Marketing Research and Insight Glossary

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

What is Randomization?

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Randomization Definition

The random assignment of subjects or treatment conditions to ensure equal representation of subject characteristics in all groups.

Randomization is the process of assigning participants, questions or stimuli in a study randomly to different groups or sequences. It helps eliminate bias and ensures that results are due to the factors being tested rather than outside influences.

Who relies on randomization in market research?

Experimental researchers, survey designers, advertising testers, UX researchers and behavioral scientists rely on randomization to strengthen the validity of their findings.

What are key aspects of randomization in market research?

  • Eliminates selection and order bias.
  • Creates comparable groups in experiments.
  • Enhances internal validity.
  • Applied in both design and analysis stages.
  • Often supported by software algorithms.

Why is randomization important in market research?

Randomization ensures that observed differences in outcomes can be confidently attributed to the variable being tested, rather than to confounding factors. This makes insights more reliable and actionable.

How do market researchers use randomization?

Researchers randomize question order to reduce priming effects, assign participants to different test conditions in A/B or multivariate testing and randomize the display of product concepts to ensure unbiased evaluation.