Archive for the ‘Market Research USA’ Category
Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008
In a recent Thursday Night Insight post featured on The Market Research Blog, Caroline Harrison talked about how costly it can be to launch a product without first investigating the new market and without fully appreciating local cultural differences in geographies across the world.
A recent USA Today article highlighted how even the most innocuous assumptions can show that you don’t fully understand – or haven’t fully considered – your target market. This most unlikely example was actually a product review for a German car that was launched in the US market in January. Whilst much of this article is a detailed (and not altogether unflattering) technical assessment of the product, two quirky examples are brought to the reader’s attention of how this European vehicle has not quite been adapted enough to totally satisfy the needs of a United States consumer.
- The in-car cup holder is too small for many standard North American cups
- The vehicle clock displays as a 24-hour clock – popular in Western Europe, but not the normal 12-hour clock that Americans are used to.
Whilst these are, of course, very minor ‘problems’ in the scheme of things, the reviewer notes that they are a “reminder that Americans weren’t top-of-mind during development”.
If you’re entering a new market with an existing – or adapted – product, you need to be sure you have thoroughly researched your target market. DO NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS.
If you are launching a new product in an entirely new country or continent, then market research is an absolute must.
When developing a new product, don’t just think about the bigger picture. As this automobile example demonstrates, sometimes it’s the small things that make the difference to your customers.
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Market Research USA, New Product Development, Market Assesment, International Market Research, Market Research |
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Monday, June 16th, 2008
Following the success over the past 5 years of its UK shower brand preference monitor, B2B International has announced it will be providing a similar offering in the USA.
The twice-yearly monitor will investigate US shower installers’ requirements from shower brands, the decision making process when deciding which shower to install, and views towards the various shower brands. B2B Director Matthew Harrison, who is based in New York, explains:
We know that when it comes to installing a replacement shower, it is the installer that takes responsibility for a large part of the decision. With this in mind, the requirements of installers, and their views towards the various brands in the market, are critical to any shower manufacturer. In addition to the American manufacturers, a number of European market players have a presence in the States, making for a very competitive market.
The results of the first wave of the monitor will be available in late August/early September. Enquiries should be directed towards Matthew Harrison in New York on +1 (914) 761 1909, or Matthew Powell in our UK office on +44 (0)161 440 6000.
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Market Research USA, Industrial Research, International Market Research |
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Friday, June 6th, 2008
Faster, better, cheaper. It is the mantra of today’s business. In her latest contribution to Thursday Night Insight, Julia Cupman asks: Is there anybody out there who doesn’t want it faster, better and cheaper?
The problem is that there is a tension between these improvements. Is it possible to have something better as well as cheaper and faster? It seems that we can. Food is in our supermarkets faster and cheaper than ever before and in the main it is fresh and tasty. Clothes, cars and computers are all faster, better and cheaper. And once consumers become accustomed to these improvements, they want more.
Faster is, of course, an important offering to many customers in business. They want speedy delivery, they want the instant resolution of problems, they want 24 hour support etc. These used to be the means by which a company could differentiate itself, but as one company offers it and others follow suit, in no time at all they become the norm.
I am now working out of B2B International’s New York office and it has hit me how important the faster, better, cheaper mantra is in the States. American businesses work at an impressive speed. Their days start early and are highly structured. BlackBerries are ubiquitous and it is not unusual to receive instantaneous replies to e-mails sent as early as 7am or as late as 11pm – at the weekend as well as on weekdays.
Technology does not only act as a conduit to improved productivity however. Many companies believe that technology can replace employees and cut costs, plus generate more revenue through increased, automated efficiency. This is evident with the growing number of self-service check-outs, online transactions and automated phone systems. In wanting faster, better, cheaper, we are guilty of favouring technology over human interaction. In many years to come, will there reach a stage when we have no human contact throughout the day, when everything will be managed and automated from our homes?
I wonder how much faster business can become. We were all impressed at how computers and mobile phones enabled us to be more productive, and most of us never expected to be able to speed up even more with technologies allowing immediate access to e-mails and the internet too. So what is around the corner to feed our insatiable desire to go faster? And more to the point, do we actually want to go faster, given the saying that “speed kills” and the possible implications this may have on business?
Indeed speed may be attractive, but if businesses focus too much on becoming faster, this may be to the detriment of quality and service. For instance, Starbucks attempted to speed up customer service by introducing a high-tech hand-held ordering system to reduce congestion at the counter. Using a techno gadget, staff would take orders from customers and wirelessly beam each customer’s order through to the espresso bar. Although the high-tech ordering system improved the speed of service, customers did not appreciate the mechanised ordering process, claiming it was impersonal and blackened the overall experience.
As so many of us strive to serve our customers according to the bigger, faster, better paradigm, it would nevertheless seem that there is some truth in the adage ”the best things in life come to those who wait”.
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Market Research USA, Julia Cupman, Thursday Night Insight, Customer Satisfaction |
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Wednesday, June 4th, 2008
B2B International’s latest office is about to open in New York, USA. At a time when all talk in the media is of a stuttering US – and indeed worldwide – economy, why are we heading Stateside now?
As detailed in yesterday’s blog post, UK-based business-to-business market research expert B2B International opened its Asia-Pacific headquarters in China in 2006. This came about on the back of massive demand from clients to find out more about the opportunities offered by Asia-Pacific markets.
Yet, interest in European and American markets has never been stronger for us. In particular, both the market research we conduct into North America and that carried out on behalf of our US clients, continue to be hugely important.
In 2006, the overall global market for market research was worth £12 billion. Over a third of this was generated in North America (source: ESOMAR Industry Report 2007). ESOMAR describes the North American market research industry as “a model of resilience and reinvention”, for turnover has increased year on year.
The USA is, of course, the hub for many global corporations. In spite of current technologies enabling people in all continents of the world to communicate in real time, ‘local’ research agencies have a distinct advantage through their understanding of local markets, their ability to speak the right language and their presence within the same or similar time zones. Through opening an office on the continent, B2B International’s multi-lingual team will be on hand to better serve North, Central and South American clients.
We have previously worked for a number of the top 50 companies in the USA (as ranked by sales), and many of the biggest companies in the US operate in sectors in which we have great experience – in particular the oil & gas, chemicals, IT, and pharmaceuticals & healthcare industries. With the global sector expertise we will be bringing with us, our New York office will meet the needs of not only our existing clients but also other organizations – whether multinational, national or local – across many industrial sectors.
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Market Research USA, Industrial Research, International Market Research |
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Tuesday, June 3rd, 2008
B2B International’s latest office is about to open in New York, USA. At a time when all talk in the media is of a stuttering US – and indeed worldwide – economy, why are we heading Stateside now?
After a decade spent consolidating our position as one of the UK and Europe’s leading business-to-business market research agencies, B2B International opened its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Beijing in 2006. In the run-up to establishing B2B International China, the demand from clients wishing to find out more about Asia-Pacific markets – in particular China – had been unprecedented.
Yet, whilst this dramatic appetite for research in the East was occurring, interest in Western markets – both European and American – continued to be of huge importance to B2B International. Notably, both the market research we conduct into North America and that carried out on behalf of our US clients, remain consistently strong.
Given the current lack of confidence in the US economy, many US corporates are interested in finding new markets outside of the United States. With the dollar currently at a low and relatively weak domestic demand, there is an incentive for businesses to look overseas and to commission market researchers to evaluate opportunities for them. Since B2B International specialises in international business-to-business market research, we are in a very strong position to work for companies interested in research of this kind.
US market research buyers – like those in the rest of the world – are showing an increasing interest in commissioning research on Asia, in particular research on market assessment studies and potential opportunities. Indeed, we have seen a 35% increase in the number of US clients commissioning this type of project over the last 6 months alone. The bi-lingual team in the B2B International China office is ideally placed to meet the needs of American corporations wishing to find out more about Asia.
There remains great interest in conducting research across Europe. Given the idiosyncrasies of European countries in terms of their cultural trends, industry strengths and weaknesses, and market research offerings and opportunities, it is vital to entrust your market research to somebody who understands these differences. With native speakers of every European language based at our UK head office, B2B International fits the bill perfectly.
Tomorrow’s blog post takes a more in-depth look at what B2B International can offer American clients.
Posted in
Market Research USA, Market Research China, Market Assesment |
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