What matters for market research
Market research reduces uncertainty around a specific business decision. It can explore demand, customer needs, competitor positioning, pricing, and new markets. The method should follow the question: existing evidence may answer some issues, while surveys or interviews are needed for others. A clear brief states the decision, target population, available budget, and what evidence would change the plan.
Compare the research design, not just the participant count
Ask the quote to separate planning, recruitment, participant incentives, fieldwork, analysis, and reporting. Costs depend on how difficult participants are to reach, the languages needed, the length of discussions, and the groups you want to compare. Check what is included and what happens if recruitment takes longer than expected.
With a limited budget, focus on the question most likely to affect your decision. Existing evidence or a more specific audience may make the project smaller, but the conclusions still need to match the evidence. Broad Promo can discuss a research proposal based on your needs, with the methods and recruitment plan agreed before the price is final.
A practical checklist
- State the business decision the research must support.
- Define the audience and the limits of the market being studied.
- Review credible existing evidence before commissioning new data collection.
- Choose methods and recruitment criteria suited to the decision.
- Document sample limitations and distinguish observations from interpretation.
- Translate findings into options, priorities, and follow-up tests.
Use this checklist to see what is working and what needs attention. Start with the most important change before taking on more work. Record what you change so you can understand the results later.
How to assess the results
Judge research by relevance, methodological clarity, and its usefulness for the decision. Sample quality, question design, recruitment, and analysis matter more than a large slide count. A result should identify uncertainty and contradictions, not simply confirm the initial business idea.
What to include in your brief
Explain the decision you need to make, what you already know, and what findings would change your plan. Define the audience, locations, budget, and deadline. Agree how participants will be recruited, which methods will be used, how the findings will be analysed, and how privacy, data access, and limitations will be handled before research begins.
Ask for a proposal explaining what is included, what your team needs to provide, who owns the work, and what it costs. Agree when you will review progress. Broad Promo can help you plan the services you need and explain how they fit together, with the details confirmed before work begins.