|
Archive for the ‘International Market Research’ Category« Previous Entries Next Entries »Think Global or Think Local?Monday, September 29th, 2008
Let’s face it – all businesses need to make a profit, and most are constantly thinking of ways to increase profits. There are many different strategies which will enable you to do this, among them:
Alternatively, you might decide to adopt a different tack and focus on reducing costs, perhaps by:
If you are considering this option, the next question you will likely ask yourself is should I be looking overseas or closer to home? The truth is there is no one correct answer. At one time or another, B2B International has undertaken research into just about every conceivable industry sector somewhere in the world, and the reality is that your perfect partner may be on the other side of the globe or just around the corner. For some companies, manufacturers in rapidly-industrializing areas such as China, India and South East Asia provide the ideal solution; for other organizations, local and national manufacturers will better suit your needs. According to a recent article in the Chicago Tribune, some smaller, regional manufacturers are thriving in the current economic environment because they are able to adapt more quickly to changing market conditions and thus able to be more responsive to customers. Pam McDonough of the Alliance for Illinois Manufacturing highlights that the Chicago area generates two-thirds of the state’s $72 billion in manufacturing output and supports nearly 1 million manufacturing jobs. New technology and productivity continue to make big cost reductions. That’s why the small manufacturers are doing well. They’re close to the customer. They’re nimble and flexible, and they can configure things to order for customers. To read the full version of this article, click here. More money allocated to global marketingTuesday, August 26th, 2008 
A recent online survey conducted by BtoB found that more than half of business-to-business marketers are increasing their overseas marketing budgets. This is in the face of global economic tightening, which is being felt in the United States as much as – if not more than – anywhere. Although the survey only questioned a relatively modest 274 marketers, it should come as no surprise that organizations are increasingly turning to non-US markets for business opportunities. Indeed, over the past 12 months, US companies have commissioned B2B International to conduct competitive intelligence studies and to research market assessment opportunities in more than 60 different countries worldwide. Of those respondents to the BtoB survey who indicated that they expect to be increasing their non-U.S. marketing spend:
Of those companies who are not expecting to see any increase in their international marketing budgets, the vast majority (87.8%) plan relatively minor negative adjustments of between just 1% and 10%. 12.2% are decreasing non-U.S. budgets by more than 10%. Of all the b-to-b marketers responding to the survey:
In spite of looking to increase international marketing budgets, many companies highlight the difficulties associated with this, including the challenges of entering new markets, handling different languages, and coordinating global efforts. To read about BtoB’s survey in full, please click here. US Clients Move Focus to Developing EconomiesThursday, August 14th, 2008
Over the past year, B2B International has observed a sea change in clients’ global research and market intelligence requirements, reports Director of International Operations Matthew Harrison. “Throughout our history B2B International has obviously placed a great deal of importance on international research. Our clients demand not only that we are capable of researching the markets of interest to them, but also that we have a rounded experience of a variety of geographies. Over the past 10 years, half of our work has been international in scope, so we feel that we have delivered in terms of international experience.” Over the past 12 months, however, we have noticed a significant shift in emphasis towards developing economies. Clients who previously were asking us to research the UK, USA and France are now increasingly asking us to look at Eastern Europe, Central Asia and East Asia. The number of different countries we have researched over the past year alone has grown by around 40%, with Russia, China and Ukraine being areas of particular growth. Four new geographies were researched for the first time by our team, in the shape of Libya, Mozambique, Tanzania and Azerbaijan. This growth has been led by our US clients. In the past year we have researched over 60 different countries for US organizations, particularly manufacturers whose domestic markets have often matured and who are therefore seeking to grow their client bases amongst the rapidly industrializing Eastern countries. We have implemented a huge variety of research techniques in developing geographies; however, by far the most common are market assessment and competitive intelligence studies. This reflects the rapidly changing nature of so many Eastern markets and our clients’ recognition that their market intelligence must constantly be refreshed. Whilst these may be challenging markets to research, they certainly add interest to the job and also differentiate our company. How many businesses are genuinely capable of obtaining information from Libyan Government officials or Mine owners in Azerbaijan? Our ability to ask and answer the most difficult questions in the most difficult locations is one of the things that mark us out from the competition. 1,000 And CountingTuesday, July 8th, 2008
Market research specialists B2B International have welcomed over 1,000 employees during their 10 years, with Leah Fletcher (pictured above) being the lucky 1000th. Peter Mullarkey, operations manager at B2B International’s UK office says: We’re delighted to have reached this milestone. More than 1,000 people have now worked for B2B since its inception in 1998. This includes the consultants in our research team and those working in the telephone interviewing unit. There’s certainly always a lot going on here! Whilst there are a large proportion of English-speaking interviewers, B2B also employs people of many nationalities with up to 35 languages being spoken amongst the staff at any one time. This, in no small part, is due to the international nature of many of the projects that B2B conducts. Director and co-founder Nick Hague says: This multi-national aspect is why so many clients commission us. We talk to people all over the world, and the differing time zones means the phone unit is often busy 24 hours a day! With the opening of a Beijing office 18 months ago and a New York branch having opened in June, Peter says constant expansion means B2B that is always looking out for additional staff: The B2B phone unit is thriving. Work is quite flexible, which suits many people, and also very varied – short interviews, longer in-depth conversations, through to focus groups. We‘re a happy and dedicated team…and the provision of a tea trolley also proves highly popular, as well as helping lubricate their voices whilst interviewing! Market Research In IndiaThursday, July 3rd, 2008
Before starting out on the journey of commissioning market research, it is always wise to see if there are any existing published reports or industry analysis on sites such as Research & Markets. The following excerpt is from their latest market research report looking at the market research industry in India:
For more information on how B2B International can help you with your international research, click here and speak to one of our research team « Previous Entries Next Entries » |
|
