1. Offers Suggestions and not Decisions: Marketing research is not a substitute for decision-making process. Ready-made decisions on marketing problems are not provided by the researcher. Marketing research does not solve any marketing problems directly. It only aids management in decision-making and problem solving process.
2. Fails to Predict Accurately: In marketing research, efforts are made to predict the possible future situation. For this, certain research studies are undertaken. However, the predictions arrived at may not be perfect. Future is always uncertain and exact prediction about the future is just not possible through marketing research.
3. Cannot Study all Marketing Problems: Marketing research cannot study all marketing problems particularly where it is difficult to collect relevant data. Similarly, research study is not possible where value judgments are involved. Thus, all marketing problems are not researchable and all research problems are not answerable. MR is not a 'panacea'.
4. Resistance to Research by Marketing Executives: Researchers study marketing problems and offer guidance to marketing executives in their decision-making process. However, some executives are reluctant to use the solutions suggested by the researchers. They feel that such use will act as a threat to their personal status. Marketing executives also feel that researchers give solutions which are academic in character and lack practical utility.
5. Time-Consuming Activity: MR is a time-consuming activity. The research work takes longer period for completion and the findings when available may prove to be outdated. Even data collected very soon become old due to fast changing market environment.
6. Costly/Expensive Activity: MR activity is costly as research work requires the services of experts. Advanced training in economics, computer technology, sociology, etc. is also necessary on the part of research staff. Even giving responsibility of research work to an advertising agency or to a management consultant is costly.
7. Dearth of Qualified Staff: For scientific MR, professional marketing researchers with proper qualifications, experience and maturity are required. Research work is likely to be incomplete /unreliable in the absence of such expert staff.
8. Complexity of the Subject: MR fails to give complete and correct guidance to the management on marketing issues. This is because MR is not an exact science. It is concerned with the study of human behavior which is always difficult to predict. As a result, the conclusions drawn and recommendations made are not cent per cent correct.
9. Uncertainty of Conclusions: Consumer is the focal point in marketing research. However, consumer's buying motives are difficult to judge precisely and accurately. This brings some sort of uncertainty in the conclusions drawn from the MR.
10. Limitations of Data Used: MR process solely depends on the data collected and used for analyzing the marketing problem, for drawing conclusions and making recommendations. However, the whole process will come in danger if data collected are inadequate and unreliable.
11. Limited Practical Utility MR is mainly an academic exercise. Researchers take more interest in research work rather than in supplying information and guidance to marketing managers in decision-making process. Many research reports are rather bulky and unintelligible. This brings down the practical utility of marketing research.