Marketing Research and Insight Glossary

Definitions, common uses and explanations of 1,500+ key market research terms and phrases.

What is Frequency?

Research Topics:
Product Purchasing Studies | Quantitative Research | Shopper Insights
Content Type:
Glossary
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Frequency Definition

A measure of how often an event occurs; a count of the number of subjects falling in the different categories.

Frequency is the number of times an event or occurrence happens within a given period. In other words, it’s a measure of how often an event occurs. In marketing research, frequency is a count of how often a specific behavior, event or response occurs, such as the number of times a customer purchases a product or the number of subjects falling into different categories. Frequency data puts a quantitative measure on consumer actions and engagement. What’s more, frequency tracks changes over time, which can determine the success of marketing initiatives, as well as how businesses allocate resources efficiently and how strategies adapt to real-world trends.

Who relies on frequency?

Marketing professionals and researchers study frequency data to understand patterns of consumer behavior and preferences. Frequency also can be used to identify trends, product popularity, and customer engagement.

Why should I care about frequency?

Understanding frequency data is key to understanding insights into customer habits, product demand and campaign effectiveness.