Key Findings
In 2018, Dalia decided to look into the state of the Market Research industry and survey our colleagues across a portfolio of organisations globally.
This report examines the current state of market research by gathering the opinions from over 150 account, project, and procurement managers in the industry. The goal of the report is to identify shared struggles within the industry at large, learn from each other and work together to promote effective solutions.
The data in this report was collected by Dalia Research from June 20th, 2018 through July 30th, 2018.
34% of our respondents already automate the fieldwork monitoring process.
Data Quality is the most important factor for sample providers.
Research Project Process
Project managers find their main task of pricing and feasibility to be the most enjoyable part of their job. Survey testing and invoicing remain the sore points for those working in the sampling industry.
Most Common Tasks
- Pricing and Feasibility (74%)
- Client Updates (66%)
- Fieldwork Monitoring (64%)
Most Enjoyable Tasks
- Pricing & Feasibility (36%)
- Fieldwork Monitoring (12%)
Least Enjoyable Tasks
- Nothing! (29%)
- Survey Testing (18%)
- Invoicing (15%)
Automation
Those working in the sampling industry see room for further automation across many tasks. However, personalised communication is still valued when it comes to coordination, client interactions and survey design.
Tasks Most Likely To Be Automated
- Fieldwork monitoring (34%)
- Pricing and feasibility (32%)
Tasks Least Likely To Be Automated
- Client updates (13%)
- Coordination with sample providers (15%)
- Survey design (15%)
Desire for Further Automation
- Pricing & Feasibility (35%)
- Cost Confirmation & Invoicing (32%)
- Monitoring the Fieldwork (32%)
Target Groups
Certain target groups are more difficult to reach. Here are the most sought after target groups.
Business Decision Makers
63%
High-income Respondents
56%
Mothers
47%
Millennials
46%
Sample Providers
When choosing an external sample provider, the industry members are most likely to go with a provider who…
Average Sampling Setup
US ~ N = 1,000 ~ 50% on gen-pop ~ Survey length: 15 mins
Cost per interview
$ 4.6
MEAN
$ 2.8
MEDIAN
Field time average
5.0 days
MEAN
5.9 days
MEDIAN
Country Coverage
Only 6% of respondents said it easy for them to cover Australia, and 22% said they would like better coverage in Australia.
Using insights to shape a better future for the market research industry.
Special thanks goes to our peers who were keen to offer their insights about their work processes, needs, and their perception of other players in the industry. Thanks to their participation, we can all gain a deeper understanding of market research practitioners’ operations, joys, and pain points.
We hope that in turn this information can help us all make better business decisions on an individual level, and collectively as an industry.
Finally, we’d love to hear your thoughts. How can we do better in the future and which areas are you interested in exploring further?