How long does market research take

Identify source for recruiting participants — internal or external. Week : Recruit participants. Week : Conduct research. This may take less than two weeks, depending on your goals. Four focus groups all in the US can be done in just one week if everyone is available. Week : Write and present market research report. WARNING: The biggest schedule slippage that happens, aside from getting all the approvals in place for the project go-ahead of course, is with identifying internal participant contacts.

Using in-house lists or asking account managers to give us their contacts for recruiting may be time consuming and the schedule should be adjusted as needed. Web surveys are usually faster. A typical schedule for a straightforward web survey project is four weeks. Many small business managers fall into this trap and end up skewing the interpretation of the results to suit their own prejudices. If in doubt, run another survey with a modified questionnaire.

When you are reasonably certain you know what customers think and how they are likely to react, go ahead. As a final check, ask yourself three questions.

There is some truth in the saying that over-analysis leads to paralysis. Getting the timing of a new marketing strategy right can be more critical than being certain you are doing the right thing. For example, a new line of Christmas goods must be in the shops in good time for the festive season. To delay while a detailed research programme was completed could mean missing the boat. Alternatively, a major investment in a new innovation would justify considerable pre-analysis.

There is no simple rule to follow about when to stop the research and get on with the project. This is one of those areas where you must be prepared to back your own judgement and experience.

Research is there to give you clues. Ultimately it is you who must make the decision to move forward.

To find out more, see our FAQs. How to use online consumer panels. What is qualitative research? How to create effective customer questionnaires. Browse topics: Market research Sector trends New product research 9. Questionnaires, surveys and focus groups 9. Choosing a market research agency 2. The length of time to complete fieldwork is amplified for mail survey projects. Fieldwork for mail survey projects can take 4 to 5 weeks.

This is the largest variable and longest portion of the mail survey timeline. Once fieldwork is completed, the final week is reserved for developing the market research report. To learn more about conducting a mail survey, read this case study. How long do intercept surveys take?

Intercept surveys should be kept short and are typically kept to 10 questions or less. If a market research interviewer is attempting to stop someone to ask them questions at an event or retail location, it's important to get straight to the point in the survey because time is of the essence. The goal is to limit the risk of a respondent walking away before completing the survey. Intercept survey projects take 2 to 3 weeks to complete.

After the project kickoff is held and the intercept survey is developed, fieldwork is conducted on-site. These intercept survey locations can range from business lobbies to areas where target consumers are such as malls and more. After fieldwork is completed, the last week is held for developing the results and reports.

How long do IHUTs take? Watch this quick recap video. From a respondent perspective, an in-home usage test IHUT can take anywhere from a few days to a few months to complete. The length of time needed to complete the IHUT depends on the goals and objectives of the market research. An in-home usage test study typically takes 4 to 8 weeks to complete.

However, the project timeline may be sped up or extended depending on the time needed for respondents to test the product and how difficult it is to reach the target audience. After the project kickoff meeting is held, the team develops a screener to recruit participants, prepares for the IHUT shipments to be sent to participants, and develops survey s to be sent to participants during the test.

After fieldwork is completed, the last week is held for developing the results, reporting, and a debrief meeting. Here is the only guide you'll ever need to become an expert in this area. Contact Our Market Research Company.

Drive Research is a national market research company. We consult with clients to ensure market research is executed effectively and the data provided fuels strategies. As a Senior Research Analyst, Emily is approaching a decade of experience in the market research industry and loves to challenge the status quo. She is a certified VoC professional with a passion for storytelling.

Learn more about Emily, here. Categories: Market Research Services Category. Need help with your project? Get in touch with Drive Research. Contact Us. View Our Blog. Call Contact. There are several different factors involved which impact timelines for market research, but the biggest factors are: Understanding the objectives of the research.