International Market
Research Company

With the advent of new technology, markets are becoming more and more international.  As this trend has developed, it has also meant that many market research companies have experienced a growth in the number of clients that have come to them asking them to conduct market research outside of the UK.

This trend has also led to changes in the market itself – recently there have been many mergers and take-overs aimed at consolidating presence in a particular country. 

Ultimately, there are a number of key questions that market research buyers need to think about when commissioning international research:

 

• Does the target audience speak English?  If the product is a business-to-business product, it may be that the target audience can speak English well enough for interviews to be conducted in English.  Alternatively this may not be encouraged if conducting interviews in the local language is likely to secure a greater response rate, or conveys a more positive image to respondents.  For consumer research, it is less likely that the target audience will speak English and interviews will be need to be conducted in the local language.
  
  
• What methodology is being employed?  If the project involves telephone interviewing, many market research agencies and field agencies do have the ability to conduct interviews in a range of languages.  Ability to do this may depend on the number of interviews needed per country (for example, if sample sizes are large subcontracting may be necessary depending upon the set up of the individual agency).  If face to face fieldwork is involved, it may be more necessary to get a local agency involved.
  
  
• Are local language speakers needed?  Sometimes it can be important from a cultural point of view to ensure that interviews are carried out by people whose first language is the language of interest.  This may be because accent is important, or it may be important to understand the local situation in that country

 

This will give the research buyer a picture of what languages are needed within any one project.  However, a vital decision often revolves around whether the project should be conducted by an agency in the country where the research is being conducted, or by an agency in the UK which has the ability to conduct international fieldwork.

This is a very complex issue, and needs to be assessed alongside a number of other issues such as:

 

• Do the agencies that I normally work with have the ability to conduct work in other countries?
• Does the research have to be carried out from the same country that the research is being conducted in? With face-to-face fieldwork this will may be the case, but with telephone research this may not be necessary
• Are there issues which might mean that it is difficult to understand the target audience or market issues unless you have a presence in the country where research is being conducted?
• Will the research be conducted in one country or more than one country? If it is being conducted in more than one country, it may be more difficult to co-ordinate lots of local agencies, and it may be worth considering selecting an agency which can cover all the countries which will be focussed on in the research.

 

To deal with international research, market research agencies have responded in a number of ways:

Take-overs/mergers – Companies coming together to form a greater presence in a particular country or region around the world.  This situation has led to the development of a number of very large players in the market who have offices around the globe.  One benefit of such structures is that company policies may be replicated at each office with the aim of generating a similar experience no matter whether you are conducting research in Asia or America.

Partner networks – Not all agencies are in the position of being able to buy other agencies to increase their presence in a particular country.  As a result, there are more and more partner networks developing.  These are often relationships which provide a network of agencies in different countries around the world which can be used for projects which require research in a particular country.  These networks develop for the mutual benefit of those who are members of it (i.e. to give work to each other).  The main benefit is that through using an established network, relationships can develop, and researchers become more familiar with the agencies they are using, perhaps even becoming an extension of their own resources.

Informal relationships – This is very much about developing relationships with agencies that you feel have the experience to conduct particular projects that an agency is working on.  For example, if the project is in the telecoms field, and fieldwork is needed outside the UK, relationships are specifically sought with agencies with strong experience in this field – indeed this is one benefit of this approach.

Ultimately, as it is difficult to cover every corner of the globe, a combination of all of the above may be used.

There are implications for the research buyer to understand, and important questions which should be asked along the way:

 

• For my project, which of these models is the agency going to use?
• Will there be any subcontracting involved?
• What quality policies are used at the local level (for example, how do they ensure that interviews are bona fide, how are interviewers trained, how is data entered?)
• What technology will be used?  Will the data be compatible with my systems?
• Has the agency ever worked with this company before?  What do they know about them?

 

At DJS Research, we have a strong track record of conducting international research.  We do not own offices in other countries, or operate through any ‘formal partnership’ arrangements.  We feel that this is beneficial, as it allows us to choose an agency using our knowledge and expertise that is right for your research/industry. 

Our experience of conducting international market research projects means that we have built up relationships with a network of agencies in other countries that help us carry out projects. Many of these have been personally visited along the way. Our policy is to work with a company that is similar in attitude to us – thus ensuring a seamless approach.  We also try and ensure that we develop relationships with a number of agencies, thus ensuring a cost effective quotation for our own client.

 

Before embarking on a new relationship with an agency we will always chat with them to get a feel for the type of people that they are, as well as checking out their physical resources, client list and expertise.  As a result of working with a range of market research companies in different countries, we know what questions to ask to ensure that the research will be conducted to the same quality that we would expect to provide ourselves. This means that even if we have not worked with an agency  before, we know what questions to ask to ensure that they will deliver.

 

If you have an international market research project in mind, feel free to get in touch. We would be happy to put forward a research proposal or discuss more informally how you could progress things. You can call us on +44 (0)1663-732721 or contact us through our online form:: contact us.

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