How to Conduct Market Research: A Step-by-Step Guide

Regardless of what your business venture is, it’s important to have a clear direction of where you are going, who you are marketing to and what you are hoping to achieve. Market research is a key part of this, as it guides your business by providing important insights into customer behaviour and the needs of your target market. Market research gives you the knowledge and tools needed to make informed business decisions, to find business opportunities and to stay ahead of your competitors. It’s safe to say, market research is important, and it stops you from going in blind. In this blog, we have taken a look at how to conduct market research and the benefits of doing so.

What is Market Research?

There are a lot of things that go into creating a successful business, including knowing a lot about your target audience and market. It’s not enough to simply assume and guess information about your chosen market; not only is the information likely to be incorrect to some degree, it’s unlikely that you will find out as much as you need to know. This is why market research is so important. Market research is the process of gathering, analysing and interpreting information about a specific market, including its potential consumers and your competitors.

The main aim of market research is to gain detailed insight into various aspects that influence business decisions. Through a variety of methods – such as surveys, interviews and data analysis – market research helps you to find out key information about your target audience. This includes consumer preferences, shopping behaviour, market trends and who your competitors are. Market research helps businesses to make informed decisions, identify opportunities and stay up to date with what’s happening in an evolving market.

The Benefits of Market Research

Market research offers a range of benefits, all of which can impact the success of a business. With market research, it’s a lot easier to know what your audience is looking for in a business, enabling you to successfully meet those demands.

Informed Decision Making – Market research provides insights into consumer behaviour, preferences and trends, which helps you to make informed business decisions, minimising the risks associated with getting things wrong.

Understanding Customer Needs – By looking at the wants and needs of consumers, businesses can tailor their products or services to better meet customer expectations. This helps to boost customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Identifying Market Opportunities – Market research allows businesses to identify sections of the market that competitors have overlooked, emerging trends and potential niches. This knowledge can lead to the development of new products or services that cater to evolving consumer demands.

Competitive Analysis – Market research helps businesses stay ahead of what competitors are doing, their strengths and their weaknesses. This information is an important part of developing effective strategies to gain a competitive edge in the market.

Measuring Customer Satisfaction – Regular market research allows businesses to determine customer satisfaction, and then identify areas for improvement wherever necessary. Satisfied customers are more likely to become loyal to the business, returning time and time again.

How to Conduct Market Research

There are a variety of ways to approach market research, which means that you won’t find yourself short of choice, and there’s sure to be an approach that works for your business. Each market research technique is beneficial in its own way, with some being better for various budgets, timelines and research objectives.

Surveys and Questionnaires – Online surveys are an effective market research tool, as they enable you to reach a wide audience, collecting data efficiently. Telephone surveys are also popular, as this allows for a more personalised approach.

Interviews – By conducting face to face interviews you can gain a deeper understanding of what a customer thinks about the business. If you bring telephone interviews into the mix, you can reach a broader audience.

Focus Groups – When a lot of people think about market research, they think about focus groups. By bringing a small group of people together, you can gain an insight into their thoughts on different products, services and ideas.

Observational Research – By observing and analysing your target audience’s behaviour in real-life situations, you can gain valuable insights into their preferences and habits, and then tailor your business strategies accordingly.

Secondary Research – Secondary research is research done using existing data and resources – such as the information found in reports, publications and studies – to gather information.

Online Analytics – You can analyse website and social media information to understand the behaviour and preferences of your target market, as well as the effectiveness of online marketing strategies.

Mystery Shopping – If you have a brick-and-mortar business, mystery shopping is an option. Enlist individuals to pose as customers and evaluate the quality of services and customer experience, giving an insight into what it’s like to be a customer.

At Profici, we know how disheartening it can be to see your competitors succeeding and to feel as though you’re being left behind or missing a trick. This is why we encourage our clients to embrace market research, as it’s a fantastic way to give your business a boost in the right direction, especially when it comes to knowing what your target market is looking for.

There is a lot that goes into marketing a business, and market research is a big part of that. It doesn’t matter if your business is large or small, new or old, our digital marketing experts are on hand to help your venture reach its potential. Contact Profici today to find out more.