Whether it's spotting industry trends or understanding consumer behavior—businesses need industry insights to make sound decisions. To know where opportunity lurks and ensure you're making savvy decisions, you'll need market intelligence from a trusted market research agency.
But how do you know which market research firm is right for your project and your brand?
Let's break down what a market research agency is, why working with one is your best bet, and five key considerations when choosing an agency. These tips will help you understand the basics of market research, helping you to find an agency that's the perfect fit.
What is a market research agency?
At its core, market research aims to help businesses understand their market—the ins and outs of the current landscape and, most importantly, their customer. They do this by gathering information about consumer behavior and preferences.
But how do they get their information? What's the secret to knowing what your customers are thinking or what your industry is up to?
It's no secret at all—it's detailed research. Agencies approach this research in various ways. A few examples are listed below.
Surveys
Focus groups
Ethnography
Interviews
Once they've collected their data, it's time to dig in and analyze. The market research team will utilize statistical analysis to uncover things like market trends, consumer patterns, opportunities, product-market fit, pricing structures, and market gaps. After their market sleuthing is done, a good market research agency will create an actionable roadmap and hand it over to the client. That’s when you’ll get to put the market intelligence to work, making more informed decisions about your products or services to better serve your customers.
Market research is a big deal.
If you want to build new products or reach new audiences, you can't go blindly into uncharted waters. That's why market research is incredibly valuable—it's the key to scoping out trends, opportunities, and threats. This type of data holds deep insights that can help you make these strategic decisions more confidently with your eyes wide open.
But market research isn't just good for strategic decisions. It's also a necessary component of product development and market positioning, helping you to understand the market opportunities and consumer needs.
Brands that use market research are in a stronger position to minimize investment risk, launch new products, and match consumer demand. So, while market research isn't a crystal ball—it is an incredible way for businesses to stay ahead of change and be confident that the products they create will be successful.
5 Things To Consider When Selecting A Market Research Agency
Choosing a market research agency that can live up to its promises is a big responsibility. You want to work with a team that'll be a true partner delivering market insights that will help you make better decisions and create a strategic roadmap for the future. So, how do you pick the best research agency for your brand and project?
Research Methodology
The term "market research" is pretty extensive—there are various categories of research, tools, techniques, and approaches—all tailored to different markets and goals. You'll want to be sure the firm you work with will take the right approach to your project to deliver high-quality, reliable data.
An excellent way to evaluate an agency's expertise is to ask their opinion about the research methodology they'd recommend based on your goals.
Questions to Ask
Can you explain how you will choose the best research methods for our project?
What research methods do you specialize in?
How do you ensure that your research is unbiased?
Data Collection and Analysis Process
You need to be able to trust that the data collected is credible, trustworthy, and comprehensive. Dubious data will only steer you in the wrong direction. That's why it's crucial to have a good understanding of a firm's data collection process from start to finish—from who they recruit as participants to how they gather data and analyze results. It’s also important to understand the experience level of the person analyzing and interpreting the data and findings. Really, it's about looking under the hood and making sure their market research process is sound, and their interpretations are not just interesting—but useful.
Questions to Ask
What process do you follow to find participants?
How do you ensure that the data you collect is reliable?
What software or tools do you use to review the results?
Can you explain how you evaluate and interpret the research?
Communication and Collaboration
Like any good partnership, working with a market research team begins with trust and clear communication. Whether through regular team calls or email updates, you want a firm that prioritizes sharing information and listening to understand your needs and concerns—not just listening to respond. Working with market researchers should be a collaborative process, and that means having an open dialogue—where ideas can be discussed freely, and feedback is welcomed.
Questions to Ask
How do you keep clients updated on progress?
How often will we communicate throughout the research process?
How do you manage misunderstandings or disagreements?
Industry Expertise
Hire a market research agency with expertise in your market—and success stories to back it up.
While there are agencies for various niches, you want to ensure the market research firm you're considering has a deep knowledge of your market, customers, and industry. Experts in your field will know what questions to ask and understand the challenges you face. So, be direct to find out if their expertise is up to snuff.
Questions to Ask
What experience does your firm have in our industry?
Can you provide examples of projects you've worked on with similar brands?
Do you have any case studies or success stories that you can share with us?
Actionable Insights
It's not enough for a market research agency to deliver useful data—you need insights to take action. When you talk to prospective firms, learn how they plan to hand over data and how they'll explain the results. A 3-ring binder that sits on a shelf for ten years is not helpful.
You'll want to know what to expect when the market research report is complete—so you can hit the ground running with a plan.
Questions to Ask
What type of recommendations and insights will you be providing?
How do you ensure that the market research is actionable?
What kind of reports will we receive from you?
The Rebel Way to Research
It's not enough to say that market research is important—it's all about finding the right agency that can uncover the metrics that'll propel your business forward.
As a research and strategy firm, we understand that market research isn't about loud subjective opinions—it's a mix of cold hard data and warm customer experiences. That's why we use research methods that go beyond the surface level to dig deep into market dynamics, customer preferences, and competitive landscapes. We'll use our findings to arm you with the tools to leapfrog your competition and drive your business objectives forward.
Ready to get started? Let's chat.
