provide evidence of retention?
Worked example
A small repair service wants more repeat customers but has little money for promotion. Compare two ways to learn why customers return and one communication option.
Show the worked solution
- Ask recent customers a short question about service and reliability; this is primary research but responses may be biased.
- Review repeat-booking records; they are low-cost secondary evidence for the enterprise but do not explain motives.
- A targeted message through a channel customers already use may be affordable, but check access and consent.
Answer Combining a short customer survey with repeat-booking records gives both stated reasons and behaviour. A targeted channel should be selected only after confirming customers can and want to receive it.
Try a topic test
Choose Easy, Normal or Difficult. Save your answers and open worked review after finishing.
Test this topic →From guided practice to a new situation
Write your answer and reasoning first. Use a hint only if you are stuck. The model solution is for self-checking; your written work is not automatically marked.
A project has 40 responses to a survey, mostly from the organisers' friends. State what the team can infer and what it should do next.
Give me a hint
Consider sampling bias and the target customers who are not represented.
Compare my reasoning
- Describe the survey as evidence from a limited group, not all customers.
- Compare respondents with the intended target market and identify missing groups.
- Collect further primary or secondary evidence using a broader, more suitable method.
The responses show what this group of friends said, but the sample may not represent likely customers. The team should seek views from people in the target market and combine them with other evidence before changing the offer or forecast.
Look for these in your work
- Inference is appropriately limited
- Bias identified
- Next research method fits the gap
A shop receives fewer complaints after introducing a loyalty reward, but repeat sales are unchanged. How should it judge the change?
Give me a hint
Use more than one indicator and avoid assuming a causal link.
Compare my reasoning
- Compare complaint counts and repeat-sales data over similar periods.
- Check customer numbers, other service changes and how many customers used the reward.
- Ask customers or test a defined change before concluding whether retention improved.
Fewer complaints may indicate a service change, but unchanged repeat sales do not show improved retention yet. The shop should check comparable periods, reward use and customer feedback and account for other changes before attributing results to the reward.
Look for these in your work
- Two indicators used
- Time period and context considered
- Causation not assumed
A local craft enterprise can afford either printed leaflets or social-media promotion. Recommend how to choose.
Give me a hint
Compare cost and reach with evidence about the intended customers and product.
Compare my reasoning
- Define the target customers and where they usually learn about local products.
- Compare the total cost, availability, targeting and suitability of each channel.
- Pilot a small campaign and track enquiries or sales using the same measure.
If customers regularly use local noticeboards or markets, leaflets may reach them; if they follow local online pages, social media may be more suitable. The enterprise should verify access and cost, run a small test and compare tracked enquiries rather than choosing by habit.
Look for these in your work
- Target audience defined
- Methods compared using syllabus criteria
- Test and measure proposed
Common mistakes
- Treating one survey as representative of all customers
- Confusing customer awareness with repeat purchase
- Choosing social media simply because it is popular elsewhere
What can you explain now?
Which is primary research?
Compare with the explanation
Interviewing potential customers for this enterprise
Using an existing published market report
After trying it yourself, choose your next review. This is your self-assessment.
Your review choice appears on Today. Sign in to sync it across devices.
Make it stick
How do market research, customer retention measures and marketing communication support different decisions?
If you needed the solution, close it and solve the problem again from a blank page. A correct answer is stronger when you can explain the reason for each step.