Why Market Research is Important to the Growth of your Business

Why market research is important to the growth of your business

It is simple to undervalue the significance of market research. After all, investing hours in market research is the last thing on your mind when you initially get an idea for a business. Most of us would prefer get our business up and running straight away than consider the importance of marketing research.

But market research is crucial for every kind of business. This is particularly true for small enterprises, where the initial months can be very uncertain. Market research helps guarantee that sales and consumers keep coming in for new enterprises, who need both as quickly as feasible.

Firstly, we should clarify “What is Market Research?”

You must first be familiar with marketing research in order to appreciate its significance. Market research is just what companies refer to their effort to learn more about their target customers; it is not a particular technique or activity.

It can be defined as the process of acquiring, processing, and interpreting data to assist in resolving marketing-related problems. We utilise market research for many different purposes because it helps us make informed choices, such as deciding whether it would be feasible to introduce a new product before investing time and money into the project. 

You should always be learning about your company’s environment, your clients, and their requirements and preferences, so treat it as an ongoing task. Since the environment is always changing, it’s crucial to do your research and comprehend the factors that can change and have an impact on your marketing strategies.

Performing market research is an essential step in creating your marketing plan. When done properly, it can assist in illuminating your marketing efforts, including understanding the needs of your target market and determining the important themes you should emphasise and how to do so.

Without market research, we rely on intuition and anecdotal knowledge, which is not always reliable, to make important business decisions.

What types of Market Research can you do?

In the end, you want to use market research to gain profound understanding. Depending on what you want to learn, there are several forms of research you may conduct to obtain the greatest insights.  Some of the most common types of market research activities include:

Market research involves two central types of research:

Primary Research – this can often be referred to as “field” research and involves gathering new data, first-hand, that has not been collected before.

Secondary Research – is sometimes referred to as “desk” research and involves gathering data that has already been compiled and organised for you. It includes reports, government funded studies, textbooks, historical records and statistical databases.

Within these types of research methods there are a few different types of data collection methodologies that can be used, such as:

Quantitative research uses objective measurements and numerical analysis of data that is collected through research methods such as surveys, polls and questionnaires.

Qualitative research, which is an exploratory approach and uses activities such as focus groups, in-depth interviews and Ethnographic research – which involves participant observation as part of field research.

Does Market Research work?

Unquestionably, yes. There are many instances of products and companies failing because not enough market research was conducted at the outset. Without sufficient study, launching a new product or exporting to a new market is a formula for disaster. Before taking such a step, you must thoroughly comprehend your target audience and your rivals.

It’s crucial to be aware of the cultural and language variations in those markets as more and more businesses sell their products to numerous countries throughout the world. As a result, even though study conducted in one area will likely provide some results, they might not be repeated in another.

Market research may be a potent tool when used properly to assist reduce the risks associated with important business decisions.

How market research can help you to spot business opportunities easily:

You’ll know who you want to reach (your target customers), how to contact them (your marketing channels), and what interests them after conducting market research. Once these are established, it will be simple for you to identify business prospects. For instance:

Create alliances with other companies. Finding other small businesses that cater to your clients can be made easier by learning more about who your customers are, such as their demographics. You might approach these companies for mutually beneficial collaborative campaigns.

Design profitable order upgrades. You may create add-ons, product bundles, and upsells that raise the average order value by being aware of the additional goods and services that your consumers frequently purchase.

Look for new markets to sell to. Knowing the regions where the majority of your target clients reside will help you develop persuasive targeted marketing that are appropriate for that region’s needs and culture.

How market research can help you lower business risks:

According to data from the Bureau of Labour Statistics, only around half of enterprises with employees last into their fifth year. Maintaining a consistent flow of sales and clients is the best approach to make sure that your business lasts for a longer period of time. You need market research to accomplish that.

You can verify that you are still addressing the needs of your present and potential clients by conducting regular market research. How you can use this is as follows:

Before going into production, test new ideas and products. You can test a significant change on a smaller segment of your audience to determine whether it would be well-received before implementing it across the board for your company. For instance, if you intend to remodel a well-liked product, present the updated version to your most loyal customers. Test or quiz them to determine whether new design, alternative new design, or old design they would want to purchase.

Learn about potential trouble spots. You need to figure out how to remedy the problem before it completely wrecks your profitability if your most popular product has a significant decline in sales for three consecutive months. Ask your most loyal consumers about the product to identify any issues they have. Anything from a drop in product quality to a bug in your online store could be the cause. You won’t find out unless you ask.

Identify the causes of a customer’s absence. Your small business should ideally have repeat clients. If they don’t return, you can set up a focus group or poll past clients to figure out why you aren’t getting any repeat business.

How market research can help your marketing strategy:

Your marketing plan can benefit greatly from market research because it gives the company important information and critical insights. It might provide you a better insight of your customers and competitors. In order to grow sales over time, research will help you identify who is using your product or service, who is not using it, what drives them, and whether they are loyal to your brand.

Similarly understanding the wider market environment can help identify new opportunities for your business. As the market changes its important to continue to research and understand ways you can improve on your offering based on the changing consumer preferences or market dynamics.

Similar to how knowing the larger market environment can help you spot fresh company prospects. It’s crucial to keep investigating and comprehending approaches to enhance your offering in light of shifting client tastes or market dynamics as the market changes.

How market research can help you outsell competitors:

The company that knows its clients better typically wins more. You’ll have a higher chance of separating out from the competition if you can outperform your rivals at determining your consumers’ needs and aiming to meet those demands. Here are a few strategies for using market research to outsell rivals:

Look for a market sector that is underserved. Your market research may indicate that a particular market niche has been overlooked by your competitors. You will now have a new customer group to target.

Speak with unhappy customers. You can enhance your own products and sell them to a market that is willing to transfer brands by asking target customers about their issues with your competitors’ products or by reading their product reviews.

Recognise unmet customer needs. You might discover some client needs or pain issues throughout your market research that aren’t covered in the marketing materials of your rivals. See if you can enhance sales by incorporating them into your own marketing.

How to conduct Market Research:

Always make sure the ultimate aims and goals are crystal clear. Your intended audience, business goals, difficulties, and final clientele should all be central to it.

Set out clear objectives and goals before beginning the research.

Identify your target audience and market size.

Make sure your sample size is representative of the audience you are targeting. This means there should be enough respondents in the research sample that reflect, as accurately as possible, the larger target audience population.

1. Choose the most suitable market research and data collection methodologies based on objectives.

2. Create your research questions – this is applicable regardless of which data collection method you choose.

3. Ensure the questionnaire is neutral and is not leading. Remain impartial throughout the process.

4. Build in questions that validate other parts of the questionnaire.

5. In a qualitative focus group setting include open ended questions and allow for flexibility for respondents to freely speak on a topic that might not have been covered in the questionnaire.

6. Once data have been gathered employ robust analysis skills to interrogate and decode the findings.

7. When research findings are determined, make sure to not take these in isolation. Examine the macro environment also (such as language, cultural, economic, political situations) to validate the findings.

Conclusion:

Now that you understand the need for market research, you’re ready to get started. Your business doesn’t have to commit tens of thousands of monies on focus groups and extensive surveys to conduct market research. But it’s important that you conduct market research in the first place.

It is clear that market research is vital when developing your marketing strategy. It provides great insights to your business and on the wider marketplace. Market research can identify how customers and potential customers might view your business and identify gaps in customer expectations. This is powerful information to have when completing your marketing strategy. Having good market intelligence helps to minimise risks when making key business decisions.

As long as you end up with a thorough list of your target market’s demographics, needs, and frustrations, you’ll be able to reap the above benefits as you grow your business. Why not get started with your marketing research today?

To learn more about market research, please send an email to info@globatexresearch.com or feel free to contact us on +233 246417363