Market Research and Customer Understanding
You can't build a successful business without knowing your customers inside and out. Market research helps identify gaps in the market, reduces business risks, and informs smarter decisions about everything from pricing to product development.
Primary research involves collecting fresh data through questionnaires postal,face−to−face,telephone, focus groups, and observation. It's specific and up-to-date but can be time-consuming and expensive. Secondary research uses existing data from internet sources, market reports, and government publications - it's quicker and cheaper but might not be perfectly relevant.
Market segmentation targets specific consumer groups based on demographics, location, lifestyle, income, and age. Understanding your competition means analysing their price, quality, location, product range, and customer service to identify your competitive advantages.
Top Tip: Small sample sizes in research can lead to bias, so always aim for reliability and accuracy in your data collection.