How To Do Market Research
Lying behind all of our industry sector and research experience is a firm understanding of how to do research.
Often, conducting successful and effective market research studies involves a grasp of two very different demands:
- "How do we get this done?" - The practical demands of conducting research in niche and diverse markets
- "What are the best tools for getting the results we need?" - Using innovative and established research techniques to ensure market intelligence delivers real return-on-investment.
This section is devoted to the former: Getting the job done, on time and to the clients' specification.
It should come as no surprise that we've picked up a thing or two in conducting thousands of bespoke market research studies. A little of what we've learned is shared below:
Infographic: Power and influence
Which information sources are the most effective for customer advocacy? Is a webinar more trusted than word-of-mouth? See which sources rank where in this guide to power and influence.
Infographic: Turning a profit
To increase the efficiency of a product life cycle, market research should be implemented at each stage, starting from pre-birth, right through to old age.
Book: Market Research In Practice - A Guide To The Basics
This practical guide to the basics of market research takes a clear, concise step-by-step approach. It describes and explains the various tools and techniques available to market researchers. Comparative examples and real-life international case studies help make the basics of market research straightforward and...
Book: Do Your Own Market Research
Carrying out your own market research can seem a difficult and daunting task, besieged with obstacles and requiring extensive training. You may feel it is a task that simply cannot be undertaken by the lone researcher.
Book: Presentations And Report Writing
The presentation of the findings of market research is the most important aspect of the researcher's work. There is little value if hours and pounds of valuable research is clumsily reported, poorly presented and left to moulder in a company's files. It is possible, however, to create a clear and lasting impact with your...
Book: The Industrial Market Research Handbook
The basis for anticipating likely future demand lies in thorough industrial market research, which is now recognised as the key business tool in reducing risk and increasing sales.
Book: Market Research
Fully revised and updated for the second edition, Market Research assumes no previous knowledge of the subject. Through clear, concise advice and real life case studies, starting out in market research is made simple. Straightforward, accessible and practical guidance is offered on many essential topics,...
Book: Questionnaire Design [eBook]
Questionnaire design is a subject fundamental to the market research function. Yet, until now, the available literature on the subject has been too specialist or complex for a wider readership. Questionnaire Design breaks the mould by providing a basic, yet highly practical, guide to this important area.
Book: A Practical Guide to Market Research [eBook]
This is Paul’s first book not to be published traditionally in hard copy. It will appeal to you if you have an interest in market research, you have a market research project to complete and need help with how to go about it, you are studying for a business degree and market research is part of your course or if y...
White Paper: Measuring & Maximising The Return On Investment Of Market Research
White Paper: A Problem Defined is a Problem Half Solved
White Paper: Forecasting & Scenario Planning
Article: Good & Bad In Questionnaire Design
How often have you struggled to respond to a questionnaire which just isn't quite right for your answers? No doubt you became annoyed, frustrated and maybe even cynical about market research. These problems arise because of poor questionnaire design. The most frequent errors in questionnaires...
Article: Market Intelligence
Nick Hague discusses three steps to powerful market intelligence Take a minute to think what it would be like if you had just a handful of customers and you intimately knew everything there was to know about them from their names and personal background through to their differing business needs. Just like...
Article: Differing Needs – How Companies Source Research Agencies In China
As the global economic recovery continues, an increasing number of companies and organizations are commissioning research on the Chinese market. With a growing number of companies beginning to recognize the commercial importance of establishing a more detailed understanding of the Chinese market, the prospects for b2b...
Article: How To Make Sure That Research Delivers Action
Market research is an extremely valuable tool to have at your disposal but only if the results of any research study are used in an intelligent way. In this article, we offer some tips on how to get the most out of your market research. Calculating ROI – the scourge of market researchers The t...
Article: The Art Of The Brief
Have you ever told a researcher exactly what you want and been surprised and annoyed to find that what you got was neither what you asked for nor given to you when you wanted it? You know you were right. The other party is equally adamant that they did what was demanded. There has been a failure in communication: in...
Article: How To Choose An Industrial Sample
If business to business marketers experience twinges of inadequacy when compared to their counterparts in consumer fields, sampling is often the reason. Consumer marketing men trot out jargon about quotas, stratification, probabilities and the like which is mumbo jumbo to 99 per cent of industrial marketers. The...
Article: Market Sizing In China
One of the main objectives for many companies when carrying out research in China is to establish the size of the market. Market size information can be used to gauge the overall size of the opportunity, to prioritize segments of the market for special attention and to inform future product development and marketing...
Article: The Industrial Interview
Interviewing is the key element in nearly all industrial market research surveys. It dictates the accuracy and depth of information obtained and very often leads to conclusions and recommendations involving thousands of pounds worth of plant and hundreds of jobs. There are two extremes of abuse in the types of...
