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A good market research brief helps agencies lead successful projects. Learn what to include and how to write a detailed brief with our template guide.

A market research brief is a client document outlining all the relevant information that a research agency needs to understand the client’s specific research needs to propose the most suitable course of action.

A clear, informed brief will ensure the market researcher can deliver the most effective research possible. It also streamlines the project by reducing the need for back and forth between your company and the researcher. A good brief will leave no confusion and provide a meaningful framework for you and the researcher, maximising the accuracy and reliability of insights collected.

Start your project faster with our market research brief template!

In this article, we’ve broken down the key components of a well-written brief, with examples. Using this template guide, you can confidently equip the researcher with the right information to deliver exemplary research for your next project.

Business Background/ Project Background

This section of the brief introduces your company to the market researcher, giving them a more informed overview of your brand, product/service, and target market. You should provide all available context to ensure you and the researcher are on the same page with the project.

Relevant information to add in this section includes: company details, company mission/vision, industry status and trends, market performance history, competitive context, any existing research.

Business Objectives/ Marketing Objectives

Your business objectives/marketing objectives should answer why you are being asked to conduct the research. The researcher should be able to grasp the existing problems/issues your company is looking to address in the research.

For example, this could involve sales, competition, customer satisfaction, or product innovation, to name a few.

Research Objectives

Research objectives address the specific questions you would like the research to cover, including what insights you wish to gain. This is where you should detail what actions your company is planning to take based on the research you are commissioning.

Your research objective is one of the most important elements of your brief, as it dictates how your study will be conducted and the quality of results.

Target Market

Who will this research focus on? This is where you should state respondents’ demographic and profiling information, along with any pre-existing segments you want to target. Be specific, but also be aware that the more restrictive the criteria are, the higher the sample cost will be. Extensive limitations are also realistically harder to meet.

For example:

• Market: Canada
• Sample size: 200 – 1000
• Demographics: Household income of $150k and above a year
• Markets: Malaysia (priority), Thailand, Singapore
• Sample size: N=200 (Product Variant Selector) + N=500 (Conjoint)
• Demographics: 16 – 50 years old
• National representation: Age, gender and location
• Target definition: Bought electronics online in the past 12 months
• Reads on: 16 – 30-year olds vs. 31 – 50-year olds
• Market: South America
• Sample size: 1800
• Target definition: Main and joint grocery buyers
• 5 target groups: Income, urban/rural, age, family status, shopping frequency (divide each into 3 subgroups, e.g. low, medium, high).

Action Standards/ Decision Rules

Action standards outline which criteria will determine the decisions you make following research. These should detail specific numerical scores and any company benchmarks which need to be met in your research results for decision-making to go ahead. Clear and detailed action standards will allow you to make decisions faster and more confidently following research.

Nestlé’s 60/40 action standard which prioritises preference and nutrition, by aiming “to make products that achieve at least 60% consumer taste preference with the added ‘plus’ of nutritional advantage”.

Pricing is seen as credible by at least 40% of the target market.

Product has at least 50% acceptance from the target market.

Methodology

You should only include methodology if you are certain of the approach you want to take. If you do not know which methodology you should use, leave this section blank for agency recommendations.

Monadic test : Monadic testing introduces survey respondents to individual concepts, products in isolation. It is usually used in studies where independent findings for each stimulus are required, unlike in comparison testing, where several stimuli are tested side-by-side. Each product/concept is displayed and evaluated separately, providing more accurate and meaningful results for specific items.

Discrete choice modelling : Sometimes referred to as choice-based conjoint, discrete choice is a more robust technique consistent with random utility theory and has been proven to simulate customers’ actual behaviour in the marketplace. The output on relative importance of attributes and value by level is aligned to the output from conjoint analysis (partworth analysis).

Qualitative research : Qualitative forms of research focus on non-numerical and unstructured data, such as participant observation, direct observation, unstructured interviews, and case studies.

Quantitative research : Numbers and measurable forms of data make up quantitative research, focusing on ‘how many’, ‘how often’, and ‘how much’, e.g. conjoint analysis , MaxDiff , Gabor-Granger , Van Westendorp .

Deliverables

Deliverables should clearly outline project expectations – both from your company and the agency. This should cover who is responsible for everything required to undertake research, including survey inputs and outputs, materials, reporting, reviewing, and any additional requirements.

• PowerPoint presentation
• Crosstabs of data
• Raw datasets
• Excel simulator
• Online dashboard
• “Typing tool” for future research

Timing and Cost

Timing covers the due dates for key milestones of your research project, most importantly, for your preliminary and final reports. Cost should include your project budget, along with any potential additional costs/constraints.

Contacts and Responsibilities

This section states all stakeholders involved in the project, their role and responsibilities, and their contact details. You should ensure that these are easy to locate on your brief, for quick reference by the agency and easier communication.

Ready-to-use market research brief template with examples

Start your research project faster and get better results. Using this template, you can confidently equip the researcher with the right information to deliver exemplary research for your next project.

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How to create a comprehensive market research brief: a step-by-step guide.

Market research is a critical component for any business looking to understand its audience, stay competitive, and make informed decisions. Creating a comprehensive market research brief is the first step in gathering and analyzing valuable data. This step-by-step guide is designed to help businesses establish a solid foundation for their market research and execute a plan that translates findings into actionable strategies.

Key Takeaways

• A well-defined market research brief sets the stage for targeted data collection and analysis, ensuring that research efforts are aligned with business goals.
• Effective market research involves a blend of suitable methodologies and an in-depth understanding of the target audience to gather strategic insights.
• The ultimate goal of market research is to translate data into actionable strategies that can drive business growth and address customer needs.

Establishing the Foundation for Market Research

Defining research objectives and goals.

When embarking on market research, it is crucial to articulate your research objectives and goals with precision. These objectives act as the thesis of your project, guiding every subsequent decision and ensuring that your efforts are aligned with your strategic vision. Begin by identifying the core problem or opportunity that your research will address. This clarity will serve as the foundation for developing a focused and effective research plan.

To define your objectives, consider the following steps:

• Review your business plan to ensure that your market research supports your overarching goals.
• Prioritize your objectives based on urgency and potential impact.
• Utilize the SMART criteria to draft objectives that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

Remember, a well-defined objective is the cornerstone of successful market research. It informs the scope, methodology, and ultimately, the insights you will gain. As highlighted in the master thesis structure , clear objectives and data collection are crucial for successful research.

Selecting Appropriate Research Methodologies

Once you have defined your research objectives, the next step is to select the most suitable research methodologies. Choosing the right methods is crucial to the validity and reliability of your findings. Consider both primary and secondary research approaches, as each has its unique advantages. Primary research methods , such as surveys and focus groups, allow you to collect original data tailored to your specific questions. Secondary research, on the other hand, involves analyzing existing data, which can be more cost-effective and less time-consuming.

To ensure a robust research design, follow these steps:

• Define Your Research Questions: Align them with your objectives.
• Choose Your Method(s): Based on the data you need, your budget, and available resources.
• Develop Your Research Instruments: Design clear and concise surveys or interview guides.
• Select Your Sample: Choose a representative segment of your target market.

Remember, a combination of different methods often yields the most comprehensive insights. Utilize tools and resources that can aid in academic planning and proposal writing, such as worksheets and templates. By meticulously planning your research methodology, you lay the groundwork for actionable strategies derived from your market research.

Identifying and Understanding the Target Audience

To ensure the success of your market research, it is imperative to identify and understand your target audience thoroughly. This involves delving into demographic details, behaviors, preferences, and other relevant insights that define the individuals or entities most likely to engage with your product or service.

Begin by determining your total addressable market (TAM), which represents the maximum market potential for your offering. Once you have a grasp on the TAM, refine your focus to the segments within this market that align with your business objectives. Crafting effective interviews and surveys can provide valuable insights into your audience's needs and preferences. Consider the following points when analyzing your target audience:

• Demographic information (age, gender, income level, education)
• Psychographic details (lifestyle, values, attitudes)
• Behavioral data (purchasing habits, brand interactions, usage patterns)

By understanding these aspects, you can tailor your research and ultimately your marketing strategies to resonate more deeply with your intended audience. Remember, a well-defined target audience is the cornerstone of any effective market research brief.

Executing the Market Research Plan

Data collection techniques and tools.

Once you have established your research objectives and identified your target audience, it's time to focus on gathering the data that will fuel your market analysis. Choosing the right data collection techniques is crucial to obtaining accurate and relevant information. As a Bachelor, Master, and PhD Student , you are likely familiar with various methods of data collection, but applying them in market research requires a strategic approach.

The most common methods include surveys, interviews, focus groups, and observation. Each method serves a different purpose and may be more or less suitable depending on your research goals :

• Surveys : Useful for collecting quantitative data from a large number of respondents.
• Interviews : Provide in-depth qualitative insights from individual participants.
• Focus Groups : Allow for discussion and interaction among a select group of individuals.
• Observation : Offers real-world insights into consumer behavior without direct interaction.

Secondary sources , such as industry reports and academic journals, can also provide valuable data that complements primary research . It's important to select a mix of these methods to gain a comprehensive understanding of the market. Remember, the quality of your data collection tools and techniques directly impacts the validity of your research findings.

Analyzing Market Data for Strategic Insights

Once you have collected a wealth of market data, the next critical step is to analyze this data for strategic insights . This involves sifting through the numbers and trends to uncover the underlying stories they tell about consumer behavior, market dynamics, and competitive landscapes. Begin by identifying key patterns and anomalies that could indicate opportunities or threats. For instance, a sudden spike in demand for a product category might suggest a market trend you can capitalize on.

To effectively analyze market data, consider employing a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods . Quantitative analysis might include statistical tests, regression models, or forecasting techniques, while qualitative analysis could involve content analysis or thematic exploration of interview transcripts. Below is an example of how you might structure your quantitative findings :

Remember, the goal is to translate these insights into actionable strategies . This means not just understanding the 'what' and the 'why' behind the data, but also determining the 'how'—how to adjust your business strategies in response to these insights. It's about making informed decisions that will drive your company's growth and success in the marketplace.

Translating Research Findings into Actionable Strategies

Once you've meticulously analyzed your market data, the next critical step is to translate these insights into actionable strategies . This involves a careful synthesis of the findings to identify the most economically viable opportunities that can be quickly turned into actions. To ensure that your strategies are effective and targeted, prioritize questions that seamlessly address these opportunities, sourcing the right data to support your decisions.

Key steps to consider after gathering market insights include:

• Telling a compelling story with your data to emphasize the value of your strategic decisions.
• Focusing on key stakeholders and avoiding surveying irrelevant or inactive customers.
• Considering diverse perspectives to gain comprehensive insights.

By implementing these strategies, you enhance marketing effectiveness and inform stronger business decisions. For instance, if personalized offers are trending, you can plan to ask about them in interviews, thereby tailoring your marketing efforts to meet customer expectations. Remember, the goal is to create targeted marketing strategies that resonate with your audience and optimize your marketing spend for the best return on investment.

Successfully executing your market research plan is crucial for gaining insights that drive business growth. Our comprehensive guide walks you through every step of the process, ensuring you make informed decisions based on accurate data. Don't let temporary setbacks hinder your progress. Visit our website now to access invaluable resources and expert advice tailored to your needs. Take the first step towards transforming your market understanding today!

In conclusion, the creation of a comprehensive market research brief is an indispensable step in the strategic planning and execution of market research. This guide has provided a structured approach to assembling a market research brief, ensuring that each phase—from defining objectives to selecting research methods—is meticulously addressed. By following the steps outlined, researchers can ensure that their market research is not only methodical and data-driven but also aligned with the specific needs and goals of the project. It is through such rigor and attention to detail that market research can yield actionable insights, ultimately informing business decisions and fostering competitive advantage. As we have seen, the investment in a well-crafted market research brief pays dividends in clarity, focus, and the potential for success in the marketplace.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the key components of a comprehensive market research brief.

The key components of a comprehensive market research brief include defining research objectives and goals, selecting appropriate research methodologies, identifying and understanding the target audience, data collection techniques and tools, analyzing market data for strategic insights, and translating research findings into actionable strategies.

How can I ensure that my market research plan is effective?

To ensure an effective market research plan, start by clearly defining your research objectives. Choose methodologies that align with your goals, understand your target audience, use reliable data collection tools, analyze the data thoroughly to gain strategic insights, and develop actionable strategies based on your findings.

What should I do if my market research findings are different from my expectations?

If your market research findings differ from your expectations, it's important to assess the data critically to understand the reasons behind the discrepancies. Consider whether there might be gaps in your research approach or changes in market dynamics. Use the insights to adjust your business strategy or to conduct further research if necessary.

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Market research templates: what they are and how to use them.

18 min read Interested in market research but need some templates to start with? In this guide, we unpack market research, survey planning best practice and share some of our best templates for brand, customer, product and employee research.

What is a market research template?

While you’re no doubt familiar with the concept of market research and how it can help you to reach your target audiences and improve your product or service , the real challenge is designing a market research plan that is conducive to excellent results.

All of this starts with the right market research template(s) to help you analyze specific target audiences, collect the right data and uncover insights that can drive actionable change.

In this article, we’re going to:

• talk about market research and its use cases,
• provide you with a standard template that allows you to plan your research,
• and share several other templates to help you with specific types of market research

You can also check out our free template library.

But first, let’s revisit market research.

What is market research?

Market research is the process of determining the viability of a new service or product through surveys and questionnaires with prospects and/or customers. It involves gathering information about market needs and prospect/customer preferences .

Through market research, you can discover and/or refine your target market, get opinions and feedback on what you provide to them and uncover further prospect/customer pain points and expectations of your service or product .

Market research can be conducted in-house, either by you and your research team, or through a third-party company that specializes in it (they will typically have their own research panels or be capable of creating a research panel to suit your requirements).

The four common types of market research

There are lots of different ways to conduct market research to collect customer data and feedback , test product concepts , and do brand research, but the four most common are:

The most commonly used form of market research, surveys are a form of qualitative research that asks respondents a series of open or closed-ended questions , delivered either as an on-screen questionnaire or email.

Surveys are incredibly popular because they’re cheap, easy to produce, and can capture data very quickly, leading to faster insights.

2) Focus groups

Why not bring together a carefully selected group of people in your target market using focus groups? Though more expensive and complex than surveys and interviews, focus groups can offer deeper insight into prospect and customer behavior – from how users experience your products and services to what marketing messages really resonate with them.

Of course, as a market research method that’s reliant on a moderator to steer conversation, it can be subject to bias (as different moderators might have preferred questions or be more forceful) and if you cut corners (not asking all the necessary questions or making assumptions based on responses), the data could get skewed.

3) Observation

As if you were a fly-on-the-wall, the observation market research method can be incredibly powerful. Rather than interviewing or surveying users, you simply take notes while someone from your target market/target audience engages with your product . How are they using it? What are they struggling with? Do they look as though they have concerns?

Observing your target audience/target market in this fashion is a great alternative to the other more traditional methods on this list. It’s less expensive and far more natural as it isn’t guided by a moderator or a predefined set of questions. The only issue is that you can’t get feedback directly from the mouth of the user, so it’s worth combining this type of research with interviews, surveys, and/or focus groups.

4) Interviews

Interviews allow for face-to-face discussions (both in-person and virtually), allowing for more natural conversations with participants.

For gleaning deeper insights (especially with non-verbal cues giving greater weight to opinions), there’s nothing better than face-to-face interviews. Any kind of interview will provide excellent information, helping you to better understand your prospects and target audience/target market.

Use cases for market research

When you want to understand your prospects and/or customers, but have no existing data to set a benchmark – or want to improve your products and services quickly – market research is often the go-to.

Market research (as mentioned above), helps you to discover how prospects and customers feel about your products and services, as well as what they would like to see .

But there are more use cases and benefits to market research than the above.

Reduce risk of product and business failure

With any new venture, there’s no guarantee that the new idea will be successful. As such, it’s up to you to establish the market’s appetite for your product or service. The easiest way to do this is through market research – you can understand the challenges prospects face and quickly identify where you can help. With the data from your market survey, you can then create a solution that addresses the needs and expectations of would-be customers.

Forecast future trends

Market research doesn’t just help you to understand the current market – it also helps you to forecast future needs. As you conduct your research and analyze the findings, you can identify trends – for example, how brands and businesses are adopting new technology to improve customer experiences or how sustainability is becoming a core focus for packaging. Whatever it is you’re looking to understand about the future of business in your market, comprehensive market research can help you to identify it.

Stay ahead of the competition

Understanding your market and what prospects and customers want from you will help to keep you ahead of the competition . The fact is that the top businesses frequently invest in market research to get an edge, and those that don’t tap into the insights of their audience are missing low-hanging fruit.

As well as helping you to stay in front, you can also use market research to identify gaps in the market, e.g. your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses . Just have participants answer questions about competitor products/services – or even use the products/services – and work out how you can refine your offerings to address these issues.

Plan more strategically

What’s the foundation of your business strategy? If it’s based on evidence, e.g. what people expect of your products and services, it’ll be much easier to deliver something that works. Rather than making assumptions about what you should do, market research gives you a clear, concrete understanding of what people want to see.

Check out our guide to market research for a more comprehensive breakdown.

How do you write a market research plan/template?

A market research plan is very similar to a brief in that it documents the most vital information and steps about your project. Consider it a blueprint that outlines your main objective (summary), key questions and outcomes, target audience and size, your timeline, budget, and other key variables.

Let’s talk about them in more detail.

Elements of a great market research plan

1) overview or summary.

Use the first section of your market research plan to outline the background to the problem that you are attempting to solve (this is usually your problem statement or problem question). Include background information on the study’s purpose and the business to provide context to those who would read the report, as well as the need for the research. Keep the overview simple and concise; focus on the most salient elements.

2) Objectives

What is it that you hope to achieve with this survey? Your objectives are the most important part of the survey. Make sure to list 3-5 of the decisions or initiatives that the research will influence.

For example:

Understand the most-used channels for customer engagement and purchasing to decide where to prioritize marketing and sales budget in Q1 2022. Determine what’s causing customer churn at the later stages of the buyer journey and implement a new retention and sales strategy to address it.

Your objectives should be smart, that is: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely.

3) Deliverables (or outcomes)

This section should focus on what you expect to have at the end of the project. How many responses are you looking for? How will the data be presented? Who will the data be shared with? (Stakeholders, executives) What are your next steps? Make sure you state how you will collect and analyze the data once it’s available.

Products such as Qualtrics CoreXM make this process fast and incredibly easy to do, drastically reducing the time to insights so you can make more meaningful changes, faster.

4) Target audience

Not to be confused with your market research sample, your target audience represents who you want to research. Of course, your sample may include ideal buyers from your target audience. Here you want to define the main variables or factors of your audience: demographic , age, location , product interaction, experience, and so on. It’s worth building out your buyer personas (if you haven’t already) and including a quick breakdown of them here.

5) Sample plan

How many participants do you want to research and what kind of groups do you want to reach? Depending on these two variables, you may have to use qualitative, quantitative , or multi-method approaches.

6) Research methods

What methods will you use in your market research project? The insights (and the granularity of those insights) will depend on the methods and tools you choose. For example, and as mentioned earlier, surveys are often the go-to for many organizations as they’re affordable and straightforward, but if you want to get more personal views from your respondents, one-to-one interviews might be more applicable. You might even want to take a hands-off approach and simply observe participants as they use your products, or try a combination of research methods. Make sure to outline what methods you will use as part of your research plan.

7) Timeline

How long will your research project run? It’s worth putting together a Gantt chart to highlight key milestones in the project, along with dependencies, and to break down tasks as much as possible. Schedule in contingency time in case some tasks or research runs over – or you need more responses.

Set a budget for the overall program and list it in your plan. Though this might be the most difficult aspect of any research plan, it helps you to be more strategic about tasks and hold people accountable at each stage of the process. If costs go over, that’s good to know for future market research. If costs are lower than anticipated, you then have the opportunity to do further research or prop up other areas of the study.

9) Ethical concerns or conflicts of interest

One of the most important parts of your market research plan, you should highlight any ethical concerns. To begin with, it’s your duty to state whether or not responses will be kept confidential and anonymous as part of the study. It’s also important to allow participants to remain anonymous and ensure you protect their privacy at all times.

Another issue to consider is stereotyping. Any analysis of real populations needs to make approximations and place individuals into groups, but if conducted irresponsibly, stereotyping can lead to undesirable results.

Lastly, conflicts of interest – it may be that researchers have interests in the outcome of the project that lead to a personal advantage that might compromise the integrity of your market research project. You should clearly state in your market research report that any potential conflicts of interest are highlighted and addressed before continuing.

But I want a faster solution!

Well, there’s a quicker and far easier way to do all of the above and get the data you need – just use a market research survey template. In our next section, we’re going to share a whole list of templates that you can use.

Free market research survey templates

No matter what kind of research you want to conduct, we have templates that will remove the complexity of the task and empower you to get more from your data. Below we’ve compiled a list of templates for four key experience areas: Brand , Customer , Employee , and Product .

All of our research templates are free. All you need to do is sign up for a free Qualtrics account to access them.

Brand experience market research templates:

• Logo testing : Collect feedback to help you evaluate and iterate on your logo designs and concepts
• Brand awareness : Track the level of brand awareness in your target market, including current and potential future customers
• Ad testing : Evaluate your consumers’ reaction to an advertisement so you know which campaigns to deploy before you invest
• A/B testing : Quickly and easily compare to versions or options in a study, whether it’s a design, headline, color palette or a mock-up of your latest ad campaign

Customer experience market research templates

• Student satisfaction : Gather feedback on how your institution is delivering on the student experience
• Net promoter score (NPS) : Measure customer loyalty and understand how they feel about your product or service using one of the world’s best-recognized metrics
• Customer satisfaction : Evaluate how satisfied your customers are with your company, including the products and services you provide, and how they are treated when they buy from you
• Customer service : Gain insights into the contact center experience, so you can achieve and maintain optimum levels of customer experience (CX) performance
• Event feedback : Measure the effectiveness of your events and how well they meet attendee expectations so that you can continuously improve your offering
• IT help desk : Understand how satisfied your employees and customers are with your IT help desk experience
• Website suggestion box : Collect visitor feedback on how your website can be improved
• Website satisfaction : Find out how satisfied visitors are with your website’s design, usability, and performance
• Store purchase feedback : Capture customer experience data at the point of purchase to help you improve the in-store experience
• Online purchase feedback : Find out how well your online shopping experience performs against customer needs and expectations

Employee experience market research templates

• Employee satisfaction : Get an overview of your current employee experience
• Manager feedback : Improve your skills as a leader with valuable feedback from your team
• Employee engagement : Find out how employees find the current experience at your workplace with this entry-level engagement survey
• Employee exit interview : Understand why your employees are leaving and how they’ll speak about your company once they’re gone with this survey template
• Employee onboarding : Improve your onboarding program by understanding what’s working and what’s not
• Team event planning : Collect inputs from employees to plan a team event that works for everyone
• Meeting feedback : Check-in with team members after a meeting to see how well your company is running and what improvements can be made
• Interview feedback : Improve your candidate experience by gathering actionable insights about the interview process
• Employee suggestion box : Gather anonymous data to help address concerns and improve the employee experience in your organization
• Candidate experience : Improve your candidate experience to increase brand perception, offer acceptance rates, and hiring process efficiency with this single-touchpoint survey template
• Employee suggestion action : Take employee feedback a step further by working with your staff to quantify solutions based on their experience data

Product experience market research templates

• Product research : Evaluate your consumers’ reaction to a new product or product feature across every stage of the product development journey
• Pricing : Understand how to set the exact price point for your product or service, according to your target consumers
• Feature prioritization : Compare and contrast product features using conjoint analysis to find the optimal mix for your customers
• Product package testing : Collect feedback on your product packaging to see how well it meets the needs and expectations of your customers

Armed with the right market research templates, getting the information you need across brand, product, customer and employee disciplines — as well as beyond — is significantly easier.

But if you want help putting together complex market research and scaling your in-house research team to get agile insights, check out our guide to building an agile research function.

Insights are more important than ever, especially during times of change, but building a great team takes a lot of time and money.

In our eBook, we’ll explain how you can:

• Scale your research team
• Build a smart partner strategy
• Ensure you have the right technology for market research and data analysis

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Market Research: A How-To Guide and Template

Discover the different types of market research, how to conduct your own market research, and use a free template to help you along the way.

MARKET RESEARCH KIT

5 Research and Planning Templates + a Free Guide on How to Use Them in Your Market Research

Updated: 02/21/24

Published: 02/21/24

Today's consumers have a lot of power. As a business, you must have a deep understanding of who your buyers are and what influences their purchase decisions.

Enter: Market Research.

Whether you're new to market research or not, I created this guide to help you conduct a thorough study of your market, target audience, competition, and more. Let’s dive in.

Table of Contents

What is market research?

Primary vs. secondary research, types of market research, how to do market research, market research report template, market research examples.

Market research is the process of gathering information about your target market and customers to verify the success of a new product, help your team iterate on an existing product, or understand brand perception to ensure your team is effectively communicating your company's value effectively.

Market research can answer various questions about the state of an industry. But if you ask me, it's hardly a crystal ball that marketers can rely on for insights on their customers.

Market researchers investigate several areas of the market, and it can take weeks or even months to paint an accurate picture of the business landscape.

However, researching just one of those areas can make you more intuitive to who your buyers are and how to deliver value that no other business is offering them right now.

How? Consider these two things:

• Your competitors also have experienced individuals in the industry and a customer base. It‘s very possible that your immediate resources are, in many ways, equal to those of your competition’s immediate resources. Seeking a larger sample size for answers can provide a better edge.
• Your customers don't represent the attitudes of an entire market. They represent the attitudes of the part of the market that is already drawn to your brand.

The market research services market is growing rapidly, which signifies a strong interest in market research as we enter 2024. The market is expected to grow from roughly $75 billion in 2021 to $90.79 billion in 2025 .

Free Market Research Kit

• SWOT Analysis Template
• Survey Template
• Focus Group Template

You're all set!

Click this link to access this resource at any time.

Why do market research?

Market research allows you to meet your buyer where they are.

As our world becomes louder and demands more of our attention, this proves invaluable.

By understanding your buyer's problems, pain points, and desired solutions, you can aptly craft your product or service to naturally appeal to them.

Market research also provides insight into the following:

• Where your target audience and current customers conduct their product or service research
• Which of your competitors your target audience looks to for information, options, or purchases
• What's trending in your industry and in the eyes of your buyer
• Who makes up your market and what their challenges are
• What influences purchases and conversions among your target audience
• Consumer attitudes about a particular topic, pain, product, or brand
• Whether there‘s demand for the business initiatives you’re investing in
• Unaddressed or underserved customer needs that can be flipped into selling opportunity
• Attitudes about pricing for a particular product or service

Ultimately, market research allows you to get information from a larger sample size of your target audience, eliminating bias and assumptions so that you can get to the heart of consumer attitudes.

As a result, you can make better business decisions.

To give you an idea of how extensive market research can get , consider that it can either be qualitative or quantitative in nature — depending on the studies you conduct and what you're trying to learn about your industry.

Qualitative research is concerned with public opinion, and explores how the market feels about the products currently available in that market.

Quantitative research is concerned with data, and looks for relevant trends in the information that's gathered from public records.

That said, there are two main types of market research that your business can conduct to collect actionable information on your products: primary research and secondary research.

Primary Research

Primary research is the pursuit of first-hand information about your market and the customers within your market.

It's useful when segmenting your market and establishing your buyer personas.

Primary market research tends to fall into one of two buckets:

• Exploratory Primary Research: This kind of primary market research normally takes place as a first step — before any specific research has been performed — and may involve open-ended interviews or surveys with small numbers of people.
• Specific Primary Research: This type of research often follows exploratory research. In specific research, you take a smaller or more precise segment of your audience and ask questions aimed at solving a suspected problem.

Secondary Research

Secondary research is all the data and public records you have at your disposal to draw conclusions from (e.g. trend reports, market statistics, industry content, and sales data you already have on your business).

Secondary research is particularly useful for analyzing your competitors . The main buckets your secondary market research will fall into include:

• Public Sources: These sources are your first and most-accessible layer of material when conducting secondary market research. They're often free to find and review — like government statistics (e.g., from the U.S. Census Bureau ).
• Commercial Sources: These sources often come in the form of pay-to-access market reports, consisting of industry insight compiled by a research agency like Pew , Gartner , or Forrester .
• Internal Sources: This is the market data your organization already has like average revenue per sale, customer retention rates, and other historical data that can help you draw conclusions on buyer needs.
• Focus Groups
• Product/ Service Use Research
• Observation-Based Research
• Buyer Persona Research
• Market Segmentation Research
• Pricing Research
• Competitive Analysis Research
• Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty Research
• Brand Awareness Research
• Campaign Research

1. Interviews

Interviews allow for face-to-face discussions so you can allow for a natural flow of conversation. Your interviewees can answer questions about themselves to help you design your buyer personas and shape your entire marketing strategy.

2. Focus Groups

Focus groups provide you with a handful of carefully-selected people that can test out your product and provide feedback. This type of market research can give you ideas for product differentiation.

3. Product/Service Use Research

Product or service use research offers insight into how and why your audience uses your product or service. This type of market research also gives you an idea of the product or service's usability for your target audience.

4. Observation-Based Research

Observation-based research allows you to sit back and watch the ways in which your target audience members go about using your product or service, what works well in terms of UX , and which aspects of it could be improved.

5. Buyer Persona Research

Buyer persona research gives you a realistic look at who makes up your target audience, what their challenges are, why they want your product or service, and what they need from your business or brand.

6. Market Segmentation Research

Market segmentation research allows you to categorize your target audience into different groups (or segments) based on specific and defining characteristics. This way, you can determine effective ways to meet their needs.

7. Pricing Research

Pricing research helps you define your pricing strategy . It gives you an idea of what similar products or services in your market sell for and what your target audience is willing to pay.

8. Competitive Analysis

Competitive analyses give you a deep understanding of the competition in your market and industry. You can learn about what's doing well in your industry and how you can separate yourself from the competition .

9. Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty Research

Customer satisfaction and loyalty research gives you a look into how you can get current customers to return for more business and what will motivate them to do so (e.g., loyalty programs , rewards, remarkable customer service).

10. Brand Awareness Research

Brand awareness research tells you what your target audience knows about and recognizes from your brand. It tells you about the associations people make when they think about your business.

11. Campaign Research

Campaign research entails looking into your past campaigns and analyzing their success among your target audience and current customers. The goal is to use these learnings to inform future campaigns.

• Define your buyer persona.
• Identify a persona group to engage.
• Prepare research questions for your market research participants.
• List your primary competitors.
• Summarize your findings.

1. Define your buyer persona.

You have to understand who your customers are and how customers in your industry make buying decisions.

This is where your buyer personas come in handy. Buyer personas — sometimes referred to as marketing personas — are fictional, generalized representations of your ideal customers.

Use a free tool to create a buyer persona that your entire company can use to market, sell, and serve better.

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Free Guide & Templates to Help Your Market Research

Marketing software that helps you drive revenue, save time and resources, and measure and optimize your investments — all on one easy-to-use platform

Market Research Brief | Guide + Template

• Customize this template to fit your requirements
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• Download your document as PDF

This document is essential to ensuring there is clear communication between everyone working on the project, helping you develop a strong and productive working relationship. How do you write one, though? We thought we would explore the process further before giving you our top five tips for writing a market research brief.

What is a market research briefing document?

Before we start taking a look at the benefits and how to write a market research brief, we thought we would first explore what one actually is. This comprehensive document is designed to help you inform your market researcher exactly what you are looking to find out.

This should be seen as a dialogue between the two of you, allowing you to provide them with all of the information that they need in order to achieve your goals. The more thorough that you are in your details, the smoother the project will be and the less back and forth you will need to have with your researcher.

Having a detailed market research brief will also minimize the risk of miscommunication that could result in wrong data or expensive repeats. When creating a brief, there are several things that you will need to outline:

• What your objective is
• Contextual information on why you want to achieve this
• Detailed information on your product or services
• The research methods you want to cover
• The timescale and budget you have
• The target market and sample size you want

These points should be covered no matter the size of the project you are looking to complete. It is always important to remember that the more thorough you are in this planning stage, the better the results you will achieve and the greater the information you will have available to work with.

What are the hidden benefits of implementing one?

Implementing a thorough market research brief might seem like a time-consuming process, but it should be essential before any project. A comprehensive document can provide you with a huge array of benefits that will significantly benefit you in the future.

Alongside helping to guarantee that you are able to get the most insightful data possible, it also ensures the project will be able to go as smoothly as possible. It will ensure that you, the researcher, and anyone else working on the project understands exactly what is expected and by when. This helps to give you complete peace of mind that you will receive the results you want while also minimizing the stress and worry of having to continuously communicate every little detail with them.

Of course, a market research brief is not just for the researcher. The process of creating one is also a great chance for you to think critically about what it is that you want to achieve and clearly detail your objectives.

How do you write a market research brief? A tested outline:

There can be no denying the many benefits that come from creating a clear market research brief. However, if you have never produced one before, it can be very daunting to know where to begin when it comes to putting pen to paper.

We know how tough it can be to create a comprehensive market research brief. That is why we have taken a closer look at the five key areas that you should focus on when creating yours:

1) Project description

The first thing that you will want to complete is your project description. This is effectively a comprehensive summary of what the project is, what your goals and objectives are, and what the required roles are.

When creating the project description, you should also make sure that you are introducing your brand and the services or products you are working with. This will help to provide the relevant context to the researchers, allowing them to establish why you are conducting the study and what you want to achieve.

During this summary, you can also outline any previous campaigns that you have conducted or rival studies that you would like to replicate.

2) Objectives

When you have been able to create that summary, the next step of your market research brief is to outline your objectives. This section should clearly detail what you want to achieve from the study, helping to provide the researcher with more context on why you are completing it and allowing them to understand exactly what the finished results should look like.

When creating the objectives, you should also outline what you are hoping to do with the data at the end. By informing the researcher of what you will be doing with the information, they will be able to ensure that it is delivered in the most effective format possible.

3) Target audience

With the objectives clear, you can then move on to detailing your target audience. This section of your market research brief will describe the profiling information and demographics that your researcher should focus on.

Alongside things such as desired age, gender, occupation, location, and income, you should also state anyone who you do not want to include. When creating your target audience, make sure you are also outlining your preferred sample size.

Use our Customer Persona builder inside HolaBrief for free !

4) Technical requirements

The technical requirements section of your market research brief should cover everything from how you want the study undertaken to how you want the results provided. For example, do you want individuals surveyed face-to-face or anonymously through their computer?

You should also detail whether you want the results in a pure, unsorted form or whether they should be collated into graphs.

5) Milestones and deliverables

Finally, you should clearly detail any milestones and deliverables that you expect throughout the project. Having incremental milestones will ensure that the project remains on track and that one small mistake will not result in all of your data being incorrect.

Build and download your market research brief samples

Are you looking to create your own market research brief? These steps can help to give you an idea of what you need to include in yours. However, here at Hola Brief, we wanted to go one step further and make the process even easier for you by providing you with a clear template to follow.

Using our unique and proven software, we have created a comprehensive market research brief template that will carefully guide you through the process step by step. Our mission is to ensure you have the knowledge and tools required to create the ultimate brief for your researcher.

Want to find out more? Check it out today!

Build your own creative brief fast and collect your clients' responses  with HolaBrief!

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• Strategy & Research

Market Research Brief Template

Understand your market better with research

The goal of any marketing research brief is to define the objectives in a way that a researcher can confidently build an appropriate study. This clarity will then lead to the 'right' research method used and consequent insights uncovered.

A typical brief should include background information, objectives of the research, details on the product/service being studied, who the target market is, key dates, budget information, and access to any past research. Read our guide on writing inspiring creative briefs to learn more.

This template is part of the Marketers collection.

• Set the vision & strategy
• Organize requirements
• Share with your team & clients
• Gather feedback
• Download as PDF or Word

Collect everything in one place

Milanote is the visual way to collect everything that powers your creative work. Simple text editing & task management helps you organize your thoughts and plans. Upload images, video, files and more.

Organize visually

Milanote's flexible drag and drop interface lets you arrange things in whatever way makes sense to you. Break out of linear documents and see your research, ideas and plans side-by-side.

Collaborate with your team

Milanote boards can be a private place to think, or a shared workspace for collaboration—you're in total control of who sees what. Instantly see your team's changes, leave comments, and never miss a thing with smart notifications and alerts.

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Free Marketing Brief Templates

By Joe Weller | October 24, 2022

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We've compiled a variety of marketing brief templates in multiple formats so you can organize and document marketing campaigns in detail.

Included on this page, you’ll find a marketing brief template , a marketing client brief template , a digital marketing campaign brief template , and a marketing project brief template .

Marketing Brief Template

Download a Sample Marketing Brief Template for Microsoft Word | Google Docs

Download a Blank Marketing Brief Template for Microsoft Word | Google Docs

Use this marketing brief template to summarize your project, identify its purpose, and define essential objectives. Identify the target audience and detail the marketing strategy with this easy-to-use template. The template features space to include timeline projections, deadlines, and marketing campaign deliverables.

Outline your project’s purpose, objectives, timeline, and more with these free project brief templates .

Marketing Client Brief Template

Download a Marketing Client Brief Template for  Microsoft Word | Excel | Google Docs

This marketing brief template includes space to provide a client and project overview, as well as a projected timeline with deadlines. Enter primary and secondary demographic information for your target audience. Use this template to enter significant competitor research findings in order to help drive a successful marketing campaign.

Strategize implementation and track performance with this collection of free marketing project plan templates .

Digital Marketing Campaign Brief Template

Download a Digital Marketing Campaign Brief Template for  Microsoft Word | Google Docs

Use this digital marketing campaign brief template to drive brand awareness and sales. This template describes campaign resources, as well as lists the goals and timelines for social media, email, and other digital marketing channels. Marketing teams can use the template to identify campaign goals and opportunities, as well as list essential elements to achieve key objectives.

Check out this collection of free brand brief templates to better structure brand creation or rebranding efforts. 

Learn more about writing design briefs with these design brief examples and free templates .

Marketing Project Brief Template

Download a Marketing Project Brief Template for  Microsoft Word | Google Docs

This marketing project brief template helps teams identify a marketing project's purpose, opportunities, elements, and objectives. Use this template to specify your target audience and fine-tune marketing strategies and messaging. The template provides space for team members and stakeholders to contribute thoughts and ideas before approval. 

Enter background information, list objectives, define your target audience, and more with one of these free creative brief templates .

How Do You Write a Marketing Brief?

Stakeholders rely on marketing briefs to communicate the objectives and strategies of marketing their campaigns. A marketing brief is a blueprint for the structure of a campaign. Download a marketing brief template to help ensure that you include necessary components. 

Consider the following tasks when writing a marketing brief:

• Discuss and define the marketing campaign purpose.
• Collaborate with marketing team members and other stakeholders.
• List the marketing campaign objectives.
• Identify the target audience.
• Document the campaign strategy in detail.

What Should You Ask in a Marketing Brief?

A successful marketing campaign relies on asking the right questions in your marketing brief. Questions that clarify who is the client, as well as what is the budget and the central message, will help guide you toward success. 

Consider asking the following questions in your marketing brief:

• What is the purpose of this marketing campaign?
• Who is our client?
• What is our budget?
• What is our campaign timeline?
• Who is our target audience?
• What is our marketing strategy?
• What is our message?
• What are our campaign deliverables?

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Discover, Analyze, Succeed: 10 Best Market Research Templates

Praburam Srinivasan

Growth Marketing Manager

February 13, 2024

When promoting your products or launching new ones, it’s essential to understand the market, size up your competition, and have a crystal-clear picture of what your customers want. Once you’ve got that insight, you’re ready to set the stage with a marketing plan .

Market research might sound intimidating, considering the laborious process of collecting and analyzing data. But don’t fret—market research templates swoop in to save the day. They provide a structured roadmap that covers all the vital market research steps, from pinpointing your objectives to gathering and interpreting the data. 🗺️

Come along as we delve into the top 10 free market research templates . We’ll walk you through their unique features, making it a breeze to pick the perfect template that suits your needs.

What Is a Market Research Template? 

What are the key components of a market research template, 1. clickup market research template, 2. clickup market analysis template, 3. clickup business plan template, 4. clickup business development plan template, 5. clickup new product development template, 6. clickup product positioning template, 7. clickup competitive analysis template, 8. clickup customer journey map template, 9. word market research plan template by flexmr, 10. word general market survey template by businessinabox.

Market research is a vast, often time-consuming process that involves gathering essential information about a target market through surveys, interviews, and focus groups. It’s crucial for anticipating trends and maintaining a competitive edge over your rivals. 

A market research template is a pre-designed framework to bring structure to your research processes. It comes with questions and fields for collecting data relevant to specific markets or objectives.

It simplifies the whole exercise by providing a standard format that you can customize to align with your research goals.

Market research templates help you:

• Save time designing and planning your research project
• Save money by removing the need for external research firms
• Ensure consistency in data collection, analysis, and reporting

A market research template is like a recipe for conducting research. It tells you what you need and how to use it. Here are the key components you can find in this template:

• Research objectives : Clearly defined goals of the research project
• Data collection methods : Specific methods and tools for gathering information, such as surveys, interviews, or observations
• Research questions : A set of well-crafted questions to address the research objectives
• Sample selection : Guidelines for choosing the right target audience or sample group
• Data analysis : Instructions on how the gathered data will be analyzed and interpreted
• Reporting : A format for summarizing and presenting the research findings 
• Timeline : A schedule that outlines when you will conduct each research activity
• Budget : Estimated costs associated with the research project
• Contact information : Details of the individuals or teams responsible for the research

10 Best Market Research Templates

We’ve handpicked the most innovative market research templates from Word and ClickUp to help you discover, gather, and analyze data effortlessly. Now, let’s see what makes them stand out! 💖

Market research is your first ally when you want to enhance your brand management and gain insights into your competitors’ strategies. With the ClickUp Market Research Template , you get a user-friendly tool that simplifies the task of gathering and presenting crucial information about your target audience, the state of your product or service, and the broader industry landscape. 🌄

This Task template takes you through the ins and outs of research, covering your approach, data collection techniques, and the valuable insights you’ve gathered from your current or potential customers through Custom Fields.

Adapt the fields to document any information you see fit—add data links and attachments, or choose a research stage like Design , Preparation , and Execution .

Each task comes with a to-do subtask list to keep a record of research steps, like defining a research scope and setting up a research team. The assignees can use it to monitor each subtask’s progress through Custom Statuses like Open, Under Review, or Closed. 

If you’re curious about where your product stands among its competitors, look no further than the ClickUp Market Analysis Template . This tool assists you in identifying and assessing key market trends, gaining insights into customer needs, and examining competitor strategies and performances. ♟️

This extensive market research template sorts competitors into five main types: direct , indirect , potential , future , and replacement (for competitors offering a substitute product).

Use the Growth Share Whiteboard view to evaluate competitor products and decide where to invest your resources. Simply pick the competitor type from the legend, create a sticky note of the corresponding color, and place it on the desired spot. Use the horizontal Quality axis to measure the competitor’s Relative Market Share and the Y-axis to measure their Growth Rate.

The Price vs. Quality Whiteboard view functions similarly, but this time, you’re using a matrix to measure the relation between product quality and price. It gives you a visual grasp of your competitors’ pricing strategy, helping you tactically position your product in the market.

The Competitors List view is your central hub for competitor information, neatly categorized by analysis status like Direct , Indirect , or Potential . Additionally, leverage the Advertisements Board view to see your competitors’ promotional strategies.

Replace traditional, lengthy business plan documents with the ClickUp Business Plan Template and speed up the process. It’s a comprehensive toolkit for documenting every aspect of your business plan and streamlining the drafting process to ensure it’s polished on time. ⏰

This one-page Doc template is neatly divided into several key sections:

• Company description : Provides a company overview, your mission, and vision
• Market analysis : Explains the problem you’re solving, its solution, and the target market
• Sales and marketing strategy : Outlines products and marketing plans
• Operational plan : Covers aspects like your location, equipment, and financial forecasts
• Milestones and metrics : Displays targets and KPIs

Customize the template with your brand logo and contact information. Each section comes with helpful prompts suggesting how to present your data—through bullet lists, pictures, charts, or tables.

Open the Topics List view to see all the sections and subsections included in the comprehensive market research Doc, allowing you to assign them to team members, set due dates, and attach relevant documents.

To track task statuses, switch to the Status Board view and categorize them as To Do, In Progress, Needs Revision, or Complete. Open the Timeline view to monitor potential plan deviations.

Expanding or starting a business is like embarking on an adventure of challenges and surprises. However, a carefully laid-out plan can make this journey much more manageable.

No need to start from scratch, though! Introducing the ClickUp Business Development Plan Template —your business roadmap, equipped with pre-designed sections that will lead you through the entire process, making your path to success smoother. 🛤️

Whether you’re a startup or a growing business, this template offers handy Doc pages to help you document the following:

• Executive summary : For providing an overview of the business you’re growing, outlining the issues you’re addressing, and suggesting solutions
• Key people : For explaining who’s on the executive team and what each person does
• Operations : Lists your business locations and employee count. You can outline the cost of equipment and facilities and map out manufacturing processes on a Whiteboard
• Marketing : Enables sharing the market’s history and growth to foresee potential opportunities, decide on the target audience, and analyze the competitor’s strengths and weaknesses
• Financial plan : Gives an estimate of your cash flow and balance sheet, identifying the revenue point where you break even

Of the market research templates in this list, the one comes with ready-made tables and sheets with guidelines on how to fill them in. Feel free to customize any template section to match your business requirements.

Or you can include images to illustrate your plan, add or remove rows, choose your preferred color pallet, and rename the pages to make them your own—all within the target market research template.

Unlocking the path to a successful product launch boils down to one word: preparation. And guess what? The ClickUp New Product Development Template has got your back! 🙌

This comprehensive market research template streamlines the product development process , ensures alignment between your team and milestones, and keeps all tasks organized for seamless collaboration. All this is possible through Custom Fields, allowing you to explore your project from various viewpoints.

The Project Summary List view neatly organizes your tasks by their project phase , from Idea Generation to Product Launch , making it a breeze to track your progress. The list also clearly displays details like Task Complexity and Impact Level through Custom Fields that you can tailor to your needs.

To observe your tasks like a hawk, open the Process Kanban Board view , which turns tasks into cards and groups them by their phases. It’s your go-to spot to quickly identify which tasks are in the pipeline from conceptualization to launch. 

Use the Timeline view for a linear display of your tasks, grouped by the teams working on them and color-coded by phase. This view allows you to efficiently monitor your task schedules and durations by giving you control over your workflow!

You can drag a task to reschedule or tweak its duration by dragging its edges.

Your product’s value directly reflects what your customers think, right? That’s why it’s crucial to figure out where your product slots into the marketplace and how you want your customers to perceive it.

Discover the perfect shortcut to those answers—the ClickUp Product Positioning Template —to implement into your business strategy. This tool helps you better understand your product and find that ideal niche in your target market.

Start by evaluating the product you want to launch in the Product Positioning Assessment view , with pre-made fields like: 

• Product name and description
• Market segment
• Target launch date
• Unique selling points
• Pain points 

Customize the form by renaming the available fields or adding custom ones.

Distribute the form to your team members, and once completed, all the valuable information automatically appears in the Product List view . This view is where you can review the details covered in the form, assign tasks to team members, set priorities , and group tasks by status.

This template also offers a Product Positioning Map Whiteboard view . It features a graph as a visual aid for showcasing how your upcoming product stacks up in terms of value for money compared to the competition. 

Competitive analysis isn’t just a fancy term—it’s your secret weapon if you’re gearing up to introduce a fresh product or service. The ClickUp Competitive Analysis Template is your trusty sidekick for this mission. It assists in revealing competitor strengths and weaknesses, providing a comprehensive industry overview , and cooking up strategies to outshine the competition and nail down your target audience. 🌟

To start your competitive analysis , brainstorm a list of potential competitors. Think about where your customers might go if they didn’t choose your company. Keep it realistic—aim for a list of up to 10 names, leaving time for thorough market research.

After you’ve completed the research, use the provided Matrix to place the competitor’s product concerning the Market Presence and Satisfaction axes. Use the Legend to help you understand the product type , including:

• High market presence and high satisfaction
• High market presence and low satisfaction
• High satisfaction and low market presence
• Low satisfaction and low market presence

Duplicate a color-coded sticky note that matches your product type and drag it over to the quadrant where it fits the best. The Matrix is split into four sections to help you decide whether a product is a Contender , a Leader , a Niche , or a High Performer.

This business strategy template gives you the ultimate freedom to play around with its elements. Add, tweak, and place them wherever you like in the interactive Whiteboard view. 

Have you ever found yourself scratching your head, wondering what your customers want? The ClickUp Customer Journey Map Template is a handy tool that can help you out! 🛠️

Think of it as a guide to better understanding your ideal customer’s user persona . By mapping their journey, you can uncover their needs and expectations and come up with sensible strategies to improve your products and services for your target audience.

This Whiteboard template brims with handy question prompts about customer actions, experiences, touchpoints, and solutions. The template leads you through three key stages:

• Awareness : You introduce customers to your business and what it offers
• Consideration : They start considering your business as a solution to their needs, leading them to research your products or services and compare them to other options 
• Conversion : They go from pondering to action and become paying customers

Each of these stages comes with pre-made sticky notes to get you started, but you’ve got the creative license to add more. Give the Whiteboard a personal touch with freehand drawing, create shapes, insert images, use connectors, and add text from focus groups, customer research, or any market research examples you own. 

If you’re looking for a structured framework to streamline market research, the Word Market Research Plan Template by FlexMR is a handy solution. It’s divided into well-structured sections for every step and features tips and instructions on how to use them.

This Word template is fully customizable, allowing you to modify colors, change font and letter size, add rows and columns to pre-made tables or include graphs and charts. ✍🏻

Use its first section to provide a brief business background. Then, define the project’s scope and specify what you expect to achieve at the project’s conclusion, including target response numbers, data presentation guidelines, and the influence of data on future decision-making .

Additional details the template covers are:

• Target Audience : Describe the customers you aim to research, considering age, demographics, and interactions with the company or product
• Sample Plan : Detail the number of participants you intend to research
• Research Methods : Include qualitative and quantitative methods
• Timeline : Present a project timeline, breaking down tasks and accounting for variations in response rates
• Budget : Outline the budget, providing a cost breakdown and highlighting areas requiring investment
• Ethical Considerations : Address ethical and other considerations that may arise during the project, like conflict of interest with suppliers

To finish up, add Further Considerations to include anything the previous sections don’t cover.

One way to conduct effective market research is through a survey. If you’re unsure about the questions to include for optimal results or need a structured framework to streamline the process, try the Word General Market Survey Template by BusinessInABox. 

This two-page Word document contains open-ended and multiple-choice questions for an effective customer case study . They provide all the essential information to understand the market you’re involved in or planning to enter.

The questions in the template cover customer information like:

• Age and gender
• Education level
• Marital status
• Total annual income 

As this is a Word template, customize it however you like ! Add or tweak questions to dig into the specifics you’re curious about, and make the survey longer or shorter. Feeling fancy? Give it a personal touch by using a different font or changing the background color!

Crack the Code to Market Domination with These Essential Market Research Templates

Market research can be a wild ride, but these top-notch market research templates make it smooth sailing. From gaming insights into customer preferences to uncovering your competitor’s strategies, they provide a structured solution for every research step.

If you’re hungry for more research assets, dive into the ClickUp template library , where you’ll find over 1,000 user-friendly templates waiting to guide you on areas like mapping out customer journeys , performing competitor analysis , and nailing down product positioning with minimal effort. ✌

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How to Write a Market Research Plan (+ Free Template)

Chris martin, how to tell your insights’ story.

If you search "storytelling in insight" on any search engine, you get lots of results as to WHY we s...

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A market research plan, similar to a brief, is a vital document that details important information about your market research project. Though it is often an overlooked step of the market research process , an effective plan is often a critical factor in determining whether or not your market research efforts are successful.

Why? Because a well-thought through plan, more so than objectives alone, can be a vital instrument in focusing your investment. It ensures you know, ahead of the commencement date, the timeline, budget and desired outcomes from the project. It can even be used as a tool for receiving quicker sign-off from management when embarking on a new venture.

But it’s also important to remember that the research plan is not just for your team. To make full use of this document, it should be written in a way that can be distributed to agency partners as well – ensuring that your insight team and specialist partners are all working towards the same goal.

Tips for Crafting a Successful Plan

The first rule of writing a successful market research plan is to keep it short. The perfect length is between 1-2 pages, but as an absolute maximum try to ensure that it never exceeds 3. This will give you enough space to explain the background, scope and practicalities of the project while ensuring it is concise enough to be read in full. Throughout these few short pages, the tone of your plan should be informative. Remember that you are outlining information that you already know.

Write in a way that holistically encompasses all aspects of the project. Throughout the duration of your scripting, data collection, analysis and reporting stages of your project you should always be referring back to this document in order to remain focused. As any researcher knows, one of the biggest challenges in any research project is staying true to your original objectives.

With both exploratory and confirmatory research alike, new information is likely to arise which may spark other ideas or bring light to previously unknown issues. Remember these, but set them aside for further investigation at a later date. Travelling too far down the rabbit hole is the quickest way to overspend and under deliver on your original goal.

The 10 Elements of the Best Research Plans

First, let me preface this with a reminder: every project is different. A long term co-creation community will have different needs and requirements to a customer feedback survey or ad testing project. However, despite this – it is important to give equal consideration to all projects, and plan each with the same high degree of meticulous care. With this in mind, these are the 10 key aspects we recommend that all research plans should include:

1. Overview

Use this first section to outline the background to the problem that you are attempting to solve. Include background information on the business to provide context, as well as the circumstances that have led to the need for research. Overviews should be limited to 200 words at most, with most of the word count dedicated to the business circumstances & challenges surrounding the research.

2. Objectives

Arguably the most important aspect of the entire document, objectives should be in bullet point format. List 3-5 of the decisions or initiatives that the research will inform – this will become the remit of the project. Below are a few examples of both well and poorly written objectives:

Well written research objectives:

• Understand the channels in which our customers are most comfortable shopping, in order to decide which should be prioritised in the 2017 Q1 budget
• Develop an active co-creation community that contributes 2 user-generated product improvements for testing to the R & D team per month
• Learn what is leading to an increase in customer churn so that a new retention strategy can be put in place within 12 weeks

Poorly written research objectives:

• Survey 1,000 potential customers to find out how our products can be improved
• Develop a panel of employees that are able to provide answers to research questions on an ad-hoc basis
• Learn how our company is perceived in comparison to competitors and how we can stand out in the marketplace

3. Deliverable outcomes

This section acts as a list what you expect to be produced at the end of the project. This can include, but is not limited to: a target number of responses you expect to receive, descriptions of how the data should be presented and the extent to which the data will be used to inform future decisions. In long term projects such as panels or communities, this may include a target for the amount of decisions that research is expected to inform and/or a pipeline for new ideas in exploratory studies.

4. Target audience

Different to sample, your target audience describes the population that you wish to research. This can be defined by a number of factors depending on the nature of your project. Some of the most common include: demographics, psychographics, life stages and company/ product interaction.

5. Sample plan

The sample plan should be used to indicate the amount of participants you wish to research, as well as a breakdown of each group. This will be affected by the choice to use qualitative, quantitative or multi-method approaches, as well as the estimated size of the target population.

6. Research Methods

List the different research methods that you plan to use in your project. This will be used by your team and agency partners to ensure that the insight you need comes from the most appropriate tools. Be sure to include any non-traditional methods you plan to use as well – it’s important that your team are aware of how data will be captured, even if it is being gathered by an experimental technique.

7. Timeline

These usually take the form of a Gantt chart, but can vary depending on the scope and length of your project. Try to break down tasks as much as possible but be wary of dependencies within your chart. Be sure to schedule enough time in case some research tasks over-run or response rates are lower than expected.

Perhaps the most dreaded aspect of any research plan, budgeting is never easy. But by providing a breakdown of costs and outlining which elements of the project require most investment, a well-planned budget can be a benefit rather than a hurdle.

9 & 10. Ethical and Further considerations

Finally, you should outline any ethical/ other considerations or issues that may arise throughout the course of your project. Whether these are as simple as a conflict of interest or a concern about supplier relationships – this is your chance to address any problems that may arise before they do.

Free Market Research Plan Template

Use this link to download our   free market research plan template . The template comes complete with each of the sections outlined above, with instructions on usage and tips on how to make the most out of it. Currently available in .docx format, please email   [email protected]  if you have any problems with the download.

What do you believe should be included in a successful market research plan? Share your advice with us in the comments below and join the conversation.

About FlexMR

We are The Insights Empowerment Company. We help research, product and marketing teams drive informed decisions with efficient, scalable & impactful insight.

About Chris Martin

Chris is an experienced executive and marketing strategist in the insight and technology sectors. He also hosts our MRX Lab podcast.

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How to write a market research brief?

At the STR Tourism and Consumer Insights department, we are frequently asked for quotes and proposals from companies that require market research services. In most cases, however, we need to clarify a few specifics before we can outline an approach and costs.

In this blog, we’re giving some guidance on how to write a market research brief so you are able to provide the information every market research company will be looking for before providing a quote.

1. Write a few sentences about yourself

It is always useful to know the sector and industry you work in as well as the client-base or stakeholders you serve. It would also be useful to know the department you work in (e.g. marketing, sales, product development, etc.).

2. Identify what you want to achieve from the market research?

The ideal brief clarifies what exactly you require market research services for. For example, the research objective could be to evaluate  customer satisfaction  with a product; or you may want to evaluate the success of a marketing campaign.

Every market research company is keen to understand the main research objective as well as additional objectives that may cluster around your main question.

If you struggle to identify your research question(s) it may help to think of the statements and claims you would like to make as a result of the study. For example, you may want to be able to say things like: “Our market research has found that 90% are satisfied with X”. Or: “Our market research has found that the preferred strap-line is…”

3. Provide information of your target audience

Your target audience could simply be a nationally representative sample of the British population. But depending on your research objectives and your customer base, your target audience may also be quite difficult to reach. For example, in 2015 we were commissioned to evaluate the success of a veterinary service’s marketing campaign run in Bournemouth. As a result, the target audience were pet owners in the area.

At STR, we frequently work with destination marketing bureaus, hotels and other tourism and travel related businesses. If your target audience were frequent travellers, you could tap into  our panel  comprised of thousands of international travellers.

Bear in mind that market research services can be provided more cost-effectively if you hold contact details (e.g. email addresses or telephone numbers) of those you seek feedback from.

In summary, for a market research company to provide a quote, your brief should clearly identify the target audience that you seek feedback from and please do specify if you hold a database of your target audience.

4. Clarify your preferred methodology

You should approach a full-service market research company for a quote to make sure you get a balanced recommendation. But regardless of that recommendation you may have your own ideas about the best research approach and you should share your view with the market research company you contact.

Most commonly market research services follow either  qualitative  – e.g. focus groups, depth-interviews – or  quantitative  approaches – e.g. online surveys, telephone interviews, face-to-face surveys.

5. Share your timescales

The ideal market research brief identifies the project milestones and time references from agency appointment, set-up meeting to delivery of final report or debrief (if required).

6. Establish the deliverables

Do you want the study’s findings to be presented in a raw data format such as excel or a discursive written report? Do you also require the market research company to provide a face-to-face debrief? A good brief summarises how you expect the findings from market research services to be presented and delivered.

7. Your budget for the market research services you require

Every market research company is keen to know the budget you are working with. This is not a simple-minded evaluation of “what’s in it for me”, but rather a case of tailoring the services to your specifications. An indication of budgets informs all aspects of the market research – from sampling, methodology to deliverable.

As a potential client, try to remain realistic: If your audience is hard to reach, the preferred methodology is labour-intense, the reporting requirements exhaustive but your budget is tight, be prepared for a market research company to make recommendations on what else is possible within that budget.

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Market Research Brief Template

Market research plays a crucial role in the success of any business. By providing valuable insights into customers, competitors, and market trends, it helps companies make informed decisions and develop effective strategies. A well-designed market research brief is the foundation of any successful research project. It helps define the objectives, scope, and methodologies of the research, ensuring that the right information is collected and analyzed to meet the organization's needs.

1. Introduction to Market Research Briefs

Before delving into the details of market research briefs, let's first understand what they are and why they are important.

What is a market research brief?

A market research brief is a document that outlines the objectives, scope, methodologies, and timelines for a research project. It acts as a roadmap for the research team, guiding them through the process of data collection, analysis, and reporting.

Importance of market research briefs

Market research briefs are essential for several reasons. Firstly, they help clarify the purpose of the research and ensure that it aligns with the organization's goals. By clearly defining the research objectives, they provide a clear direction for the research team, ensuring that everyone is on the same page.

Secondly, market research briefs help identify the target audience and market segment. Understanding who the research is meant to serve allows the team to design appropriate data collection methods and analyze the results in a way that is relevant and meaningful to the intended audience.

Lastly, market research briefs help allocate resources and budget effectively. By clearly identifying the research goals and methodologies upfront, organizations can allocate the necessary resources, whether it be time, money, or personnel, to execute the research in the most efficient and cost-effective manner.

Objective and purpose of the research

The first step in creating a market research brief is to clearly articulate the research objective and purpose. This section should outline what the organization hopes to achieve through the research, whether it be gaining insights into customer preferences, understanding market trends, or assessing the viability of a new product or service.

By defining the objective and purpose, the research team can focus their efforts on collecting the right information and analyzing it in a way that addresses the organization's needs.

Target audience and market segment

Identifying the target audience is a critical step in market research. This section of the brief should provide a detailed description of the target audience and the specific market segment the research aims to study.

Understanding the target audience allows the research team to tailor their data collection methods and analysis techniques to gather meaningful insights. It helps ensure that the research findings are relevant and applicable to the intended audience.

Research methodology and approach

Choosing the right research methodology and approach is essential in obtaining accurate and reliable results. This section of the market research brief should outline the proposed research methods, whether it be quantitative, qualitative, or a combination of both.

Additionally, it should discuss the data collection techniques, such as surveys, interviews, observations, or focus groups, that will be used to gather information from the target audience. The brief should also mention any specific tools or software that will be utilized to assist in data collection and analysis.

Identifying the research goals

In this section, the market research brief should outline specific research goals that align with the research objectives. These goals should be measurable and clearly defined, allowing the research team to track progress and evaluate the success of the research project.

For example, if the research objective is to understand customer preferences, a research goal could be to identify the key factors that drive purchasing decisions. By setting clear research goals, the team can focus their efforts on collecting the necessary data and analyzing it in a way that addresses these goals.

Formulating specific research questions

Formulating specific research questions helps guide the data collection process and provides a framework for analyzing the findings. This section of the market research brief should outline the specific research questions that the research team aims to answer.

Research questions should be clear, concise, and directly related to the research objectives. They should focus on gathering information that will help the organization make informed decisions or develop effective strategies.

Conducting demographic analysis

Demographic analysis involves studying the characteristics of a population, such as age, gender, income, and education level. This section of the market research brief should outline how demographic analysis will be conducted and why it is important.

By analyzing demographic data, organizations can gain insights into their target audience's preferences, behaviors, and needs. This information can then be used to tailor marketing strategies, product development, and customer experiences to better meet the needs of the target market.

Identifying customer preferences and needs

Understanding customer preferences and needs is crucial for any business. This section of the market research brief should outline the methods that will be used to identify and analyze customer preferences and needs, such as surveys, interviews, or focus groups.

By gathering this information, organizations can determine what their customers value most and what factors influence their purchasing decisions. This knowledge can then be used to develop products and services that meet customer needs and preferences, ultimately leading to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Quantitative research methods

Quantitative research involves gathering numerical data and analyzing it statistically. This section of the market research brief should outline the quantitative research methods that will be used, such as surveys or experiments, and explain why they are appropriate for the research objectives.

Quantitative research provides valuable insights into market trends, customer behaviors, and the effectiveness of marketing campaigns. By collecting and analyzing numerical data, organizations can make data-driven decisions that have a higher chance of success.

Qualitative research methods

Qualitative research involves gathering non-numerical data, such as opinions, perceptions, and experiences, and analyzing it in a subjective manner. This section of the market research brief should outline the qualitative research methods that will be used, such as interviews or focus groups, and explain why they are appropriate for the research objectives.

Qualitative research provides a deeper understanding of customer motivations, attitudes, and perceptions. It allows organizations to uncover valuable insights that may not be captured by quantitative data alone and provides a more holistic view of the target market.

Creating a timeline and milestones

A well-defined timeline is essential for managing the research project effectively. This section of the market research brief should outline the key milestones and deadlines for each phase of the research project.

By creating a timeline, the research team can ensure that the project stays on track and that all activities are completed within the specified timeframes. It also allows stakeholders to monitor progress and make adjustments as necessary.

Allocating resources and budget

Allocating resources and budget is a crucial aspect of any research project. This section of the market research brief should outline the resources, whether it be personnel, equipment, or software, that will be needed to execute the research project successfully.

Additionally, it should include a budget breakdown that outlines the estimated costs for each phase of the research project. By allocating resources and budget effectively, organizations can ensure that the research project can be executed without any unnecessary delays or constraints.

Data collection techniques

This section of the market research brief should outline the specific data collection techniques that will be used, such as surveys, interviews, or observation. It should also discuss the rationale behind selecting these techniques and explain how they will help gather the necessary information.

Choosing the right data collection techniques is crucial for obtaining accurate and reliable data. Each technique has its strengths and limitations, and understanding these factors will help ensure that the research findings are robust and meaningful.

Data analysis methods

Data analysis is a critical step in converting raw data into actionable insights. This section of the market research brief should outline the specific data analysis methods that will be used, such as statistical analysis, content analysis, or thematic coding.

The chosen data analysis methods should align with the research objectives and the type of data collected. They should provide a structured approach to analyzing and interpreting the data, allowing the research team to draw meaningful conclusions.

Drawing conclusions from the data

In this section of the market research brief, the research team should outline how they will draw conclusions from the data collected. This may involve identifying patterns, trends, or correlations in the data and using them to make informed judgments or decisions.

Conclusions should be based on evidence and supported by the data collected during the research project. By drawing sound conclusions, organizations can make informed decisions that have a higher likelihood of success.

Presenting research findings effectively

Presenting research findings effectively is essential to ensure that the insights gained from the research are understood and utilized by the intended audience. This section of the market research brief should outline how the research findings will be presented, whether it be through written reports, presentations, or visual representations.

The chosen presentation format should be clear, concise, and visually appealing, facilitating easy comprehension and interpretation of the research findings. It should highlight the key insights and their implications for the organization.

Translating research insights into actionable strategies

The ultimate goal of market research is to translate the insights gained from the research into actionable strategies. This section of the market research brief should outline how the research insights will be used to inform decision-making and strategy development.

By connecting the research findings to specific actions and strategies, organizations can leverage the insights gained to improve their products, services, marketing initiatives, and overall business performance.

Monitoring and evaluating the outcomes

Monitoring and evaluating the outcomes of the research is essential to assess the effectiveness of the research project and identify areas of improvement. This section of the market research brief should outline how the outcomes will be monitored and evaluated.

By tracking the outcomes and evaluating the impact of the research, organizations can continuously improve their research practices and ensure that future research projects are even more effective.

Recap of the market research brief template

To recap, a market research brief is a comprehensive document that outlines the objectives, scope, methodologies, and timelines for a research project. It acts as a roadmap for the research team, guiding them through the process of data collection, analysis, and reporting.

By following the structure outlined in this market research brief template, organizations can ensure that their research projects are well-planned, executed effectively, and provide valuable insights that drive informed decision-making.

Final thoughts on the importance of market research briefs

Market research briefs play a crucial role in ensuring the success of market research projects. They provide a clear roadmap for the research team, guiding them through the process of data collection, analysis, and reporting. By defining the research objectives, scope, and methodologies upfront, market research briefs help ensure that the right information is collected and analyzed to meet the organization's needs.

Additionally, market research briefs help allocate resources and budget effectively, identify the target audience and market segment, and translate research insights into actionable strategies. They lay the foundation for evidence-based decision-making and foster a deeper understanding of customers, competitors, and market trends.

In conclusion, market research briefs are an essential tool for organizations seeking to gain a competitive edge in today's fast-paced business environment. By investing time and effort into creating well-designed market research briefs, organizations can unlock valuable insights that inform their strategies and drive their success.

Marketing & Creative Brief Templates

Looking for the perfect briefing template?

Well, you're in the right place. Briefs are about directing and inspiring your agency. And brief templates allow you to structure the information you need to communicate.

We’ve analysed over a thousand briefs to bring you the simplest, most effective briefing templates. All for free, of course.

What is the difference between a marketing, creative, media, and production brief?

This can be confusing, even if you've been in the marketing industry for years.

Here are some quick definitions of each kind of brief...

Marketing brief : Sometimes called a client brief, this brief is written by the marketing team in a client organisation and used to brief their advertising or marketing agency on a new project. (Confusingly, some clients will call this a project brief 🙄)

Media brief : This is marketing brief but specifically written for a media agency. Usually it's asking the agency to produce a media plan for a campaign or product launch or for the next year.

Creative brief : This brief is usually written by the advertising agency (or in-house creative studio) to brief their creative team. It will normally be based on the marketing brief that the agency received from their client.

Production brief : This is typically a more executional brief, written by a client or agency and shared with a production studio. The creative idea and media plan will have been established and this brief will detail what assets are needed and for when.

Marketing Brief Template

The all-rounder. great for most campaign and media briefs..

If you're a marketer who's writing a brief for an agency, this is likely the only briefing template you’ll need.

• Brief Summary
• Business Challenge
• Objectives & KPIs
• Target Audience
• Key Messages
• Opportunities & Inspo
• Considerations
• Deliverables
• Stakeholders
• Key Resources

Some things to bear in mind when writing a campaign brief:

Adapting for your use case

If you're writing a smaller Social or Digital brief, you can afford to be lighter on some of the sections, but you may want to include platform-specific insights in your considerations.

If you're writing an Influencer brief, be very clear on what they can and can't say (otherwise, we promise, they'll mess it up).

If you're writing a Design or Production brief, your deliverables should be well specified.

Now you've got your template... want to write the perfect brief? Check out our no-nonsense guide to brief writing, starting with ' How to write the perfect brief '.

Creative Brief Template

A brief template for marketers or agencies who are briefing creatives directly..

If you're agency that has received a client brief and now needs to brief your creative team or if you're a marketer that is briefing in-house creatives directly, this template is for you.

• Communications Objective
• Problem Definition
• Brand/ Product Truth
• Audience Insight
• Strategic Proposition
• Key Messages & RTBs
• Category Truth
• Cultural Lever

Some things to bear in mind when writing a creative brief:

Really want to nail your creative brief? Check out our collection of articles designed to get you writing great briefs at Briefing 101 .

Now start writing

How to write the perfect marketing brief

How to write the perfect creative brief

How to start writing a marketing brief

How to define your marketing challenge

How to set marketing objectives

How to segment your market

How to find your target audience

How to write a value proposition

How to craft key messages

How to brief a market research agency – plus free briefing template

• By Jeremy Braune
• February 12, 2021

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1. Introduction

When it comes to briefing a market research agency , the quality of the information you provide is crucial. Quite simply, the better the information, the better the proposal – and the quicker you will receive it.

This article has been compiled for anyone who is unsure what information is required in order to obtain a great market research proposal.

In it we outline the sections of the ‘ideal’ market research brief, as well as explaining within each section what information is most helpful – and why.

And don’t worry if you can’t provide all the information suggested. Whatever you can provide will act as a starting point for a conversation during which the agency.

At the end of this article we’ve also providing a link to a downloadable and editable market research agency briefing form that has been designed to collect the information outlined in this article.

2. Requirement overview

Here you should just lay out in a sentence what the research will be about and where it needs to take place. For example;

• Qualitative research to explore a new push chair concept with UK mums
• Survey of SME purchase decision-makers regarding IT support contracts in USA, UK, Germany and France

3.     Your company and its offer

Next, provide your agency with some useful detail about your company. For example; whether you are a B2C or B2B organisation, your location (especially if outside UK), your products or services, channels to market, customer base and key competitors .

In fact, anything that provides context that will help the agency understand you and your research needs better.

A link to your website will also be helpful.

4.     The business requirement

Before explaining your specific market research needs, it is very helpful for the research agency to understand the wider business context of the research; e.g. the business circumstances that have led to the need for this research and how the research findings will be used.

This information helps the research agency to ensure that the research approach and deliverables it recommends will not only meet your research needs, but will also be suitable more broadly.

5.     The market research objectives

This is probably the most important part of the research brief so it’s worth taking time over!

It’s where you provide a list of the project objectives and / or the questions that you need the research to answer.  Bullet points are fine and the more detail here the better!

The research agency will use the objectives you provide to identify the best research approach and develop the individual questions that it will ask in the research.

The agency will also use your stated objectives to identify if/ where it thinks there are gaps in the insights you are seeking, or whether it can usefully suggest additional objectives that could provide added value for no additional cost.

6.      Preferred approach

If you have any thoughts or expectations regarding the research methodology (e.g. quantitative / online survey or combined), its always good to include these.

It’s helpful for the research agency to understand your methodological expectations or preferences at this point, because there is often more than one way to approach a project.

And if the research agency doesn’t agree with your preferred approach, it will (tactfully!) explain why.

7.     Research recruitment profile

In this section you should provide details of the individuals who will be recruited to take part in the research.

Don’t worry if you don’t have much detail, or if you aren’t sure. Its important context for the research agency and they will build on it with you later, if required.

If its for a B2C project you can provide details of the relevant consumer segment(s); their demographics, defining attitudes, preferences, behaviours etc.  

And if its for a B2B market research project , then you can include details about the target customer segment(s); their industry sector(s), company size, locations, job titles etc.  

Respondent recruitment and incentivisation accounts for a significant portion of the overall project cost and, as a rule of thumb, the more criteria that are included in the final recruitment specification, the more expensive this element of the project will be.

As a result, its worth separating those recruitment criteria that are must – haves and those which are just nice-to-have s.

If you have an idea of the numbers you would like the research agency to recruit, add that here too.  And if you don’t, don’t worry! The agency will help you to identify the right number for your project.

8.     Timing

If you need the project to either start of finish by a certain date then let the agency know at the outset.

If the timing is tight, for example, it could affect the methodology that is selected or the extent of the research exercise that can be undertaken.

Your agency will also need to confirm that it has the necessary resource to kick-off your project at short notice.

9.     Reporting

When it comes to reporting the research findings, different formats and levels of detail will have different price tags, so it’s worth specifying what you need.

For example, if the project is quantitative, you may wish to receive data only, so that you can save on cost by doing the analysis yourselves. Otherwise, you may want full analysis and reporting.

And if the project is qualitative, the research agency will typically cost for the provision of a detailed report which includes illustrative quotes from the participants. You may also wish to have edited video footage of the research to bring to life key elements of the debrief.

On the other hand, you may prefer a shorter, more cost-effective, top line report that excludes verbatim. Its a good option if your are just interested in the headlines, or if you are under time constraints

10.     Budget

This is always a tricky one! An agency will always understand if a client prefers not to give an indication of budget.

However, it can be really helpful, because it means that you receive a proposal tailored to your budget from the outset, rather than something that is either too expensive, or too modest in scope.

11.  Any other information

Here you can add any other information you think may be important.

For example;

• Are there any other agencies involved in the project that the researchers will need to be aware of?
• Will you or your agencies wish to view the research live?
• Will the research agency need access to your client database for recruitment purposes and do you know if you have the necessary Data Privacy permissions to contact them

To download an editable briefing template in Word, please use this LINK

Otherwise, you can contact Brandspeak directly on +44 0203 858 0052 or at [email protected]

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Dtx in the u.s. medical sector: a 2024 brief featuring the market's leading and most disruptive companies.

Dublin, May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "DTx in Medical - Thematic Research" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The DTx market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25% from 2022 to 2030 in the US. This report is a thematic brief, which identifies those companies most likely to succeed in a world filled with disruptive threats. Inside, the research predicts how each theme will evolve and identify the leading and disrupting companies.

DTx integrates with other digital health tools

Interoperability standards and protocols enable DTx to share data with other digital health tools and platforms. As such, DTx are designed to seamlessly integrate with digital health devices and tools such as electronic medical record (EMR) systems and the broader healthcare system. Many DTx leverage data from wearable devices and sensors to monitor a patient's health in real time, and some come in the form of mHealth apps, allowing DTx to integrate easily into telemedicine platforms. DTx aim to provide connected and comprehensive workflows that provide clinical insights.

DTx can improve patient care

DTx can provide clinical interventions directly to patients through software to treat, manage, and prevent a large spectrum of diseases. They enable the remote patient monitoring of patients, allowing healthcare professionals to track their progress and treatment plans, as well as identify potential issues in real time. DTx generate large amounts of data, and the insights derived from that data help healthcare providers to make informed decisions, identify patterns, and optimize treatment strategies for better patient outcomes.

Reasons to Buy

The thematic research ecosystem is a single, integrated global research platform that provides an easy-to-use framework for tracking all themes across all companies in all sectors. It has a proven track record of identifying the important themes early, enabling companies to make the right investments ahead of the competition, and secure that all-important competitive advantage.

Develop and design your corporate strategies through an in-house expert analysis of digital therapeutics by understanding the primary ways in which this theme is impacting the healthcare industry.

Stay up to date on the industry's major players and where they sit in the value chain.

Identify emerging industry trends to gain a competitive advantage.

Key Topics Covered

Executive Summary

Thematic Briefing

Industry Analysis

Value Chain

Sector Scorecard

Further Reading

Thematic Research Methodology

A selection of companies mentioned in this report includes, but is not limited to:

Omada Health

Teledoc Health

Sword Health

Click Therapeutics

DarioHealth

Kaia Health

AstraZeneca

Akili Interactive

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/mrfmnc

About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

Stock Market Update

[BRIEFING.COM] The major indices turned lower recently, leading the S&P 500 to slide below the 5,100 level. Only one S&P 500 sector trades higher now -- health care (+0.4%) -- while the remaining ten sectors show declines ranging from 0.2% to 1.3%.

The Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index dropped to 97.0 in April (Briefing.com consensus 104.0) from a downwardly revised 103.1 (from 104.7) in March. April marked the third straight decline in the index and the lowest reading since July 2022.

The key takeaway from the report is that consumers are generally more positive about present conditions than they are about future business conditions, job availability, and income, which is a view that could portend a slowdown in discretionary spending should their worries about income security increase.

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Hospital mergers are leading to higher prices. Will regulators step in?

According to new research, hospital mergers, especially cross-market mergers, have led to significant price increases for patients — findings that could impact regulatory scrutiny of future healthcare transactions. 

The regional health plan's guide to growth through diversification

How mergers have impacted healthcare costs.

In a new study published in American Economic Review: Insights , researchers analyzed 1,164 mergers that took place between 2000 and 2020 among the country's 5,000 acute-care hospitals.

Overall, the researchers found that mergers increased prices by an average of 1.6% over two years. In deals that provided hospitals with significant market power under federal guidelines, prices increased by an average of 5.2%. These price increases also increased national health spending by $204 million on average in the year after a merger.

"Since 2000, hospital prices have grown faster than prices in any other sector of the economy," said Zack Cooper, an associate professor of economics and of health policy at Yale University and one of the study's authors. "The average price of an inpatient admission is now nearly $25,000."

Mergers in rural areas with lower incomes and higher poverty rates saw the largest average increases in prices, primarily for outpatient services. This larger price increase could be due to fewer outpatient surgery centers competing for patients' businesses, the researchers said.

The researchers also noted that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) could have flagged 238 of the mergers, or 20%, as being likely to reduce competition or raise prices based on standard screening tools. However, only 13 mergers, or 1%, were ultimately challenged by FTC.

In a separate study published in Health Services Research , researchers found that cross-market mergers — which FTC has yet to challenge — also led to higher healthcare costs. The study analyzed commercial claims data from the Health Care Cost Institute from 2009 to 2017. In total, the study included 214 hospitals that acquired hospitals from more than 50 miles away and 955 control hospitals.

The researchers found that cross-market mergers increased healthcare prices by almost 13% over six years. Price increases were even higher when the acquired hospital had a larger market share than the acquiring hospital, growing by 21.8%. When the acquiring hospital had the larger market share, prices increased by 9.7%.

According to STAT+ , these findings are similar to other existing studies on cross-market mergers. For example, a 2019 study found that prices increased by 31% if acquiring hospitals had a small market share and purchased hospitals a large one and by 18% if the opposite was true.

"The findings stand for themselves as yet another demonstration that these mergers really are causing price increases," said Katherine Gudiksen, executive editor of the Source on Healthcare Price and Competition at the University of California College of Law, San Francisco , and one of the study's authors.

Hospitals and regulators are at odds over mergers

For their part, hospitals claim that mergers create efficiencies and allow organizations to combine resources for more strategic investments and to improve quality. Research has also shown that operating costs drop by an average of 4% to 7% at acquired hospitals after a deal.

The American Hospital Association (AHA) has also pushed back on both studies, and called the study on cross-market mergers "seriously flawed." Aaron Wesolowski, AHA's VP of research strategy and policy communications, said that the Arnold Foundation , which funded the study, has a "long track record of backing anti-hospital hit jobs."

At the same time, regulatory scrutiny of healthcare transactions has increased, with FTC challenging recent acquisitions in California and North Carolina.

In addition, FTC and the Department of Justice (DOJ) last year finalized new merger guidelines that aim to limit certain types of consolidation. Under the guidelines, organizations would not be allowed to merge if doing so prevents a potential competitor from entering the market or reduces incentives to pay higher wages.

The guidelines also lower the necessary threshold for regulatory review to a minimum market index of 1,800 or an increase of at least 100 in a highly concentrated market on the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index. FTC and DOJ have also said they plan to study any mergers where a combined company holds at least a 30% market share — a concentration that many hospital mergers exceed.

"Clients are thinking earlier, longer and harder about antitrust risk, baking in a longer potential timeline, more scrutiny and risk in deals being cleared," said Alexis Gilman, a partner at Crowell & Moring who focuses on antitrust issues. "For deals that are in the new threshold of what is now called highly concentrated markets, those are the deals that are likely to cause a lot more second thoughts."

Advisory Board's M&A resources

For more insights on the impact of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) on healthcare, check out these Advisory Board resources:

Medical group consolidation is growing and reshaping the physician landscape. This cheat sheet explains why consolidation matters, what's driving the trend, and which specialties have been impacted the most. Separately, this expert insight outlines the four must-answer questions for industry consolidation.

For post-acute care organizations, this research explains the current state of post-acute M&A, including the acquisition patterns leaders can expect to see and market trends that could affect interest in future investments.

We also offer a market insights report on how regional health plans can grow through diversification, as well as an infographic on how health insurers are diversifying their revenue streams. (Taylor, Becker's Hospital CFO Report , 4/25; Evans, Wall Street Journal , 4/24; Bannow, STAT+ [subscription required], 4/23)

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Posted on April 29, 2024

Updated on April 29, 2024

How Ballad Health developed a physician governance model to support integration

Integration change management toolkit

4 goals for successful medical group integration

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Special Report

China Credit Brief - April 2024

Mon 29 Apr, 2024 - 11:50 PM ET

Rising risks to China’s public finances signal a potentially reduced capacity to extend extraordinary support to other entities, says Fitch Ratings. This is reflected in our decision to revise the Outlooks on several issuers to Negative, following revision of the sovereign Outlook to Negative. GDP growth accelerated to 5.3% in 1Q24, amid stepped-up government stimulus. However, lingering subdued domestic demand and deflation risk - evident in the lower nominal GDP growth rate - remain challenges. Fitch believes fiscal policy is increasingly likely to play an important role in supporting growth, which could keep sovereign debt on a steady upward trend. Fitch has revised rating Outlooks to Negative as of 25 April for around 130 entities, mostly central or local government-related entities (GREs) in our corporate and public finance portfolios and their subsidiaries. Outlook revisions for the locally owned GREs are based on Fitch’s revised assessment of these GREs’ respective local governments following the sovereign rating action, and do not reflect any deterioration in the entities’ standalone credit profiles. Some private corporates were also affected. The potential decline in the sovereign’s support ability led to Outlook revisions for the nine policy and state banks and China Merchants Bank Co., Ltd., while support factors for mid-tier banks remain largely intact. Outlooks were revised to Negative for several financial leasing subsidiaries and selected Hong Kong-based investment banking subsidiaries of Chinese state banks. We also expect a potential weakening in both the willingness and ability of government to support the six major Chinese insurers during times of stress. However, China Life (A+/Stable), which has stronger standalone credit profiles and whose rating does not receive government-ownership uplift, was unaffected by the sovereign action.

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ETH Zurich spin-offs develop high performance batteries

• Electrical engineering

The electrification of many areas of life is leading to an increased demand for high-performance batteries. Two ETH spin-offs are making waves in this field: while BTRY develops high-performance solid-state batteries, 8inks is working on a new standard for production.

• mode_comment Number of comments

• The ETH and Empa spin-off BTRY develops fast-charging batteries that are resistant to temperature fluctuations and suitable for a wide range of applications.
• 8inks, also an ETH spin-off, wishes to establish an innovative manufacturing technology as the industry standard, enabling it to produce customised batteries.
• Both companies see major potential on the Swiss market and are focusing on efficient battery production with maximum sustainability.

In order to reduce our CO 2 emissions, we need to electrify many areas of life and store renewable wind and solar energy. Batteries that are not only efficient but also recyclable and sustainable are an essential requirement for achieving this, as the rapidly growing demand for batteries is also pushing up the consumption of scarce raw materials such as lithium. ETH spin-offs BTRY and 8inks have recognised this problem and are working on the battery of the future by applying innovative production methods and manufacturing techniques.

Thinner than a hair

Conventional lithium-ion batteries of the sort currently used in smartphones and notebooks have a liquid electrolyte inside them. This makes the batteries sensitive to temperature fluctuations, meaning that they are easily inflammable at excessive temperatures, for example. Moreover, conventional batteries take some time to recharge.

Moritz Futscher and Abdessalem Aribia, the two founders of BTRY, have therefore developed a solid-state battery that consists of thin layers, which can shorten the charging time many times over. The two researchers entirely forego liquids both during the manufacturing process and for the components of their battery. The solid-state batteries that are currently being developed by BTRY have the major advantage of being very resistant to temperature fluctuations. They can therefore be used both at very high temperatures, such as in sensors that detect vapour leaks, and at very low temperatures, for example during the transportation of medicines.

The spin-off manufactures the battery with a special coating technique originally used for the semiconductor production. Wafer-thin battery cells are placed on top of each other in a vacuum. This unique method enables the finished battery to be recharged quickly in about one minute. Furthermore, the structure of the battery promises a lifetime around ten times longer than that of a conventional battery. The coats are so thin that the finished product, which looks like a foil, is thinner than a hair. “We are currently still using machines on a laboratory scale for the production of our batteries, and in the laboratories our batteries were the size of a pinhead. However, our goal is to establish our own pilot production in Switzerland in around two years and to develop into a global manufacturer of batteries in the long term,” explains Moritz Futscher. The batteries are to be used in many different areas, for example in IoT-sensors, in consumer electronics or in space operations.

New coating technique as industry standard

ETH spin-off 8inks stands out from other battery manufacturers with its innovative production technology. It aims to use this to replace the manufacturing standard for lithium-ion batteries that has remained largely unchanged for the last 30 years – the so-called slot die technique. Paul Baade, founder of 8inks, has developed a technique called “multilayer curtain coating”. By applying several thin coats of the active material in which the lithium-ion is stored, the coating technique can be tailored to the applicable requirements. Owing to the variety in terms of the thickness and material properties of the individual layers, the technique supports, among other things, the scaling of solid-state batteries. Another advantage of the technique is that the coating speed of the battery electrodes can be vastly accelerated and is therefore optimally suited to meet the rising demand.

The staff of 8inks are currently testing various formats, from coin batteries to pouch cells of the sort used in smartphones. The technology is to be scalable up to a larger industrial scale, for instance, for batteries in electric cars. “We aim to use our manufacturing technique to develop solutions for the storage of renewable energies. This is the only way of meeting the enormous rise in demand for high-performance batteries in the long term,” says Baade. 8inks wishes to become so firmly established on the market in the future that its technology is recognised as a new standard in the manufacture of batteries.

Exploiting the potential of the Swiss battery market

Both spin-offs are planning their future in Switzerland. Thanks to the proximity to research and well-qualified graduates, battery manufacturers here are able to launch high-quality (niche) products on the market.

For BTRY, which produces its batteries in a vacuum with a manufacturing technique used in semiconductor production, Switzerland is particularly attractive as a location because the country is renowned for its vacuum industry. “There is even the expression ‘Vacuum Valley’ used to refer to the St Gallen Rhine Valley. There are many companies located there that are active in the vacuum technology, semiconductor production and coating technique segments. This will enable us to make use of synergies and existing know-how,” says Moritz Futscher.

Paul Baade from 8inks also sees the future of his company in Switzerland: “When it comes to excellent production techniques, we can build on a very good foundation here in Switzerland. There are numerous companies developing precisely the high-quality hardware and components that will enable us to establish and market our production systems in the long term.”

Resource-efficient production

Sustainability plays a core role for both spin-offs. This includes a CO 2 -neutral manufacturing process, keeping the use of raw materials such as cobalt and lithium to a minimum. As Abdessalem Aribia, co-founder of BTRY, explains: “There are certain dependences on countries abroad, for instance, with regard to limited raw materials such as lithium. At the same time, we at BTRY aspire to use more sustainable materials in the medium term in order also to reduce our dependence on foreign producers.” Meanwhile, ETH spin-off 8inks keeps its energy outlay as low as possible by means of customised production and is simultaneously able to avoid unnecessary material wastage. It is also endeavouring to reduce the share of solvents as much as possible. Both spin-offs successfully demonstrate that sustainability and efficiency can go hand in hand – a promising path into the future.

external page BTRY call_made – A sustainable, reliable solid-state Li-ion battery that can be charged in one minute.

external page 8inks call_made – Acceleration of the production process of batteries en route to a more sustainable future.

“Energy solutions for Switzerland” series

Switzerland is to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. This calls for a fossil-free energy supply based on renewable and sustainable energy sources – a huge challenge for the country. ETH Zurich with its Energy Science Center is supporting the energy transition in Switzerland with tangible solutions from the areas of research, teaching and knowledge transfer. In this series we present some of these solutions. Already published:

Strengthening Swiss hydropower with science

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