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Market research and market reports
How to use market research and market reports to gain knowledge about your marketplace, your customers and their behaviour to target them better.
Should I use a market research agency?
How to choose between alternative methods of completing field research and how to find professional researchers if you decide to outsource your field research.
Five tips for effective market research
Tips to improve the quality of your market research – from using field research and market reports to interpreting the data.
Difference between quantitative and qualitative research
The main differences between qualitative and quantitative field research and the basics of using each for your business’ market and customer research.
Six tips for successful primary market research
When you carry out field research to gather market information – ask the right questions, talk to the right people, interpret carefully and be impartial.
Market trends and competitor intelligence
Key things to find out about your market to remain competitive including the demand for your product or service, market trends and competitors’ plans.
Three market research pitfalls to avoid
Points to bear in mind when using published market information you have collected – remember to be wary of out-of-date information and misleading averages.
Primary and secondary market research
Sources of information you can use to learn more about your market business libraries, trade associations, business news and your own data.
Plan your field research
How to plan your field research for gathering market information including surveys, interviews, observation research and experiments such as blind taste tests.
Understand your competitors
How to identify your competitors, find out more about them and then use this information to improve your business.
Use competitor research to improve your business
The ways you can improve your business using knowledge about your competitors.
What you need to know about your competitors
Examine how your competitors do business, what they offer and how they treat their customers.
How to do competitor research
How to research your competitors using the press, exhibitions, the internet and trade associations.
Who are your competitors?
Where to look for your competitors and how to identify them using sources such as business directories, advertising and press reports.
Learn about customers’ needs from competitors
How learning about a customer's current supplier can help you, if you identify why the customer buys from a rival supplier you can work out how to better them.
Ten things you need to know about your customers
Ten things you need to know about your customers to enable you to sell more products, more efficiently – consider who they are, what they do and why they buy.
What do you know about your customers?
Understanding your customers can help you improve your sales and marketing and offer them what they really want, ask questions like who, what, why and how.
What is your unique selling point?
Understand why customers need or want your product or service and your unique selling point (USP).
Ways to find out about your customers
Different methods of obtaining the information you require on your customers, their buying habits and preferences, such as CRM and business libraries.
Understand your customers' needs
Why understanding your customers' needs is crucial to the success of your business, no matter how good your offering is, customers must want it.