Market Research: Definition, Process and Techniques

Picture this: you’re lost in a dense jungle of consumer behavior, surrounded by a sea of competitors all vying for your target audience’s attention. 

How do you make sense of it all and stand out in the crowd? 

The answer lies in the power of market research. Unlock insights that help you slow down the noise and connect with consumers on a deeper level by tapping into the collective consciousness of your audience.

From identifying hidden needs to predicting future trends, market research is the compass that guides you through the jungle of uncertainty and leads you straight to success. 

So get ready to blaze a trail and uncover the secrets of market research!

What Is Market Research?

Is Market Research the Same as Competitive Analysis?

Market research and competition analysis are essential pillars for any business to get information on its target market and competitors. However, they serve different purposes.

Market research gathers information about the target market, including customers’ needs, preferences, behaviors, and attitudes.

Competitive analysis, on the other hand, focuses on gathering information about the business’s competitors. It involves collecting data on their strengths and weaknesses, product offerings, pricing strategies, marketing tactics, and market share.

Types of Market Research

Multiple market research methods are available. We will list a few popular and most convenient ones for you.

One-On-One Interviews

One of the earliest market research techniques was to interview the people on the street and ask them about the newspapers and magazines they picked up daily. Then following that up by asking them to recall any ads they saw.

Focus Groups

As the name suggests, a small team is selected to try a particular product and later asked to give feedback.

Observational Research 

Observational research involves observing people in their natural environment to gather data on their behavior and habits.

Survey Research

Considered an alternative to focus group research, surveys are the most cost-effective type of market research. 

Surveys involve collecting data from many people through questionnaires, interviews, or online surveys. 

Phone Research

After the one-on-one interviews on the streets, phone interviews became the norm. Recently this type of market research has been on the decline.

Pricing Research

This research is all about pricing in your target market, what audience will be ready to pay, what the fair price is etc. 

Why Is Market Research Important?

It is important to conduct market research because of several reasons listed below:

• It helps you to identify business opportunities

• Understand your customer needs

• Easily identify new opportunities

• Evaluate competition by understanding the competitors’ strengths and weaknesses, pricing strategies, and marketing tactics

• Reduce the risk of launching new products or entering new markets 

• Provides businesses with data-driven insights that can inform key business decisions

• Heps in attracting loyal customers

How To Do Market Research?

STEP 1 of doing market research is to narrow down your focus. It means to determine the goals of your study. You must have a clear, well-defined problem. 

STEP 2 is all about developing a market research plan. Here you will pinpoint who will be your primary research audience. Determine the type of consumers you want to include and how you’ll collect data. You cannot afford to waste resources on market research since it’s expensive.  

STEP 3 involves collecting data. If you’ve completed the first two steps, this step won’t be messy. Collecting the data means keeping track of your results, gender, respondent ages, etc.

STEP 4 requires you to analyze the data. By analyzing data, you can get answers to your initial questions and start by curating strategies.  

STEP 5 will be to present your research findings, use the data to make business decisions, and continue testing. First, present your results to your stakeholders, and make changes to your plan if need be. Secondly, you may change your target consumers, price point, or other such parameters.

Lastly, continue testing your data again and again over a while.