Types of market research reports: choose the study that fits your decision
Market research reports turn evidence about customers, markets and competitors into an answer to a specific business question, with the data, analysis and conclusions laid out so that you can act on them. We produce 25 types of report, from market sizing and competitor analysis to pricing studies, mystery shopping and focus groups. The groups below sort them by the decision each one supports, and every page includes a sample table of contents.
Market & industry
Reports for understanding a market before you invest in it: general market research, market sizing, industry and competitor analysis, market entry and feasibility studies, public procurement market consultations, trend reports and SWOT/PESTEL analysis.
Market research report
A market research report is a structured document that answers one commercial question — whether, where and how to…
Read →Market sizing (TAM, SAM, SOM)
Market sizing is the estimate of how much revenue, or how many units, a defined market generates in a year, broken down…
Read →Industry analysis
An industry analysis is a report on how a sector is structured and how profit is distributed across it: the value…
Read →Competitor analysis
A competitor analysis is a structured comparison of the companies your customers could choose instead of you — direct…
Read →Market entry study
A market entry study is a feasibility assessment of a specific country or customer segment: it measures demand,…
Read →Procurement market consultation
A preliminary market consultation is a structured dialogue with suppliers that a contracting authority holds before…
Read →Trend report
A trend report identifies the social, technological, economic, environmental and political changes likely to affect a…
Read →SWOT & PESTEL analysis
A SWOT and PESTEL analysis report assesses a company's internal strengths and weaknesses against the political,…
Read →Customers & brand
Studies that explain who your customers are and how they see you: consumer habits and attitudes, market segmentation, satisfaction and NPS, brand health tracking, and the customer journey from first search to repeat purchase.
Consumer research
Consumer research is the systematic study of how people buy and use products in a category: who buys, how often, where,…
Read →Market segmentation
Market segmentation research divides a market into groups of buyers who share needs, attitudes and behaviour, then…
Read →Customer satisfaction & NPS
Customer satisfaction research measures how well your products and service meet customers' expectations, usually with…
Read →Brand health tracking
Brand health tracking is a repeated survey that measures how many people know your brand, consider it, prefer it and…
Read →Customer journey research
Customer journey research reconstructs the path people take from first noticing a need to buying, using and renewing,…
Read →Product, price & advertising
Research that tests what you plan to put in front of the market before you spend on it: pricing studies using Van Westendorp, Gabor-Granger and conjoint, concept, product and packaging tests, and advertising pre- and post-tests.
Pricing research
Pricing research measures how much customers are willing to pay and how demand reacts when the price moves, using…
Read →Concept & product testing
Concept testing measures how target buyers react to a new product idea, recipe, pack design or brand name before you…
Read →Ad testing
Ad testing measures whether an advertisement gets noticed, is linked to the right brand, communicates the intended…
Read →Channels & digital
Checks on where and how customers meet your brand: mystery shopping in shops and contact centres, retail audits of distribution and shelf presence, digital market analysis of search and social data, and UX research on websites and apps.
Mystery shopping
Mystery shopping is a research method in which trained evaluators act as ordinary customers and record, against a…
Read →Retail audit
A retail audit is a structured check of what is actually happening at the point of sale: which stores stock your…
Read →Digital market analysis
Digital market analysis studies a market through the traces people leave online: what they search for, what they say on…
Read →UX research
UX research studies how real users interact with a website, app or digital service: what they try to do, where they get…
Read →Methods & formats
Formats defined by how the data are collected rather than by topic: focus groups, in-depth interviews, quantitative surveys by telephone, web or face to face, B2B research with decision-makers, and desk research using published sources.
Focus groups
A focus group is a moderated discussion in which six to eight carefully recruited participants explore a topic, product…
Read →In-depth interviews
An in-depth interview (IDI) is a one-to-one conversation, usually lasting 45 to 90 minutes, in which a trained…
Read →Surveys
Survey research measures how many people in a defined population hold a view, behave in a certain way or would choose…
Read →B2B research
B2B market research studies how organisations, rather than individual consumers, choose, buy and use products and…
Read →Desk research
Desk research is the collection and analysis of information that already exists — official statistics, company…
Read →How to choose the right study
Start with the decision, not the method. Write one sentence about the action that hangs on the result: enter the market or stay out, raise the price or hold it, launch concept A or concept B. That sentence usually points to the right group below.
Next, consider your stage. Before a launch, the open questions concern size and demand, so market sizing, a market entry study and concept testing come first. After launch, attention moves to customers: customer satisfaction and NPS, brand health and the customer journey. When growth stalls, market segmentation and competitor analysis show where the next customers are likely to come from.
Then be realistic about time. Desk research and digital analysis can be delivered in one to two weeks; surveys and qualitative studies typically take three to six. If the decision is due sooner, a desk study now and a survey later is usually better than a rushed survey.
Finally, treat methods as tools rather than goals. Focus groups explore reasons but do not measure shares; surveys measure well but explain less. Many good studies combine the two. If you are still unsure, the report finder suggests three report types based on four short questions.
Frequently asked questions
Is market research the same as marketing research?
Not quite. Market research looks at the market itself: its size, structure, growth, competitors and customers. Marketing research is broader and also covers your own marketing decisions, such as pricing, advertising, packaging and channels. In practice the terms overlap, and most of the reports listed here can serve either purpose, depending on the questions you ask.
Do you sell off-the-shelf reports?
No. We produce custom research designed around one client's question, rather than syndicated reports sold to many buyers. An off-the-shelf report can be a useful starting point for a broad market overview, but it rarely covers your exact segment, country or competitors. Where a published report already answers part of your question, our desk research will say so and build on it.
Can one project combine several report types?
Yes, and many do. A market entry study often includes desk research, market sizing and a competitor analysis; a product launch might pair a concept test with a pricing module in the same survey. Combining stages in one project avoids asking the same respondents twice and keeps the conclusions consistent. The proposal shows which components are included and why.
How long is a market research report?
Length follows the question rather than a page target. Every report opens with a one- or two-page executive summary that gives the answer first, followed by method, findings, implications and appendices with full tables. Our guide to market research report format explains what belongs in each chapter and how to keep the main body readable.
Which report should I commission first when entering a new country?
Usually desk research combined with market sizing, because official statistics, company filings and tender data answer many questions about size and structure without fieldwork. If the numbers look promising, a survey or interviews with potential customers and distributors follow. Our market data pages show the kind of open statistics such a first stage draws on.
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