The argument for Market Research

I sometimes get asked: What, exactly, is market research? From now on, I think I'll just use this as an example of why a business would want to do market research on a new idea:

From The Economist:

International hotel chain Holiday Inn is offering a trial human bed-warming service at three hotels in Britain this month.

If requested, a willing staff-member at two of the chain's London hotels and one in the northern English city of Manchester will dress in an all-in-one fleece sleeper suit before slipping between the sheets.

The bed-warmer is equipped with a thermometer to measure the bed's required temperature of 20 degrees Celsius (68 Fahrenheit).

Holiday Inn said the warmer would be fully dressed and leave the bed before the guest occupied it. They could not confirm if the warmer would shower first, but said hair would be covered.

Holiday Inn are promoting the service with the help of sleep-expert Chris Idzikowski, director of the Edinburgh Sleep Center, who said the idea could help people sleep.

Now, I do my fair share of sleeping in hotel beds and I spend much of my time trying NOT to think of the different people who have slept in my bed and what they may have been doing in that bed before I checked in. So to know that there was definitely another person in your bed moments before you entered the room is a little disgusting...and creepy.