market research tools are

13 Market Research Tools: Best in Class for 2023

Free Website Traffic Checker

Discover your competitors' strengths and leverage them to achieve your own success

Most market research tools are designed to make it quicker and easier to find relevant data . Whatever the market, product, or purpose, the right research tools can do just that.

But, let’s be honest, some do it far better than others.

Whether you’re an enterprise firm with complex needs and a budget to suit or a smaller business needing free market research tools, read on to discover which online tools for market research are hot right now.

Note: The top market research tools list has been collated using review platforms like G2 , along with direct feedback I collected from over 500 business leaders in June, 2o22.

#1 Best overall market research tool: Similarweb Digital Research Intelligence

Most-loved feature: The Benchmarking tool

We might be a little biased, but this really is the fastest way to see how you measure up against competitors in any sector or location. Analyze market leaders and rising stars to unpack and track their digital success instantly.

Quick Explainer

Similarweb Research Intelligence is a single source of truth for the online world. Giving any business the ability to quickly analyze the online aspects of any industry or market in an instant. It displays critical insights in a way that makes it easy to view trends, competitive performance, audience insights, growth opportunities, and more. It’s the only market research analysis tool that brings together data from desktop, mobile web, and apps to provide a complete view of the digital landscape.

Key abilities

• Competitive benchmarking
• Market research
• Company research tool
• Audience analysis
• Consumer journey tracker
• Mobile app intelligence

Freemium Version: Yes, there is a lite version of the product that provides limited data for a single user, and a single location.

Free Trial: Yes, there’s a 7-day trial available. Try it out here .

Ongoing Subscription: Yes, you can pay monthly or annually for a subscription. Different levels are available, and each package is tailored. Review pricing and plans for Similarweb here.

Like what you’ve seen so far?

See our market-leading digital research tool in action in this quick 2-minute clip.

#2 Best free market research tool: Think with Google

Most-loved feature: Find my Audience

A way to discover new audiences on YouTube based on things like habits, interests, and intended plans to purchase.

Think with Google is a suite of digital research tools that curate resources from a huge pool of data across the web. It presents them as insights that aren’t typically available elsewhere. It’s a unique way to view trends, insights, and stats. Data isn’t offered in real-time but serves more as a library of figures and facts that take the form of articles, videos, interviews, case studies, and more. In addition to being a place people can go for forward-looking perspectives and data, there are several tools designed to help marketers.

Key functions

• High-level insights into most local or national markets
• Behind the scenes look at cross-platform digital campaigns
• Consumer insights
• Deck-ready stats (not in real-time)
• A range of tools to inform marketing objectives and actions

Freemium Version: The entire suite of market intelligence tools is free.

Free Trial: As a free market research tool, no trial is needed.

Ongoing Subscription: You can subscribe to a newsletter, but not the product.

#3 Best digital research tool for content and FAQ development: Answer the Public

Most-loved feature: Search listening alerts

A pro feature that sends you weekly emails that indicate how search behaviors shift over time. It takes the specific phrase or keywords you’re tracking in the platform and updates you weekly.

Quick Explainer 

Discover the questions people are asking online about key terms, products, or services. It’s designed to help content teams and website owners develop new content ideas, and relevant FAQs that are based on the types of queries people ask online.

• Track important keywords and phrases
• Get weekly emails about changes in search behavior
• Enter any keyword to uncover relevant questions or search terms
• Folders to help organize your research

Freemium Version: Yes. You get a limited number (3) of searches per day.

Free Trial: No.

Ongoing Subscription: Yes. You can pay monthly or annually for this service. Pay-monthly fees are a flat rate of $99. Discounts are offered for yearly subscriptions.

#4 Best tool for market research surveys: SurveyMonkey

Most-loved feature: Question bank

A library of hundreds of questions, pre-written by survey methodologists.

As far as market research surveys go, it’s the leading online research tool for surveys worldwide. With plans to suit the individual through to the enterprise, it’s a feature-rich, easy-to-use platform that encompasses creation, collection, and analysis under one roof. Surveys are optimized for any device and integrate with platforms like Zoom, Salesforce, Marketo, and more.

Key functions 

• Create and send unlimited surveys, quizzes, and polls
• Pop-up online surveys
• Mobile app access to create, send and analyze surveys on-the-go
• Team collaboration function (unlocked with a team plan)
• Survey builder
• Customization and branded surveys (available with advantage or premier plans only)

Freemium Version: Yes

Free Trial: Occasionally, free trials are offered for premium plans.

Ongoing Subscription: Yes, you can pay annually or monthly. There are three different plans to choose from, ranging from $25 to $129 per month.

Helpful: Check out our blog and see 18 different ways to use market research surveys .

#5 Best online research tool for marketplaces: Similarweb Shopper Intelligence

Most-loved feature: Cross-shopping analysis

Cross-shopping analysis shows you how loyal a segment of customers is to a brand, along with what other brands they browsed or bought from. Uncover competitors and discover new partnership opportunities; these are game-changing insights if you sell on any marketplace.

Similarweb Shopper Intelligence is a type of online market research tool that helps you uncover and analyze browsing and buying behavior across marketplaces. Using its data, businesses can track category, product, and brand performance with ease. It helps ecommerce organizations to detect potential threats, unearth new product or category opportunities, discover new potential partnerships, and optimize search strategy and performance.

• Monitor consumer demand for any product, brand, or category
• Retail search strategy optimization
• Consumer behavior insights
• Track cross-shopping, loyalty, and purchase frequency
• Analyze brand awareness

Note: This solution uses a unique data methodology via multiple networks and partnerships. At the time of writing, there is no other consumer behavior insights tool for market research that offers this quality of data for marketplaces.

Freemium Version: No.

Free Trial: Yes. There is usually a 7-day trial available here .

Ongoing Subscription: The price is determined by things like the number of categories and/or domains you want to access. Each quote is customized to a client’s specific needs.

Want to know a little more?

Watch this quick clip to see the best ecommerce digital market research tool in action.

#6 Best market research tool for brand tracking: Latana

Most-loved feature: MoE (margin of error) Readings

To deliver transparency on data confidence levels, Latana’s dashboard includes a feature that allows clients to toggle-on, or toggle-off, margin of error (MoE) readings on all data points. These are highlighted using a traffic-light system of confidence (red=low confidence, orange=medium confidence, and green=high confidence). This small feature makes a big impact — it helps clients to correctly interpret the data and to visibly see quality shortcomings.

Latana is a B2C brand tracking tool that provides granular insights about online audiences. It helps organizations understand how key segments of consumers feel about brands and portrays relevant standings vs. industry rivals.

• Focus on niche consumer segments that matter to your business
• Uncover rival’s audience data and identify opportunities to grow
• Understand brand perception, and track how it changes over time
• Discover the most well-known brands in your industry
• Track rival’s brand awareness across gender, age income, location, and education
• Find out the main purchase drivers for your industry
• Infrastructure gives reach to over 6 billion smartphone users globally for representative brand opinions

I caught up with Latana’s CMO, Angeley Mullens. Here’s what she has to say about their offering.

Ongoing Subscription: Pricing for Latana isn’t available online. All packages are tailored to individual brands and their specific needs.

Enjoy 360 Visibility 24/7

Get the data you need to adapt to market changes and industry trends in an instant.

#7  Best research tool for social media listening: Hootsuite

Most-loved feature: Multi-channel insights

It’s a legacy feature, but one which makes it the best online research tool for social listening and monitoring. Having the ability to easily schedule posts, ad campaigns, and handle responses for every social media channel from within a single platform is what makes this a market-leading digital research tool.

Hootsuite continues to claim the number 1 spot on G2’s list of digital research tools for social media monitoring . It’s a tool to help you manage all aspects of business social media, across multiple channels, in a single platform. As well as being able to manage your socials, it also keeps you up-to-date with the latest trends and activities of your rival’s social media channels.

• Publish and schedule social media posts
• Measure cross-platform results
• Message management
• Social media trend analysis
• Social media ad-campaign management

Freemium Version: Yes. You can get a free version that supports 2 social accounts and 1 user.

Free Trial: Yes. A 30-day free trial is available here .

Ongoing Subscription: There are four plans; professional, team, business, and enterprise; ranging from $49-$739.

#8 Best digital research tool for prospecting: Similarweb Sales Intelligence

Most-loved feature: Insights generator tool

The insights generator shows you unique facts for your prospects and accounts; with complete visibility into their digital strategy and performance. It’s ideal for refining sales and marketing efforts while staying focused on growth.

Similarweb Sales Intelligence helps organizations find viable prospects by showing you who to reach out to, when to do it, and how to capture their attention. The lead generator tool helps you find the right prospects, and key insights help create engaging outreach emails. For sales departments, ecommerce and mar-tech sectors, this type of digital research tool can take prospecting and engagement to a completely new level; along with revenue and growth.

Key functions: 

• Lead generation and enrichment
• Digital insights for 100M+ ecommerce websites, publishers, and advertisers
• Fraud detection
• Sales engagement
• SFDC integration

Free Trial: Yes, if you would like a free trial, please request that here.

Ongoing Subscription: Prices for this digital market research tool varies depending on the package and options chosen. Grab a live demo of the product and get a tailored quote here .

Insightful : If you’re looking at market research tools for the ecommerce industry, bookmark our Ecommerce Trends and Predictions for 2023 to read later.

#9 Best market research analysis tool for data visualization: Tableau

Most-loved feature : Connects to almost any data source

As a clear market leader, and a no-brainer for larger organizations with business intelligence analytics and teams. Tableau leads the way in online research tools for data visualization . It connects to a huge range of data sources and pulls information into a highly-appealing dashboard that is designed to make it easier and faster to explore and manage data . It takes data from platforms like Similarweb, then combines it with other data sources before presenting crisp, clear, insights that have the power to shape strategies and drive key transformations.

• Lightning-fast analytics
• Smart dashboards for richer insights
• Live connection to almost any data source, with automatic updates
• Drag-and-drop style UI: easy to use

Freemium Version: No. However, students and teachers get a year’s free access to the platform.

Free Trial: Yes. You can subscribe to a free 30-day trial.

Ongoing Subscription: Most plans are offered annually, with prices ranging from $15 per month upwards. The price depends on whether you use their hosted or on-premise versions, the number of users, and the inclusion of specific plugins.

#10 Best market research tool for UX testing: Loop11

Most-loved feature: Online usability testing

This feature analyzes the usability of a website with users performing live tasks on a site. It helps you understand user behavior, and shows how and why a website is used.

Loop11 is a market research tool that provides usability testing to help organizations build better websites and products. It comes with a pack of useful features that provide both moderated and unmoderated testing, helping businesses to find the right audience to test prototypes and products. It’s designed to help you see how appealing a product is to a particular audience, determine their preferences, then build these insights into a design.

• Ability to test across multiple devices, including tablet, mobile, or desktop
• User-friendly test builder that requires no coding
• Easy-to-add surveys that collect psychographic and demographic data
• Provides useful metrics like time on task, task completion rates, and NPS
• Mapping of customer journeys during a test period

Free Trial: Yes, a 14-day trial is available here .

Ongoing Subscription: All plans come with the option to pay monthly or annually. Prices range from $199-$599 per month.

#11 Best research tool for measuring customer experience: Temper

Most-loved feature: Rating stream

See real-time feedback as customers respond to questions via website or email channels. The stream provides a detailed view of ratings, comments, locations, referrers, email addresses, and more.

Temper allows any company to find out how customers feel about their product at all times. It directly provides first-party data to a business, preventing the need to design and distribute complex surveys. It can be placed as a widget on the site or in emails, and questions are asked to gain real-time feedback from visitors and customers alike.

• Easily deploy questions across website and email channels
• Quickly spot poor experiences to identify problematic areas of a business or product
• The rating graph gives you a real-time view of results for any question asked
• Public rating wall shows how you’re performing, instilling confidence and trust
• Ratings come with open text fields to give additional context to responses
• Referrer data gives you the ability to segment feedback and relative performance
• Tracking variables let you send data with ratings, such as order numbers, user IDs, etc.
• User targeting lets you determine who sees questions and how often they see them

Freemium Version: There is no freemium version. However, their hobby plan gives you a slimmed-down version of the product and costs $12 per month.

Ongoing Subscription: Four plans are available, ranging from hobbyist to enterprise. The lowest pricing tier starts at $12 monthly, and their top-tier solution costs $199 monthly. All plans are pay-monthly, with a 60-day money-back guarantee.

#12 Best online market research tool for focus groups: Remesh

Most-loved feature: Common topics

In just a few clicks, you can view the themes and topics that are most common with your focus group across an entire session. It groups similar responses, specific phrases, and interesting responses in seconds.

Remesh facilitates live, qualitative conversations with focus groups of up to 1000 people at a time. Replicating the focus group format online delivers powerful segmentation and dynamic capabilities that speed up your time to insight and let you hold a real-time conversation at scale.

• Launch a live conversation with up to 1000 people at a time
• Organize and analyze responses in an instant
• Segment your audience based on demographic and response data
• Share visuals and text-based content with the group to get instant feedback
• The algorithm analyzes open-ended responses in real-time

Freemium Version: No

Free Trial: Yes. However, you must first book a demo with a member of their team.

Ongoing Subscription: Remesh provides custom pricing plans that can only be obtained once you’ve taken a demonstration of their platform with a member of their team.

#13 Top collaboration and documentation tool for market research: BIT.AI

Most-loved feature: Content library + smart search

While it sounds quite basic; in essence, this tool for market research professionals makes it quicker and easier to keep track, share, and store key data. Forget trawling through emails, slack, and g-docs to find files; the smart search feature helps you locate files in an instant.

A dynamic platform that helps researchers collaborate, track, share, and manage research data in a single place. This is one of the best online market research tools for those who need a place to bring together resources like websites, PDFs, articles, images, infographics, blogs, reports, videos, etc. it’s low-cost and connects to some of the most widely used tools. Being able to share multidimensional data with others, or simply keeping track of secondary market research in a single place makes it a firm favorite.

• Over 100 integrations with applications like Tableau, Miro, G-docs, Onedrive, and more
• Real-time editing and live collaboration
• Content Library
• Smart search
• Supports a huge range of content and file types

Freemium Version: Yes. Available for teams of up to 5 collaborators.

Free Trial: Yes, a free trial is available here .

Ongoing Subscription: A range of packages are available, costing between $8-$20 monthly.

Best market research tools for startups

There is another often-forgotten set of tools used for market research that are ideal for startups. If you’ve got zero budget and a little time on your hands, you can do most types of desk research for free. Sources include:

• Company reports, case studies, and whitepapers
• Research and trade associations
• Media coverage
• Internal sales or usage reports
• Academic or scientific journals
• Government and non-government agencies
• Public library records
• Competitor websites
• Educational institutions

Helpful: Check out this article about how to do market research for a startup .

Wrapping up….

With cost and time key considerations for anyone looking at tools for market research, it’s vital to choose wisely. While free market research tools are all good and well, they won’t always serve you when you’re on a deadline or require key insights on a specific competitor, market, or product.

Similarweb helps companies win in the digital world. Whatever the market, goal, or business size, its solutions are designed to help organizations understand their market and compete and beat rivals.

Take it for a test run today. Trial any Similarweb solution free for the first 7-days using this link .

Need to know more about the ROI of Similarweb? 

What are the best market research tools for secondary research?

The internet is probably the best tool for market research there is. It’s a goldmine of secondary market research data. But beware of data validity and check your information is coming from a trusted source.

What are the best market research tools for surveys?

Survey monkey is considered the best online market research tool for surveys, but key players like Typeform and Zoho follow closely behind. Budget and features usually determine the right tool for your needs.

What are the best free market research tools?

The best free tools for market research include: Answer the Public, Think with Google, Similarweb lite, SurveyMonkey’s basic plan, and Hootsuite’s free plan.

What are the best market research tools for qualitative research?

Qualitative research includes things like focus groups, open-ended surveys, case studies, and observation research. As such, the best tool for online research like this would be something like BIT.ai’s documentation and collaboration tool. Another useful tool for qualitative market research would be an online survey provider, like SurveyMonkey, Typeform, or Google Forms.

What are the best market research tools for quantitative research?

As this type of research is focused more on numbers, the best quantitative market research tools include things like Similarweb Digital Research Intelligence and Tableau. Each performs a different function but works together to collect, analyze, and present data in the most useful way possible.

by Liz March

Digital Research Specialist

Liz March has 15 years of experience in content creation. She enjoys the outdoors, F1, and reading, and is pursuing a BSc in Environmental Science.

Related Posts

Competitive Benchmarking: Crack the Code to Your Competitors’ Success

Importance of Market Research: 9 Reasons Why It’s Crucial for Your Business

Audience Segmentation: Definition, Importance & Types

Geographic Segmentation: Definition, Pros & Cons, Examples, and More

Demographic Segmentation: The Key To Transforming Your Marketing Strategy

Unlocking Consumer Behavior: What Makes Your Customers Tick?

Wondering what similarweb can do for your business.

Give it a try or talk to our insights team — don’t worry, it’s free!

28 Tools & Resources for Conducting Market Research

Published: April 30, 2024

Conducting market research pulls details together to help you choose new products or services to launch. They also help identify your audiences and best marketing strategies so you are ready to act without the guesswork.

Businesses use market research software to minimize risk and make more data-driven choices.

I own a small business, and by gathering facts and opinions, I can better predict whether new products or features — and for more prominent companies, even locations — will succeed before investing.

Here are 28 of the best tools for conducting market research, including a few recommendations directly from HubSpot market researchers and bloggers who use them.

Helpful Market Research Tools & Resources

1. similarweb.

Image Source

Similarweb is probably the highest quality, most well-known, and most convenient way to get and compare traffic information about any website you land on — short of having an expert analyst whispering in your ear, which could get awkward. Their free suite of products — including the Chrome extension — is worth exploring and gives you useful, high-level information. The deep insights come from taking advantage of their database of real-world information on global website performance gathered over time, which they’ve already been building for over 10 years. They have their finger on the pulse of online business worldwide, from sales to sites to stocks.

Microsoft, Amazon, and even Google use Similarweb and the insights they provide on other enterprise-level operations down to small businesses. If you want to know how your company stacks up and then initiate a robust research and marketing campaign, these are serious tools that can help you grow.

What I like: One of their add-ons is called App Intelligence, and it can benchmark your growth and track your progress against millions of apps — for both iOS and Android — and provide daily insights on app rankings, engagement, retention, and more.

Pricing: Starter plans cost $125 per month paid annually; professional plans cost $333 per month billed annually; team and enterprise plans have custom pricing.

For Max Iskiev , market research analyst at HubSpot, one research tool stands out from the rest: Glimpse.

He told me, “Glimpse is my favorite research tool. It’s quick and easy to use, allowing me to design and launch short surveys for real-time insights on trending topics.”

Writers for the HubSpot Marketing Blog have also used Glimpse to run short, 100-person surveys for articles (case in point: Are Sales Reps Rushing Back to the Office? ).

Not only is Glimpse valuable for doing quick pulse-checks on the latest trends, but it also leverages the power of AI for even deeper insights.

“Glimpse really shines when it comes to open-ended questions, using natural language processing and AI to analyze emotion and sentiment, saving time, and offering invaluable insights,” Iskiev shared.

Best for: Those who can invest in AI tools for their businesses but don’t need a decade’s deep dive like users of Similarweb might.

Pricing: Starter Plan - Free; Professional - $500/month; Advanced - $1,000/month; Enterprise - custom pricing.

Free Market Research Kit

5 Research and Planning Templates + a Free Guide on How to Use Them in Your Market Research

• SWOT Analysis Template
• Survey Template
• Focus Group Template

Download Free

All fields are required.

You're all set!

Click this link to access this resource at any time.

3. BuzzSumo

BuzzSumo offers several highly useful tools that work best as a content research tool for mid-size businesses and up. If you need many ideas for a whole lot of content, BuzzSumo is likely a good fit for your company.

Their monitoring tools can alert you to new content that relates to your keywords of choice.

This is smart for writers, content strategists, and those who manage writers and content strategists to stay on top of trends in what consumers want to know more about within your industry — so you’re right there to provide it.

BuzzSumo also gives you access to reporting tools that stream various sources of information to your dashboard, making it easy to keep up with developments and build visual assets to communicate about them.

You can find major influencers — worldwide — through BuzzSumo that fit your brand to sponsor and collaborate with.

Unfortunately, BuzzSumo doesn’t integrate well with Instagram, so you’ll want to focus on influencers that use other social channels unless you’re willing to do IG work on the side.

What I like: Their Chrome extension is a nice addition to their offerings for companies that work with freelancers and remote workers to take the work on the move.

Pricing: Free 30-day trials are available. Content creation plans cost $199 per month; PR and comms plans cost $299 per month; suite plans cost $499 per month; and Enterprise plans cost $999 per month.

4. Answer the Public

Answer the Public is a sister product to UberSuggest, both being brainchildren of Neil Patel.

Answer: the Public watches what people are searching for and lets you keep track of how things change over time. By studying the changes, you can be at the front of trends — positive or negative — so you can respond to the changes quickly.

It’s billed as an excellent tool for public relations professionals to give them a heads-up on how their company is faring in the public eye.

If you fall on the wrong side of public sentiment, you can be right on top of salvaging the situation and making improvements to regain trust.

If you’re doing something right and see gains in positive engagement, you know to keep up what you’re doing and may even want to expand upon it.

Great examples of what organizations have done with information like this include Wendy’s ongoing roasts and savage clapbacks on social media.

The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation’s hilarious insistence on not bringing mountain lions in the house also nabbed engagement by the truckloads (of corgis).

What I like: I like that Masterclass videos are available. They make sure to include lots of opportunities to learn how to best use their products and get maximum value from the suite.

Pricing: Individual plans cost $9 per month; pro plans cost $99 per month; expert plans cost $199 per month. Lifetime Pricing is available. Individual lifetime plans cost $99, pro lifetime plans cost $199; and expert lifetime plans cost $1,990.

5. GrowthBar SEO

GrowthBar SEO is all-in for AI. If your leadership wants a slice of the AI action at work in the company’s market research, this might be the tool to reach for.

It uses ChatGPT-4, and the peer-to-peer review site G2 ranked it the #1 AI writing tool for SEO in 2022 and 2023.

What sets it apart is that the AI writing assistant doesn’t just compile and give word to information it finds online.

It offers selections of relevant keywords, titles, headings, industry standard word counts, and link suggestions that you can choose from as you move through the outline.

They also include tools for keyword research, keyword ranking, and information about your keyword competitors. And because Google search is incorporated into the suite, you can do most, if not all, of your writing work on one screen.

Pro tip: As with all AI content, you’ll need a writer to bring the content to life by fact-checking information, adding unique or inside perspectives, meaningful quotes, and many other values that make the content rich to read.

GrowthBar SEO knows this, and you can source freelance writers there as well!

Pricing: A seven-day free trial is available. Standard plans cost $36 per month; pro plans cost $74.25 per month; and agency plans cost $149.25 per month.

6. Statista

Statista is a data visualization website that takes data from reputable reports across the web and makes them easy and digestible for researchers, marketers, and product creators just like you.

“Statista is like my market research sidekick, giving me all the data I need without the endless search. No more digging through the haystack. With Statista, I can spot trends and make informed decisions with ease," Icee Griffin , market researcher at HubSpot, told me.

One neat aspect of using Statista is that the same chart is updated as the years pass. Say that you want to allude to the value of the beauty market in your proposal.

If your investor accesses that same graph a year from now, it will reflect updated numbers. Statista finds the most recent research to update their visualizations.

Pro tip: Statista doesn’t carry out original research, but does have around 100 analysts who seek out gaps in their resources to provide ever more useful, trending data.

Pricing: Basic plans are free. Starter plans cost $199 per month, billed annually. Professional plans cost $959 per month, billed annually.

7. Think With Google Research Tools

Wish you had information on your product’s likelihood of success?

Think With Google’s marketing research tools offer interesting insights on whether anyone is looking for your product ( Google Trends ), which markets to launch to ( Market Finder ), and what retail categories rise as the months and seasons pass ( Rising Retail Categories ).

If you’d like to market your product through YouTube, the Find My Audience tool allows you to investigate what your potential viewers are interested in and what you should discuss on your brand’s YouTube channel.

What I like: Free and incredibly useful in my experience, small and newer businesses really benefit from having tools like this to conduct market research and get their growth rolling.

Pricing : Free

8. Census Bureau

The Census Bureau offers a free resource for searching U.S. census data.

You can filter by age, income, year, and location. You can also use some of its shortcuts to access visualizations of the data, allowing you to see potential target markets across the country.

If you’re considering a highly competitive product or service, you can easily find out where your target industry is most popular — or where the market has been oversaturated.

Another helpful tool is the Census Bureau Business and Economy data , where you can also target premade tables depending on your industry.

Pro tip: The text information on each screen can be overwhelming, so here’s a shortcut for you. One of the best ways to use this tool is by finding the NAICS code for your business.

Then, access the " Tables “ tool, click ”Filter" on the sidebar, and search for your industry.

9. Make My Persona

HubSpot’s Make My Persona tool allows you to create a buyer persona for your potential new product. In this tool, you pick a name for the persona, choose their age, identify their career characteristics, and identify their challenges.

This allows you to pinpoint both demographic and psychographic information.

Creating a buyer persona is an early step in the marketing process but an important one to avoid scope creep.

If you’re unsure about details like these and how to use market research tools for your business, let me recommend Hubspot’s Market Research Kit .

It’s completely free and helps you build a strong foundation for data-driven decision-making in your future marketing strategies.

Best for: Make My Persona is best suited to B2B product launches because you’ll be prompted to document your buyer persona’s career objectives and role-specific challenges.

Ideally, your product would solve a problem for them in the workplace or help their company achieve revenue goals.

10. Tableau

Tableau is a business intelligence suite of products that allows you to “connect to virtually any data source.” But the data isn’t presented in unreadable tables.

Rather, Tableau helps you visualize this data in a way that helps you glean insights, appeal to external stakeholders, and communicate the feasibility of your product to potential investors.

You can visualize data on anything from corn production in tropical climate zones to office product sales in North America. With Tableau’s tools, you can take as granular or as general a look you’d like into potential marketplaces and supplier regions.

What I like: Visual information for humans and pure data for the machines all in one. Tableau integrates well with spreadsheets and databases so that you can export Tableau data to Excel , back up records in Amazon Redshift, and more.

Pricing : Tableau Viewer plans cost $14 per user each month when billed annually. Tableau Explorer plans cost $42 per user each month when billed annually. Tableau Creator plans cost $75 per user each month when billed annually.

11. Mentionlytics

Mentionlytics is a web and social media monitoring tool that allows businesses to discover people's thoughts about their brands, campaigns, products, or services.  Users can create and customize reports and get data-driven insights that will help them make informed decisions. They can also filter results by language, location, and social media channel to personalize results.  Analyzing sentiment and emotion lets you easily understand what will work for your brand and industry and what you should avoid.  The Share of Voice report allows you to benchmark against your direct competitors and industry. You can also identify trends and discover influencers in your niche and area to boost your next steps.

Best for: Mentionlytics is great for competitor analysis and crisis detection. Their Social Intelligence Advisor (SIA) turns large volumes of data into understandable knowledge to offer custom advice on crisis detection and brand growth.

Pricing: A 14-day free trial is available for most plans. Basic plans cost $69 per month; Essential plans cost $139 per month; Advanced plans cost $249 per month; Pro plans cost $399 per month; Agency plans cost $599 per month; Enterprise plans cost $950 per month. Annual billing options offer discounts.

12. Meltwater

Meltwater’s Radarly consumer intelligence suite is a perfect market research tool as it provides continuous insights that keep you ahead of various market trends and your competitors. Radarly monitors a wide range of global data sources to uncover what people are discussing, their behaviors, and their sentiments toward particular brands. It helps businesses understand consumer preferences and market dynamics in real time, which makes it easier to make strategic decisions.

What we like: Meltwater provides the online Meltwater Academy, providing you with an extensive amount of tutorial videos tips, and tricks on how to get started using Radarly. 

Pricing: Custom, you will need to book a demo call with Meltwater to get a quote

13. SurveySparrow

SurveySparrow is a market research tool designed for researchers and businesses to create engaging surveys and gather concrete data. With an emphasis on a conversational, easy-to-use interface, you can create targeted surveys that provide detailed insights into your market and consumer preferences. 

This market survey software comes with 1000+ pre-designed, pre-loaded survey templates, allowing you to create the perfect study without external help. You can also integrate it with various other tools you use daily for a seamless workflow.

One of SurveySparrow’s standout features is its robust analytics and reporting tools. With real-time capture and advanced report filters, you can slice and dice the data - the way you like. 

Best for: The platform offers a unique recurring survey feature, which allows you to send surveys at regular intervals automatically. This is particularly useful for tracking changes in user sentiment over time.

Pricing: SurveySparrow offers a 14-day free trial. Basic plans start at $19 per month; the starter plan is priced at $39 per month; Enterprise plans are available upon request for custom pricing.

14. Paperform

A market research survey is an effective way to better understand your target audience and their needs by asking them directly.

This step is integral to understanding your dream customers’ problems, so you want to ensure the process is as interactive as possible and gathers objective, accurate responses.

With its free-text interface, Paperform is as simple as writing a Word document. You can make your survey stand out by customizing colors, fonts, layouts, and themes to create your unique look and feel.

There are 27+ question field types, such as ranking, matrix, or scale fields. Use several to create visually engaging surveys that collect more information and see higher completion stats.

If you’re unsure where to start, you can use one of their expertly-made questionnaires or market research survey templates to get you started.

Best for: In my experience, Paperform can efficiently incorporate multiple customer personas. It uses conditional logic to show or hide questions or whole sections of content to create fully personalized paths. These interactive forms lower drop-off rates and boost customer interaction.

Pricing:  Essentials plans cost $29 per month. Pro plans cost $59 per month. Business plans cost $199 per month. For enterprise pricing, contact Paperform’s sales team.

GWI is an on-demand consumer research platform that makes audience research a breeze. Powered by the world’s largest study on the online consumer base, GWI provides insights into the lives of over 2.8 billion consumers across 50+ markets.

With 250k+ profiling points, you can find your unique customers and learn everything you need to know about who they are, what’s on their minds, and what they’re up to.

One user-friendly platform makes it quick and easy to become an expert on your audience and capture the answers you need to succeed.

Pro tip: GWI even has features to compare markets and create customized and shareable charts in seconds, helping you distribute critical information as quickly as you find it.

Pricing: Explore Interactive Demo for free; Flexible and custom pricing with discounts available.

16. SurveyMonkey

SurveyMonkey is a powerful tool for creating in-depth market research surveys that will help you understand your market and consumer preferences.

With this tool, you can create targeted, uber-specific surveys that help you collect answers that pertain specifically to your product.

While using a data source can give you a general overview of your target audience and market, SurveyMonkey can help you get more granular insights from real consumers.

SurveyMonkey offers dedicated market research solutions and services and a reporting dashboard option that allows you to easily parse through the results.

What I like: I like that SurveyMonkey is a good fit for exploring markets beyond your shores. It includes a global survey panel and survey translation service for international research.

• Individual plans: Advantage annual plans cost $39 per month. Premier annual plans cost $119 a month. Monthly plans cost $99 per month.
• Team plans: Team advantage plans cost $29 per person each month. Team premier plans cost $75 per person each month.
• Enterprise pricing is available upon request.

17. Typeform

Like SurveyMonkey, Typeform allows you to run research surveys to get direct answers from your target consumers. It’s an easy-to-use, mobile-optimized form-builder that’s great for market research.

Typeform’s distinguishing factor is that it shows viewers one form field at a time. In its templates, Typeform encourages a more conversational, casual approach (like in its market research survey template ).

You can create a wide range of question types, and other features include the ability to recall answers from previous questions and create logic jumps.

In a survey, you’d want to collect both demographic and psychographic information on your customers to understand their purchasing behaviors and the problems they encounter.

The goal is to find out if your product is the solution to one of those problems — and whether, before launching, you should add more features or rethink your product positioning strategy .

Best for: I think Typeform is best for product launches that target a younger demographic.

If you’re targeting C-suite executives at established firms, consider a more formal option, such as SurveyMonkey, or keeping your tone more formal in your questions.

Pricing: Free plans are available. Basic plans cost $29 per month. Plus plans cost $59 per month. Business plans cost $99 per month. Enterprise plans are available upon request.

18. PureSpectrum Insights (Previously Upwave Instant Insights )

PureSpectrum acquired Upwave Instant Insights in 2021 and rebranded as PureSpectrum Insights.

As before, this platform is primarily a consumer research tool. While it isn’t advertised as a survey creation tool, it allows you to launch market research surveys specifically to get consumer insights.

PureSpectrum allows you to perform customer and market segmentation and also to visualize your data for easy scanning by key stakeholders and investors. They’ve grown to include A/B testing, brand tracking, and customer sentiment.

Pro tip: PureSpectrum distributes your survey to real people. Take a look at their marketplace profile to get a sense of where and from whom you can collect valuable data.

Pricing: Schedule a demo for more information.

19. Claritas MyBestSegment

Claritas MyBestSegment provides product researchers with tools to understand a specific area’s demographic information as well as the lifestyle habits of those who live there.

Their audience segments give you information gleaned from tens of thousands of data points, giving you insight into much more than just household income, employment, and education levels.

By finding out what a segment of the population does — without having to go out and survey them — you can find out which areas would be most receptive to a campaign or launch.

You can also discover which competitors are located nearby and which lifestyle trends have shifted or are on the rise.

What I like: I like that they are able to do some of the leg work for you. Syndicated Audiences is a tool available from Claritas for finding an organized audience of consumers who are more likely to be interested in your products or services.

Pricing: Pricing is available upon request.

Loop11 is a user experience testing platform that allows you to test the usability of your website, study user intent, test the information architecture of your site, and examine how the user experience changes based on the device they’re using.

Loop11 tests your site on any device by making users perform tasks. They then complete a short question about how easy or difficult the task was to complete.

Your product may be phenomenal, but unless consumers can actually buy it through your site, your launch won’t be successful.

You can use Loop11’s participants for niche demographics or bring in your own to learn more about your current customers.

Best for: Market research for your site development. You can find out whether your target consumers find your site easy to navigate and also identify snags that prevent conversions.

Pricing: Rapid Insights plans cost $199 monthly or $179 per month, billed annually. Pro plans cost $399 per month or $358 per month, billed annually. Enterprise plans cost $599 per month or $533 per month, billed annually.

21. Userlytics

Like Loop11, Userlytics allows you to test the usability of your website, mobile app, and site prototype. You can target different devices, define a buyer persona, and disqualify participants based on screening questions.

Testing is based on tasks that your test-takers carry out. They then answer a simple question about the difficulty of the task. You can structure the question in various ways:

You can leave it open-ended, provide multiple choices, or ask for a rating. Other formats you can use include System Usability Scale (SUS) questions, Net Promoter Score (NPS) questions, and Single Ease Questions (SEQ).

What I like: Userlytics performs both a webcam and a screen recording. You can compare the user’s answers with their reactions on video to understand how they feel when they’re interacting with your assets.

Pricing: Schedule a free demo for more information.

Sometimes, you need a no-frills test to take the pulse of consumers. Temper allows you to create a question and pop it onto your website, into your emails, etc.

The smiley face, “meh” face, and frowny face make it easy for viewers to share their feelings — and for you to read their minds.

You can also add it to a product page or a landing page, tailoring the questions to fit your offerings.

As for what you see, there are three options for receiving the feedback: in a tab on each page you are monitoring, embedded in the web page itself to narrow in on aspects within the page, or at the bottom of emails so you can get real-time information as the interaction unfolds.

Pro tip: One great way I’ve seen this used is by adding it to a blog post announcing the launch of a new product. You can find out general sentiment toward the product before it even launches!

Pricing: Hobby plans cost $12 per month. Pro plans cost $49 per month. Business plans cost $89 per month. White label plans cost $199 per month.

23. NielsenIQ (NIQ)

NielsenIQ (NIQ) is a retail and consumer intelligence consultant that works with you to collect consumer insights, identify the best distribution channels for your product, and create a range of products to address the needs of your target buyers.

This service helps you look at your product launch from all angles, delivering forecasting data that predicts how your sales will perform upon launch. NielsenIQ can also run consumer insights surveys on their list of panelists and partners.

NIQ now offers a service called Byzzer to help small businesses with fewer resources. It opens a door for market research reporting, in-person events, and consulting at a lower cost than the full NIQ suite.

Best for: I think Byzzer can be a helpful and affordable option for smaller businesses, but because NielsenIQ operates like a consultant and not as a self-service software, it is a better option for established firms with a bigger product launch budget.

Pricing: Pricing is available on request.

24. Ubersuggest

Don’t be intimidated by the visually text-heavy Ubersuggest. It really is an easy tool for doing keyword and content research. You just input a phrase, and it’ll create a list of keyword suggestions.

You can also see top-performing articles and pages to better understand the types of content that rank for those keywords.

This tool is useful for market research because you can see who your top competitors are, how often your product is searched for, and whether there’s enough space in the market for the type of product you’re launching.

You can also find out the questions your target audience asks in relation to the product. Each of these questions can be turned into an informative blog post that can guide your audience, increase your brand authority, and drive conversions.

Pro tip: If you want a quick look at the results you can get, head to their website and do a search — just know that you only get one glimpse before they make you register. Alternatives to Ubersuggest include Moz , Ahrefs , and SEMRush .

Pricing: Free seven-day trials are available for all three tiers. Individual plans cost $29 per month. Business plans cost $49 per month. Enterprise and agency plans cost $99 per month. Add-ons are available at $5 each. Lifetime memberships are also available.

25. Pew Research Center

From economic conditions to political attitudes, social media usage to food science, the Pew Research Center website has loads of free research that you can use to better understand your target markets.

Be careful with your curiosity, though. It’s a gorgeous trap of interesting information that can drain your day away — but so happily.

I that Pew Research Center integrates visual data directly into the text — and we’re not talking about a chart or image spliced in.

The site has hundreds of interactive articles that allow you to filter and sift through the data for more granular, targeted insights while also making dense information easier to understand.

Their research topic selection is delightfully vast. Click the top left tab for “ Research Topics.” Then, there is a link to their “ Full Topic List .” Once there, each topic cluster has a “ More ” option.

What I like: As a writer in digital marketing, I am always on the hunt for targeted and nutritious quotes and insights. I love that you have access to what research participants actually had to say below the Pew Research articles.

It’s a stellar feature for building compelling presentations. The quotes are tagged, too, so you can sort quotes more specifically on various concepts or groups related to the research.

Here’s an example article — scroll to the In Their Own Words section at the bottom to check it out.

26. SocialMention (Part of BrandMentions)

SocialMention is a part of BrandMentions focused on social media monitoring. The platform helps you understand what your prospective customers are buzzing about online.

Search for a keyword, and SocialMentions will show you recent social posts that contain that keyword, along with the context of its usage.

After subscribing to the platform, you’ll also get other metrics such as Reach (how many people view the keyword per day), Performance (how many people engage with the keyword per day), and Mentions by Weekday (when people mention the keyword).

One way to use this tool for market research is by finding out what time of day or night people are looking for your product on social media sites.

Let’s say you’ve developed a sleeping aid app and learn through SocialMention that most people look for sleeping aid apps at 2:00 AM. When you start announcing your product, you will need to schedule your post around 2:00 AM.

Pro tip: Another useful tool you’ll have access to is sentiment analysis on your keywords. It allows you to find out how people are generally feeling about the type of product you’re launching.

That way, you can refine the tone of your campaigns.

Pricing: Growing business plans cost $79 per month. Company plans cost $249 per month. Enterprise and agency plans cost $399 per month. All prices are billed annually.

27. Qualtrics Market Research Panels

Qualtrics takes away the hassle of finding respondents for your market research surveys. They provide an online sample service so you can access real, live human thoughts without having to actually manage any humans.

It’s an introverted marketer’s dream come true!

Once you’ve identified your target audience, head on over to Qualtrics and sign up to access a representative sample.

You can then use Qualtrics’ built-in platform to start gathering insights and information from the people whose pain points you might be able to help solve.

Pro tip: You can actually choose between Qualtrics’ built-in platform or using your own chosen survey software . Sometimes, you’re already familiar and comfy with one system or need to hustle with a program you know — Qualtrics lets you pick.

28. ProProfs Qualaroo

Qualaroo is an advanced user and market research tool that helps you understand your specific market with targeted surveys.

You can run surveys on over six channels at once — such as website, app, product, social media, and email — to get a 360-degree view of your existing and potential customers.

It comes packed with features like question branching, 12+ answer types, automatic survey language translation, in-depth audience targeting, pre-built survey templates, and an extensive repository of professionally designed questions.

You can create various market research surveys in minutes to collect data on the demographic, psychographic, and behavioral traits of your target audience.

It can help you map customers’ expectations and preferences, create customer personas, and perform audience segmentation.

Qualaroo also promotes quick feedback analysis. Its in-built AI-based sentiment analysis and text analytics engine automatically categorizes the responses based on user moods.

It also highlights the key phrases and words in real time, saving hours of manual work.

What we like: In my experience, you can get an awful lot done with just this one source for conducting market research. I like it for its rare combination of tool inclusivity and affordable pricing — it’s definitely a solid source to start with.

Pricing: Omni channel plans for up to 50 responses are free. Omni channel plans for businesses up to 100 responses cost $19.99 per month, billed annually. Email surveys up to 50 responses are free.

Email surveys for businesses up to 100 responses cost $9.99 per month, billed annually.

Conduct Market Research for a Successful Product Launch

Conducting market research is essential to a successful product launch to market.

With the tools I’ve just introduced you to, you can find out who’s looking for your product, why they need it, and how you can better market whatever you’re looking to launch.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in April 2016 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Don't forget to share this post!

Related articles.

The Beginner's Guide to the Competitive Matrix [+ Templates]

What is a Competitive Analysis — and How Do You Conduct One?

9 Best Marketing Research Methods to Know Your Buyer Better [+ Examples]

SWOT Analysis: How To Do One [With Template & Examples]

Market Research: A How-To Guide and Template

TAM, SAM & SOM: What Do They Mean & How Do You Calculate Them?

How to Run a Competitor Analysis [Free Guide]

5 Challenges Marketers Face in Understanding Audiences [New Data + Market Researcher Tips]

Causal Research: The Complete Guide

Free Guide & Templates to Help Your Market Research

Marketing software that helps you drive revenue, save time and resources, and measure and optimize your investments — all on one easy-to-use platform

• Integrations
• Case Studies
• State of Competitive Intelligence
• Partner Directory
• In the News
• Crayon Academy

Crayon Competitive Intelligence blog

The 8 free market research tools and resources you need to know.

With over 400,000 new businesses opening in the United States each month, the need for individual companies to conduct their own market research has never been more urgent.  However, conducting market research isn’t an easy task — it presents challenges to businesses of all shapes and sizes.

With that being said, those with large budgets do enjoy certain advantages. When you have access to an endless array of top-tier tools and resources, you can uncover strategy-changing insights with relative ease.

Does that mean businesses with small (or non-existent) budgets are out of luck? Absolutely not.

Nowadays, free market research tools and resources are abundant — and you’ll be familiar with eight of our favorites by the time you’re done reading this blog post.

But first, some housekeeping:

What is market research?

Market research is the process of gathering and analyzing information about your customers — both current and prospective — with the intent of optimizing your business strategy.

Customer-related information that you may want to gather includes (but is not limited to):

• The goals they want to achieve
• The pain points they want to alleviate
• The income or budget that constrains them
• The products and/or services they use (a.k.a. your competitors)
• The strengths and weaknesses of the products and/or services they use

Why is market research important?

Market research is important because — if you’re thorough and open-minded — it dramatically improves your chances of long-term success. Only through market research can you uncover the insights you need to develop a product or service that (1) satisfies the demands of your prospects and (2) stands out from the competition.

For a complete overview of how conducting market research can benefit your business, here’s Market Research Defined and How to Get Started .

Cool? Cool. Let’s dive into the good stuff.

Top 4 Free Market Research Tools

For clarity, we will define a free market research tool as any tool that:

• Costs nothing, and
• Helps with the collection and/or analysis of customer-related information

Keep in mind that “customer-related information” encompasses everything from a pain point to a weakness of one of your competitors’ products.

1. Google Trends

If you want to get a sense of the level of interest in a particular product or service — as well as how that interest fluctuates over time and across regions — Google Trends is an excellent tool.

All you need to do is enter a search query and toggle with the filters. As an example, take a look at the level of interest in “office supplies'' in the U.S. over the past five years. Perhaps unsurprisingly, interest peaked in February 2020 — at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic:

Plus, you can explore variations in interest across the 50 states, as well as related topics and queries that are surging in popularity:

The “interest by subregion” data is powerful. In Wyoming, searches for “office supplies” account for a greater percentage of all search queries than in any other state. Your average resident of Wyoming, in other words, is more interested in searching for office supplies than is your average resident of, say, Louisiana — a valuable insight for anyone who sells office supplies online.

Equally valuable is the insight that searches for “where to buy office supplies in bulk” are on the rise — potentially indicative of an emerging pain point.

2. SurveyMonkey

As some of you already know, one of the best ways to conduct market research is to ask your customers a handful of open-ended questions. You can do this for free with SurveyMonkey .

Specifically, with a free SurveyMonkey account, you can ask up to 10 questions and field up to 40 responses with each of your surveys.

Open-ended questions you may ask your customers include (but are not limited to):

• Why did you buy our product?
• What has our product helped you accomplish?
• How does our product compare to others that you’ve used in the past?

With just three questions — well under the limit of a free survey — you can learn quite a bit about your target market. If, for example, the majority of respondents say they bought your product because they were struggling to do their jobs in a cost-effective manner, that gives you a clearer picture of your prospects’ pain points and your competitors’ weaknesses .

3. Make My Persona

As you collect and analyze customer-related information, it’s a good idea to create or tweak your buyer personas : detailed profiles of the semi-fictional people for whom your product or service is designed. In the context of market research, personas are useful because they help you synthesize and comprehend the information you’re gathering.

Thanks to our friends at HubSpot, you can use a wonderful free tool called Make My Persona .

Intuitive and fun, Make My Persona is a seven-step process that walks you through the essential components of your target customer: demographic information, firmographic information, job title, pain points, and so on. And if you want to go beyond the bare essentials, you can add as many extra sections of information as you like.

Important note: Your personas should be dynamic. As you conduct further market research and learn more about your target customers, your personas should evolve accordingly.

4. WordSift

Make My Persona is appealing, in part, because it enables you to make sense of raw data — to separate the signal from the noise. The same can be said about WordSift , the final free tool we’ll be discussing today.

Built to help teachers with the instruction of vocabulary and reading comprehension, WordSift allows you to generate word clouds: images that represent the frequency with which certain words are used in a given body of text. Look what happens when I copy the introduction to this blog post and paste it into WordSift:

Instantaneously — and unsurprisingly — I can conclude that “business,” “market,” and “research” are among the most frequently used words in the introduction to this post.

What does this have to do with market research? Well, let’s say you’ve been using SurveyMonkey to ask your customers about their reasons for buying your product. One by one, if you were to copy their responses and paste them into WordSift, you’d be able to see which words your customers use most often. That’s a market research gold mine!

Top 4 Free Market Research Resources

Again, for clarity, we will define a free market research resource as any resource that:

• Helps with the collection of customer-related information

The scope of “customer-related information" remains the same  —  encompassing everything from a pain point to a weakness of one of your competitors’ products.

5. Bureau of Labor Statistics

A government organization that “measures labor market activity, working conditions, price changes, and productivity in the U.S. economy to support public and private decision-making,” the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is a wealth of information.

Because this is a blog post about market research — not an economics class — we’ll focus on BLS’ industry- and region-specific information. If you’re on the homepage and you hover over the Data Tools drop-down menu, you’ll see a hyperlink to something titled “Industry at a Glance.” Click on that, find your industry of interest, and explore the dozens of statistics that BLS has aggregated.

If, for example, you’re interested in the apparel manufacturing industry — either because you’re in the industry or you sell into it — you can see how earnings, prices, and productivity figures are changing over time.

Head back to the homepage, hover over the Subjects drop-down menu, and you’ll see a section labeled Geographic Information:

Select your region of interest, filter by state or metropolitan area (if necessary), and take a tour of BLS’ enormous library of area-specific data.

6. U.S. Census Bureau

On a mission to “serve as the [United States’] leading provider of quality data about its people and economy,” the U.S. Census Bureau is another terrific resource that costs nothing to use.

Just as we did with the BLS, we’ll focus on industry- and region-specific information. Admittedly, using the Census website to find industry-specific information is slightly more complicated than it is when using the BLS website. If you’re on the homepage and you hover over the Explore Data drop-down menu, you’ll see a hyperlink titled “Explore Data Main.”

Click on that, and you’ll be brought to the Census’ search engine. Then, click inside the search bar and select “Advanced Search.”

Underneath “Find A Filter,” type in the name of the industry you’re interested in researching. Once the search suggestions load, simply check the appropriate box and click “Search.”

From there, you’ll be able to explore thousands of data tables, maps, and whitepapers — many of them chock-full of industry-specific information that you can use to your advantage.

Finding region-specific information is a bit more straightforward. Head back to the Advanced Search engine, select “Geography” from underneath Browse Filters, and go from there:

7. Pew Research Center

A nonprofit dedicated to “inform[ing] the public about the issues, attitudes, and trends shaping the world,” the Pew Research Center is one of the most authoritative sources of information for anyone striving to make better business decisions.

Whereas the BLS and the Census are (among other things) aggregators of economic data, the Pew Research Center is a “fact tank” — an organization focused on public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis, and other forms of social science inquiry. 

So, although you can’t necessarily use Pew to uncover hyper-specific insights related to your industry or region, you can use it to learn more about your target audience. The best way to do this is through the Topics section of the Pew website.

Clicking that hyperlink brings you to an index of dozens of topics, ranging from Online Video to Homeownership to Democracy. Selecting any of these topics will bring you to a list of relevant content — reports, fact tanks, transcripts, and other forms of media that can date back as far as the early 1980s.

As an example, let’s say you’re developing a product or service that targets new homeowners. If you were to click on the Homeownership topic, you’d land on a list of reports like this one:

If I were you, that’s not a report I’d want to overlook!

We’ll wrap up today’s guide with a free resource specifically for those of you in the software world. Designed to help buyers determine which products are best suited to their needs, G2 is the leading source of validated, unbiased software reviews.

G2 is, in other words, an excellent way to find out what your target customers are saying about your competitors’ products. Do a quick search for the type of software you’re developing and you’re in business.

If you were developing a sales compensation software product and you searched this keyword, you’d be brought to the page you see below. To learn more about Spiff — one of your top-rated industry competitors — all you’d need to do is click “Read Spiff Reviews.”

If you want to get granular, you can filter reviews in a number of different ways. As an example, let’s say you’re developing a sales compensation software product specifically for small businesses. G2 has the filter you’re looking for:

And just like that, you’ve got access to dozens of valuable insights like this one:

Start using market research tools today!

If you try to bring a product or service to market without an understanding of your target customers, your chances of success are slim. According to the most recent State of Competitive Intelligence Report , 84% of businesses say their industry has gotten more competitive in the last three years. With the range of choices at your prospects’ fingertips growing by the day, the need for a thorough market research strategy only intensifies.

We hope you find these free market research tools and resources useful. And if you decide to make the leap to a paid solution, make sure to request a demo of Crayon — the competitive intelligence platform that enables you to track, analyze, and act on everything happening outside your businesses’ four walls.

Seeing is believing! Check out Crayon for yourself.

Related Blog Posts

Popular Posts

• Do Not Sell My Personal Info

•  ⋅ 
• Digital Marketing

The 19 Best Market Research Tools Of 2024

Market research is a crucial component of any business strategy. Here are some of the best tools you can use in your market research efforts.

Building a successful business is no easy feat, especially in a world where consumers have more options – and distractions – than ever before.

That’s why market research is essential to any business marketing plan and marketing strategy .

Market research lets you learn more about our target consumers and their behavior, spot emerging trends, uncover important data, and make informed business decisions.

But with so many target consumers out there and so many places and methods to reach them, where should you start?

In this article, we’ll cover some of the best market research tools available to you across a variety of tactics and approaches.

Let’s get started.

1. SurveyMonkey

One of the more well-known survey tools, SurveyMonkey offers a broad list of features and capabilities for creating audience surveys.

Whether you want to create your own survey or choose from one of its 250+ expert-created templates, SurveyMonkey offers a user-friendly interface that enables you to customize your surveys to your needs.

It also offers a suite of helpful features, including AI-powered knowledge to help you pose the right questions, as well as built-in reporting and analytics.

• SurveyMonkey offers a free Basic tier with unlimited surveys featuring up to 10 questions and 25 responses per survey.
• Individual plans start at $1169/month with unlimited surveys and questions, and up to 15,000 responses per year.
• Team plans start at $920/user/month, starting at three users. This level also gives you unlimited surveys and questions, but offers 50,000 responses per year.

2. Typeform

Typeform is an easy-to-use tool focused on helping users create intuitive and engaging forms, surveys, quizzes, polls, and more. Its selling point is the ability to create truly conversational, beautiful forms.

With Typeform, you can create slick surveys with customizable interactive elements, such as images and videos, that encourage your audience to take action. Its focus on interactivity makes it an appealing tool for market research.

Typeform offers plenty of useful features – from conditional logic to creating dynamic surveys – that adapt based on answers to real-time data analytics and integrations with tons of popular tools, from Slack to Google Analytics.

The company even offers a standalone video tool, VideoAsk, where users can create “video forms” to prompt responses.

• Typeform offers a Free plan with unlimited typeforms and 10 responses per month.
• Paid plans start at $25/month billed annually for Basic, $50/month billed annually for Plus, and $83/month billed annually for Business.
• The company also offers an Enterprise plan.

3.  BuzzSumo

BuzzSumo is a content research and analysis tool that can help you gather some powerful market insights.

Regarding market research, BuzzSumo can help you understand the content landscape in your industry (and beyond), find out what’s resonating with your target consumers, identify influencers in your niche, and track how your content is performing vs. your competitors’.

The BuzzSumo tool analyzes articles (over 5 billion!) and social media posts across the internet to identify top-performing content. It allows you to comb through five years of data so that you can discover the right content ideas for your audience.

• 30-day free trial (no credit card required).
• Membership tiers start at $199/month billed yearly for Content Creation (individual) plan, $299/month billed yearly for PR & Comms plan, $499/month billed yearly for the Suite plan, and $999/month billed yearly for the Enterprise plan.

4. Qualaroo

Want to capture user feedback and deepen your understanding of market trends? Qualaroo might be the tool for you.

Qualaroo is a customer and user feedback tool that claims to be “10X more valuable than email surveys.” Using Qualaroo, you can add a survey to a page on your website or integrate it into your product.

The tool uses behavioral triggering to show surveys or feedback prompts in response to specific user behavior, so you know you’re targeting the right people with the most relevant questions.

Qualaroo also offers visual customization so you can get the branding right, automatic language translation, a library of survey templates, audience targeting, and IBM Watson Sentiment Analysis to help you organize your results.

• 15-day free trial (no credit card required).
• Plans start at $69/month billed annually for Essentials, $149/month billed annually for Premium, and $299+/month billed annually for Business tier.

SpyFu is a great choice if you’re looking to conduct competitive analysis as part of your market research efforts.

It allows you to effectively “spy” on your competitors by viewing their marketing strategies, advertising history, what keywords they’ve bought on Google Ads, and more – which can help you find gaps in the market and optimize your own approach.

You can feed the SpyFu tool a URL, and it will instantly show you its results for SEO topics like organic keywords, top pages, backlink analysis, total traffic, competition, and more.

Not only can SpyFu help you gain an understanding of the SEO landscape for your industry and gain a competitive advantage, but it can also tell you how hard it might be to dominate a specific niche.

• SpyFu offers paid plans starting at $39/month for Basic, $79/month for Professional.

Another great tool for SEO and competitive analysis, Ahrefs is a popular choice of many marketers for good reason.

Using Ahrefs, you can learn more about the search landscape of your market, discover what keywords your customers are searching for, track your competitors, and analyze content in your industry to inform your own strategies.

With its keyword and content capabilities, Ahrefs will help you find gaps and opportunities in the market so that you can improve your content, your site, and your search visibility.

• Website owners can sign up for Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free limited access to its Site Explorer and Site Audit tools.
• Paid plans start at $129/month for Lite, $249/month for Standard, $449/month for Advanced, and $14,990/month for Enterprise (billed annually).

7. Delve AI

User personas are a crucial facet of an effective marketing strategy – and as such, developing them is a common step in any market research process.

Thanks to tools like Delve AI , it’s easier than ever to build user personas.

Delve AI offers a suite of persona-building tools based on your needs and the data available to you. Depending on what stage your business is in, you can generate:

• Competitor personas using Delve AI’s data.
• Social personas based on your social audience.
• Customer personas using your customer information.
• Live personas for your website based on Google Analytics data.

Beyond its multi-channel capabilities, Delve AI uses AI algorithms for accuracy in personas, offers behavioral insights, real-time updates to your personas, and more.

• The company offers a free Lite plan.
• Business plans start at $89/month for Standard, $199/month for the Growth tier, and $549/month for Pro (billed annually).
• Agency plans start at $209/month for Standard, $429/month for Growth, and $859/month for the Pro tier (billed annually).

8. Sprout Social

We don’t need to tell you about the importance of social media when it comes to connecting with your audience and driving business success. It can also play a major role where market research is concerned.

Sprout Social offers a robust suite of social media management features. Perhaps the most useful for market research are social listening features – which allow you to track market trends, industry keywords, and social conversations – and its competitor analysis capabilities.

It also provides insights into audience demographics, behavior, and interests, which you can use to inform your marketing approach.

• Free 30-day trial.
• Plans start at $199/month for Standard, $299/month for Professional, and $399/month for Advanced.
• Sprout Social also offers an Enterprise tier plan.

9. Google Trends

How can you supercharge your market research efforts? Look to search data.

Google Trends is an incredible tool that enables you to analyze real-time and historical search data to discover market trends, up-to-date consumer insights, and more.

By using this tool to access the latest information on how people search on Google, you can spot emerging interests and opportunity areas, and keep an eye on what consumers are most interested in.

It also offers location filtering so that you can see what’s trending in any given market.

10. Statista

If you’re looking for data and statistics on pretty much anything in the world of business and marketing, you might want to check out Statista.

It’s a business intelligence platform that provides “statistics, reports, and insights on over 80,000 topics from 22,500 sources in 170 industries.” This means that if you’re looking for specific market research insights, Statista most likely has something to fit your needs.

From in-depth reports to data visualizations and industry forecasts, Statista can give you reliable insights into what’s happening in markets around the world, and highlight market and consumer trends.

• Free Basic account available.
• Paid accounts start at $149/month for Starter and $549/month for Personal (billed annually), $959 for Professional (billed annually) with more options available.

11. Qualtrics

If you’re looking for something extremely robust, Qualtrics ’ market research platform is an all-in-one, AI-powered solution for your market research needs.

It offers a suite of features and capabilities, including:

• Panel Management : Enables you to create research panels from email lists, site visitors, social followers, and more.
• On-Demand Respondents : Companies can pay for access to survey respondents that match their target demographic.
• Product Development : Get access to early feedback on your new products and services from customers.
• Purchase Behavior : Explore data on what is fueling purchase decisions among your target customers.

While it requires a more dedicated investment, Qualtrics’ software is scalable and powerful. It comes with automation and integration with many other tools, and customers have access to a support team.

• Qualtrics offers a free survey maker tool with up to 500 responses.
• For pricing details, reach out to the Qualtrics team.

It’s important to stay on top of how your customers feel about your business, services, and products – and Temper provides a super simple way to do just that.

The concept is simple: Come up with a simple question you want to ask your question, and your customers can respond by clicking a smiley face that corresponds to how they feel.

You might want to ask your customers, “How do you feel about our new product?” or “Please rate your experience with our customer support team.” With just a little bit of code, you can place a Temper widget on your webpage, in a blog post, or in an email footer and get quick feedback on audience sentiment.

• Plans start at $12/month for Hobby tier, $49/month for Pro, $89/month for Business, and $199/month for White Label.
• Temper offers a 60-day risk-free, money-back guarantee.

You’ve likely heard of the question-and-answer site Quora , but have you considered its potential as a market research tool?

Quora is an online community where real people can go to ask questions about anything they’d like, and share their experiences and opinions with others via answers.

It offers a unique opportunity for brands to conduct market research within their specific industry or area by connecting with Quora’s diverse community of consumers, professionals, and others.

Try searching Quora for topics related to your business or niche, and look at what types of conversations are trending. Or, you could ask a question yourself!

It’s a great tool for engaging your audience , keeping an eye on your competitors, and even developing new ideas for content, product development, and more.

• Quora is free to use, though it also offers separate business solutions.

14. Crunchbase

Crunchbase is a handy tool for getting a good picture of your industry landscape and how your competitors are faring.

It’s a database of companies that includes information like funding round data, investors, and financial information for each business. It also includes information such as employee headcount, leadership data, and more.

You can search Crunchbase by region or industry, allowing you to see how other companies in your niche are growing, and who is deciding to fund them. This can help you identify investment opportunities and market gaps, or even just gauge the overall health of your industry.

• Crunchbase offers a Free plan where you can preview profile pages at no cost.
• Paid options start at $99/month for Pro (billed annually).
• An Enterprise option is also available with custom billing.

15. Google Market Finder

Another excellent market research tool from Google is Market Finder . This free, interactive tool is focused mostly on researching target markets – so you can use it to discover which markets might have the most potential for your company, monitor demand for your products or services, and more.

There are two primary features within Market Finder:

• Test your export readiness.  By providing your company’s URL and completing a short quiz, the tool will grade your “readiness” to expand into new markets abroad.
• Dive into new markets. You can take another short quiz that will suggest new market recommendations based on the information you provide, as well as external data like search volume and Google Ads.

Market Finder can also integrate with your Google Analytics data for more accurate information.

16. Semrush

Semrush is a one-stop marketing tool that can be leveraged to gain incredibly useful market research insights.

The company offers features dedicated to this type of research, such as its Market Explorer tool, which enables you to get quick information on your specific industry, conduct an analysis of market share, and benchmark your business against your competitors. You can also use the tool to analyze the potential of a new niche or market region for your business.

You might also find Semrush’s traffic analytics tool useful, as it allows you to go deeper with competitive analysis and target consumer demographics.

• Semrush offers a free account with limited capabilities.
• Paid accounts start at $139.95/month for Pro, $249.95/month for Guru, and $499.95/month for Business (billed annually).

17. Pew Research Center

While not a traditional marketing tool, the Pew Research Center is a widely known and respected resource that can be super effective when it comes to market research.

The site hosts a robust catalog of reports, surveys, and research covering everything from tech and digital media to politics, cultural trends, and more. The data is unbiased and credible, offering a unique perspective into what today’s consumers think and feel on various topics.

You can use the Pew Research Center as a tool to further hone your market research efforts, providing you with insights into the attitudes and behaviors of your target consumer, as well as the various factors that are impacting their desires and purchasing decisions.

18. Exploding Topics

We all know the saying, “I liked it before it was popular” – well, with Exploding Topics , your business can be the one to say this.

Exploding Topics helps you spot trends before they become super popular by analyzing searches, mentions, and conversations across the web to identify products, topics, and industries that are on the rise.

You can use Exploding Topics as a resource to help you predict shifts in the market and consumer interests, which can inform everything from your product design and strategy to your marketing approach.

It’s a lot like Google Trends, with some key differences; it pulls in data from a variety of sources and is focused on highlighting emerging trends before they take off.

• Exploding Topics offers a free version of its Trend Database.
• Paid tiers begin at $39/month for Entrepreneur, $99/month for Investor, and $249/month for Business (billed annually).

In today’s day and age, you can’t build a successful business without an effective website. But how can you know whether your website will resonate with your target consumer?

You can use Loop11 , a usability testing platform that helps facilitate user testing of your products.

Loop11 makes it simple to create a usability test and secure participants.

It enables you to view the user’s experience through video, audio, and screen recordings. Then, it presents you with in-depth insights and UX metrics to help you understand what’s working with your website, app, or product and what’s preventing people from converting.

• Free 14-day trial with full capabilities.
• Paid plans start at $179-199/month for Rapid Insights, $358-399/month for Pro, and $533-599/month for Enterprise (price depending on whether it’s billed monthly or annually).

Market research is key to any business plan, no matter what industry you’re in, what stage of growth your business is at, or what customers you’re serving.

From competitive analysis to keyword research, user feedback, and more, focusing on your market research efforts will pay dividends to your business in the long run.

And while there are plenty of different ways to approach market research, these represent some of the best tools available to you – and can be a great jumping-off point for you to get started.

More Resources: 

• How To Calculate Your Total Addressable Market (TAM) For SEO
• Market Intelligence: What It Is & How To Use It
• Competitor Mapping: What Is It & How To Do It

Featured Image: LAONG/Shutterstock

Writer, digital marketer, and content strategist. Annabelle has 8+ years of experience in social marketing, copywriting, and storytelling for best-in-class ...

15 Top Market Research Tools & Software (2024)

In this guide, we’ll cover the 17 best free and paid market research software tools that you can use right now. 

From data collection to conducting one-on-one interviews with key members of your audience, these tools can make the market research process more effective and efficient.

1. Statista

Statista is a statistics portal that also offers customized market research reports. 

To quickly find relevant reports, type in a keyword (like “beverages”) and Statista will produce a list of results.

The information you can get from Statista makes it easy to gauge an industry’s:

• Trend direction
• Consumer behavior

These critical signals can help you decide whether or not to invest or expand into that market.

Statista data comes from three primary sources:

• 49% of the data comes from Statista’s original research (the company employs over 100 data analysts)
• 16% comes from publicly accessible data sources
• 35% is obtained through unique data partnerships, such as with market research institutions

You can even opt to talk to one of Statista’s professional researchers to get further help and insights during your market research process.

It is important to note, though, that the quality of data you find on Statista may vary. This is because a number of the reports—particularly the free ones—are based on public data.

Who Should Use Statista?

Statista is useful for investors seeking their next opportunity, as well as business leaders who want to better understand the competitive landscape.

How Much Does Statista Cost?

Much of Statista’s data is available for free. For advanced insights and reports, you can purchase a paid plan. Options start at $199 per month; you can also purchase single, comprehensive reports for $495.

2. Exploding Topics

Exploding Topics is a trend spotting tool. 

Knowing about a trend before it takes off is the holy grail of market research. The problem, though, is that most trend analysis is highly subjective and based on someone’s best guess about what may take off in the future. 

We built Exploding Topics to solve this problem by identifying trends based on big data. 

The flagship feature is our Trends Database, which contains over 750,000 trending topics across 30+ industries like fashion, finance, tech, marketing, pets, beauty, and more. 

When you view a trend in our database, you’ll see a graph of the trend’s historical search volume. This can help you gauge a topic’s popularity and stability. Users on our Investor and Business plans can also see a forecast of the trend’s projected growth: 

We source our data through social listening—tracking what’s being discussed on:

• Social media
• Business websites
• News media sites

By using a mix of artificial intelligence and human data analysis, we rapidly gather this trend data and qualify it to identify the most popular topics.

We update our database with this information every day, so you’re always getting the most up-to-date trend data.

Exploding Topics also offers a handful of other helpful tools that you can use for market research, too. These include our:

• Trend Search : While our core database is great for discovering new trends, the search feature is useful if you already know what you want to see data about. It’s a good alternative to Google Trends.
• Meta Trends : If you want to see the products and brands that are currently riding a trend wave, you can do so by using our Meta Trends feature.
• Trending Startups : Investors can use the Trending Startups list to identify new and rapidly growing companies in any category.
• Trending Products : When you’re interested in expanding your reach or offerings, the Trending Products feature helps you identify hot products that are currently seeing rapid growth.

Who Should Use Exploding Topics?

Exploding Topics is great for investors, entrepreneurs, marketers, and business leaders who need to understand what the competition looks like right now —and how it might change in the near future.

How Much Does Exploding Topics Cost?

You can view much of our basic trend data for free right now. To unlock all our data, as well as extra features like our lists of trending products and startups, you’ll need a paid plan.

Options start at $39 per month (billed annually), and you can get a two-week trial of any paid plan for just $1.

3. Market Finder

Market Finder is a free Google tool that makes it easy to discover international markets that are ripe for expansion. 

Rather than uncovering specific trends, Market Finder shows you new regions and demographics with strong potential for future growth.

It has two primary tools:

• Dive into new markets : This feature walks you through a quick quiz that identifies your industry and collects some specifications about your company. Then, it shows you which companies would be ideal for expansion based on data from Google Ads, search volume, and household income.
• Test export readiness : Enter your URL in this tool; it’ll analyze your readiness for expansion based on marketing performance (international traffic, e-commerce capabilities, etc.), operational abilities (payment fit, localization capabilities, etc.) and competitive position (category demand).

If you have Google Analytics set up, then Market Explorer can pull data directly from the Google Analytics dashboard for increased accuracy.

Who Should Use Market Explorer?

If you’d like to expand your business and find marketing opportunities in new regions, then Market Explorer is a useful tool. It’s also a good choice for investors who would like to identify new regions in which they can seek potential investment opportunities.

How Much Does Market Explorer Cost?

Market Explorer is free to use.

4. Census Business Builder

The Census Business Builder is a tool that allows brick-and-mortar business owners to explore new geographic markets.

You can use the tool to search by zip code, town, or state and see metrics like:

• Average household income
• Typical education level

The Census Business Builder also has advanced filters that can provide valuable, detailed insights based on the type of business you’re launching.

For example, if you’re opening a fast casual restaurant, you can use the “Consumer Spending” filter and see how much people spend on alcoholic beverages and dining out in a selected region.

You’ll still need to turn Census Business Builder data into actionable insights, though. Once you do, it can be a valuable tool for deciding where to open a new retail establishment.

Who Should Use The Census Business Builder?

Retailers and restaurateurs interested in expanding to new markets can use this tool to find a hot spot. It’s also a useful tool for investors who would like to identify markets for potential investment opportunities.

How Much Does The Census Business Builder Cost?

It’s entirely free.

5. Grand View Research

Grand View Research is a research and consulting company that also offers market reports across a variety of industries. 

Most of their market research reports provide statistics like market size, compounding annual growth rate, market breakdown by sectors, and competitive analysis.

Grand View's paid offering allows you to segment the data to find more specific metrics (i.e., only data for the Japanese pet market).

In addition to the free reports, Grand View Research also offers custom research services, and you can talk to one of their analysts for personalized assistance.

Who Should Use Grand View Research?

The company’s reports and services are useful for entrepreneurs who want to launch a business, existing business leaders interested in finding new opportunities, and investors looking for high-growth markets.

How Much Does Grand View Research Cost?

You can access limited data about many of Grand View Research’s reports for free; licensing a full report can cost over $3,000. You can also opt to use the company’s self-service market research portal, Horizon Databook , and get additional data points for free.

SpyFu is a search engine optimization (SEO) tool for keyword research and competitive analysis. 

The platform’s various features make it easy to discover the marketing strategies used by top players in your market or industry. Type in any URL, and you’ll be able to find metrics like:

• Total search traffic
• Search rankings
• Current Google Ads
• Pay per click (PPC) ads history
• Paid keywords

You can then use this data to learn more about one of your top competitors or look at several companies in order to better understand a new market.

Who Should Use SpyFu?

Marketers and business leaders can use SpyFu to better understand who their competitors are—and how much they need to spend on marketing in order to be competitive.

Investors can also use SpyFu to research how potential investment targets are investing in marketing (and what kind of growth they’re seeing as a result.)

How Much Does SpyFu Cost?

You can see a limited amount of SpyFu data for free. Paid plans, which give you access to more features, start at $33 per month when billed annually.

7. Crunchbase

The platform makes it easy to find data like how much money a startup has raised to date, who’s investing in a growing business, or who founded a key industry player.

You can also see other data points through Crunchbase, including acquisition and employee headcount.

To use Crunchbase for market research, just type in an industry and filter results by the type of data you’re seeking. Crunchbase will show you a list of companies that meet the defined criteria.

You can also type in a specific company or competitor name and locate data that way, too.

Who Should Use Crunchbase?

Crunchbase is a valuable tool for nearly everyone involved in business management and funding.

• Entrepreneurs can use the tool to explore new markets and find potential investors.
• Business leaders can keep tabs on competitor growth and relevant industry acquisitions.
• VC firms and investors can monitor how others are investing in growing companies, or explore the investment potential in a new market.

How Much Does Crunchbase Cost?

You can see limited information for free; full Crunchbase access starts at $49 per month (billed annually).

Awario is a social media monitoring and brand tracking tool. 

You can use Awario for market research by tracking specific terms on social media. These can include:

• Brand names
• Product keywords
• Industry influencers’ names

For example, if you’re considering building or investing in a mobile app for sleep tracking, you can easily monitor brand names like Oura or keywords like “sleep tracker”.

This makes it easy to see key industry conversations and glean valuable insights about your ideal buyer persona. You can also identify potential gaps in the market.

Awario even tracks sentiment analysis to see how people feel about various competitors in your target industry.

Who Should Use Awario?

Awario is useful for marketers who want to understand their audience’s frustrations or needs, as well as entrepreneurs and product developers interested in using customer data to improve business offerings.

How Much Does Awario cost?

Awario access starts at $29 per month, billed annually.

G2 is a popular software review website. 

It’s a great resource for quickly finding quantitative and qualitative data about virtually any software market.

The G2 review structure is helpful as it consists of the following questions:

• What do you like best about (product)?
• What do you dislike about (product)?
• What problems is (product) solving and how is that benefiting you?

This customer experience data is a goldmine for investors and startup founders as it makes it easy to spot gaps in a market and understand key pain points that customers are trying to solve.

Plus, G2 provides a list of competitors for each product—useful for identifying related companies to research.

When browsing G2, you can see details about each reviewer including their:

• Business size

This is all useful for accurately identifying your market’s target demographic. You can also filter a product’s reviews by any of those categories.

The platform makes an effort to ensure that the customer feedback is legitimate by allowing users to verify themselves and even marking incentivized reviews.

Who Should Use G2?

G2 is useful for entrepreneurs and product marketers who want to identify and fill gaps in a market. It’s also a good tool for investors who want to learn more about how real users feel about a potential investment target.

The platform only contains software reviews, though. If you’re looking for reviews of other products and companies, you’ll need to find an alternate source (such as Amazon reviews for consumer goods).

How Much Does G2 Cost?

G2 is free for users to browse reviews, though it offers other paid plans for marketers and investors.

10. Prisync

Prisync is a competitor price tracking tool. 

Its automated features make Prisync a great choice for e-commerce entrepreneurs. Use it to:

• Track competitor product pricing and fluctuations
• Estimate customer demand for certain products
• Get price change updates multiple times a day
• Automatically apply dynamic pricing to your own e-commerce storefront

While Prisync is usually best for e-commerce stores that have already launched, you can also use its competitive analysis features to track pricing trends for top players in any market.

For example, in addition to tracking real-time price fluctuations, Prisync also has a price history tracking feature that provides insight into how prices are trending over time, which helps you identify volatility in the market.

Who Should Use Pricsync?

Prisync is most useful for e-commerce startups that want to stay up-to-date with the latest pricing and product trends.

How Much Does Prisync Cost?

Prisync plans start at $99 per month, and pricing depends on the number of products you track. Some features are restricted to higher price tiers, including dynamic pricing, daily email notifications, and API access.

11. Respondent

Respondent is a market research platform for recruiting audience panels.

You can use the Respondent service to find vetted audience members that match your ideal target. Submit a request detailing who you want to talk to—such as CFOs and healthcare companies—and Respondent will find people for you.

You can opt to either talk to these people on one-to-one calls (ideal for getting real-time insights) or run group surveys through Respondent.

Who Should Use Respondent?

Respondent is useful for business leaders and entrepreneurs trying to find the right product-market fit for both B2B and B2C audiences. Investors can use Respondent too—it can be a way to research a particular target market before making an investment.

How Much Does Respondent Cost?

Respondent pricing is based on credits. One credit equals one participant in your interview or survey.

Pricing starts at $24 per B2C credit or $40 per B2B credit. These prices vary based on the total number of credits you purchase. However, you’ll also need to factor in separate incentive payments to respondents. Respondent’s incentive calculator can help you estimate this amount.

12. SurveyMonkey

SurveyMonkey is a user-friendly tool for building market research surveys 

You can choose from multiple survey templates and question types, including:

• NPS surveys
• Product testing surveys
• Customer satisfaction surveys
• Matrix questions
• Open-ended questions
• Rating scales
• Multiple choice questions

If you don’t have an audience to survey, you can use SurveyMonkey’s audience panel service that distributes your survey to a specific demographic.

To use these audience panels, you’ll need to know a few details about your target market—such as “stay-at-home moms with a household income of at least $50,000.” SurveyMonkey will take care of the rest.

It’s important to note, though, that these audiences are fairly broad, such as “college graduates” or “smartphone owners” who meet a few other demographic criteria. If you need highly specific audience curation, you may want to work with a market research firm .

No matter what distribution method you choose, you’ll get to use SurveyMonkey’s drag-and-drop builder to put together questions in your preferred order.

Who Should Use SurveyMonkey?

SurveyMonkey is great for market researchers that want to learn more about a target audience group, as well as business owners and marketing professionals seeking feedback from their existing customers.

How Much Does SurveyMonkey Cost?

You can build limited surveys for free, though they’ll include SurveyMonkey branding. To unlock additional features, you’ll need a paid plan.

SurveyMonkey’s paid plans start at $39 per month, billed annually. You can also request audience responses for $1 each, with a minimum of 200 responses per survey.

Attest is another online survey software option. 

Like Respondent, Attest provides an audience for you to survey. All you need to do is provide demographic information about who you're targeting, and the questions you want to ask.

Attest can assemble audiences from a pool of over 125 million consumers around the world.

The company then uses a mix of AI scanning and human oversight to review the data collected by your attest survey. This is to improve the reliability and consistency of your data.

Attest won't turn your data into insights, though—once you get your results, you'll have to use other tools to help with the analysis.

Who Should Use Attest?

Attest is useful for business leaders or marketers who want to get audience insights or user feedback—without an existing customer base to survey.

Investors could also use Attest to learn more about consumer preferences and habits in a market.

How Much Does Attest Cost?

Attest offers three plans based on usage, but they don't publish their prices online. You'll need to get in touch with the company and request a quote.

14. Qualaroo

Qualaroo is an audience survey tool.

The platform makes it easy to set up questionnaires that appear on your website at different intervals during a visitor's journey.

Companies can use Qualaroo to gather more information about things like:

• Visitor needs and motivations
• App or website user decisions
• Purchase decisions
• Products for sale

You can target website visitors based on time of day, location, and more. This makes it possible to research specific groups of visitors—useful for building or verifying audience personas.

You can also use Qualaroo to collect focus group feedback about website and app prototypes before you launch them.

The company doesn’t provide audiences for you, though, so you’ll need to have a group that you can survey. If not, you’ll be better served by a tool like Attest or Respondent.

Who Should Use Qualaroo?

Any business leader or entrepreneur in need of audience data can use Qualaroo to get feedback from real customers and leads, build out audience surveys, plan marketing campaigns, and more.

How Much Does Qualaroo Cost?

Qualaroo's free plan allows users to collect up to 50 survey responses a month for free. If you want higher usage limits, you'll need to subscribe to a paid plan.

The company's business tier plan costs $39.99 per month (or $19.99 per month when billed annually) per 100 responses.

You'll be billed extra for any month in which you go over 100 responses; the total cost depends on volume.

15. ChatGPT

ChatGPT is an AI chat assistant that can help you plan for and analyze market research efforts.

There are several ways that ChatGPT is useful during the market research process, including:

• Reviewing information about your target audience and creating survey questions
• Processing and analyzing data collected from tools like Attest or SurveyMonkey
• Analyzing, summarizing, and answering questions about data-heavy PDF reports
• Creating customer persona documents

If you have a ChatGPT Plus plan, you can even train your own GPT to produce the analysis or content that you need. It's possible to save and reuse these GPTs so they can speed up your workflow, too.

All generative AI tools do carry a risk of inaccuracies, though, so you’ll want to make sure to double-check ChatGPT’s outputs before using them or feeding information back into another market research tool.

Who Should Use ChatGPT?

ChatGPT can be a useful tool for anyone conducting market research manually, whether that involves sorting through data, writing questions, or segmenting audiences to survey.

How Much Does ChatGPT Cost?

It's free to use ChatGPT, though you may run into some feature limitations. You'll also have to use a slightly older version of the GPT AI, which can lead to more errors.

To customize your experience and get more tools for document analysis, you'll need a ChatGPT Plus plan starting at $20 per month.

16. Optimal Workshop

Optimal Workshop is a user experience (UX) research tool.

The platform facilitates research, data collection, and data visualization through:

• Card sort tests
• First click tests

Card sort tests are the most useful for teams interested in gathering market research data. By presenting a sample audience with examples of products and categories—and then asking them to group and rank each item—you can get a sense of:

• What your target audience is and is not interested in
• How your potential customers think about products and categories of items
• Whether certain colors, terms, and images are more appealing than others

You could run these card sort tests with actual products that you sell or with ones you’re considering creating or adding to your inventory.

Who Should Use Optimal Workshop?

Marketers and business leaders can use Optimal Workshop’s card sort tests to evaluate how members of a new market or audience think about products—and what their preferences are.

How Much Does Optimal Workshop Cost?

Optimal Workshop plans start at $191 per user, per month (billed annually), with a minimum of three users. Because of this, it’s best suited for organizations that plan to conduct UX research after moving through market research and card testing.

17. AlsoAsked

AlsoAsked is a tool that produces frequently asked questions on any topic.

The way it works is simple—type in a phrase, set your language and location, and see related questions that people are typing into search engines.

Questions display in tree format, so you can see how different queries relate to each other. One click on any group of questions opens up a new tree, so you can dig down even further into related subtopics.

Who Should Use AlsoAsked?

AlsoAsked is useful for anyone who’s conducting preliminary market research. Because you can adjust results by location and language, you can use AlsoAsked to get a feel for:

• What people want to know about a topic, product, or service
• Whether their questions increase, decrease, or change based on location
• How a market’s concerns, interests, and queries change along with language

You won’t be able to do all of your market research in AlsoAsked, but it can give you ideas for survey questions to ask, industry trends to track, and more.

How Much Does AlsoAsked Cost?

AlsoAsked is free to use, though you’re limited to three searches per day. To raise usage limits, bring up increasingly detailed results, and unlock multiple export formats, you’ll need a paid plan. Options start at $12 per month when billed annually.

If you’re new to the market research process, then these tools will help you set benchmarks, get key consumer insights, and collect data for decision making. But even the best market research tool can only go so far—you also need to have a solid understanding of the research process and key industry shifts.

To make sure that you’re getting the most out of your preferred research solution, check out our guide to conducting research for new product development —and look at the biggest trends in market research happening right now.

Find Thousands of Trending Topics With Our Platform

The 13 Best Market Research Tools in 2024

Jul 26, 2024

10 min. read

The 328 million terabytes of data we create each day can be very telling about your target audience’s preferences and buying habits. This same data can also be inaccurate and low quality, depending on the source. That’s why the market research tools you choose matter — you need to be able to get the most up-to-date insights and trust what the data is telling you.

While traditional manual methods of market research and secondary research (aka desk research or complementary research ) still have a time and place in the digital world, marketers are supplementing them with market research platforms and software that do most of the heavy lifting.

Astronomical amounts of market-related data are created at lightning speed, far outpacing our ability to consume it all. To help find, filter, sort, and make sense of all this information, we’ve chosen 13 of the best market research tools to streamline and improve the process :

Meltwater Radarly

Think with google, ubersuggest, surveymonkey, answer the public, brandmentions, heartbeat ai, u.s. census bureau.

Tip: Also take a look at the top secondary research companies out there.

A leader in AI market research tools, Radarly is Meltwater’s AI-powered market research platform that provides real-time insights into consumer preferences . This always-on consumer intelligence suite uses a combination of data science, AI, and human market research expertise to surface insights about customers based on online conversations and activities.

Most of the world’s data is unstructured ( about 90% , by some estimates), making it harder to act on and understand its significance. Radarly brings structure to the unknown by detecting patterns and understanding audience sentiments.

Also, Meltwater for market research continuously sources new information and works in real-time. This gives marketers an advantage by working with the latest data so they can make informed decisions when it matters most.

See Meltwater Radarly live in action by requesting a free tour of our platform. Simply fill out the form at the bottom of this post and we'll be in touch.

Statista offers data trends and reports on a wide range of topics and interests, from Facebook’s monthly active users to leading beer brands based on sales. In total, the market research platform spans more than 170 industries and 150 countries .

What sets this resource apart is its visualizations — all of Statista’s stats have been compiled into neat and tidy graphs that are ready to publish or share in your own reports. This makes it easy to see trends over time or gain quick insights about consumer preferences.

There’s a chart for just about anything, and they’re updated on a regular basis. In many cases, Statista will include a brief explanation of the chart’s findings and recommend related charts for further research.

Google’s status as the world’s most popular search engine makes it a great resource for market research. Google has access to billions of first-party data points based on what people are searching for online. 

For market research purposes, users can tap into Google Trends to see the popularity of searches over time. See the terms that are trending on a daily or weekly basis, or check out shopping-related trends to predict the hot new products of the season ( trend prediction ).

Google’s Market Finder can also pinpoint new markets that might be a great fit for your product or service. Learn how various markets compare to each other and how your business might fit in.

And if you’re selling physical products, you can see how sales trends might impact your business using Google’s Rising Retail Categories . Retailers use this tool often to predict hot-selling holiday items and right-size their inventory.

Attest brings old-school focus groups and surveys into the digital era with its rapid-response approach. In the past, organizing interviews and focus groups took weeks or even months. Once the research activities were finished, analysts required additional time to compile the results. No more.

With Attest, you can hear directly from consumers who fit your audience profiles, with ready-made questions and respondents at your fingertips. All responses are recorded in the Attest platform, and the market research software analyzes results and collects consumer insights on your behalf.

Users pay per response, so you can scale your market research as needed.

A popular survey tool, Typeform offers a mobile-friendly way to collect market research insights . It’s unique in that it only shows users one field at a time to limit distractions. The look and feel lend to a more casual, conversational approach, which may encourage survey takers to be more candid in their responses. (We can’t prove it, though.)

Users can create various question types, including multiple-choice questions, open-ended questions, and scale ratings. It’s intuitive and makes basic market research a breeze.

Ubersuggest, a popular k eyword research tool , also has market research capabilities packed into its user-friendly interface . That’s because keyword research is a form of market research , giving you a glimpse of what people are actively searching for online.

Let’s say you’re launching a new facial cleaning device for your beauty brand . By using Ubersuggest for keyword research, you can also uncover:

• Other brands selling facial cleaning devices
• Publications talking about facial cleaning devices
• The popularity of online searches for facial cleaning devices
• Competition for related keywords
• Questions related to the keyword “facial cleaning device”
• Cost per click to rank for the keyword via paid ads
• Search volume (and interest) over time

This is a great tool to help you see who your top competitors are online, what type of content ranks well for a keyword, and how crowded a market is for a particular product or service.

Market Research doesn’t always have to be a costly, complex beast, and SurveyMonkey is a great example. This easy-to-use survey tool can create simple or in-depth surveys sent to targeted audiences for feedback. 

For example, you might have one-off questions to ask customers who made a purchase to learn more about their buying habits. Or, you might want to send longer surveys to customers to help develop a new product. No matter your use case, you can customize surveys to reach highly specific audiences and compile their answers instantly. 

SurveyMonkey also offers turnkey market research solutions, including a global panel survey, translation services, and a reporting dashboard. These services can help you reach more people and get more use from your data.

Answer the Public is a free search listening tool that compiles the questions people are asking online. These questions can serve as a starting point for new product development, product improvements, and content marketing .

This market research software uses autocomplete data from Google . When you start typing a search, Google will try to guess what you’re looking for based on what other people have searched for. You can do this manually, but it’s time-consuming and relies only on your ideas.

Answer the Public makes life easier by compiling related questions in an easy-to-understand graphic. And since the data comes from Google, market researchers can trust its reliability and quality.

Ever wonder what it is about a brand (including yours) that people love? The things that get people talking? BrandMentions can help provide some context.

Specializing in social media monitoring , BrandMentions takes the next step into showing why a particular keyword is buzzing. Type in a keyword and you’ll see recent social media posts that also contain that keyword.

You can also see the keyword’s Reach, Performance, and Number of Mentions — all of which can come in handy when you’re planning a new product launch. You can use these insights to plan your launch-related posts to generate the most buzz.

Tip: Learn more about brand monitoring , brand tracking , brand reputation measurement , about the best brand tracking software , and understand why your brand mentions are spiking .

AI market research tools like Heartbeat AI allow you to put market research on autopilot , or at least close to it. Using sentiment analysis , this market research tool recognizes themes and trends in qualitative text data.

No more poring through pages and pages of text — Heartbeat AI can quickly surface insights about how your audience feels regarding your brand or products (or your competitors). What’s more, it can turn these insights into attractive visuals for simpler understanding or sharing with other stakeholders.

Qualitative research can be more difficult to sort and analyze because it contains more variables. Unlike quantitative research, which deals with specific, measurable data, qualitative research involves the complexities of human behavior and perception. The results are subjective in nature, and it involves more work to extract their value.

Discuss aims to change the narrative with AI-powered insights . Offering video capabilities, built-in note-taking, and auto-generated highlight reels, marketers can capture the “Aha!” moments without losing efficiency.

The market research platform makes it easy to refer back to conversations and keep their audience engaged throughout the process, leading to more complete data.

One of the oldest but most trusted market research sources , the U.S. Census Bureau offers basic demographic information about U.S. citizens. This platform gives you instant insight into America’s people , including things like family sizes, income levels, and populations.

Beyond demographics, the market research platform has thousands of tables and maps to bring your research to life. You can customize your own maps and tables using any of the data available.

Another option is to find your business’s North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code , and then filter the Tables tool to focus on your industry. This allows you to see where your industry is most popular and where it might be over- or under-saturated.

Tableau from Salesforce is a business intelligence platform that connects to all of your data sources, making it easier to connect the dots between disparate systems. It excels at transforming unstructured data into visualizations to streamline decisions.

Their goal is to democratize data and make it more accessible and user-friendly. It accomplishes its mission with a user-friendly interface, visual data transcriptions, and a community of more than a million members who share how-tos and best practices.

Make Your Market Research Tools Work for You

Online market research tools aren’t replacing the traditional survey or focus group — they’re enhancing them by providing an always-on approach to speed up results. By tapping into the wealth of data people are openly sharing online, businesses can gain more insights than ever before, on demand.

Meltwater offers some of the best tools for market research that are accurate, reliable, and easy to use. By tapping into billions of data points and analyzing them in the context of your business, you can make valuable data-driven decisions to move your company forward.

Learn more when you request a demo by filling out the form below:

Continue Reading

How To Do Market Research: Definition, Types, Methods

What Are Consumer Insights? Meaning, Examples, Strategy

Market Intelligence 101: What It Is & How To Use It

Consumer Intelligence: Definition & Examples

Secondary Research Guide: Definition, Methods, Examples

What Is Desk Research? Meaning, Methodology, Examples

Top Secondary Market Research Companies | Desk Research Companies

Instant insights, infinite possibilities

19 best market research software tools for 2024

Last updated

25 March 2024

Reviewed by

Whether you're marginally satisfied with your current market research software or are venturing out to find your first software option, keep reading. In this article, we'll share some of the best market research tools available for 2023. Based on user reviews, affordability, and efficiency, these are the top considerations your company should look into for market research software.

Market analysis template

Save time, highlight crucial insights, and drive strategic decision-making

• Different types of market research software

Since there are several types of market research, there are different types of market research software solutions. Before you begin your hunt for the best-fit software, recognize what type of market research you do most.

Determine which metrics are the most valuable to your company. Work out if this key data is best gathered via a consumer survey, questionnaire , interview, or checklist form. From there, you can begin to look for various market research software options offering features and calculations that make the most sense for your needs.

Decide which types of market research matter to you, each requiring its own tools and methods:

Primary market research

Secondary market research

Quantitative research

Qualitative research

Branding research

Competitor research

Customer or client research

Product research

• Uses of market research software

As you evaluate your market research software options, start by reviewing each tool's strengths and core uses. Then, look at each through the lens of these four steps, checking how well they perform at each stage. This will also form your process when it comes to using them.

1. Identify the target audience

Know your target audience first. This might be a data pool of prospects based on your buyer personas . But it might also be an unknown segment of people if you’re conducting market research on a new region or for a new offering.

The ideal market research software will provide insights to help you identify your target audience in any scenario.

2. Create a research questionnaire

Market research software should have the capability of creating research questionnaires . These surveys are instrumental in learning more about a particular audience segment , region, or market dynamic.

3. Share your research questionnaire

Creating your market surveys and research-related questionnaires is one thing. You'll also need to share those questionnaires with participants. A great market research software tool will have additional layers of features to help you send and receive surveys.

4. Collect data and create information

A great market research software tool will also help you collect data and create usable insights from those metrics. You'll need a seamless way to gather market information and disseminate it throughout your organization in an actionable, effective way.

• Benefits of using market research software

When you harness the right market research software, prepare for some significant advantages. Automation alone makes data analytics faster. But your datasets will also be more accurate when you use software to collect and share insights.

As an added benefit for companies, researchers, and organizations, using market research software means easier report generation and the ability to spot trends and patterns in your collected data.

The bottom line: market research software tools will help you keep up with consumer behavior trends and market fluctuations, allowing you to capitalize on emerging shifts and changes.

• 19 market research platforms and tools for accurate analysis

Based on industry reviews, effectiveness, and available features, these market research platforms and tools deserve a look. When accurate data and analysis matter, these are the solutions to have in your toolbox.

Take advantage of free trial periods and start evaluating your research tool and dashboard options.

Keep these top software solutions on your roster of must-try tools, and you'll be able to keep up with whatever's happening in your market.

Software strengths:

Precision accuracy in transcription with an advanced speech engine

Custom fields for structured data

Importable datasets

Sentiment analysis

Project templates

Access control and unlimited viewership capabilities

Flexible and customizable editing

Another market research tool worth exploring is  Qualtrics . This software solution can help you draft surveys, analyze captured data, and run statistical testing.

Qualtrics also provides a representative sample of recipients if you don't already have an audience segmented.

In addition, the platform includes training on demand if your teams need help navigating it.

Easy to create and facilitate survey processes

Top-notch dataset reporting

Ability to boost your survey audience

QuestionPro

If you want survey customization and ultimate flexibility,  QuestionPro  is a great market research tool. It uses survey logic tech to seamlessly adjust the survey in real time based on participant responses.

Choose from a variety of software plans, most of which are ideal for creating, sharing, and analyzing collected metrics.

There's also 24/7 live chat for ongoing support.

Easy to navigate and customize

The free plan is fairly robust

Analysis can be exported or carried out in the app

If you prefer visual data, such as graphs showing statistics and market research-related reports, you'll like  Statista .

Statista continuously uploads data, so you can check back on the same charts and see real-time shifts in trends. It's a good resource for consumer behavior insights and covers a broad range of market topics.

Considered one of the best statistics resources

Easy to use and navigate

Hundreds of reports and dashboards available

If your organization needs a more advanced customer survey tool and market research solution,  Qualaroo  is a great option.

The main difference between Qualaroo and other market research tools is that its surveys can be directly embedded into your website or landing page. You can catch and attract participants in real time, which makes their survey responses more valuable.

There are AI analytics tools built in, too, with plenty of features for customizing your questionnaires.

Easy to create, embed, and send surveys

Super-fast reporting turnaround capabilities

Auto language translation

Another piece of market research software worth considering is  Typeform . Explore pre-made templates in an entirely user-friendly platform. Typeform makes creating and customizing forms and surveys a breeze, especially with all the available templates.

Unlike other survey tools, Typeform only sends one question at a time, making it a participant-friendly format.

Explore Typeform as a research software tool for qualitative and quantitative data .

Brilliant visualization of your data

Mobile-optimized

Compatible with hundreds of other apps

SurveyMonkey

Nearly anyone in research or business has heard of  SurveyMonkey . It's another market research solution worth looking into, especially if you need access to 200+ survey templates for inspiration.

This platform is a breeze to navigate, much like Typeform. SurveyMonkey is more of an enterprise-grade dashboard, however, simplifying the process of creating, sending, and analyzing for all your metrics.

Easy for anyone to use

Custom reports available

Robust free plan

If you're looking for a social media marketing research tool with content marketing research features, check out  BuzzSumo . Its software will scrub and analyze billions of articles and trillions of social media engagements, assembling metrics about relevant topics, influencer targeting, and popular trends.

These types of metrics are helpful in any marketing endeavors and content creation. They’re also key in understanding the driving factors of your target consumers.

Accuracy with social sharing metrics

Ideal for competitive research

Ability to monitor mentions

Google Trends

One of the most popular market research tools, firstly because it's Google and secondly because it's free, is  Google Trends . It's not as comprehensive as some of the other tools, but it can be helpful in your research objectives.

Find topics that are popular online or review line graphs that rank widely used terms and keywords. This tool is less about conducting surveys and more about carrying out your own online research and active listening.

Discovering keywords, including long-tail keywords

Find hot-topic conversations to inspire your marketing

Visually appealing and easy to use

Bonus list of market research software tools

While the above market research tools tend to land at the top of the favorites list, there are other solutions worth considering. These are all great tools and platforms to dive into.

Evaluate the features and choose those that align best with the data you're trying to collect and analyze.

Tableau: Business intelligence suite for connecting virtually any data source

Paperform: Free-text interface and customizable surveys for all your personas

Claritas MyBestSegment: Great for digging into demographics and lifestyle habits

Upwave Instant Insights: Distributes surveys to real people, not including paid participants

Userlytics: Test prototypes, mobile apps, or website user experience and opinions

NielsenIQ: Great for evaluating product launch-related market research and data

Loop11: Test website usability and user experience metrics with your participants

Ubersuggest: Keyword and content research tool, great for competitive advantage insights

BrandMentions: Social media monitoring software and platform

Pew Research Center: Gather data regarding social media usage, political sentiments, and economic conditions

• How to choose the right market research software

The market research software tools listed in this article are just the tip of the iceberg. You'll find all kinds of innovative tools with shiny new capabilities worth exploring.

What may be more helpful is a short to-do list outlining how to go about choosing the right research market platform for your project or company. Keep these objectives in mind as you decide to adopt or upgrade your software solutions.

Know your market research objectives

Be mindful of your budget

Evaluate the ease of use for you and your teams

Look for robust data collection features

Look for analytics capabilities

Choose those that integrate with other apps and software

When evaluating the best tools, create and reference your objectives, so you know you'll make the best-fit decision.

What are examples of research tools used today?

Some of the most common market research tools used today include surveys, interviews, checklists, and questionnaires. While the methods have been around for decades, the software used to facilitate and manage these strategies has improved using technology, algorithms, and automation.

What are the four Ps of market research?

When you hear about the four Ps of market research, researchers typically mean the four categories worth researching in a particular market: price, place, product, and promotion.

Why are the different types of market research important?

Because the consumer market, or your target audience, is constantly changing how it makes decisions, interacts with brands, buys products or services, and makes recommendations to others, market research is your first line of defense in keeping up with those changes. Finding the right market research software tool will determine how effectively you collect, share, and act on those emerging shifts in consumer behavior.

The only way to stay ahead in today's consumer product and service landscape is with superior intel. And the best way to learn the very latest about industry shifts, changes in customer behavior, and user preferences is with market research. Today's market research software tools make it easy and efficient to collect all kinds of metrics and apply those insights to effect organizational or core-offering changes.

Should you be using a customer insights hub?

Do you want to discover previous research faster?

Do you share your research findings with others?

Do you analyze research data?

Start for free today, add your research, and get to key insights faster

Editor’s picks

Last updated: 3 April 2024

Last updated: 30 April 2024

Last updated: 13 May 2024

Last updated: 22 July 2023

Last updated: 26 July 2024

Last updated: 22 August 2024

Last updated: 10 August 2024

Latest articles

Related topics, .css-je19u9{-webkit-align-items:flex-end;-webkit-box-align:flex-end;-ms-flex-align:flex-end;align-items:flex-end;display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;-webkit-box-flex-wrap:wrap;-webkit-flex-wrap:wrap;-ms-flex-wrap:wrap;flex-wrap:wrap;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;row-gap:0;text-align:center;max-width:671px;}@media (max-width: 1079px){.css-je19u9{max-width:400px;}.css-je19u9>span{white-space:pre;}}@media (max-width: 799px){.css-je19u9{max-width:400px;}.css-je19u9>span{white-space:pre;}} decide what to .css-1kiodld{max-height:56px;display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;}@media (max-width: 1079px){.css-1kiodld{display:none;}} build next, decide what to build next, log in or sign up.

Get started for free

How to Do Market Research: The Complete Guide

Learn how to do market research with this step-by-step guide, complete with templates, tools and real-world examples.

Access best-in-class company data

Get trusted first-party funding data, revenue data and firmographics

Market research is the systematic process of gathering, analyzing and interpreting information about a specific market or industry.

What are your customers’ needs? How does your product compare to the competition? What are the emerging trends and opportunities in your industry? If these questions keep you up at night, it’s time to conduct market research.

Market research plays a pivotal role in your ability to stay competitive and relevant, helping you anticipate shifts in consumer behavior and industry dynamics. It involves gathering these insights using a wide range of techniques, from surveys and interviews to data analysis and observational studies.

In this guide, we’ll explore why market research is crucial, the various types of market research, the methods used in data collection, and how to effectively conduct market research to drive informed decision-making and success.

What is market research?

The purpose of market research is to offer valuable insight into the preferences and behaviors of your target audience, and anticipate shifts in market trends and the competitive landscape. This information helps you make data-driven decisions, develop effective strategies for your business, and maximize your chances of long-term growth.

Why is market research important? 

By understanding the significance of market research, you can make sure you’re asking the right questions and using the process to your advantage. Some of the benefits of market research include:

• Informed decision-making: Market research provides you with the data and insights you need to make smart decisions for your business. It helps you identify opportunities, assess risks and tailor your strategies to meet the demands of the market. Without market research, decisions are often based on assumptions or guesswork, leading to costly mistakes.
• Customer-centric approach: A cornerstone of market research involves developing a deep understanding of customer needs and preferences. This gives you valuable insights into your target audience, helping you develop products, services and marketing campaigns that resonate with your customers.
• Competitive advantage: By conducting market research, you’ll gain a competitive edge. You’ll be able to identify gaps in the market, analyze competitor strengths and weaknesses, and position your business strategically. This enables you to create unique value propositions, differentiate yourself from competitors, and seize opportunities that others may overlook.
• Risk mitigation: Market research helps you anticipate market shifts and potential challenges. By identifying threats early, you can proactively adjust their strategies to mitigate risks and respond effectively to changing circumstances. This proactive approach is particularly valuable in volatile industries.
• Resource optimization: Conducting market research allows organizations to allocate their time, money and resources more efficiently. It ensures that investments are made in areas with the highest potential return on investment, reducing wasted resources and improving overall business performance.
• Adaptation to market trends: Markets evolve rapidly, driven by technological advancements, cultural shifts and changing consumer attitudes. Market research ensures that you stay ahead of these trends and adapt your offerings accordingly so you can avoid becoming obsolete. 

As you can see, market research empowers businesses to make data-driven decisions, cater to customer needs, outperform competitors, mitigate risks, optimize resources and stay agile in a dynamic marketplace. These benefits make it a huge industry; the global market research services market is expected to grow from $76.37 billion in 2021 to $108.57 billion in 2026 . Now, let’s dig into the different types of market research that can help you achieve these benefits.

Types of market research 

• Qualitative research
• Quantitative research
• Exploratory research
• Descriptive research
• Causal research
• Cross-sectional research
• Longitudinal research

Despite its advantages, 23% of organizations don’t have a clear market research strategy. Part of developing a strategy involves choosing the right type of market research for your business goals. The most commonly used approaches include:

1. Qualitative research

Qualitative research focuses on understanding the underlying motivations, attitudes and perceptions of individuals or groups. It is typically conducted through techniques like in-depth interviews, focus groups and content analysis — methods we’ll discuss further in the sections below. Qualitative research provides rich, nuanced insights that can inform product development, marketing strategies and brand positioning.

2. Quantitative research

Quantitative research, in contrast to qualitative research, involves the collection and analysis of numerical data, often through surveys, experiments and structured questionnaires. This approach allows for statistical analysis and the measurement of trends, making it suitable for large-scale market studies and hypothesis testing. While it’s worthwhile using a mix of qualitative and quantitative research, most businesses prioritize the latter because it is scientific, measurable and easily replicated across different experiments.

3. Exploratory research

Whether you’re conducting qualitative or quantitative research or a mix of both, exploratory research is often the first step. Its primary goal is to help you understand a market or problem so you can gain insights and identify potential issues or opportunities. This type of market research is less structured and is typically conducted through open-ended interviews, focus groups or secondary data analysis. Exploratory research is valuable when entering new markets or exploring new product ideas.

4. Descriptive research

As its name implies, descriptive research seeks to describe a market, population or phenomenon in detail. It involves collecting and summarizing data to answer questions about audience demographics and behaviors, market size, and current trends. Surveys, observational studies and content analysis are common methods used in descriptive research. 

5. Causal research

Causal research aims to establish cause-and-effect relationships between variables. It investigates whether changes in one variable result in changes in another. Experimental designs, A/B testing and regression analysis are common causal research methods. This sheds light on how specific marketing strategies or product changes impact consumer behavior.

6. Cross-sectional research

Cross-sectional market research involves collecting data from a sample of the population at a single point in time. It is used to analyze differences, relationships or trends among various groups within a population. Cross-sectional studies are helpful for market segmentation, identifying target audiences and assessing market trends at a specific moment.

7. Longitudinal research

Longitudinal research, in contrast to cross-sectional research, collects data from the same subjects over an extended period. This allows for the analysis of trends, changes and developments over time. Longitudinal studies are useful for tracking long-term developments in consumer preferences, brand loyalty and market dynamics.

Each type of market research has its strengths and weaknesses, and the method you choose depends on your specific research goals and the depth of understanding you’re aiming to achieve. In the following sections, we’ll delve into primary and secondary research approaches and specific research methods.

Primary vs. secondary market research

Market research of all types can be broadly categorized into two main approaches: primary research and secondary research. By understanding the differences between these approaches, you can better determine the most appropriate research method for your specific goals.

Primary market research 

Primary research involves the collection of original data straight from the source. Typically, this involves communicating directly with your target audience — through surveys, interviews, focus groups and more — to gather information. Here are some key attributes of primary market research:

• Customized data: Primary research provides data that is tailored to your research needs. You design a custom research study and gather information specific to your goals.
• Up-to-date insights: Because primary research involves communicating with customers, the data you collect reflects the most current market conditions and consumer behaviors.
• Time-consuming and resource-intensive: Despite its advantages, primary research can be labor-intensive and costly, especially when dealing with large sample sizes or complex study designs. Whether you hire a market research consultant, agency or use an in-house team, primary research studies consume a large amount of resources and time.

Secondary market research 

Secondary research, on the other hand, involves analyzing data that has already been compiled by third-party sources, such as online research tools, databases, news sites, industry reports and academic studies.

Here are the main characteristics of secondary market research:

• Cost-effective: Secondary research is generally more cost-effective than primary research since it doesn’t require building a research plan from scratch. You and your team can look at databases, websites and publications on an ongoing basis, without needing to design a custom experiment or hire a consultant. 
• Leverages multiple sources: Data tools and software extract data from multiple places across the web, and then consolidate that information within a single platform. This means you’ll get a greater amount of data and a wider scope from secondary research.
• Quick to access: You can access a wide range of information rapidly — often in seconds — if you’re using online research tools and databases. Because of this, you can act on insights sooner, rather than taking the time to develop an experiment. 

So, when should you use primary vs. secondary research? In practice, many market research projects incorporate both primary and secondary research to take advantage of the strengths of each approach.

One rule of thumb is to focus on secondary research to obtain background information, market trends or industry benchmarks. It is especially valuable for conducting preliminary research, competitor analysis, or when time and budget constraints are tight. Then, if you still have knowledge gaps or need to answer specific questions unique to your business model, use primary research to create a custom experiment. 

Market research methods

• Surveys and questionnaires
• Focus groups
• Observational research
• Online research tools
• Experiments
• Content analysis
• Ethnographic research

How do primary and secondary research approaches translate into specific research methods? Let’s take a look at the different ways you can gather data: 

1. Surveys and questionnaires

Surveys and questionnaires are popular methods for collecting structured data from a large number of respondents. They involve a set of predetermined questions that participants answer. Surveys can be conducted through various channels, including online tools, telephone interviews and in-person or online questionnaires. They are useful for gathering quantitative data and assessing customer demographics, opinions, preferences and needs. On average, customer surveys have a 33% response rate , so keep that in mind as you consider your sample size.

2. Interviews

Interviews are in-depth conversations with individuals or groups to gather qualitative insights. They can be structured (with predefined questions) or unstructured (with open-ended discussions). Interviews are valuable for exploring complex topics, uncovering motivations and obtaining detailed feedback. 

3. Focus groups

The most common primary research methods are in-depth webcam interviews and focus groups. Focus groups are a small gathering of participants who discuss a specific topic or product under the guidance of a moderator. These discussions are valuable for primary market research because they reveal insights into consumer attitudes, perceptions and emotions. Focus groups are especially useful for idea generation, concept testing and understanding group dynamics within your target audience.

4. Observational research

Observational research involves observing and recording participant behavior in a natural setting. This method is particularly valuable when studying consumer behavior in physical spaces, such as retail stores or public places. In some types of observational research, participants are aware you’re watching them; in other cases, you discreetly watch consumers without their knowledge, as they use your product. Either way, observational research provides firsthand insights into how people interact with products or environments.

5. Online research tools

You and your team can do your own secondary market research using online tools. These tools include data prospecting platforms and databases, as well as online surveys, social media listening, web analytics and sentiment analysis platforms. They help you gather data from online sources, monitor industry trends, track competitors, understand consumer preferences and keep tabs on online behavior. We’ll talk more about choosing the right market research tools in the sections that follow.

6. Experiments

Market research experiments are controlled tests of variables to determine causal relationships. While experiments are often associated with scientific research, they are also used in market research to assess the impact of specific marketing strategies, product features, or pricing and packaging changes.

7. Content analysis

Content analysis involves the systematic examination of textual, visual or audio content to identify patterns, themes and trends. It’s commonly applied to customer reviews, social media posts and other forms of online content to analyze consumer opinions and sentiments.

8. Ethnographic research

Ethnographic research immerses researchers into the daily lives of consumers to understand their behavior and culture. This method is particularly valuable when studying niche markets or exploring the cultural context of consumer choices.

How to do market research

• Set clear objectives
• Identify your target audience
• Choose your research methods
• Use the right market research tools
• Collect data
• Analyze data 
• Interpret your findings
• Identify opportunities and challenges
• Make informed business decisions
• Monitor and adapt

Now that you have gained insights into the various market research methods at your disposal, let’s delve into the practical aspects of how to conduct market research effectively. Here’s a quick step-by-step overview, from defining objectives to monitoring market shifts.

1. Set clear objectives

When you set clear and specific goals, you’re essentially creating a compass to guide your research questions and methodology. Start by precisely defining what you want to achieve. Are you launching a new product and want to understand its viability in the market? Are you evaluating customer satisfaction with a product redesign? 

Start by creating SMART goals — objectives that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. Not only will this clarify your research focus from the outset, but it will also help you track progress and benchmark your success throughout the process. 

You should also consult with key stakeholders and team members to ensure alignment on your research objectives before diving into data collecting. This will help you gain diverse perspectives and insights that will shape your research approach.

2. Identify your target audience

Next, you’ll need to pinpoint your target audience to determine who should be included in your research. Begin by creating detailed buyer personas or stakeholder profiles. Consider demographic factors like age, gender, income and location, but also delve into psychographics, such as interests, values and pain points.

The more specific your target audience, the more accurate and actionable your research will be. Additionally, segment your audience if your research objectives involve studying different groups, such as current customers and potential leads.

If you already have existing customers, you can also hold conversations with them to better understand your target market. From there, you can refine your buyer personas and tailor your research methods accordingly.

3. Choose your research methods

Selecting the right research methods is crucial for gathering high-quality data. Start by considering the nature of your research objectives. If you’re exploring consumer preferences, surveys and interviews can provide valuable insights. For in-depth understanding, focus groups or observational research might be suitable. Consider using a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods to gain a well-rounded perspective. 

You’ll also need to consider your budget. Think about what you can realistically achieve using the time and resources available to you. If you have a fairly generous budget, you may want to try a mix of primary and secondary research approaches. If you’re doing market research for a startup , on the other hand, chances are your budget is somewhat limited. If that’s the case, try addressing your goals with secondary research tools before investing time and effort in a primary research study. 

4. Use the right market research tools

Whether you’re conducting primary or secondary research, you’ll need to choose the right tools. These can help you do anything from sending surveys to customers to monitoring trends and analyzing data. Here are some examples of popular market research tools:

• Market research software: Crunchbase is a platform that provides best-in-class company data, making it valuable for market research on growing companies and industries. You can use Crunchbase to access trusted, first-party funding data, revenue data, news and firmographics, enabling you to monitor industry trends and understand customer needs.

• Survey and questionnaire tools: SurveyMonkey is a widely used online survey platform that allows you to create, distribute and analyze surveys. Google Forms is a free tool that lets you create surveys and collect responses through Google Drive.
• Data analysis software: Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets are useful for conducting statistical analyses. SPSS is a powerful statistical analysis software used for data processing, analysis and reporting.
• Social listening tools: Brandwatch is a social listening and analytics platform that helps you monitor social media conversations, track sentiment and analyze trends. Mention is a media monitoring tool that allows you to track mentions of your brand, competitors and keywords across various online sources.
• Data visualization platforms: Tableau is a data visualization tool that helps you create interactive and shareable dashboards and reports. Power BI by Microsoft is a business analytics tool for creating interactive visualizations and reports.

5. Collect data

There’s an infinite amount of data you could be collecting using these tools, so you’ll need to be intentional about going after the data that aligns with your research goals. Implement your chosen research methods, whether it’s distributing surveys, conducting interviews or pulling from secondary research platforms. Pay close attention to data quality and accuracy, and stick to a standardized process to streamline data capture and reduce errors. 

6. Analyze data

Once data is collected, you’ll need to analyze it systematically. Use statistical software or analysis tools to identify patterns, trends and correlations. For qualitative data, employ thematic analysis to extract common themes and insights. Visualize your findings with charts, graphs and tables to make complex data more understandable.

If you’re not proficient in data analysis, consider outsourcing or collaborating with a data analyst who can assist in processing and interpreting your data accurately.

7. Interpret your findings

Interpreting your market research findings involves understanding what the data means in the context of your objectives. Are there significant trends that uncover the answers to your initial research questions? Consider the implications of your findings on your business strategy. It’s essential to move beyond raw data and extract actionable insights that inform decision-making.

Hold a cross-functional meeting or workshop with relevant team members to collectively interpret the findings. Different perspectives can lead to more comprehensive insights and innovative solutions.

8. Identify opportunities and challenges

Use your research findings to identify potential growth opportunities and challenges within your market. What segments of your audience are underserved or overlooked? Are there emerging trends you can capitalize on? Conversely, what obstacles or competitors could hinder your progress?

Lay out this information in a clear and organized way by conducting a SWOT analysis, which stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Jot down notes for each of these areas to provide a structured overview of gaps and hurdles in the market.

9. Make informed business decisions

Market research is only valuable if it leads to informed decisions for your company. Based on your insights, devise actionable strategies and initiatives that align with your research objectives. Whether it’s refining your product, targeting new customer segments or adjusting pricing, ensure your decisions are rooted in the data.

At this point, it’s also crucial to keep your team aligned and accountable. Create an action plan that outlines specific steps, responsibilities and timelines for implementing the recommendations derived from your research. 

10. Monitor and adapt

Market research isn’t a one-time activity; it’s an ongoing process. Continuously monitor market conditions, customer behaviors and industry trends. Set up mechanisms to collect real-time data and feedback. As you gather new information, be prepared to adapt your strategies and tactics accordingly. Regularly revisiting your research ensures your business remains agile and reflects changing market dynamics and consumer preferences.

Online market research sources

As you go through the steps above, you’ll want to turn to trusted, reputable sources to gather your data. Here’s a list to get you started:

• Crunchbase: As mentioned above, Crunchbase is an online platform with an extensive dataset, allowing you to access in-depth insights on market trends, consumer behavior and competitive analysis. You can also customize your search options to tailor your research to specific industries, geographic regions or customer personas.

• Academic databases: Academic databases, such as ProQuest and JSTOR , are treasure troves of scholarly research papers, studies and academic journals. They offer in-depth analyses of various subjects, including market trends, consumer preferences and industry-specific insights. Researchers can access a wealth of peer-reviewed publications to gain a deeper understanding of their research topics.
• Government and NGO databases: Government agencies, nongovernmental organizations and other institutions frequently maintain databases containing valuable economic, demographic and industry-related data. These sources offer credible statistics and reports on a wide range of topics, making them essential for market researchers. Examples include the U.S. Census Bureau , the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Pew Research Center .
• Industry reports: Industry reports and market studies are comprehensive documents prepared by research firms, industry associations and consulting companies. They provide in-depth insights into specific markets, including market size, trends, competitive analysis and consumer behavior. You can find this information by looking at relevant industry association databases; examples include the American Marketing Association and the National Retail Federation .
• Social media and online communities: Social media platforms like LinkedIn or Twitter (X) , forums such as Reddit and Quora , and review platforms such as G2 can provide real-time insights into consumer sentiment, opinions and trends. 

Market research examples

At this point, you have market research tools and data sources — but how do you act on the data you gather? Let’s go over some real-world examples that illustrate the practical application of market research across various industries. These examples showcase how market research can lead to smart decision-making and successful business decisions.

Example 1: Apple’s iPhone launch

Apple ’s iconic iPhone launch in 2007 serves as a prime example of market research driving product innovation in tech. Before the iPhone’s release, Apple conducted extensive market research to understand consumer preferences, pain points and unmet needs in the mobile phone industry. This research led to the development of a touchscreen smartphone with a user-friendly interface, addressing consumer demands for a more intuitive and versatile device. The result was a revolutionary product that disrupted the market and redefined the smartphone industry.

Example 2: McDonald’s global expansion

McDonald’s successful global expansion strategy demonstrates the importance of market research when expanding into new territories. Before entering a new market, McDonald’s conducts thorough research to understand local tastes, preferences and cultural nuances. This research informs menu customization, marketing strategies and store design. For instance, in India, McDonald’s offers a menu tailored to local preferences, including vegetarian options. This market-specific approach has enabled McDonald’s to adapt and thrive in diverse global markets.

Example 3: Organic and sustainable farming

The shift toward organic and sustainable farming practices in the food industry is driven by market research that indicates increased consumer demand for healthier and environmentally friendly food options. As a result, food producers and retailers invest in sustainable sourcing and organic product lines — such as with these sustainable seafood startups — to align with this shift in consumer values. 

The bottom line? Market research has multiple use cases and is a critical practice for any industry. Whether it’s launching groundbreaking products, entering new markets or responding to changing consumer preferences, you can use market research to shape successful strategies and outcomes.

Market research templates

You finally have a strong understanding of how to do market research and apply it in the real world. Before we wrap up, here are some market research templates that you can use as a starting point for your projects:

• Smartsheet competitive analysis templates : These spreadsheets can serve as a framework for gathering information about the competitive landscape and obtaining valuable lessons to apply to your business strategy.
• SurveyMonkey product survey template : Customize the questions on this survey based on what you want to learn from your target customers.
• HubSpot templates : HubSpot offers a wide range of free templates you can use for market research, business planning and more.
• SCORE templates : SCORE is a nonprofit organization that provides templates for business plans, market analysis and financial projections.
• SBA.gov : The U.S. Small Business Administration offers templates for every aspect of your business, including market research, and is particularly valuable for new startups. 

Strengthen your business with market research

When conducted effectively, market research is like a guiding star. Equipped with the right tools and techniques, you can uncover valuable insights, stay competitive, foster innovation and navigate the complexities of your industry.

Throughout this guide, we’ve discussed the definition of market research, different research methods, and how to conduct it effectively. We’ve also explored various types of market research and shared practical insights and templates for getting started. 

Now, it’s time to start the research process. Trust in data, listen to the market and make informed decisions that guide your company toward lasting success.

Related Articles

• Entrepreneurs
• 15 min read

What Is Competitive Analysis and How to Do It Effectively

Rebecca Strehlow, Copywriter at Crunchbase

17 Best Sales Intelligence Tools for 2024

• Market research
• 10 min read

How to Do Market Research for a Startup: Tips for Success

Jaclyn Robinson, Senior Manager of Content Marketing at Crunchbase

Search less. Close more.

Grow your revenue with Crunchbase, the all-in-one prospecting solution. Start your free trial.

• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar
• Skip to footer
• QuestionPro

• Solutions Industries Gaming Automotive Sports and events Education Government Travel & Hospitality Financial Services Healthcare Cannabis Technology Use Case AskWhy Communities Audience Contactless surveys Mobile LivePolls Member Experience GDPR Positive People Science 360 Feedback Surveys
• Resources Blog eBooks Survey Templates Case Studies Training Help center

Home Market Research

10 Best Market Research Tools For Your Business to Grow

The market research process is a key part of running a successful business. A report on the market research plan shows that the global market research industry is expected to grow by about 5% each year until 2024. The best market research tools help businesses learn about their competitors, analyze consumer trends and preferences, and keep track of customer satisfaction and product quality.

As a business owner, your goal is to make decisions based on data that will increase revenue. You need access to accurate, up-to-date market research to do this. But where can you find reliable information about the people you want to reach? There are a lot of tools you can use to do market research, which is good news.

Choosing the right market research tool is very important for your business. From primary research to surveys and polls, the best market research tool can help you reach your goals. In this blog, we ranked and reviewed the 8 best market research tools so that you can choose the best one for you.

What are market research tools?

A market research tool is a piece of software or a website that helps you collect and analyze information from your customers.

Market research tools help you get information from your customers, but you also need to know how to make sense of the information and present it in a meaningful way to make good decisions.

There are many different tools for conducting market research, but they all have one thing in common: they help you learn about your target market and audience to improve your customer experience .

You can use a market research tool to look at any part of your business, from its products and services to its marketing strategies and customer service policies, and figure out what works best for your target audience. We recently published a blog that talks about AI marketing tools ; why don’t you check it out for more ideas?

Types of market research tools

Different types of market research software are available, but it’s important to pick the ones that will help you get the information you need to make the decisions that will make your projects successful.

So, today we’ll talk about some tools that can help you to conduct market research quickly:

Online and offline surveys

Online surveys have become a popular market research tool because they enable businesses to collect data quickly, saving time and labor. 

The correct online market research survey platform can help you conduct successful research and make smarter business decisions. QuestionPro market research surveys and tools can be ideal for your research process.

We recently published a blog that talks about the Market research industry. Why don’t you check it out for more ideas?

Some apps let you do market research surveys without an internet connection. So, you can collect data from any mobile device in any situation.

In-depth interviews

In-depth interviews are an excellent way to get detailed information from market research survey respondents. Because of how it works, doing them over the phone, in person, or through a video call is possible. Businesses can obtain qualitative data on important topics using in-depth interviews.

Online communities

Online communities are a powerful tool for marketing research. The process is complete because people who are more familiar with the brand can take part and are willing to help improve what needs to be improved to ensure its success.

Market researchers can conduct surveys and opinion polls or participate in an online discussion forum to gain brand market insights. You can conduct QuestionPro survey software for this. To do this, you can use QuestionPro market research survey software.

Field tests

Field tests are another tool that is often used in market research. For these, scientists use a marketing strategy that lets them test specific variables and hypotheses. The researcher controls the independent variable and looks at how it affects the dependent variable to see if there is a link between them. This kind of research is usually done in a lab or the real world.

Sales Analysis

This is undoubtedly one of the most important market research tools because it lets you know what the customer wants, how they buy things, and current market trends. Sales analysis lets companies see the whole marketing process and determine what they need to change.

Exploring The 10 Free Market Research Tools for Business Success

There are many tools you can use to do market research. These help you collect and analyze the information you need to make smart business decisions. Here are the 8 best market research tools we chose:

01. QuestionPro Research Suite (Best for market research)

If you’re worried about market research, QuestionPro can help. QuestionPro Research Suite is one of your business’s best market research tools. With QuestionPro Research Suite, you can easily create market research surveys that give you detailed and immediate information. You can customize your questions, use advanced question types, and connect with other tools to create complex research projects.

This is especially helpful for understanding people’s choices and consumer behavior, among other things.

You can also choose from up to 88 templates that you can change to do surveys that fit your needs. You will be able to get consumer insights that you can use to help your business and your customers.

Best features:

• Skip logic branching allows you to personalize survey responses. This feature is helpful for more complicated surveys.
• The integration of Google Sheets lets you quickly export your survey data into a Google Sheet for analysis.
• The customizable thank you page lets you end the survey experience with your logo and message.
• Multilingual surveys reach respondents in their native language. You may achieve a worldwide audience and obtain global consumer insights with QuestionPro.

QuestionPro premium pricing plan begins at $99.00 per month.

02. SurveyMonkey (Best for doing in-depth online surveys)

SurveyMonkey is a market research tool that lets you do quick surveys to determine how your target market reacts.

Using this tool, you can easily do advanced surveys, run online opinion polls, and do in-depth marketing research. It even gives you a lot of pre-built survey templates and cool features that help speed up the whole process.

• Ability to do surveys quickly
• Easy to integrate with other software
• More than 200 customizable survey templates
• Helps with complex logic functions

The basic plan is free. A standard plan begins at $99.00 per month.

03. Social Mention (Best for researching real-time social media)

Social Mention is a real-time, social media-focused search engine. You can use the tool to find out what your current and potential customers are talking about online.

Using Social Mention, you can learn a lot about what people do on different websites involving social media platforms. Just type in a search term, a hashtag, or a website URL, and you’ll see every mention of that brand or product on a social media monitoring platform.

The unique benefit of this tool is that you can use it to get actionable insights for a brand from multiple social media sites.

• Brand monitoring in real-time
• Online reputation management
• Covers all popular social media sites
• The sentiment analysis, keyword, and hashtag analysis feature

Pricing plans start from $99 per month.

04. Google Trends (Best for keyword research)

Google Trends is a tool for researching keywords that you can use to make your content more search engine-friendly. The tool gives SEOs and marketers a lot of information about what people worldwide are looking for.

Using this, you can get a lot of information about what people are searching for the most. You can divide the results by region, time, and even the type of search network. It is the best way to find out what keywords are popular during a certain season.

• Comparative keyword research
• Identify trends by category, region, time, period, and more.
• Allows you to see market trends and areas where customers are interested
• Google Trends is free to use. Its full potential does not require a subscription. You don’t even need to log in to Google. You can start your research right away by going to the website.

05. Qualtrics (Best for experience management based on AI)

Qualtrics is an AI-based experience management platform that helps more than 11,000 brands around the world manage their customer experience. It is one of the top market research tools. Using the tool, you can do high-quality market research quickly.

With this platform, you can get detailed information on all aspects of market research. It uses advanced statistical methods to find out details about your target audience.

• Market trends analysis
• Online panel management
• A/B testing for change management
• All screen sizes are fully optimized
• Conjoint analysis to improve the customer experience
• Qualtrics pricing plan is complex. But you can request a demo from the official website.

06. Tableau (Best for visual data analysis)

Tableau is a business intelligence suite that helps small, medium, and large businesses visualize data. It lets users look at data and make interactive charts, stories, dashboards, and other types of data visualization.

The tool lets you collect and organize data from multiple sources, like Google Analytics, Excel sheets, and relational databases. You can then combine all of these pieces of data to make datasets that give a complete picture of the market.

• Programming-free data collection
• Dashboards are easy to add to programs like SharePoint and Salesforce.
• An unlimited number of data connectors (both on-site and cloud)
• Multiple levels of market analysis detail
• Tableau premium plan starts at $42.00

07. Statista (Best for statistical data analysis)

The Statista Global Consumer Survey is a unique way to get consumer information. It gives you the latest information on retail sales so you can figure out which industries are growing the most.

Here, you can find market research data that you can use to make buyer personas, build online questionnaires, and even use for content marketing. If you are a marketer seeking credible statistics supported by research, Statista is the platform for you.

• Global surveys
• Provides infographics
• Marketing outlook tools
• Digital trend and market research reports for important brands and businesses
• The basic account is free. A premium account charges $59.00 per month.

08. Typeform (Best for creating feedback forms)

Typeform is a cloud-based tool for making feedback forms and surveys. With it, you can quickly and easily do surveys to gather data in a fun, engaging, and useful way.

The user interface of Typeform is simple and easy to use, and you can make custom surveys by dragging and dropping. It also has detailed analytics and reporting tools, letting you see survey responses in real-time.

• Live online training
• Form creation without coding
• Market analysis tools
• Integration is simple with more than 500 business apps.
• Full documentation
• There are limited free plans available. Premium plans start at $25 per month, billed annually.

09. Glimpse (Best for real-time website analytics and user behavior insights)

Glimpse is a powerful tool designed for real-time website analytics and in-depth insights into user behavior. It allows businesses to track user interactions on their websites, helping them understand how visitors engage with content, navigate through pages, and make decisions.

• Real-time website analytics for immediate insights
• Heatmaps to visualize user interactions on web pages
• Session recordings for a detailed view of user behavior
• Funnel analysis to optimize conversion paths
• Integration with other tools for a comprehensive research approach
• Custom enterprise plans are available for larger organizations.

10. Qualaroo (Best for real-time website user feedback)

Qualaroo is a versatile market research tool that specializes in gathering real-time feedback from website users. It helps businesses understand user behavior and preferences through AI-based techniques, making it an essential tool for improving the overall user experience.

• Real-time website user feedback
• AI-driven insights for enhanced understanding
• Customizable surveys for specific user segments
• Advanced analytics for data-driven decision-making
• Seamless integration with other tools for a comprehensive approach
• Pricing details can be obtained by visiting the official Qualaroo website or requesting a demo.

We recently published a blog about the 12 Best Tools for Researchers . You can visit to explore more!

Why choose QuestionPro Research Suite for your market research needs?

While QuestionPro offers various features and capabilities, it’s essential to consider whether they align with your research objectives, budget, and other requirements. Here are some potential reasons why QuestionPro Research Suite might be considered one of the best market research tools:

• Survey customization: QuestionPro provides extensive survey customization options, including access to a selection of 88 templates. This allows you to customize surveys to fit your specific requirements and branding, making data collection more relevant to your business.
• Personalization: You can take advantage of the skip logic branching feature to personalize survey responses. This is particularly useful for complex surveys, ensuring that respondents receive questions based on their previous responses, resulting in a more efficient and relevant survey experience for them.
• Data export and analysis: The integration with Google Sheets simplifies the process of exporting survey data for in-depth analysis. This feature is important if you want to make data-driven decisions based on your market research findings.
• Global reach: QuestionPro enables you to conduct surveys in respondents’ native languages, making it an excellent choice if you want to reach a global audience and gain valuable insights from diverse markets.
• Professional presentation: The customizable thank-you page feature allows you to end the survey experience with your branding and message, creating a professional and consistent image for your brand.
• Pricing: While pricing is an important consideration, you’ll find that QuestionPro offers competitive pricing starting at $99.00 per month for its premium plan, making it an affordable option suitable for businesses of various sizes.

We’ve just released a blog discussing market research trends . Feel free to take a look for additional inspiration!

Conduct Market Research for a Successful Business

Using a valuable market research tool is an excellent way to determine what your target audience is thinking. Whether you use a free market research tool or a paid one, you can find a lot of information that can change your business.

Price and features are important things to consider when looking at the best tools for market research. Even though free market research tools are great, they may not be helpful when you are on a tight schedule or need key information about a competitor, market, or product. So it’s important to make a good choice.

If you are considering utilizing QuestionPro or just learning about their market research tool for the first time, then you are in the right place! QuestionPro makes it easier for businesses to win in the digital world. 

QuestionPro’s market research plans help companies beat their competitors. Ask for a demo right now and try it out for yourself today!

LEARN MORE         FREE TRIAL

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

QuestionPro offers a premium pricing plan, but users can start with a free account, gaining access to basic features for market research.

Market research tools help businesses gather and analyze data to understand market trends, consumer behavior, and industry dynamics.

These tools provide valuable insights for informed decision-making, product development, and strategic planning, leading to increased competitiveness.

MORE LIKE THIS

Was The Experience Memorable? — Tuesday CX Thoughts

Sep 10, 2024

What Does a Data Analyst Do? Skills, Tools & Tips

Sep 9, 2024

Best Gallup Access Alternatives & Competitors in 2024

Sep 6, 2024

Experimental vs Observational Studies: Differences & Examples

Sep 5, 2024

Other categories

• Academic Research
• Artificial Intelligence
• Assessments
• Brand Awareness
• Case Studies
• Communities
• Consumer Insights
• Customer effort score
• Customer Engagement
• Customer Experience
• Customer Loyalty
• Customer Research
• Customer Satisfaction
• Employee Benefits
• Employee Engagement
• Employee Retention
• Friday Five
• General Data Protection Regulation
• Insights Hub
• Life@QuestionPro
• Market Research
• Mobile diaries
• Mobile Surveys
• New Features
• Online Communities
• Question Types
• Questionnaire
• QuestionPro Products
• Release Notes
• Research Tools and Apps
• Revenue at Risk
• Survey Templates
• Training Tips
• Tuesday CX Thoughts (TCXT)
• Uncategorized
• What’s Coming Up
• Workforce Intelligence

Root out friction in every digital experience, super-charge conversion rates, and optimize digital self-service

Uncover insights from any interaction, deliver AI-powered agent coaching, and reduce cost to serve

Increase revenue and loyalty with real-time insights and recommendations delivered to teams on the ground

Know how your people feel and empower managers to improve employee engagement, productivity, and retention

Take action in the moments that matter most along the employee journey and drive bottom line growth

Whatever they’re are saying, wherever they’re saying it, know exactly what’s going on with your people

Get faster, richer insights with qual and quant tools that make powerful market research available to everyone

Run concept tests, pricing studies, prototyping + more with fast, powerful studies designed by UX research experts

Track your brand performance 24/7 and act quickly to respond to opportunities and challenges in your market

Explore the platform powering Experience Management

• Free Account
• Product Demos
• For Digital
• For Customer Care
• For Human Resources
• For Researchers
• Financial Services
• All Industries

Popular Use Cases

• Customer Experience
• Employee Experience
• Net Promoter Score
• Voice of Customer
• Customer Success Hub
• Product Documentation
• Training & Certification
• XM Institute
• Popular Resources
• Customer Stories
• Artificial Intelligence
• Market Research
• Partnerships
• Marketplace

The annual gathering of the experience leaders at the world’s iconic brands building breakthrough business results, live in Salt Lake City.

• English/AU & NZ
• Español/Europa
• Español/América Latina
• Português Brasileiro
• REQUEST DEMO

MARKET RESEARCH SOFTWARE

The modern platform for market research.

Get faster, higher quality market research with a single platform for all your organization’s research needs. Powered by AI and automation, it makes everything from designing a study to uncovering breakthrough insights easier than ever.

All your company’s research. One platform.

Remove redundancies, reduce costs, and decrease time to value with a single, modern platform for all your research requirements, market segmentation.

Track consumer behavior across unique segments, and take specific actions based on the value associated with each customer type.

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT & PRICING

Gather customer feedback on new products and services early and throughout the development cycle to save time and money.

COMPETITIVE BENCHMARKING

Put everything into perspective by gaining an understanding of where you stand in relation to your competitors. Capitalize on key business differentiators and identify gaps in products and services.

ACADEMIC RESEARCH

Give professors, academics and students access to the most powerful research platform trusted by 99 of the world’s top 100 business schools.

PURCHASE BEHAVIOR

Take your level of customer understanding beyond “who is buying” to “why they are buying”. Dive into the behaviors that influence purchase decisions.

MARKET TRENDS

Where is your industry heading? Monitor industry and market trends to keep your company ahead of the curve.

CONJOINT ANALYSIS

Understand the value your customers attach to unique attributes of products and services offered by your business. Optimize the customer experience without breaking your budget.

A/B TESTING & EXPERIMENTS

Go from “we think” to “we know” and make data-informed decisions by A/B testing across every segment. Test questions, products, experiences, or features in order to truly understand the effect of change.

PANEL MANAGEMENT

Turn email lists, site visitors, members of your social media groups, and others into your own research panels. A ready and willing panel increases response rates and turnaround times for any research you’re conducting.

How does ad content influence the way customers perceive your brand and/or encourage purchases? Answer these questions and more by conducting in-depth ad testing across key customer segments online and direct.

WEBSITE & MOBILE EXPERIENCE OPTIMIZATION

Understand how customers interact with your desktop and mobile experiences and make improvements based on customer feedback.

RESPONDENTS ON DEMAND

Purchase access to millions of respondents to collect feedback from exactly the people you need for your research. We can even run your project for you to ensure you achieve your goals.

Impactful insights, in the blink of an eye

Regressions, segmentation, crosstabs, maxdiff - you name it, iq has it covered. the most advanced statistical tests are applied across your entire dataset automatically to uncover insights in a fraction of the time of traditional research..

Open text, structured

Automatically analyze tens of thousands of open text comments with Text iQ. AI and natural language processing take open text and automatically categorize it by topic and sentiment so you can draw insights from the richest feedback of all — human language.

Prioritize what matters most

Instantly see the key drivers of anything from purchase intent to customer satisfaction with Driver iQ. Our automatic key driver analysis learns across your entire dataset to surface the key drivers you can focus on to have the biggest impact on the business.

Uncover trends and patterns

No matter how big your dataset, or how many teams are involved, Stats iQ connects the dots for you. It’s always running in the background, identifying the right test, running it, and alerting you to new trends, relationships and connections across the business.

expert review

Improve research quality and avoid costly errors with expertreview.

ExpertReview is your personal research assistant that uses AI to detect and remove quality gaps at every stage of the insights lifecycle.

• Avoid painful and costly errors when conducting research, and eliminate errors that come from poorly-designed studies
• Automatically flag problems like broken question logic, methodology errors, mobile compatibility, and even compliance issues
• Flag any sensitive or PII data, or poor-quality responses coming from bots, duplicates, cheaters, gibberish and other forms of disengaged respondents
• Detect, delete and redact poor quality responses with a single click

XM SOLUTIONS

Expert-designed, fully automated research projects, scale your impact, access experts and a flexible engagement model to scale your team and expertise.

• Access to 75+ experts, XM scientists and research managers to help you with design, analytics, reporting and respondent sourcing.
• 12,000+ customers, including 75% of F500. Top awards by Forbes, Fast Company, CNBC, Gartner Tech, Greenbook, Quirks, Trust Radius, G2 Crowd and more

Qualtrics’ Flexible Service Model

We know that sometimes you need someone else to manage a project so you can allocate energy to other initiatives. Other times, you need the flexibility and agility to manage the details yourself. Our offering gives you the freedom and power to dial up or dial back the services at any time during the program.

• XM Scientists
• Tech Consultants
• Solution Architects
• Program Architects
• Customer Success
• Qualtrics Support
• Technical Account Manager
• Experience Basecamp

Customization

• Engineering Services

QUALTRICS RESEARCH SERVICES

Make your research work harder for you.

Uncover deeper and more targeted insights with Qualtrics Research Services and our network of partners. Trained research experts help unlock cost and time savings, while flexible service options let you choose how much – or how little – support you need.

The market research platform trusted by over 18,000 brands

On my first day using Qualtrics I was able to do my surveys in HALF THE AMOUNT OF TIME it would have taken me using other survey tools — and I hadn’t even been trained in Qualtrics yet.

Qualtrics helps me CONNECT THE DOTS – bringing together all of the insights we have into clear, thorough, and actionable insights, which are brought to the stakeholders in a way that is easy for them to understand both the insight and what action should be taken by us.

See how Qualtrics can improve your market research

Qualtrics for market research, request demo.

Ready to learn more about Qualtrics?

• (855) 776-7763

All Products

BIGContacts CRM

Survey Maker

ProProfs.com

• Get Started Free

FREE. All Features. FOREVER!

Try our Forever FREE account with all premium features!

What Are the Best Market Research Tools: A Detailed List & Guide 2024

Expert Writer

Dwayne Charrington shares insights on creating effective surveys, improving navigation, and using A/B testing for smarter decisions. Additionally, he focuses on optimizing mobile experiences and champions privacy-by-design, ensuring users feel satisfied, secure, and valued.

Imagine you’re a chef whipping up a delicious dish, but you have no clue what your customers crave – the fiery kick of chili or the comforting sweetness of cinnamon?

That’s what researchers and surveyors face without the right market research tools. As a part of the survey industry for over two decades, I have often seen businesses experiencing this “lack of data” phenomenon.

But how do you choose the best tools for market research to collect the required data? Let’s cash in on my experience.

Best Tools & Software to Conduct Market Research

1. qualaroo : best for user & customer feedback surveys via website or app.

When I want to gather insightful user and customer feedback directly through my website or app, I always turn to Qualaroo. This is one of the best market research platforms I have used, and it integrates seamlessly with so many other tools, allowing me to deploy surveys that capture user sentiments in real time.

With its advanced targeting options , I can ask specific questions to the right audience, ensuring the feedback is relevant and actionable. I love how easy it is to design and launch surveys without needing any technical expertise.

Plus, its AI-powered sentiment analysis helps me interpret responses quickly, making it an invaluable asset for improving user experience and driving customer satisfaction.

What You Will Like:

• Smart branding and customization options to ensure a professional appearance in the surveys.
• Supports 70+ global languages , allowing surveys to be used around the world.
• It Integrates seamlessly with other platforms such as Zapier, Salesforce, Tableau and more for better data analysis.
• Advanced nudge feature for prototypes to get user insights quickly at every stage of the design process.
• Supports A/B testing to check different versions before you actually move forward.

What You May Not Like:

• A few more niche-specific templates would make the template library better.
• It does not support a dark mode on the website.

Pricing: A forever free plan for startups and small businesses with all premium features. Paid plans start at $19.99/month .

2. BrewSurvey: Best for Collecting Valuable Feedback

When I need to dig deep into user feedback and market insights, I rely on BrewSurvey . It’s a reliable tool for conducting comprehensive research, whether I’m gathering data online or offline. BrewSurvey’s user-friendly interface and powerful features make it ideal for crafting customized surveys, tracking responses in real-time, and making informed decisions based on solid data.

What makes BrewSurvey different is its versatility. I can easily collect feedback from both online and offline sources. Its design supports CSAT surveys, product feedback, and competitive analysis.

The tool’s straightforward approach ensures that even complex data collection tasks are manageable and efficient. This makes it ideal for anyone serious about understanding their audience and improving their strategies.

• Offers custom surveys tailored to your specific research needs.
• Gives real-time data analytics with powerful built-in analytics tools.
• Gathers valuable data even when you’re not connected to the internet.
• Has a drag-and-drop feature that makes survey creation quick and easy.
• Uncovers actionable insights with comprehensive reporting for more informed decision-making.
• Does not provide in-tool translation, which can be challenging when working with a diverse team.
• After canceling your subscription, access to all stored data is restricted.

Pricing: Starts at $29 per month. Enjoy a free plan offering a curated selection of survey features ideal for small businesses.

3. Similarweb : Best for Competitor Website Analysis

(Image Source: Similarweb)

For a deep dive into my competitors’ strategies, Similarweb is my go-to. This tool offers comprehensive insights into competitor website traffic, audience demographics, and engagement metrics.

I can see where their traffic is coming from, what keywords they’re ranking for, and even their top-performing pages. This level of detail helps me benchmark my own performance and identify new opportunities for growth.

The intuitive interface and robust data make it easy to stay ahead in a competitive landscape.

• Offers detailed analysis of website engagement, audience demographics, and retention.
• Allows tracking of industry trends and market share changes.
• Features keyword analysis for SEO and paid search strategies.
• Supports API access for integrating data into custom applications.
• Provides custom dashboards for monitoring specific metrics or competitors.
• Can become costly as you scale up and require more detailed reports.
• Historical data is limited compared to some other market research tools.

Pricing: Start at $125 per month. Billed annually.

4. Glimpse : Best for Spotting Emerging Trends

(Image Source: MeetGlimpse)

Staying ahead of the curve is crucial, and Glimpse is the perfect market research software for spotting emerging trends. This tool leverages data from Google Trends to highlight what’s gaining traction before it becomes mainstream. It detects and analyzes fast-growing trends based on social media and web data.

It’s like having a crystal ball for market trends. I find it incredibly useful for identifying new content ideas and product opportunities and understanding consumer behavior shifts. Glimpse’s timely insights have often given me a competitive edge in my projects.

• Delivers timely notifications about new trends relevant to your industry.
• Allows for quick exploration of niche markets with less competition.
• Offers insights into consumer behavior changes in real time.
• Integrates with e-commerce platforms to test product ideas quickly.
• Provides data-driven recommendations for marketing and product development.
• Lacks the depth of data provided by more established market research tools.
• Mainly focuses on consumer goods and may not be as useful for B2B sectors.

Pricing: Custom pricing.

5. BuzzSumo: Best for Content Performance Analysis

(Image Source: BuzzSumo)

BuzzSumo is indispensable for analyzing how well content performs. Whether I’m looking at my own content or that of my competitors, BuzzSumo helps me understand what resonates with audiences.

It provides data on social shares, backlinks, and even influencer engagement. This tool is particularly valuable for refining my content strategy, as it highlights the types of content that generate the most buzz.

With BuzzSumo, I can ensure my content efforts are always impactful and aligned with audience interests.

• Allows users to discover the most shared content across major social platforms.
• Offers insights into the performance of specific content types, lengths, and formats.
• Supports content research with filters by date, language, and region.
• Includes influencer identification to help boost your marketing efforts.
• Delivers detailed backlink data to understand who is linking to and promoting your content.
• More focused on content performance, less on overall market trends.
• Some features, like historical data, are only available on higher-tier plans.

Pricing: Start at $159 per month. Billed annually.

6. AnswerThePublic : Best for Generating Content Ideas

(Image Source: PageTrafficBuzz)

When I’m in need of fresh content ideas, AnswerThePublic is my secret weapon. This tool visualizes search queries from Google and Bing, showing what people are curious about. It’s like having a direct line to my audience’s minds.

I use it to brainstorm blog topics, video content, and even product descriptions. The way it organizes data into questions, prepositions, and comparisons makes it incredibly easy to pinpoint exactly what content will meet my audience’s needs.

• Provides visualizations of search questions and prepositions related to keywords.
• Helps identify consumer concerns and queries surrounding specific topics.
• Offers quick download options for data in CSV format.
• Supports data collection from various regions and languages to tailor content globally.
• Enables SEO and content marketing teams to create highly targeted content.
• Focuses mainly on keyword-based queries, lacking broader market insights.
• Does not integrate with other marketing tools, requiring manual data management.

Pricing: Starts at $2.92 per month. Billed annually.

7. GrowthBar SEO : Best for Keyword Ranking Insights

(Image Source: Growth Bar SEO)

For in-depth keyword ranking insights, GrowthBar SEO has been my tool of choice. It provides detailed keyword metrics, including search volume, CPC, and ranking difficulty, right within my browser.

I particularly appreciate its ability to generate keyword suggestions and content ideas based on what’s already ranking well. This makes optimizing my content for SEO a breeze, helping me climb the search engine rankings and drive more organic traffic to my site.

• Offers competitive analysis to see how your site stacks up against competitors.
• Includes a keyword research tool that suggests profitable keywords.
• Features a content outline generator to speed up content creation.
• Integrates with Google Analytics for a comprehensive view of your traffic.
• Offers a Chrome extension for instant SEO insights on any website you visit.
• Primarily suitable for small to medium-sized businesses, might not scale well for very large sites.
• Some users report occasional inaccuracies in data reporting.

Pricing: Starts at $20.30 per month. Billed annually.

8. Statista: Best for Accessing Statistical Data

(Image Source: Statista)

Statista is a treasure trove of statistical data, covering a vast array of topics. Whenever I need reliable data to back up my market research or reports, Statista is where I turn.

It offers access to a vast database of statistics, forecasts, dossiers, and infographics from over 22,500 sources. The quality and depth of data available help me make informed decisions and provide compelling evidence in my presentations and content.

• Offers customizable charts and graphs to visualize data easily.
• Includes data on a wide range of topics and industries worldwide.
• It supports downloading statistics in various formats for presentations and reports.
• Provides insights into market forecasts, consumer markets, and company data.
• Delivers frequent updates to data, ensuring information is current and relevant.
• Subscriptions can be expensive, particularly for full access to all features.
• Some niche industries or less popular topics may have less comprehensive data.

Pricing: Individual plan starts at $149 per month. Billed annually.

9. Think With Google: Best for Consumer Insights

(Image Source: Blogspot)

Think With Google is my top resource for consumer insights. It offers a wealth of research, trends, and data-driven insights from Google’s vast repository. I use it to understand shifting consumer behaviors, explore new market opportunities, and refine my marketing strategies.

The case studies and reports are particularly useful, providing practical examples and actionable takeaways that I can apply directly to my work.

• Offers a range of tools to analyze consumer trends, ad performance, and website insights.
• Integrates with other Google services for a unified approach to market research.
• Provides real-time data that helps marketers adjust their strategies quickly.
• Features tools specifically designed for mobile market analysis.
• Delivers insights based on large-scale data sets that Google has access to.
• Primarily focused on digital marketing, which may not cover all business needs.
• Data and tools are somewhat limited to the ecosystems of Google products.

Pricing: Free, but has limited survey features.

10. Google Keyword Tool: Best for Keyword Research

(Image Source: Backlinko)

For comprehensive keyword research, the Google Keyword Tool is indispensable. It offers detailed insights into keyword search volume, competition, and trends.

I use it to uncover new keyword opportunities and refine my SEO strategy. The tool’s integration with Google Ads also helps me plan and optimize my PPC campaigns, ensuring I target the right keywords for maximum impact.

• Offers extensive data on search volume, competition, and trends for keywords.
• Supports filtering by location, language, and search network.
• Helps in identifying long-tail keywords for niche marketing efforts.
• Provides historical data trends for better understanding seasonal variations in keyword popularity.
• Allows for the export of keywords and data for further analysis.
• Mainly useful for users with active Google Ads accounts.
• It focuses on PPC data, which may not always translate directly into organic search insights.

Pricing: Free to use, but comes coupled with Google Ads.

11. Tableau: Best for Data Visualization

(Image Source: Tableau)

When it comes to data visualization, Tableau Software is in a league of its own. It transforms complex data sets into intuitive, interactive visualizations. I use Tableau to create dashboards that provide clear, actionable insights at a glance.

Its ability to connect to various data sources and perform advanced analytics makes it a powerful tool for both reporting and strategic planning. The visual appeal and clarity Tableau brings to data help me communicate insights effectively across teams.

• Supports integration with a wide array of data sources, including big data and cloud databases.
• Features drag-and-drop functionality for creating interactive dashboards.
• Allows for real-time data updates, enabling dynamic and up-to-date visualizations.
• Provides robust security features for managing access and data integrity.
• Supports mobile access, allowing users to view and interact with dashboards on the go.
• Has a steep learning curve to utilize its advanced features fully.
• Requires significant system resources for optimal performance.

Pricing: Starts at $12 per user per month.

12. Typeform: Best for Lead Qualification Surveys

(Image Source: Zendesk)

Typeform is my preferred tool for lead qualification surveys. Its engaging, conversational format makes it easy to collect detailed information from prospects. I love how customizable and user-friendly Typeform is, allowing me to create surveys that are not only effective but also enjoyable for respondents.

The data I gather through Typeform helps me qualify leads more accurately, ensuring my sales efforts are focused on the most promising opportunities

• Provides a wide range of customization options to match brand identity. Supports logic jumps that tailor questions based on previous answers.
• Integrates with major marketing and CRM platforms such as HubSpot, Salesforce, and MailChimp to enhance marketing functionality.
• It delivers robust data collection and analysis tools so that you can analyze the collected information.
• Offers templates for quick setup of surveys, quizzes, and forms.
• Limited options for more complex survey requirements or data processing.
• Users may experience limitations in exporting data in certain formats.

Pricing: Start at $25 per month. Billed annually.

13. Qualtrics: Best for Enterprise-Level Surveys With Advanced Features

(Image Source: Appvizer)

For enterprise-level surveys, Qualtrics is unmatched. It offers advanced features like custom survey flows, extensive question types, and powerful analytics.

I used Qualtrics for large-scale research projects, where the ability to segment data and perform complex analyses is crucial. Its robust platform supports everything from customer satisfaction surveys to employee feedback, making it a versatile tool for any organization.

• Features powerful data analysis tools, including predictive intelligence and trend insights.
• Supports advanced user management and collaboration features.
• Provides extensive security and compliance measures that are suitable for large enterprises.
• Allows for in-depth customization of surveys to fit exact research needs.
• Offers automated actions based on survey responses to enhance respondent engagement.
• Some features require advanced knowledge of research methodologies.
• Customization and setup can be time-consuming for complex surveys.

14. Userlytics : Best for User Experience Testing

Userlytics is essential for user experience testing. It allows you to conduct remote usability tests with real users, providing valuable insights into how they interact with my website or app.

The video recordings and detailed metrics help you identify pain points and optimize the user journey. Userlytics’ flexibility and depth of insights make it a critical component of my UX research toolkit.

• Offers features for testing websites, apps, and prototypes for a better view of user experience.
• Supports a variety of testing methods, including card sorting and tree testing.
• Includes built-in analytics for assessing user interaction and satisfaction.
• Allows for the recording of user sessions for in-depth analysis.
• Provides actionable insights to improve user experience and interface design.
• More focused on user experience testing, less on broader market research.
• The platform can be complex to navigate for those new to usability testing.

Pricing: Starts at $34 per month. Billed annually.

15 .Upwave (Formerly Survata): Best for Brand Lift Studies

(Image Source: Upwave)

Upwave is my go-to for brand lift studies. It measures the impact of advertising campaigns on brand perception, providing clear insights into their effectiveness. I rely on Upwave to assess how well my campaigns are resonating with the target audience and to fine-tune my strategies for better results. The detailed reports and actionable data it provides are invaluable for demonstrating ROI and optimizing future campaigns.

• It features real-time campaign analytics for quick decision-making.
• Supports extensive survey targeting options to reach the right audience.
• Provides a straightforward interface for setting up and managing surveys.
• Delivers insights into consumer sentiment and brand perception.
• Uses a proprietary network for data collection to ensure quality responses.
• Limited in terms of custom survey design compared to more focused survey platforms.
• Data reporting can be too simplistic for very detailed analytical needs.

Pricing: Starts at $2/participant.

16. Make My Persona: Best for Creating Detailed Buyer Personas

(Image Source: Optinmonster)

Creating detailed buyer personas is a breeze with Make My Persona. I used this quite a lot in the past, and it helped me understand what potential customers are searching for and their common questions and concerns.

By visualizing search data, the tool enables you to craft comprehensive personas that accurately reflect your target audience’s needs and preferences. These insights are crucial for tailoring your marketing strategies and ensuring my messaging resonates with the right people.

• Provides step-by-step guidance through the persona-building process.
• Includes templates to start and refine personas quickly.
• Helps you understand your target audience better with detailed insights.
• Supports the creation of multiple personas for different market segments.
• Delivers a user-friendly interface that’s accessible to all team members.
• Features can be too basic for more advanced marketing teams.
• Limited customization options for the templates provided.

Pricing: Free to use with limited market research features.

Evaluation Criteria

The evaluation of products or tools chosen for this article follows an unbiased, systematic approach that ensures a fair, insightful, and well-rounded review. This method employs six key factors:

• User Reviews / Ratings: Direct experiences from users, including ratings and feedback from reputable sites, provide a ground-level perspective. This feedback is critical in understanding overall satisfaction and potential problems.
• Essential Features & Functionality: The value of a product is ascertained by its core features and overall functionality. Through an in-depth exploration of these aspects, the practical usefulness and effectiveness of the tools are carefully evaluated.
• Ease of Use: The user-friendliness of a product or service is assessed, focusing on the design, interface, and navigation. This ensures a positive experience for users of all levels of expertise.
• Customer Support: The quality of customer support is examined, taking into account its efficiency and how well it supports users in different phases – setting up, addressing concerns, and resolving operational issues.
• Value for Money: Value for money is evaluated by comparing the quality, performance, and features. The goal is to help the reader understand whether they would be getting their money’s worth.
• Personal Experience / Experts’ Opinions: This part of the evaluation criteria draws insightful observations from the personal experience of the writer and the opinions of industry experts.

What Is Market Research?

What is Customer Feedback & How to Use User Research Software Market research is the process of gathering, analyzing, and interpreting information about a market, including data on target customers , competitors, and industry trends. It helps businesses understand consumer needs and preferences, guiding product developmen t and marketing strategies.

For example, a company planning to launch a new fitness app might conduct surveys and focus groups to determine the features potential users value most.

Read: Survey Teardowns: How Gold’s Gym Gathers User Feedback Via Email | Blog

According to a LinkedIn report , a lot of companies use market research to gain a competitive advantage, highlighting its importance in strategic decision-making and business growth.

What Are the Market Research Tools Used For?

Market research tools are essential for gathering, analyzing, and interpreting data related to market conditions, customer behavior, and competitive landscapes. They serve various purposes, including:

1. Understanding Customer Needs and Preferences

These tools help businesses collect data on customer preferences , buying habits, and satisfaction levels. This information is crucial for developing products and services that meet customer expectations. Nudge.png

2. Identifying Market Trends

Market research survey platforms can track and analyze trends within an industry, helping companies stay ahead of the competition by adapting to changes in market conditions.

3. Competitor Analysis

Businesses use these tools to monitor competitor activities , strengths, weaknesses, and strategies. This helps in benchmarking and developing strategies to gain a competitive edge.

4. Measuring Marketing Effectiveness

Tools for market research can assess the effectiveness of marketing campaigns by tracking metrics such as customer engagement, conversion rates, and return on investment (ROI).

5. Segmenting Markets

Market research tools assist in dividing the market into distinct segments based on demographics, psychographics, and behavior. This allows for more targeted marketing and product development efforts.

6. Forecasting Sales and Market Potential

These tools provide data and analytical capabilities to forecast future sales, helping businesses in planning and budgeting.

7. Product Development and Innovation

By understanding customer needs and market gaps, businesses can use market research tools to guide product development and innovation, ensuring that new products meet market demand.

8. Identifying Opportunities and Threats

SWOT analysis tools help businesses identify internal strengths and weaknesses, as well as external opportunities and threats, enabling better strategic planning. Using these tools effectively allows businesses to make informed decisions, tailor their marketing strategies, and ultimately achieve better outcomes in their respective markets.

Who Uses Market Research Tools?

Market research tools are used by a wide range of professionals and organizations to gather and analyze data about markets, customers, and competitors.

Here are some of the key users:

1. Marketing Professionals: They use market research tools to understand market trends, customer preferences, and the effectiveness of marketing campaigns. By analyzing data, they can tailor their strategies to reach better and engage their target audience, ultimately driving more successful marketing efforts.

2. Business Owners and Entrepreneurs: These individuals leverage market research tools to identify new market opportunities, assess competition, and make informed decisions about product development and business strategies. This helps them stay competitive and adapt to changing market conditions.

3.Product Managers: Product managers use these tools to gather customer needs and preferences insights. This information is crucial in guiding the development and improvement of products, ensuring they meet market demands and customer expectations

4. Sales Teams: Sales professionals utilize market research to identify potential customers and understand their needs. This knowledge allows them to tailor their sales strategies, improve customer targeting, and increase their chances of closing deals.

5.Consultants and Market Analysts : These experts use market research tools to provide data-driven insights and recommendations to their clients. They analyze market trends, consumer behavior, and competitive landscapes to help businesses make informed decisions.

6. Researchers and Academics: In the academic and research fields, professionals use market research tools to conduct studies and publish findings on various market dynamics and consumer behavior. These market research surveys contribute to a broader understanding of market trends and influence industry practices.

7. Customer Experience Managers: These managers rely on market research to understand customer feedback and improve overall customer satisfaction . By analyzing data on customer interactions and experiences, they can implement changes that enhance the customer journey.

8. Investors and Financial Analysts: Investors and analysts use market research tools to assess the viability of investments and understand market conditions. This information helps them make informed decisions about where to allocate resources and identify potential risks and opportunities.

9. Human Resources Professionals: HR professionals use market research to gauge employee satisfaction and organizational culture. Internal surveys and research help them identify areas for improvement and implement strategies to enhance the workplace environment.

10. Nonprofit Organizations: Nonprofits use market research tools to understand the needs of their target beneficiaries and the impact of their programs. This information is essential for designing effective interventions and demonstrating their value to stakeholders and donors.

Each of these users leverages market research tools to gather both quantitative and qualitative data, enabling them to make more informed and strategic decisions in their respective fields.

Read More: 6 Inventive Uses For Qualaroo | Blog

What Are the Major Features of Market Research Tools?

Market research tools offer a wide array of features to help businesses gather, analyze, and interpret data to make informed decisions. Here are some of the major features found in these tools:

• Survey Creation and Distribution:
• Customizable Templates: Pre-built templates for various types of surveys.
• Question Types: Multiple choice, open-ended, Likert scale, and more.
• Logic Branching: Direct respondents to different questions based on their previous answers.
• Multi-Channel Distribution: Send surveys via email, social media, or embed them on websites.

2. Data Collection and Management:

• Real-Time Data Collection: Immediate data capture as respondents complete surveys.
• Database Integration: Import and export data from other systems and databases.
• Data Anonymization: Ensure respondent anonymity for sensitive surveys.

3. Analytics and Reporting:

• Data Visualization: Graphs, charts, and dashboards for easy data interpretation.
• Cross-Tabulation: Compare different variables to find correlations and trends.
• Text Analysis: Analyze open-ended responses for sentiment and keyword trends.
• Statistical Analysis: Advanced statistical tools for deeper data insights.

4. Panel Management:

• Panel Recruitment: Tools for recruiting and managing survey participants.
• Demographic Filtering: Target specific demographics for more relevant insights.
• Incentive Management: Manage rewards for survey participation.

5. Market Segmentation:

• Cluster Analysis: Group respondents based on similarities in their responses.
• Persona Development: Create detailed profiles of different customer segments.

6. Competitive Analysis:

Benchmarking: Compare your data with industry standards or competitors. SWOT Analysis: Identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

7. Trend Analysis:

• Historical Data Comparison: Analyze how responses change over time.
• Predictive Analytics: Use historical data to forecast future trends.

8. Collaboration and Sharing:

• Team Collaboration: Share surveys and results with team members.
• Role-Based Access: Control who can view and edit surveys and data.

9. Mobile Accessibility:

• Responsive Design: Surveys and dashboards accessible on mobile devices.
• Mobile App Integration: Dedicated apps for data collection and analysis on the go.

10. Integration Capabilities:

• API Access: Connect with other software tools and platforms.
• Third-Party Integrations: Integration with CRM, email marketing, and other tools.
• These features enable businesses to conduct thorough market research, gain valuable insights, and make data-driven decisions effectively.

What Are the Benefits of Market Research Tools?

Some of the major benefits of market research tools are as follows:

• Improved Marketing Strategies: By providing a deep understanding of the market and target audience, market research tools help businesses to create more effective marketing campaigns that resonate with their audience.
• Product Development: Insights from market research tools can guide the development of new products or the improvement of existing ones. This ensures that products meet the needs and preferences of the target market.
• Customer Satisfaction: Regular use of market research tools helps businesses stay in tune with their customers’ changing needs and preferences, leading to higher customer satisfaction and loyalty.

• Cost Efficiency: By identifying the most promising markets and customer segments, market research tools help businesses allocate their resources more efficiently, reducing waste and increasing ROI.
• Risk Mitigation: Understanding market dynamics and customer sentiments helps businesses anticipate potential challenges and risks, allowing them to develop strategies to mitigate these risks.

• Competitive Advantage: Businesses that effectively utilize market research tools are better positioned to understand their market environment, adapt to changes, and stay ahead of the competition.
• Strategic Planning: Market research tools provide the data needed for long-term strategic planning. This ensures that business strategies are aligned with market realities and future trends.

Thus, market research tools are essential for businesses aiming to thrive in a competitive environment. They provide the insights needed to understand the market, make informed decisions, and develop strategies that lead to business growth and success.

How to Choose the Right Market Research Tool

Picking the right market research tool is crucial for gathering insightful data that can drive strategic decisions. Here’s a guide to help you select the best market research tool for your needs:

• Identify Your Research Objectives
• Purpose: Determine whether you need qualitative insights , quantitative data, or both.
• Scope: Understand the scale of your research – is it for a small internal project or a large-scale study?

Pro Tip: Clearly define your research objectives at the outset to narrow down tools that specialize in your specific needs, ensuring a more tailored approach.

Also Read: Qualitative vs. Quantitative Research: How to Get the Best of Both Worlds

2. Assess Features and Capabilities

• Data Collection Methods: Look for tools that offer various methods like surveys, focus groups, interviews, and social media analysis.
• Customization: Ensure the tool allows you to customize surveys and questionnaires to suit your specific needs.
• Reporting and Analytics: Check for robust analytics and reporting features that can help you interpret data effectively.
• Integration: Consider if the tool integrates well with other software you use, such as CRM or data visualization tools.

Pro Tip: Prioritize tools with advanced analytics and integration capabilities to maximize the utility of your collected data.

3. Insist on Ease of Use

• User Interface: The tool should have an intuitive and user-friendly interface.
• Learning Curve: Evaluate how easy it is for your team to learn and use the tool efficiently.

Pro Tip: Opt for tools with free training resources and a supportive community to accelerate your team’s proficiency.

4. Ensure Data Security and Compliance

• Privacy: Ensure the tool complies with data protection regulations such as GDPR, CCPA, etc.
• Security: Look for features like data encryption and secure storage to protect sensitive information.

Pro Tip: Always verify the tool’s compliance with the latest regulations to avoid legal complications and ensure data integrity.

5. Consider Cost and ROI

• Budget: Compare the pricing plans of different tools and see what fits your budget.
• Value for Money: Assess whether the features offered justify the cost. Sometimes, a higher-priced tool may offer better ROI in terms of functionality and insights.

Pro Tip: Consider the long-term benefits and potential cost savings of investing in a higher-priced tool that offers comprehensive features.

6. Check Customer Support and Resources

• Support: Check the availability and quality of customer support. This includes live chat, email, phone support, and help centers.
• Training and Resources: Look for tools that provide comprehensive training materials, webinars, and documentation.

Pro Tip: Select tools with responsive customer support to ensure quick resolution of any issues and uninterrupted research activities.

7. Read Reviews and Testimonials

• User Reviews: Read reviews from other users to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the tool.
• Case Studies: Look for case studies to see how the tool has been used effectively by other businesses.
• Pro Tip: Pay attention to detailed reviews that highlight specific use cases similar to your needs to gauge the tool’s real-world performance.

8. Go for Trial and Evaluation

Free Trial: Take advantage of free trials or demo versions to test the tool before making a purchase. Pilot Testing: Conduct a pilot study to see if the tool meets your requirements and integrates well with your workflow.

Pro Tip: Use the trial period to thoroughly test all features and involve your team in the evaluation to get diverse feedback.

10. Check Scalability

• Ensure the tool can scale with your business needs and handle an increasing volume of data and complexity of research over time.

Pro Tip: Choose a scalable tool to avoid the hassle of switching platforms as your research grows, ensuring consistency and long-term cost efficiency.

By carefully evaluating these factors, you can select a market research tool that aligns with your objectives, budget, and technical requirements, ensuring you gather actionable insights for your business.

Also Read: What Is Customer Feedback Software and How t o Choose the Best One | Blog

What are the Budget Considerations When Picking a Market Research Tool?

Budget considerations are crucial when selecting a market research tool to ensure you get the best value for your investment. Start by assessing the initial costs, including software purchase or subscription fees and licensing. Subscription models might offer flexibility but often entail recurring charges. Besides, factor in ongoing costs such as maintenance, support, and training, which can add up over time.

Consider additional features and upgrades that might incur extra costs. Some tools offer basic functionality at a lower price but charge more for advanced features and integrations.

Finally, ensure value for money by comparing features within your budget range and reviewing user feedback. Carefully scrutinize contract terms for any hidden costs, leveraging free trials or demos when available.

Case Studies

1. the lenovo story.

Read the Full Story

2. The Hootsuite Story

Unlock the Power of Market Research Tools for Strategic Growth

Market research tools are essential for any business looking to achieve strategic growth. They provide valuable insights into customer behavior, market trends, and competitive analysis. By leveraging these tools, companies can make data-driven decisions, improve customer satisfaction, and stay ahead of the competition.

After using several tools for marketing research and surveys, I found Qualaroo really good in this aspect. With its advanced targeting , customizable surveys, and actionable analytics, it helps businesses gather deep insights efficiently, making it a top choice for enhancing strategic decision-making and fostering growth.

About the author

Dwayne Charrington

Dwayne Charrington is an expert writer in customer feedback management, UX design, and user research. He helps businesses understand user intent and enhance the customer experience. Dwayne covers feedback management, lead generation, survey accessibility, and the impact of AI and VR on user interaction. He shares insights on creating effective surveys, improving navigation, and using A/B testing for smarter decisions. Additionally, he focuses on optimizing mobile experiences and champions privacy-by-design, ensuring users feel satisfied, secure, and valued.

12 Best Tools Marketers Use for Market Research

Table of contents

To see what Databox can do for you, including how it helps you track and visualize your performance data in real-time, check out our home page. Click here .

Market research tools are a dime a dozen. While this is exciting news, it’s also confusing since the variety of options can leave you wondering which research tool is best for your business.

So, we decided to make things easy for you by asking the experts which marketing research tools they use.

At the end of this day, we’ve put together a list of 12 trustworthy tools including some free market research tools too. However, this piece is more than just a list as we dive into the following details as well:

• What is market research?
• How much does market research cost?
• 12 best market research tools

Ready to use new tools to polish your marketing efforts? Let’s roll:

What is Market Research?

Market research is the process of gathering and analyzing quantitative and qualitative data on your target users to understand who they are, their preferences, and expectations from your product.

How you conduct market research and how it benefits you depends on your purpose behind the research. For instance, if you are starting to create a new product in industry X, market research will help you unearth your target users’ demand. By having this information, you can create a product that has demand in the market and makes users say “ aha! This is the product I’ve been looking for !”

Similarly, if your product is already out there, market research can help you dig deeper into your audience – who they are, their preferences, how do they find products like yours, and more.

Having this information helps you create product messaging that promises to solve their business challenges. You can also create an audience-relevant marketing strategy and run marketing campaigns that resonate with them, helping attract your target audience.

In short, market research gives you a clear understanding of your target market’s demographics, needs, and interests.

How Much Does Market Research Cost?

According to our survey of 60 marketers, 31% of companies typically spent less than $500 on market research. A close majority, 28%, spends between $1000 to $5000.

What’s more, around 18% shell out $500 to $1000 for market research with under 10% investing over $5000.

While the exact cost of market research depends on how in-depth you want to go into your target market and your industry, the results from this survey give a solid benchmark for how much market research typically costs.

And, in case you’re wondering who our respondents are, know that the majority of them are professional service providers, around 35% are in the tech/software business, and the rest are Ecommerce owners and media businesses among others.

12 Best Tools for Market Research

Now, for the list of marketing research tools that the experts use:

• Google Analytics
• Google Trends
• LeadQuizzes
• Google Keywords Tool
• Living Facts

PRO TIP: How to Monitor and Evaluate Your SEO Performance

If you want to understand how your visitors are behaving on your landing pages, there are several on-page events and metrics you can track from Google Analytics 4 and Google Search Console that will help:

• Organic clicks by queries. Which search queries generate the most clicks to your website?
• Organic clicks by page. Which pages receive the most clicks from search results pages?
• Organic sessions. How many organic search sessions does your website receive?
• Organic engaged sessions. How many website visitors were engaged with your content? An engaged session lasts longer than 10 seconds, has a conversion event, or has at least 2 pageviews or screenviews.
• Views per channel. Which channels generate the most views to your website?

And more…

Now you can benefit from the experience of our SEO and website conversion experts, who have put together a plug-and-play Databox template showing the most important metrics for monitoring your landing page performance. It’s simple to implement and start using as a standalone dashboard or in marketing reports, and best of all, it’s free!

You can easily set it up in just a few clicks – no coding required.

To set up the dashboard, follow these 3 simple steps:

Step 1: Get the template 

Step 2: Connect your Google Analytics 4 and Google Search Console accounts with Databox. 

Step 3: Watch your dashboard populate in seconds.

1. Qualtrics

Outstanding feature(s): Noteworthy reporting features and great questionnaire design. A1 customer service team.

First on our list of market research tools is a suggestion by Jay Qureshi from Chicago Food Policy Action Council . Qureshi shares, “For primary market research, I’d have to go with Qualtrics. The questionnaire design features are much more advanced compared to other survey tools out there and the reporting features allow you to set elaborate rules to filter and customize the results the way you want.”

Related : Marketing Reporting: The KPIs, Reports, & Dashboard Templates You Need to Get Started

To top this up, the team behind Qualtrics also offers excellent customer service. “Their team handles the incentivization process of the respondents (whenever necessary) for us and are quick to respond to specific requests,” Qureshi writes.

2. Google Analytics

Outstanding feature(s): Records real-time audience insights.

A handful of experts recommend Google Analytics for market research, particularly, for understanding where your visitors come from and how they interact with your business (your site visitors’ on-site behavior).

Truck Driver Institute’s Keyoka Kinzy applauds the Audience section feature. Kinzy explains, “It allows you to adjust the demographics, behaviors, and interests of your specific audience to ensure that you’re optimizing the content that appeals to your consumer base.”

“As such,” Paul Franklin of SideGains summarizes, “GA helps me understand the direction my content should take long-term and informs my short-terms strategy to serve people more of the content they find interesting.” Editor’s note : By combining Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and marketing reporting software , you can gain a more comprehensive view of your content performance. Google Analytics provides detailed insights into user behavior on your website, while Google Search Console provides data on how your website is performing in search results. Reporting tool like e.g. Databox then helps you visualize and track this data. Together, these tools can provide valuable insights into how your content is performing across different channels and help you optimize your marketing efforts for maximum impact.

3. Google Trends

Outstanding feature(s): In-depth look at market trends.

“Google Trends has been most insightful for me,” Dollar Creed’s Lily Ugbaja highlights. “This is because it is a great tool for researching trends.”

In particular, Ugbaja writes that this tool:

• “Gives a picture of what people are looking for on the web, by tracking the volume of searches on a particular product or services over time and by location.
• Gives insight into similar search queries and topics, to identify patterns and figure out the terminology users commonly use.”

Related : 19 Ways For Using Google Trends to Build Your Content Marketing Strategy

4. Typeform

Outstanding feature(s): Easy to use and great data visualization.

An important aspect of marketing research is getting to know your audience and their problem. To this end, talking to them helps, which brings us to the survey tool, Typeform.

Ashley Cummings from Searchlight Content notes it’s great for all businesses irrespective of their size. Talking about her work, Cummings elaborates, “My business is smaller, but I still conduct primary research regularly.

I recently used Typeform to send out a survey to freelance writers that helps other writers benchmark rates. Typeform was perfect for my needs. It was easy to create and distribute a survey.”

Best of all, Cummings shares, “my participants were familiar with the platform, so it wasn’t difficult for them to complete the survey.:

“Typeform also visualizes the data, making it easy to interpret,” Cummings adds. “Typeform also allows open-ended responses for qualitative data, which was helpful for me on questions where I wanted deeper answers.”

Outstanding feature(s): Quick overview of competitors’ position and marketing spend.

This one’s another popular market research tool among the 60 marketers we talked to.

The team at All Phase Media , for example, uses SEMrush to identify marketing trends based on how keywords are used in their market. In Mike Errico’s words, “Our team uses SEMRush which allows us to identify trends in keyword usage across any vertical or niche market.

If we see a trend for a keyword relative to our company, or our clients, we can quickly create content and compete for that keyword.”

Similarly, Beth Cooper of KNB Communications shares, “SEMRush has been super helpful in gaining insight for our business. Everyone is online, so pulling market data by analyzing web traffic around domains and keywords makes a lot of sense.

We are also able to see digital ads domains are running and how much people are spending on marketing. It helps us benchmark our own success, set goals, and refine our marketing tactics and messaging.”

Outstanding feature(s): Insights on competitor ranking.

“Ahrefs is a compulsory tool if you want to research any market,” insists One Doctor’s Omiete Charles-Davies. So what exactly does Ahrefs offer? Charles-Davies answers:

• “They provide search engine data across the top industry players, giving you strategic insight into what your target market is looking for online and will help you adjust what your product offers.
• They also offer you data about how well your competitors perform on search engines and can uncover hidden keywords that your target audience is using to find services in your industry.”

And here’s how the team at One Doctor uses this data: “For instance, their data shows that more people are looking for dermatologists online than primary care physicians. This useful information helped us to target dermatologists for our health-tech products before targeting primary care physicians,” Charles-Davies outlines.

What’s more, Ahrefs helps monitor backlinks. Consequently, you can get an overview of where your competitors’ link profile.

Related : 30 Free Link Building Tips for Building Links On Little-to-No Budget

Vital Feedz’ Rohan Kadam adds to this: “Filters like ‘Keyword Difficulty’ and ‘Volume’ help me narrow my overall keyword bucket and helps me choose right keywords for my content.”

Plus, the “Content Gap tool of Ahrefs allows me to identify key organic keywords for which my competitors are ranking. This helps me plan for future content pieces that I can publish in order to outrank my competitors,” Kadam shares.

7. SimilarWeb

Outstanding feature(s): Quick overview of competitors’ online presence.

Next up, we’ve SimilarWeb among the best market research tools to try. Essentially, it gives you details on your competitors’ website traffic, referral sources, demographics, and more.

No wonder, SoftwarePundit’s Bruce Hogan goes on to say, “SimilarWeb is the most insightful market research tool that we’ve used.”

Hogan suggests, “It has the most complete data on internet browsing patterns for all websites. This includes traffic from all channels, by geography & device, and useful metrics like visit duration.”

8. LeadQuizzes

Outstanding feature(s): Great data visualization.

“Using quizzes and highly visual surveys allows us to segment audiences into different customer groups based on the responses they give,” comments Alexandra Zelenko from DDI Development .

“Based on the data obtained, our team managed to create a particular marketing strategy and reach each of the groups based on their personal characteristics and preferences.”

9. Google Keywords Tool

Outstanding feature(s): Multiple filters and in-depth keyword research.

Andriy Bogdanov from OnlineDivorce shares. “One of the marketing tools that we have been actively using during the previous year was Google Keywords Tool. This is an excellent app for identifying those queries that potential customers enter on the Internet to search for certain goods and services.

We used it for our SEO strategy, specifically writing blog articles. This brought good results, and, our traffic more than doubled during a year. This also led to significant growth of the company and profit.”

Outstanding feature(s): Insights direct from customers.

“A tool that’s been of help tremendously is Yelp,” comments Colony Roofers’ Zach Reece. “As it is more of a review site,” Reece admits, “it allows us to not only review our customer’s insights but also helps in researching our competitors, which is essential in improving products and services, as well as avoid what customers don’t like, which is really useful.”

11. Living Facts

Outstanding feature(s): In-depth, thorough insights.

Shaun Price of MitoQ applauds Living Facts as one of the best free market research tools available. “Living Facts is a great free research tool that covers customer demographics, community trends, and other human-focused data that helps companies better target their ideal consumer base.”

Moreover, Price points out: “It’s created by the Pew Charitable Trusts, meaning it has the same level of thorough, quality reporting as its sister site, Pew Research Center, with a narrower focus on which insights are most useful to my company.”

12. Questback

Outstanding feature(s): User-friendly and accessible.

“The software we regularly use would be Questback, one of the best and most effective tools we’ve used for market research,” notes Ringspo’s Candace Helton

Here’s why Helton commends Questback: “With the most convenient display I have ever worked with, it allows us to undertake in-depth research, manage social networks easily, provide efficient feedback, and track information quickly, which shows how user-friendly and accessible it is even for beginners, compared to other complicated software.”

Moreover, “the information presented is easy to understand, and Questback’s ability to fill the gap between our company and our target market, and how it handles our company accounts, and how we are able to search for related data for additional information makes it my favorite. It works like how all marketing research software should, and it even works far better, faster, and more stable than other overrated tools.”

Summarizing, Helton shares, “With Questback, we have been able to monitor the analytics about what our audience likes and dislikes, we are also able to compare our site with others, learn the things to pursue and improve, and adjust our contents to meet our audience’s expectations, which led to better interactions with them.”

In short, market research tools make it easy for you to understand your audience, what they’re searching for, and their preferences. You also get a good overview of your competitors’ marketing strategy. So what are you waiting for? Start with any of these 15 tools today.

• Databox Benchmarks
• Future Value Calculator
• ROI Calculator
• Return On Ads Calculator
• Percentage Growth Rate Calculator
• Report Automation
• Client Reporting
• What is a KPI?
• Google Sheets KPIs
• Sales Analysis Report
• Shopify Reports
• Data Analysis Report
• Google Sheets Dashboard
• Best Dashboard Examples
• Analysing Data
• Marketing Agency KPIs
• Automate Agency Google Ads Report
• Marketing Research Report
• Social Media Dashboard Examples
• Ecom Dashboard Examples

Does Your Performance Stack Up?

Are you maximizing your business potential? Stop guessing and start comparing with companies like yours.

A Message From Our CEO

At Databox, we’re obsessed with helping companies more easily monitor, analyze, and report their results. Whether it’s the resources we put into building and maintaining integrations with 100+ popular marketing tools, enabling customizability of charts, dashboards, and reports, or building functionality to make analysis, benchmarking, and forecasting easier, we’re constantly trying to find ways to help our customers save time and deliver better results.

Do you want an All-in-One Analytics Platform?

Hey, we’re Databox. Our mission is to help businesses save time and grow faster. Click here to see our platform in action. 

Masooma is a freelance writer for SaaS and a lover to-do lists. When she's not writing, she usually has her head buried in a business book or fantasy novel.

Get practical strategies that drive consistent growth

How to Select the Most Effective Facebook Ad Objectives for Your Business [Insights from 130+ Experts]

Top 10 Marketing Analytics Software Tools in 2024

What Are the Best Inbound and Outbound B2B Growth Strategies in 2024?

Build your first dashboard in 5 minutes or less

Latest from our blog

• How to Select the Most Effective Facebook Ad Objectives for Your Business [Insights from 130+ Experts] September 6, 2024
• Playmaker Spotlight: Kenneth Won, Technical Sales Consultant September 5, 2024
• Metrics & KPIs
• vs. Tableau
• vs. Looker Studio
• vs. Klipfolio
• vs. Power BI
• vs. Whatagraph
• vs. AgencyAnalytics
• Product & Engineering
• Inside Databox
• Terms of Service
• Privacy Policy
• Talent Resources
• We're Hiring!
• Help Center
• API Documentation

Send us an email

How to do market research: The complete guide for your brand

Written by by Jacqueline Zote

Published on  April 13, 2023

Reading time  10 minutes

Blindly putting out content or products and hoping for the best is a thing of the past. Not only is it a waste of time and energy, but you’re wasting valuable marketing dollars in the process. Now you have a wealth of tools and data at your disposal, allowing you to develop data-driven marketing strategies . That’s where market research comes in, allowing you to uncover valuable insights to inform your business decisions.

Conducting market research not only helps you better understand how to sell to customers but also stand out from your competition. In this guide, we break down everything you need to know about market research and how doing your homework can help you grow your business.

Table of contents:

What is market research?

Why is market research important, types of market research, where to conduct market research.

• Steps for conducting market research
• Tools to use for market research

Market research is the process of gathering information surrounding your business opportunities. It identifies key information to better understand your audience. This includes insights related to customer personas and even trends shaping your industry.

Taking time out of your schedule to conduct research is crucial for your brand health. Here are some of the key benefits of market research:

Understand your customers’ motivations and pain points

Most marketers are out of touch with what their customers want. Moreover, these marketers are missing key information on what products their audience wants to buy.

Simply put, you can’t run a business if you don’t know what motivates your customers.

And spoiler alert: Your customers’ wants and needs change. Your customers’ behaviors today might be night and day from what they were a few years ago.

Market research holds the key to understanding your customers better. It helps you uncover their key pain points and motivations and understand how they shape their interests and behavior.

Figure out how to position your brand

Positioning is becoming increasingly important as more and more brands enter the marketplace. Market research enables you to spot opportunities to define yourself against your competitors.

Maybe you’re able to emphasize a lower price point. Perhaps your product has a feature that’s one of a kind. Finding those opportunities goes hand in hand with researching your market.

Maintain a strong pulse on your industry at large

Today’s marketing world evolves at a rate that’s difficult to keep up with.

Fresh products. Up-and-coming brands. New marketing tools. Consumers get bombarded with sales messages from all angles. This can be confusing and overwhelming.

By monitoring market trends, you can figure out the best tactics for reaching your target audience.

Not everyone conducts market research for the same reason. While some may want to understand their audience better, others may want to see how their competitors are doing. As such, there are different types of market research you can conduct depending on your goal.

Interview-based market research allows for one-on-one interactions. This helps the conversation to flow naturally, making it easier to add context. Whether this takes place in person or virtually, it enables you to gather more in-depth qualitative data.

Buyer persona research

Buyer persona research lets you take a closer look at the people who make up your target audience. You can discover the needs, challenges and pain points of each buyer persona to understand what they need from your business. This will then allow you to craft products or campaigns to resonate better with each persona.

Pricing research

In this type of research, brands compare similar products or services with a particular focus on pricing. They look at how much those products or services typically sell for so they can get more competitive with their pricing strategy.

Competitive analysis research

Competitor analysis gives you a realistic understanding of where you stand in the market and how your competitors are doing. You can use this analysis to find out what’s working in your industry and which competitors to watch out for. It even gives you an idea of how well those competitors are meeting consumer needs.

Depending on the competitor analysis tool you use, you can get as granular as you need with your research. For instance, Sprout Social lets you analyze your competitors’ social strategies. You can see what types of content they’re posting and even benchmark your growth against theirs.

Brand awareness research

Conducting brand awareness research allows you to assess your brand’s standing in the market. It tells you how well-known your brand is among your target audience and what they associate with it. This can help you gauge people’s sentiments toward your brand and whether you need to rebrand or reposition.

If you don’t know where to start with your research, you’re in the right place.

There’s no shortage of market research methods out there. In this section, we’ve highlighted research channels for small and big businesses alike.

Considering that Google sees a staggering 8.5 billion searches each day, there’s perhaps no better place to start.

A quick Google search is a potential goldmine for all sorts of questions to kick off your market research. Who’s ranking for keywords related to your industry? Which products and pieces of content are the hottest right now? Who’s running ads related to your business?

For example, Google Product Listing Ads can help highlight all of the above for B2C brands.

The same applies to B2B brands looking to keep tabs on who’s running industry-related ads and ranking for keyword terms too.

There’s no denying that email represents both an aggressive and effective marketing channel for marketers today. Case in point, 44% of online shoppers consider email as the most influential channel in their buying decisions.

Looking through industry and competitor emails is a brilliant way to learn more about your market. For example, what types of offers and deals are your competitors running? How often are they sending emails?

Email is also invaluable for gathering information directly from your customers. This survey message from Asana is a great example of how to pick your customers’ brains to figure out how you can improve your quality of service.

Industry journals, reports and blogs

Don’t neglect the importance of big-picture market research when it comes to tactics and marketing channels to explore. Look to marketing resources such as reports and blogs as well as industry journals

Keeping your ear to the ground on new trends and technologies is a smart move for any business. Sites such as Statista, Marketing Charts, AdWeek and Emarketer are treasure troves of up-to-date data and news for marketers.

And of course, there’s the  Sprout Insights blog . And invaluable resources like The Sprout Social Index™  can keep you updated on the latest social trends.

Social media

If you want to learn more about your target market, look no further than social media. Social offers a place to discover what your customers want to see in future products or which brands are killin’ it. In fact, social media is become more important for businesses than ever with the level of data available.

It represents a massive repository of real-time data and insights that are instantly accessible. Brand monitoring and social listening are effective ways to conduct social media research . You can even be more direct with your approach. Ask questions directly or even poll your audience to understand their needs and preferences.

The 5 steps for how to do market research

Now that we’ve covered the why and where, it’s time to get into the practical aspects of market research. Here are five essential steps on how to do market research effectively.

Step 1: Identify your research topic

First off, what are you researching about? What do you want to find out? Narrow down on a specific research topic so you can start with a clear idea of what to look for.

For example, you may want to learn more about how well your product features are satisfying the needs of existing users. This might potentially lead to feature updates and improvements. Or it might even result in new feature introductions.

Similarly, your research topic may be related to your product or service launch or customer experience. Or you may want to conduct research for an upcoming marketing campaign.

Step 2: Choose a buyer persona to engage

If you’re planning to focus your research on a specific type of audience, decide which buyer persona you want to engage. This persona group will serve as a representative sample of your target audience.

Engaging a specific group of audience lets you streamline your research efforts. As such, it can be a much more effective and organized approach than researching thousands (if not millions) of individuals.

You may be directing your research toward existing users of your product. To get even more granular, you may want to focus on users who have been familiar with the product for at least a year, for example.

Step 3: Start collecting data

The next step is one of the most critical as it involves collecting the data you need for your research. Before you begin, make sure you’ve chosen the right research methods that will uncover the type of data you need. This largely depends on your research topic and goals.

Remember that you don’t necessarily have to stick to one research method. You may use a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches. So for example, you could use interviews to supplement the data from your surveys. Or you may stick to insights from your social listening efforts.

To keep things consistent, let’s look at this in the context of the example from earlier. Perhaps you can send out a survey to your existing users asking them a bunch of questions. This might include questions like which features they use the most and how often they use them. You can get them to choose an answer from one to five and collect quantitative data.

Plus, for qualitative insights, you could even include a few open-ended questions with the option to write their answers. For instance, you might ask them if there’s any improvement they wish to see in your product.

Step 4: Analyze results

Once you have all the data you need, it’s time to analyze it keeping your research topic in mind. This involves trying to interpret the data to look for a wider meaning, particularly in relation to your research goal.

So let’s say a large percentage of responses were four or five in the satisfaction rating. This means your existing users are mostly satisfied with your current product features. On the other hand, if the responses were mostly ones and twos, you may look for opportunities to improve. The responses to your open-ended questions can give you further context as to why people are disappointed.

Step 5: Make decisions for your business

Now it’s time to take your findings and turn them into actionable insights for your business. In this final step, you need to decide how you want to move forward with your new market insight.

What did you find in your research that would require action? How can you put those findings to good use?

The market research tools you should be using

To wrap things up, let’s talk about the various tools available to conduct speedy, in-depth market research. These tools are essential for conducting market research faster and more efficiently.

Social listening and analytics

Social analytics tools like Sprout can help you keep track of engagement across social media. This goes beyond your own engagement data but also includes that of your competitors. Considering how quickly social media moves, using a third-party analytics tool is ideal. It allows you to make sense of your social data at a glance and ensure that you’re never missing out on important trends.

Email marketing research tools

Keeping track of brand emails is a good idea for any brand looking to stand out in its audience’s inbox.

Tools such as MailCharts ,  Really Good Emails  and  Milled  can show you how different brands run their email campaigns.

Meanwhile, tools like  Owletter  allow you to monitor metrics such as frequency and send-timing. These metrics can help you understand email marketing strategies among competing brands.

Content marketing research

If you’re looking to conduct research on content marketing, tools such as  BuzzSumo  can be of great help. This tool shows you the top-performing industry content based on keywords. Here you can see relevant industry sites and influencers as well as which brands in your industry are scoring the most buzz. It shows you exactly which pieces of content are ranking well in terms of engagements and shares and on which social networks.

SEO and keyword tracking

Monitoring industry keywords is a great way to uncover competitors. It can also help you discover opportunities to advertise your products via organic search. Tools such as  Ahrefs  provide a comprehensive keyword report to help you see how your search efforts stack up against the competition.

Competitor comparison template

For the sake of organizing your market research, consider creating a competitive matrix. The idea is to highlight how you stack up side-by-side against others in your market. Use a  social media competitive analysis template  to track your competitors’ social presence. That way, you can easily compare tactics, messaging and performance. Once you understand your strengths and weaknesses next to your competitors, you’ll find opportunities as well.

Customer persona creator

Finally, customer personas represent a place where all of your market research comes together. You’d need to create a profile of your ideal customer that you can easily refer to. Tools like  Xtensio  can help in outlining your customer motivations and demographics as you zero in on your target market.

Build a solid market research strategy

Having a deeper understanding of the market gives you leverage in a sea of competitors. Use the steps and market research tools we shared above to build an effective market research strategy.

But keep in mind that the accuracy of your research findings depends on the quality of data collected. Turn to Sprout’s social media analytics tools to uncover heaps of high-quality data across social networks.

• Marketing Disciplines
• Social Media Strategy

Social media RFPs: The best questions to include (plus a template)

Template: Essential Questions to Ask in Your Social Media Management Software RFP

• Team Collaboration

How to build a marketing tech stack that scales your business

• Customer Experience

Brand trust: What it is and why it matters

• Now on slide

Build and grow stronger relationships on social

Sprout Social helps you understand and reach your audience, engage your community and measure performance with the only all-in-one social media management platform built for connection.

The 12 best market research tools for reliable data analysis in 2024

Market research tools help you get to grips with your market and audience, faster. Here are 12 of the best market research tools you can use today.

12 market research platforms and tools for accurate analysis

Choose the best market research software platform, which is the best tool for market research your faqs answered.

It’s the time of year again when you get to plan a trip. You only have so much to spend on your holiday, and you’ve got other people to keep the whole group happy. 

You scan Google Flights, TripAdvisor, and sneak peek on Instagram to see what people posted at the hotel you were eying. You’re doing your own market research. Because you only get to spend every dollar once, right?

Launch your next product with a data-driven strategy

Attest’s market research platform comes complete with a team of insights professionals who will help your team get real results from your survey data.

Similarly, when it comes to launching a new product , engaging your audience , and making important business decisions, market research is your roadmap to success, and the right tools help you get there.

Here we’ll explore some of the top market research tools and creative testing tools and industry benchmarking that can help you navigate the ever-changing landscape of your market and arrive at your destination with confidence. We’ll cover a bunch of the top market research companies in the US and beyond, so whether your research is local, national or global, make sure your research tool does the job!

Strapped for time? Here’s our TL;DR list of market research tools:

Use these top tools and market research software platforms to gather informed insights about your target audience.

With Attest, you can easily conduct regular surveys, spot trends, and work towards predicting market changes instead of just following them. This ability to predict changes in the market can help you stay ahead of your competitors and make strategic decisions to better prepare for the future. By using Attest’s market research platform, you can make your operations more bulletproof against big changes, ensuring you stay agile and adaptable in a constantly evolving market.

Attest gives you quality consumer insights that are delivered fast! And every Attest customer has a designated research manager to offer advice throughout your research project.

I love Attest. I love the speed and agility. I also really love that you guys provide a dedicated rep. I’m a marketer by trade, not a researcher, so it is nice to be able to have somebody to talk to whenever I have questions. Monica Aguilo, Senior Director – Consumer Insights, Strategy, & Social at Manscaped

Price: Find out more about Attest pricing .

Standout features:

• Dedicated research expert on standby: we want you to make the most of your research. That’s why all of our packages include a dedicated research manager who’ll help you create solid surveys, analyze your data and action your findings. There is no limit on platform support and research advice.
• Always the right audience: you get access to 125 million people in 59 countries. But go ahead and make your survey audience as niche as you need! You can layer different targeting specs to make sure you’re getting super-relevant results.
• Highest data quality: our sampling approach gives you the reliable answers you need from the people you’re looking to speak to. We use a mixed-methodology approach, meaning every survey is answered by multiple high-quality sample sources. Add to that three layers of quality control, both human and machine-learning-led, and you can confidently use your data for business decisions .

Best uses: you want to launch a survey for solid market research . Whether it be a competitive analysis, concept testing, consumer profiling or anything else—Attest has you covered. If you are looking for full support, we’re here for you. Check out our free market research survey templates and get started in seconds!

Turn insights into action with Attest

Our cutting-edge consumer insights platform is cost-effective, easy to use, and truly global. You’ll also get dedicated support from our Customer Research Team to make sure that you get the most valuable insights from your audience.

2. Google Trends

Price: Google Trends is a completely free market research tool!

• Search term analysis over time: imagine being able to track the rise and fall of a trend in real-time, like a stock market chart for search terms. With Google Trends, you can do just that. You can see how frequently a term is being searched and where in the world it’s most popular.
• Related topics and queries: want to know what your customers are thinking about? Check out the “related topics” and “related queries” features. This will give you an idea of the other search terms that are closely related to your original search term, giving you a glimpse into the minds of your target audience.
• Comparative keyword research: with the ability to compare multiple search terms, you can see how your brand stacks up against the competition, or even find new opportunities for growth.

Best uses: the main use case for Google Trends is to see market trends evolve over time. You can easily uncover basic data on how interest in a particular product, brand or industry changes over time. It’s a great starting place for market research to see what direction to go in.

Price : You can book a demo with Latana to find out how much it would cost for your business.

• Industry benchmarking: Latana helps you understand where your brand ranks in your entire industry. You can easily compare your own KPI data against your competitors in an interactive dashboard. They’ve got data from hundreds of industries and thousands of brands.
• Mobile-first micro surveys: with Latana you can conduct your own market research using mobile-optimized surveys. They have a reach of over 6 billion smartphone users, which you can access through in-app surveys.
• MRP algorithm for data quality: Latana uses machine learning to select the right audience for you.

Best uses: Latana is great for quick surveys with short and simple questions. It’s used for brand tracking as well.

4. Pollfish

Price : The concept testing feature starts from $1 per completed survey. A basic plan starts at $95 and allows you to collect up to 100 completed surveys with up to 5 questions.

• AI-powered surveys: tell AI what you want to know, and it will automatically create a survey for you.
• Mobile-optimized surveys: Pollfish has a mobile-first approach, meaning your survey will land on the smartphone of your users.
• Easy concept testing: Pollfish has a feature that lets you test whether your logo is giving you the responses you’re looking for from your target audience.

Best uses: Pollfish is great for short and sweet surveys, for instance for concept testing or brand tracking.

Price: the cheapest Solo plan allows you to do social listening and publishing, and you can set up 2 basic alerts for up to 5,000 mentions. That all starts at just $41 per month.

• Real-time social media monitoring: mention is like having a live news feed for your brand. You can track conversations and mentions of your brand on social media and the web, and find out what people are saying about you, without having to go look for it.
• Competitive analysis: mention doesn’t just monitor what people are saying about you. You can complete your market research by adding what your target audience is saying about your biggest and smaller competitors, to paint a better picture of where you stand.
• Industry tracker: mention comes with a retail and finance industry tracker, allowing you to track live online conversations around trending topics.

Best uses: your market research focuses on what your target market thinks about your brand or about competitors. This is perfect for market research revolving around branding, marketing campaigns and customer experiences.

Price: there’s no mention of pricing on the website, so book a demo to find out more.

• Scalable focus group: Remesh works like a scalable focus group. You can launch a live conversation with an audience that is relevant to you, with up to 1,000 participants at once.
• Live AI analysis: ask in-depth questions to a lot of people at once and let AI do the analytics part. The Remesh AI will uncover trends and themes, compare responses and segment your audience, all automatically.
• Different question types: you can keep the conversation flowing with open-ended questions and polls, and even add visuals to make it more clear what you are asking about.

Best uses: Remesh is ideal for concept testing and innovation processes. It works well if you want to go deep, like in a one-on-one, but need to talk to a lot of people in your target market at once to verify what the best decision is.

7. Heartbeat Ai

Price: Heartbeat Ai doesn’t mention any prices on their website, so book a demo to find out.

• Qualitative text analysis: Heartbeat Ai is like that friend who just knows how you feel by reading the texts you send. They’ve got a strong sentiment analysis tool that can recognize emotions and themes in your qualitative text data.
• Sophisticated sentiment analysis: Heartbeat Ai goes beyond identifying positive and negative sentiments. It can categorize text input into 9 primary emotions, 97 secondary emotions and 3 body sensations.
• Science-based: Heartbeat Ai is a market research tool made with cognitive psychology and affective neuroscience in mind

Best uses: you’re looking to uncover valuable insights on the qualitative side of market research. If you have text data and don’t have the manpower to manually read into the sentiment of it, Heartbeat Ai does the heavy lifting.

8. Answer the Public

Price: You get one free search per day, and can create a free account to unlock 3 free searches per day. If you need more, start with the individual plan for $9 per month and 100 searches per day.

Standout Features:

• Search listening: enter one or two words, a region, and watch all the adjacent topics, questions and thoughts people have about your keywords.
• Content ideas: struggling to come up with content ideas? Give in some keywords and ATP gives you a lot of related topics that will surely inspire your next piece of content.
• Data visualization: all the flat datasets you get can be turned into data visualizations for you to share with your team.

Best uses: during the ideation phase or to track specific key words and find what else people are wondering or saying about that. Also great for research for your content marketing.

9. Stravito

Price: book a demo to find out what pricing plan works best for you.

• Company content database: gather all your company knowledge in one place. Keep it organized and give people access in just a few clicks. With seamless drag-and-drop upload and a wide variety of integrations to centralize all your company knowledge.
• Intuitive UX: Stravito has a drag-and-drop upload system, uses multilingual search powered by Natural Language Processing for finding what you’re looking for, and tops it off with AI-powered content recommendations.
• Dedicated support: Stravito has a clear onboarding plan, promising to get you up and running within 6 to 8 weeks.

Best Uses: for enterprises who have a lot of knowledge, reports and data and want their employees to have easy access to this.

10. Typeform

Price: The cheapest plan starts at $21 per month, but only includes 100 responses.

• User-friendly surveys: Typeform is another survey creation tool that shows respondents one question at a time, mimicking a human conversation.
• Question formats: it’s not just what you ask, it’s how as well—that’s the philosophy at Typeform. They offer all kinds of question formats, like multiple-choice, scale ratings, and open-ended questions. Add in conditional logic to structure your survey based on a respondent’s answers.
• Ease of use: Typeform offers a bunch of pre built survey templates, which helps you to send great-looking surveys in mere minutes. And with all its integrations, you can integrate it in your workflow easily.

Best uses: you want to survey but also be on-brand. It matters to you that each survey elevates the customer experience. Your research can be both qualitative and quantitative, shorter or longer.

11. Qualtrics

Price: It will depend on which market research tools you are looking to use, so reach out to them for a custom demo.

• Survey tool with audience management: don’t have access to your own list of respondents? You can purchase access to millions of respondents through Qualtrics. If you do have your own lists, the tool will help you create neat panels.
• Analyze existing data: upload an existing data set and Qualtrics will run statistical tests and apply visualizations on it to help you make sense of the data you have, and to communicate it to stakeholders.
• A variety of market research tools: Qualtrics comes with tools to measure and analyze purchase behavior, market segmentation, competitor analysis benchmarking—to name a few.

Best uses: Qualtrics has a wide variety of market research possibilities, so if you’re very regularly doing different types of research, this platform might be a good fit for you.

If you’re looking for market research survey software, check out our list of the top 11 Qualtrics alternatives .

12. Statista

Price: you can check out some stats for free, but if you want to have full access to their best market research tools, a starter account starts at €39 per month. Access to Market Insights for one month will cost you €1,950.

• Statistical reports: if you’re wondering about certain statistics, chances are Statista has it. Pick any topic, industry, and country and find detailed reports, numbers and trusted content made by industry experts.
• Visual data: practically anyone can make sense of the data on Statista, thanks to its visualization and easily interpretable data representation.
• Consumer insights tools: With Statista Consumer Insights you get access to all kinds of market research tools and all results of the exclusive Statista surveys.

Best uses: it’s a great starting point for any research, but also a great source to support your research with trusted stats, numbers and existing market research data.

The best market research tools and market research services are the ones that help you reach your goals efficiently. Any tool is just as good as the support you can get, and that’s where Attest sets itself apart from the rest.

If you’re looking to launch market research surveys with ease and expertise combined, reach out to our team. You’ll get a dedicated research expert assigned to you that will help you get all the customer feedback and market data you need. Sign up today!

Choose the #1 market research tool

Attest gives you the best of both worlds in consumer insights: a cutting-edge platform and dedicated research expertise when you need it.

Market research tools come in all shapes and sizes. There are reporting tools that help you visualize data, survey tools that get you first-hand data and tools that give you an in-depth analysis of what’s being said about you on social media platforms. Attest gives you access to a global audience, with the power to drill down into the demographics that matter most.

It depends on the needs of your business. Always keep the desired action in mind when choosing a market research tool: what do you want to be able to decide or change after this? Then trace back which information you need to make those decisions to choose the best market research tools for your plans. Attest makes local and global market research easy.

Depending on your business’s needs, you can choose survey tools, data visualization tools, tools that help you identify trends and many other marketing tools. The best market research tools are the ones that help you reach your goals and enable your business to live up to its full potential!

If you choose the right market research tool for your goals and needs, then yes, market research tools are worth the investment. Market research tools provide your business with insights into your audience, competition and trends. This knowledge will help you minimize risks and maximize profitability in the long run. Plus, many of these tools offer features that save time and resources, such as automated survey distribution or data analysis. 

Market research is what can elevate creative ideas into powerful solutions that your customers will love and buy. It helps you uncover the information you need to reach customers better, to create marketing campaigns that are effective, and to craft products or services that will generate profit over a long period of time. Without data supporting all these elements, you’re taking big risks, and it can slow down your decision-making. Market research helps you take impactful steps, with confidence. 

Customer Research Lead 

Nick joined Attest in 2021, with more than 10 years' experience in market research and consumer insights on both agency and brand sides. As part of the Customer Research Team team, Nick takes a hands-on role supporting customers uncover insights and opportunities for growth.

Related articles

14 essential branding metrics to measure in 2023, brand tracking, 23 brand growth strategies you’ll want to steal, a step-by-step guide to product demand analysis in 2023, new product development, subscribe to our newsletter.

Fill in your email and we’ll drop fresh insights and events info into your inbox each week.

* I agree to receive communications from Attest. Privacy Policy .

You're now subscribed to our mailing list to receive exciting news, reports, and other updates!

Uncategorized

Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Right Market Research Tools

Choosing the best market research tools for your business can feel overwhelming with so many options available. It’s essential to start with clear goals—from grasping customer needs to analyzing competitors. For example, pinpointing questions such as “What’s missing in our product offerings according to consumers?” can guide you towards selecting the right tool tailored to gather this information.

When selecting market research tools, it’s crucial to consider factors such as defining your research needs, prioritizing data quality and source, functionality and features, scalability and future needs, seamless integration and collaboration, price-value balance, data security and compliance, as well as support and training. By carefully assessing these considerations, you can choose tools that align with your requirements and deliver impactful insights.

Determining Research Objectives

Defining clear objectives for your market research is akin to setting goals for a long journey. You need to know where you’re going and why you’re going there. Having specific research goals in mind will guide you in selecting the right market research tools for your business. Whether it’s understanding customer preferences, analyzing market trends, or assessing competitor strategies, each objective plays a critical role in shaping your research approach.

Think of it this way: You wouldn’t drive across the country without knowing where you are headed or why you are making the journey. Similarly, when investing time and resources into market research, defining clear objectives streamlines the process and ensures that every aspect of your research is purpose-driven.

Outlining Key Questions

Once you have a clear understanding of your goals, it’s time to outline the key questions that your research needs to answer. These questions act as signposts along your journey, guiding you toward achieving your objectives. For instance, if one of your goals is to understand customer preferences, then your primary question might be, “What are the top features customers look for in our products?” By framing these questions early on, you can align them with the tools that can effectively gather relevant data.

When you embark on a journey without knowing what landmarks or waypoints to look for, you risk getting lost and aimlessly wandering about. Similarly, outlining key questions in your research process not only keeps you focused but also ensures that every piece of data collected serves a specific purpose in meeting your objectives.

Setting Timelines

Just as planning a journey involves setting timelines and milestones to reach your destination within a certain time frame, establishing a structured timeline for your research is crucial. This includes setting milestones and final deadlines for gathering and analyzing data. By doing so, you gain insight into the tools that can deliver impactful insights within your desired timeframe.

Without a clear timeline, any journey can become directionless and never-ending. Similarly, setting timelines for your market research creates a sense of urgency and purpose, ensuring that the insights gathered remain relevant and actionable within the dynamic business landscape.

With clearly defined objectives, outlined key questions, and structured timelines, you’re now equipped with essential foundations to make informed decisions about choosing the best market research tools aligned with your business needs.

Data Sources and Collection Techniques

When it comes to gathering data for your market research, the sources and collection techniques you use can significantly impact the quality and accuracy of the insights you gain. Let’s break it down into primary data collection, secondary data collection, and mixed methods to understand each approach more clearly.

Primary Data Collection: Gathering Information Directly

Primary data collection involves obtaining information directly from the source, whether it’s customers, potential customers, or other relevant stakeholders. This can be accomplished through surveys, interviews, focus groups, or even observations. By interacting with the individuals most directly involved, you can gain firsthand insights that are specific to your business’s unique needs.

For instance, conducting video interviews through platforms like Discuss allows you to engage with participants in a way that goes beyond mere text-based responses. You can observe their body language, tone of voice, and facial expressions, all of which provide valuable nonverbal cues that can enrich your understanding of their thoughts and emotions. The ability to conduct detailed qualitative research through video interviews enables you to gather nuanced insights that might be missed in traditional survey formats.

Analyzing Software Features and Reports

Once you’ve gathered all the necessary data, it’s time to put the information to practical use. Powerful reporting capabilities are essential in providing clear visuals and comprehensive insights. Customizable reports allow you to tailor the presentation of data according to your specific needs. For instance, you may want to focus on sales trends, customer behavior, or market segments. Real-time analytics provide you with up-to-the-minute information that’s crucial for making agile business decisions in today’s fast-paced environment. Additionally, data visualization options such as charts, graphs, and interactive dashboards help you comprehend complex data sets quickly and efficiently.

Consider this scenario: Imagine you need to swiftly pitch new marketing strategies based on current market trends. Real-time analytics will give you the most recent consumer data, allowing you to adapt swiftly, while customizable reports will help tailor your presentation to align with your audience’s expectations. These tools not only enhance your decision-making process but also give you a competitive edge in a dynamic business landscape.

Integration Options

Seamless integration with other tools is key in streamlining your workflow and improving overall efficiency. CRM systems, data analysis programs, social media platforms – all of these play a significant role in informing your market research strategy. Evaluate how well the software integrates with these essential tools; a smooth integration ensures that you can access all relevant data without switching platforms constantly.

Imagine being able to effortlessly merge your market research results with your CRM system to directly influence customer relationship management or seamlessly syncing your social media analytics with your market research findings. This level of integration elevates your ability to synthesize and utilize diverse data sources, creating a more robust and holistic understanding of your target audience and market trends.

User Interface

Assessing the user interface is critical. A user-friendly interface encourages quick adoption by your team members and ensures they can utilize the tool effectively. Complicated interfaces can lead to resistance in adoption and hinder efficient usage.

Let’s say you chose an advanced market research tool with powerful reporting features but a clunky user interface. The complexities might deter team members from using it fully, diminishing its potential impact. On the other hand, an intuitive user interface ensures that everyone can leverage the tool effectively and efficiently.

In choosing a market research tool, carefully evaluating these aspects – reporting capabilities, integration options, and user interface – can significantly impact the effectiveness of your market research efforts as well as the agility and decisiveness of your business operations.

Having gained clarity on the crucial features of market research tools, next, we explore how optimizing customer support and user experience can elevate overall business performance.

Customer Support and User Experience

In the dynamic landscape of market research tools, the significance of reliable customer support cannot be overstated. Imagine running into a technical snag right before an important presentation or while executing a critical study – timely assistance could be the difference between a smooth resolution and a disastrous setback.

When contemplating your options, prioritize platforms that provide responsive and comprehensive customer support through various channels. Features such as live chat, email, and phone support can be indispensable during times of urgency. Discuss, for instance, is known for its extensive support services and training resources that empower users to leverage the full potential of their research tools.

Moreover, it’s always beneficial to explore user reviews to gain insights into the tool’s reliability and overall user experience. Platforms offer unbiased and authentic feedback from actual users, providing invaluable guidance in making informed decisions about the suitability of a particular market research tool for your business.

By considering these factors—robust customer support, genuine user experiences, and accessible training resources—you set yourself up for an informed decision when selecting a market research tool that aligns with your specific needs and ensures impactful insights for your business.

Evaluating Tool Pricing

When it comes to choosing the best market research tool for your business, evaluating pricing is crucial. You want to ensure that the tool provides a good balance between cost and functionality. One way to achieve this is through a cost-benefit analysis.

A cost-benefit analysis involves weighing the pricing of a tool against the features it offers. It allows you to determine if the investment aligns with the value it brings to your business. This analysis can help you make an informed decision about whether the tool meets your specific needs and provides a solid return on investment.

Think of it like this: When shopping, you compare the price of an item with its quality and durability. Similarly, when selecting a market research tool, you weigh the cost against the benefits it delivers. You want to ensure that the tool is not only affordable but also offers the features necessary to meet your business objectives.

Next, let’s talk about subscription plans and their impact on selecting the right market research tool for your business.

By carefully evaluating pricing through cost-benefit analysis, exploring subscription plans, and leveraging free trials and demos, you’ll be equipped to make an informed decision when selecting the best market research tool for your business needs. 

If you’re looking to make an informed decision about choosing the best market research tools for your business needs, now is the time to take action. Visit Discuss today to talk to an expert and get started!

Sign Up for our Newsletter

Related articles.

Discuss Employee Spotlight – Adam

The “Discuss Employee Spotlight” is a Q&A series dedicated to showcasing all of the amazing talent…

Discovering Generative AI’s Impact on Qualitative Research

In the fast-paced world of marketing research, finding ways to streamline labor-intensive tasks remains a constant…

How AI-Powered Market Research Tools are Revolutionizing Data Analysis

Imagine cutting down hours of tedious data crunching to minutes, thanks to cutting-edge technology. For many…

Small Business Marketing Research Tools

There is a wealth of online marketing research resources to help a small business or startup establish a marketing plan and strategy to achieve its marketing goals.

With the move to the digital economy and the advent of AI, data empowers small business owners to make more informed decisions. Launching and positioning a product or service is much easier given the range of available tools for market research.

Whether creating a marketing plan for an established business or as an evaluation of a potential acquisition, market research can be used to confirm a favorable trend for products and services. It is a great way to know where their customers are heading.

With the right information, small businesses can formulate a strategy to move forward more confidently, by understanding their target customers and related market segment.

Identifying Market Trends and Opportunities

Tools like Th ink With Google and Google Trends provide real-time insight into current market dynamics, revealing search behavior and topic popularity.

A company can establish its strategy using G oogle Trends . As a marketing research tool, it follows consumer behavior with Google Analytics. Insights are given into market trends, potential customers, and the competitive landscape.

Google Trends tracks the popularity of search queries across regions and languages. The tool analyzes a portion of Google web searches, determining how many searches have been done for the terms relative to the total number of Google searches done over time.  A score is then assigned out of 100, providing insights into the relative popularity of a term.

The tool also provides real-time and historical data on consumer interest. Location filters allow for regional analysis helping with geographically targeted strategies. Search terms can be viewed relative to competitors to assess brand performance.

Google Trends offers opportunities for entrepreneurs to discover and capitalize on emerging trends.

Understanding Search Trends and Keyword Popularity

By allowing users to compare multiple search terms, Google Trends can help identify interest fluctuations and trends in keyword popularity. Rising topics for content marketing can be identified from the data, give insight into long-tail keywords for SEO strategies, and signal seasonal trends useful for planning timely campaigns.

Platforms Si milarweb and SEMrush are home to indicators, covering SEO, content marketing, and social media trends.

Great insight is gained about competitors, their strategies, and the market share they hold using competitive analysis tools. Similarweb , for example, enhances competitor understanding by providing key metrics like website visits, interaction rates, and visitor engagements.

Recognizing competitors’ strengths and weaknesses gives businesses a better chance to carve out their unique competitive advantages. Determining how valuable a target market is to competitors can give strategic insights into market positioning.

Po rter’s Five Forces , for instance, can aid in differentiating competitive analysis by industry, determining the intensity of competitive rivalry, the threat of new entrants, and other industry-specific forces that influence market dynamics.

When the leaders of a company understand its competitive arena using market intelligence, they can choose a course better tied to sustainable growth. They also lower market risk, refine their business strategies, clarify the business idea, and sharpen marketing tactics to achieve a better position.

Understanding Customer Needs and Preferences

Customer sentiment is a major factor in understanding a target market’s purchasing habits and preferences.

• Well-structured market research collects customer feedback, verifying product relevance versus market expectations.
• By validating product assumptions, customer experiences are ensured, influencing sales and marketing strategies.
• Personalized offerings may emerge when a business listens and responds to the collective voice of its customers.
• Market niches can be identified and explored.

Value of Competitive Analysis

For a small business to succeed it must know how its products and services stand against its competition. Gathering competitors’ marketing material is a fairly easy and efficient way to learn competitors’ pricing and offerings.

Conducting more formal competitive intelligence begins with identifying direct competitors and the activities of indirect and potential competitors. Various facets such as digital footprints, social metrics, and pricing policies reveal the strengths and weaknesses in the competitive landscape.

Through this investigatory process of analyzing its competition, a company can form strategies, know where potential threats are, and lay out opportunities to differentiate itself.

Types of Market Research Tools

Market research tools may be either qualitative or data-driven.

Qualitative market research tools include online survey providers like Survey Monkey , Typeform , and Google Forms .  They can be used for focus groups, crafting the right open-ended questions to gather non-numeric data.

Several data analysis tools or market research utilities are listed below. They are used to unpack large datasets and translate them into valuable actionable insights to establish effective strategies.

These research tools can be used across channels. For example, research questionnaires via email, social media, web links, and SMS shares enable businesses to cast a wide net to gather data.

What is great is businesses of all sizes can access market research tools, lowering entry and competitive barriers. A small business can conduct research in-house without draining resources or using outsourcing.

Market Research Surveys

Qualtr ics is a comprehensive market research tool enabling small businesses to create advanced surveys, allowing for detailed market segmentation and thorough data analysis.

Users can design surveys, collect responses from millions of potential respondents, and apply statistical tests and visualizations to interpret the data.

A standout feature of Qualtrics is its ability to streamline the process of finding a representative sample, making it simpler for business owners to gather information that is directly relevant to their target audience. Tailored surveys can then be created to enhance customer experiences and refine business strategies.

Market research surveys are primary data collection tools for learning product preferences, customer satisfaction, and more. Other top surveys are:

• SurveyMonkey streamlines feedback collection to enhance lead generation and customer loyalty. It offers over 200 survey templates empowering users to craft, distribute, and analyze surveys.
• Paperform is an innovative tool offering a nuanced approach to survey creation, with a free-text interface that allows customization of visual elements. It offers a unique and branded survey experience that spurs higher engagement of respondents.
• Typeform has a user-friendly interface for form creation and online surveys. Pre-made templates help businesses design surveys with different types of questions, from multiple-choice to scale ratings and open-ended answers.
• Statista Consumer Insights offers access to a variety of market research tools and proprietary survey results, providing valuable statistics, numerical data, and pre-existing market research.
• QuestionPro stands out with its ready-to-use survey templates and 24/7 support, complete with an extensive free plan for businesses getting started. 
• Qualaroo provides contextual insights with tools such as exit intent surveys, enabling businesses to grasp the ‘why’ behind user actions. Questions can be placed at key decision points to prompt insightful answers.

Evaluating market demand for specific products or services

Google Ads and SurveyMonkey provide feedback avenues for research that strengthen a business’ use to understand consumer needs and preferences.

Macroeconomic indicators, including income ranges and employment rates, are also important when assessing demand, as they help clarify the financial viability of the target consumer group for the products or services offered.

Social Media Market Research Tools

Social media market research tools are foundational for understanding brand awareness and consumer sentiment. For example, Social Mention offers real-time monitoring of brand or keyword mentions across over 100 social media platforms.

This tool distinguishes between positive and negative sentiments in social media conversations, delivering insights into how customers perceive a brand. It analyzes the volume and frequency of discussions, gauging customer engagement and buzz surrounding a company’s brand.

It provides a platform for observing industry trends and the competitive landscape, identifying sentiment and frequency of keyword mentions which reflects the community’s perception and interest in the various market competitors.

Analytics and Data Analysis Tools

Platforms like AnswerRocket leverage AI to generate quick insights, integrating with various analytical tools for greater agility in market research.

Google Analytics and similar offerings from Facebook and Twitter give a deep dive into metrics such as traffic, conversions, and engagement. Tools like H otjar track user behavior and provide heatmaps that visualize where users click and how they navigate through a website.

For use in digital market analysis, Similar Web Research Intelligence offers comprehensive insights such as competitive benchmarking and audience analysis to power data-driven decisions.

Tableau takes these capabilities further by aiding companies in visual analytics, helping them understand complex data through interactive, visual representations.

Stravito offers an intuitive, highly automated cloud service to centralize internal and external data sources, organize research and data, and quickly generate the findings that organizations need to power growth.

Tracking Website and Content Performance

Google Analytics excels at providing detailed insights into website engagement. By tracking critical metrics such as page views, bounce rates, and average session duration, small businesses see what aspects of their marketing efforts drive traffic and retain visitors.

When high-converting pages are identified, insight is gained about successful content that leads to further and improved optimization efforts for even greater performance.

Analyzing User Behavior and Demographics

Google Analytics breaks down user demographics and behaviors. This segmentation includes analysis of traffic sources, aiding companies in understanding how visitors find their site—whether through direct searches, social media, referrals, or paid ads.

Knowing the devices visitors use most often to access a website provides context to optimize the user experience across platforms. Targeting enables companies to better meet consumers’ expectations.

Insight Drives Content Marketing Strategies

Google Analytics when combined with market research tools Think with Google and B uzzSumo provides a content mix to form content marketing strategies. Insights gathered from user interactions—such as the articles they read, the products they explore, or the keywords they use in searches—equip marketers with the information needed to create highly relevant and engaging content.

Facebook Audience Insights is essential for advertising campaigns. It helps businesses boost sales and engagement by providing critical audience data for targeted marketing strategies.

Competitive Intelligence Tools

Competitive intelligence tools reveal a business’s competitive edge. They analyze competitors’ sales, trends, and customer base, providing a clearer picture of the innovations shaking up the market.

Tools to Target Audiences and Market Segments

• C laritas MyBestSegments yield in-depth demographic and lifestyle data for audience segments. Strategies can be formed to to target the most receptive consumer groups for specific campaigns or product deployments.
• Loop11 specialize in user experience testing, revealing insights into website usability and customer behavior across different devices, helping businesses to define their target audiences.
• BIT.AI offers collaboration and documentation support to streamline market research data handling.
• Remesh enables businesses to engage with focus groups comprised of thousands of individuals. Segmentation can be done based on demographic traits and response data, offering a clearer vision of who the target audience should be.
• GrowthBar is an online market research tool focusing on SEO and competitive analysis. It features keyword and competitor research, on-page SEO audits, and is accessible as a web version and a Chrome extension.

Monitoring Customer Acquisition and Conversion Rates

Qualtrics and more specialized software like Up wave analyze the effectiveness of brand advertising efforts concerning customer acquisition and conversions.

Small businesses can pinpoint exactly where and how conversions happen, and which marketing channels are the most fruitful.

This informed approach to analyzing customer data allows for fine-tuning marketing approaches, resulting in a more strategic allocation of budget and greater return on investment.

SEMrush’s Competitive analysis

SEMrush offers small business owners a robust set of tools for competitive analysis in understanding the competitive landscape of their market.

Its Organic Research tool unveils the strategies behind a competitor’s organic search presence. By highlighting which keywords competitors are ranking for and analyzing the traffic these keywords generate, SEMrush identifies gaps so that entrepreneurs in their SEO tactics discover new growth opportunities.

It includes comprehensive SEO audits offering actionable advice to gain better traffic analysis and keyword research—all foundational for a successful marketing campaign. The platform has over 40 tools for boosting online visibility and draws visitors effectively, by focusing on key areas such as SEO, PPC, SMM, and comprehensive keyword research.

A direct comparison can be made between one website’s performance and competitors, providing complete SEO audits to uncover potent keywords, and deeply analyze backlinks to identify any potential vulnerabilities of their website.

Competitor Domains and Backlink Profiles

Ahrefs and SEMrush’s integrated API solutions such as Tray.io and R ank Ranger offer great insights into competitors’ domains and backlink profiles.

Small business owners can gauge the strength and strategies behind a competitor’s backlink profile. This type of analysis reveals the quantity and the quality of the links directed towards competing websites. This yields potential partnerships or link-building opportunities for one’s site.

Knowing the intricacies of competitors’ SEO strategies provides important metrics to understand market positioning against industry rivals. SEMrush’s EyeOn tool goes further with real-time monitoring of a competitor’s online activities, covering every angle from content deployment to advertisement strategies and social media engagement.

Competitive intelligence tools such as Traffic Analytics and EyeOn enable businesses to grasp the essence of their competitors’ digital presence. The goal is to adapt quickly to these evolving market tides ensuring the company is not left behind in the rush for market share.

These components of the competitive landscape empower small businesses to compete through strategic market analysis, showing where profits can be enhanced, sales trends maximized, and customer behavior optimally targeted.

Small businesses as never before have access to market research that in the past only large companies used. By selecting key tools, the company can confidently move forward toward a sustainable and profitable business.

Related posts:

• NobleReach Foundation’s Inaugural Cohort of Scholars Announced
• Autonomous Vehicle and Technology Safety Summit Announced by Velodyne Lidar, Inc.
• The Female-Led Startups Selected for Ready Set Raise Program Announced by FFA
• P&G Ventures Innovation Challenge Now Open for Innovative Product Ideas
• Plug-in Electric Vehicles Jump 70% Year to Year, according to Navigant Research

Follow us on :

Subscribe to our mailing list.

Copyright © 2017 – 2024 American Entrepreneurship Today . All rights reserved. Site by: WebDevPartner.com

Best Competitive Intelligence Tools in 2024

Competitive intelligence tool helps businesses collect and analyze valuable information about customers, competitors, and market trends. It provides actionable insights, enabling companies to refine marketing and business strategies, uncover growth opportunities, and maintain a competitive edge in the marketplace.

Competitive intelligence software tracks competitor activities such as marketing tactics, product developments, pricing strategies, and customer sentiments. It automates data collection from social media, news, and websites, allowing businesses to gain insights into competitors’ strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT).

Geekflare has researched and listed the best competitive intelligence tools based on key features such as real-time analytics, backlink analysis, keyword tracking, white labeling competitor benchmarking, reporting capabilities, and customization options. 

• Visualping – Best for Website Change Monitoring
• SimilarWeb – Best for Website Traffic Estimates
• Ahrefs – Best for Comprehensive Backlink Analysis
• Mention – Best for Real-Time Social Media Monitoring
• SpyFu – Best for Competitor Keyword Analysis
• Semrush – Best for Content Marketing Toolkit
• SE Ranking – Best for Value-Focused SEO Toolset
• Talkwalker – Best for In-Depth Social Analytics
• Crayon – Best for Competitive Tracking of Ads
• Raven Tools – Best White-Label Reporting
• Serpstat – Best for Growth-Focused SEO Toolset
• The Hoth – Best for PPC Competitor Research
• Ubersuggest – Best for Keyword Ideas
• Moz – Best for Domain Authority Analysis
• Show more Show less

You can trust Geekflare

Imagine the satisfaction of finding just what you needed. We understand that feeling, too, so we go to great lengths to evaluate freemium, subscribe to the premium plan if required, have a cup of coffee, and test the products to provide unbiased reviews! While we may earn affiliate commissions, our primary focus remains steadfast: delivering unbiased editorial insights, and in-depth reviews. See how we test .

Best for Website Change Monitoring

Visualping is a competitive intelligence tool that tracks website changes to help you stay ahead in your business. It alerts you in real-time when changes are detected on your website and sends a screenshot highlighting the updates.

Visualping user-friendly interface enables you to dig deeper and get detailed information on the changes. You can customize monitoring with advanced settings, including comparison types, screen options, proxy use, and thresholds.

Use Visualping for Business, which allows your team to monitor more website pages than before to track changes. You’ll get AI-powered change analysis and summaries, generate advanced reports, save time with training, troubleshoot support and set-up, invite sales teams and others to collaborate, and send alerts to Slack or Teams. 

Visualping keeps you updated on stock alerts, appointment availability, job openings, news, price drops, courses, grades, scholarships, and more. Its browser extensions, web widgets, and mobile apps make it even more handy. 

Visualping Pros

Provides alerts on email, Slack, and Teams when changes are detected.

Features both visual and HTML monitoring options for different user needs.

Accurately detects the changes, even the smallest, using a user-friendly interface.

Visualping Cons

Limited checks on the free version, such as website stats, authority score, backlinks, etc.

Lacks integration options with third-party tools.

Visualping Pricing

Best for Website Traffic Estimates

SimilarWeb is a company research and strategy analysis tool that helps you learn how your competitor apps and websites perform. It also tracks any company’s digital footprint, such as traffic sources, audience demographics, and engagement metrics.

With SimilarWeb, you can go deeper into the latest digital tactics of your competitor’s website by marketing channel, device, and country. You can compare traffic engagement, conversion metrics, and full-funnel traffic. This helps you map out a company’s competency and evaluate its stats to compare. 

SimilarWeb tracks market share shifts, app performance, and marketing channel effectiveness. To get started, create a free account and enter your competitor’s website domain to find basic company details like monthly visitors, pages per visit, bounce rate, average time a visitor spends, etc.

SimilarWeb Pros

Offers visual graphs and charts to provide essential data

Allows you to assess companies based on their web traffic to gather data like monthly visits, page views, bounce rate, etc.

Provides market research data in an easy-to-understand format for beginners.

SimilarWeb Cons

The price is high for small businesses

The result accuracy could have been better

SimilarWeb Pricing

Best for Comprehensive Backlink Analysis

Ahrefs is a site explorer tool that gives you a clear view of your competitor’s organic search traffic and backlink details. It’s best for comprehensive backlink analysis of any URL because of its fastest backlink crawler and the world’s biggest index of live backlinks. 

You’ll get detailed information on paid traffic performance, organic traffic performance, website structure, and more. With Ahrefs, you’ll view their ad copy and ads position history chart to see what keywords they are bidding on. It provides keyword data from 9+ search engines, including Google, YouTube, Amazon, Bing, Baidu, Yahoo, Naver, and more.

Ahrefs lets you browse your competitor’s outgoing links and compare website changes between dates. It monitors millions of keywords in more than 189 locations to provide accurate and reliable estimations of a website’s search traffic in Google. It is available in over 14 languages, such as English, German, French, Japanese, and more.

Ahrefs Pros

Perform keyword analysis across multiple search engines, including YouTube and Amazon.

Display historical data to track long-term SEO trends.

Provide detailed organic search traffic insights.

Gain traffic insights through in-depth competitor analysis.

Ahrefs Cons

No free trial or free version

No mobile application to track analysis on the go

Ahrefs Pricing

Best for Real-Time Social Media Monitoring

Mention is a real-time social media monitoring tool that tracks online conversations and manages social media performance. It provides full visibility into any topic, brand, or key figure through intuitive query building, sentiment analysis, and keyword-based alerts, offering valuable insights for better decision-making.

Mention offers 10+ fully customizable templates based on your use, comprehensive analytics, and instant visualizations of your topics with maps and charts. You can create actionable and auto-updating reports with Mention’s monitoring tool in a few clicks. You can centralize your insights in a single place to see how things work and make strategic decisions.

Curate and schedule social media content and respond to your customers from social inboxes, all from one place. Mention provides content creation assistance tools and collaborative features like approval workflow and content library. It allows you to manage your brand’s online presence, track competitors, conduct market research, and effectively handle crises with ease.

Mention Pros

Provides real-time alerts for brand mentions and keywords.

Monitor brand mentions across various platforms, including social media and blogs.

Provides detailed analytics and reporting on brand mentions and audience engagement.

Mention Cons

Shows historical data only in higher pricing plans

Limited version of Boolean Search in standard alerts

Mention Pricing

Best for Competitor Keyword Analysis

SpyFu is a powerful marketing tool that analyzes competitor keywords, helping to optimize both PPC campaigns and SEO strategies. It offers a comprehensive suite of features, including a PPC analyzer, unlimited domain and keyword tracking, backlink outreach, SEO tools, historical data insights, competitive analysis, and customizable reporting.

Get instant access to ranking history, backlinks builder, SERP analysis, keyword research, and more instead of doing SEO guesswork for your business. SpyFu lets you find competitors’ keywords with its ad history, Google Ads advisor, and templates. 

SpyFu helps you research your competitor’s SEO keywords, spy on your competition, get custom SEO client reports, check backlinks, track your SEO keyword rankings, and compare them with your strategies. As a result, you can enhance your website traffic, monitor your keyword rankings, and make better connections. 

Adapts to algorithms or data collection changes quickly to provide reliable information, especially for your website SEO

Delivers immediate information to optimize and refine your ad campaigns effectively.

Offers a user-friendly interface that helps you closely analyze competitors and study their strategies.

Limited keyword ideas that are not sufficiently accurate in competitor analysis

Results are not region or country-specific

SpyFu Pricing

Best for Content Marketing Toolkit

Semrush is one of the best competitor analysis tools that allows you to perform SEO, keyword research, PPC, content marketing efforts, and social media marketing effectively. You can find millions of local and national keywords, analyze a domain’s backlinks, run technical SEO audits, and track SERP positions. 

Even without expert knowledge, you can create content by finding topics, gaining actionable insights, optimizing existing content, and using artificial intelligence features. Semrush lets you explore your competitors’ marketing tactics and generate ideas for growing revenue. 

With Semrush’s advertising toolkit, figure out how to reach more customers by finding the best keywords, monitoring competitor’s ad copies, and more. It helps you build effective social media strategies and streamline client reporting and pitching for growth. 

Semrush Pros

Simplifies campaign management by consolidating multiple SEO tools into a single dashboard.

Comprehensive site auditing features include on-page and technical SEO, broken links, duplicate content, etc.

Integrates with Google Analytics, Search Console, and other third-party tools for comprehensive data analysis.

Offers customer support via phone, email, and chat.

Semrush Cons

Requires a premium subscription for full access to advanced tools.

The free version allows you to view limited information, such as up to 7 backlinks and a limited number of keyword information.

Semrush Pricing

Best for Value-Focused SEO Toolset

SE Ranking allows you to analyze your clients’ websites and uncover their key strategies for business growth. It breaks down their websites to give you the specific details you need. You’ll get a complete view of your competitor’s paid and organic campaigns.

Enter any domain, choose the region, and get traffic, keywords, ads, historical data, and competitors’ details. SE Ranking provides estimated clicks per month, competitor’s traffic cost, and top-performing competitor keywords. 

SE Ranking’s competitor keyword checker allows you to find rank keywords, analyze their SEO metrics, and compare them with yours. You can also check domain authority, find newcomers, and perform PPC competitor research to view the keywords targeted in your competitor’s campaigns. 

SE Ranking Pros

Create custom reports with the report builder tool and schedule them for specific days.

Provide detailed insights from site audits to help identify technical SEO issues.

Offers a wide range of features and tools, such as backlink checkers, website audits, competitor analysis, and more

SE Ranking Cons

Requires a learning curve for new users due to the extensive toolset.

Limit free access, with most features available only in paid plans.

SE Ranking Pricing

Best for In-Depth Social Analytics

Talkwalker is a powerful social analytics tool that helps businesses make smarter decisions by analyzing competitors’ behavior and uncovering valuable insights. Its AI-powered technology gathers data from various sources, including social media, blogs, forums, and news sites, offering real-time insights into customer sentiment, market trends, and emerging topics to enhance brand strategy and product development.

Talkwalker helps you identify risks and opportunities, analyze market trends, and gain insights into product development, email marketing, website traffic, and target audiences. It enables research across multiple sources, such as customer reviews, feedback, social media, and online conversations, to enhance your marketing strategies.

Talkwalker integrates with various platforms, such as Salesforce, Hootsuite, and Google Analytics, enabling efficient workflows and comprehensive reporting.

Talkwalker Pros

Performs in-depth social sentiment analysis accurately to understand brand perception and customer reactions.

Offers AI-powered features to automate data analysis and trend identification

Provide extensive options for monitoring social media and creating customized reports.

Talkwalker Cons

Lack of comprehensive solutions for tasks like content management and advertisement spending.

The steep learning curve for new users

Talkwalker Pricing

Best for Competitive Tracking of Ads

Crayon helps you track competitors’ websites and ads, providing real-time alerts to enhance your business strategies. It uses AI to summarize news and competitor updates, analyzing changes by prioritizing high to low-importance insights so you can focus on high-impact work.

Crayon helps you win competitive deals, highlight recent insights, and keep everyone on your team updated with the changes. You can also track your team’s performance and give 1:1 coaching to enhance their scores. It analyzes win/loss situations, identifies who is using battlecards, and influences everyone on your team to improve revenue. 

Crayon Pros

Integrates with Salesforce, Highspot, Slack, and other well-known tech tools

Leverages AI-powered news and scoring to analyze changes and automatically send alerts.

Provides in-depth insights on recent market trends to help e-commerce businesses scale effectively.

Crayon Cons

Sorting out the most critical insights is challenging due to plenty of data available.

Depend on the quality of data sources for accurate insights.

Crayon Pricing

Send your business details and get tailored Crayon pricing options for your business needs. You’ll get unlimited competitor tracking, battlecards, dashboards, user licenses, and more.

Raven Tools

Best white-label reporting.

Raven is a competitor analysis tool that identifies 20+ data points from four different SEO sources. It enables you to analyze competitor domains and leverage the insights to improve your Google rankings. It offers white-label reporting and saves time by providing marketing reports, client reports for SEO, and more. 

Raven serves as a comprehensive site performance tracker, competitor analysis tool, and domain research hub. It allows you to monitor competitor performance, track keyword rankings, and analyze backlink sources. With these insights, you can enhance your website’s SEO and achieve higher search engine rankings.

Raven Tools Pros

Provides customizable reports and dashboard

Schedule automatic report downloads at specified times for easy team access.

Pulls key data points, such as SEO rank, keyword position, and backlinking data easily from various SEO data sources.

Raven Tools Cons

Lack of comparison data for businesses of similar types

Lacks real-time data updates.

Raven Tools Pricing

Best for Growth-Focused SEO Toolset

Serpstat analyzes competitors’ sites in PPC and SEO to give you information on their traffic sources. Its competitor analysis tool tracks topics, keywords, or ads to help you grow your business. This growth-focused SEO tool discovers competitors’ sources of traffic and growth dynamics to provide a detailed comparison to find market gaps. 

Analyze your competitor’s backlink profiles, websites, and domain positions using Serpstat’s keyword tracking tool. It sorts information and compares metrics on a single page. Get 7-day free access to understand how your competitor ranks and grows in the market. 

Serpstat Pros

Include API access in every pricing plan to integrate with other tools effortlessly.

Analyzes competitors’ strategies for both SEO and PPC, offering comprehensive insights.

Offer multiple support channels, including FAQs, phone calls, chats, a knowledge base, and email.

Serpstat Cons

White-label reporting is only available in higher plans

Provides fewer keyword suggestions than other similar tools

Serpstat Pricing

Best for PPC Competitor Research

The Hoth offers a free PPC competitor research tool that tracks high-ranking keywords on Google Analytics. Powered by SEMrush, it tracks competitors’ paid advertising strategies and gives you intel on what is ranking and why. Analyzing competitors’ PPC campaigns provides data on keywords, ad copies, and landing pages, allowing businesses to optimize their campaigns for better performance.

Log in with your LinkedIn account to quickly access The Hoth PPC research tool. Simply enter your competitor’s URL to uncover valuable insights like cost per click, keywords, search volume, and more. Beside each keyword, you’ll see an “Advertise” feature that shows how your ads compare to those of your competitors.

The Hoth Pros

Offers a wide range of services, such as SEO analysis, keyword research, content tools, and more

Provides free strategy calls with an expert

Deliver quick turnaround times for obtaining results.

Helps analyze ad copy and landing pages to refine content strategies.

The Hoth Cons

Takes a longer time to display results.

Lacks support for multiple languages.

The Hoth Pricing

The Hoth is free and requires the users’ LinkedIn details to send SEO training tips to your inbox. 

Ubersuggest

Best for keyword ideas.

Ubersuggest is a free all-in-one SEO tool that generates keywords and content ideas. It helps you track Google ranks, conduct market research, and perform a competitor analysis. Just type the domain name inside the provided space or any keyword to win the game of SEO. 

Reverse engineer your competitor’s content strategy, social media marketing strategy, and SEO strategy with Ubersuggest. It also allows you to gain insights into what is working and what is not for your competitor so you can adopt a winning strategy and improve your business. 

Get top SEO page reports and find out which competitor’s pages are popular and why they rank so well using Ubersuggest’s SEO analyzer. With the keyword research tool, you’ll get hundreds of keyword suggestions, from short to long-tail. 

Ubersuggest Pros

Offers a user-friendly interface, making SEO research accessible to beginners.

Tracks keyword rankings across multiple locations for global reach.

Suggests content ideas based on trending topics and popular keywords.

Ubersuggest Cons

Unlock advanced features like keyboard monitoring, link, and SEO management with paid subscriptions.

Lacks advanced filtering options in keyword research.

Experiences occasional slow performance during high traffic times.

Ubersuggest Pricing

Best for Domain Authority Analysis

Moz offers a free SEO competitive analysis tool that provides world-class data at your fingertips. Simply enter your domain or a competitor’s, and Moz will instantly provide insights on top competitors, keyword gaps, domain authority, and untapped marketing opportunities.

You’ll see who your top competitor is, what pieces of content are ranking, for what keywords, and how they rank well in Google Search Engine. Moz allows you to understand some key metrics of your website, such as ranking keywords, domain authority, backlinks, etc., to help you improve your strategies. 

Deliver comprehensive and accurate reporting on keyword movements, individual URL rankings, and overall traffic.

Provide valuable insights through Moz’s freemium plan, ideal for individuals and small business owners.

Offers a straightforward interface that shows all the necessary information to calculate website health

Subscription is needed when you want to access more competitive data

Dashboard navigation is confusing

Moz Pricing

Best Competitive Intelligence Tools Comparision

Here, we compare the top competitive intelligence tools, focusing on pricing, SEO-centric features, alert systems, and white labeling capabilities.

What Is Competitive Intelligence Software?

Competitive intelligence software gathers and analyzes valuable insights on customers, markets, competitors, SEO performance, keyword ranking, and more. It helps companies understand market competition and provides plenty of opportunities to grow business.

Competitive intelligence software collects intel from various sources, such as product information, financial filings, product availability, websites, social media, and more, to evaluate market strengths and develop better strategies. It also enables you to find gaps in your efforts and how you compete against your competitors to gain a strategic advantage. 

What are the Sources of Competitive Intelligence?

Competitive intelligence uses various online sources, such as social media, industry news, competitors’ websites, etc., to level up your decision-making process.

• Competitor’s website: It is a powerful source that shows information on your competitor’s website, its online performance, ranking, etc., to help you find the gaps in their efforts and make better strategies and decisions.
• Website change monitoring: Monitor and track your competitor’s website regularly to get alerts when they add new sections or new product information, pricing, etc. 
• Social media: Social media platforms are great sources of competitive intelligence. You can see what your competitors discuss publicly, including new products, marketing strategies, content, and more. 
• Industry News: News outlets, market research reports, and white papers offer valuable insights into industry trends, emerging threats, and competitor activities, helping you stay ahead of the curve.

What is the Difference Between Business Intelligence and Competitive Intelligence?

Explore More on Competitor Analysis

• Best Competitor Price Tracking & Monitoring Platforms
• Competitor Analysis Templates

Extract insights from Interviews. At Scale.

8 best qualitative research tools.

Home » 8 Best Qualitative Research Tools

Qualitative research plays a vital role in understanding human experiences, motivations, and behaviors. Researchers often face the challenge of analyzing complex data gathered through interviews and focus groups. To navigate this intricacy, selecting the right qualitative tools is essential. This section explores the top qualitative tools available, designed to simplify the analysis process and enhance research quality.

With an array of options, these tools cater to varying expertise levels, ensuring accessibility for both seasoned researchers and newcomers. By harnessing these top qualitative tools, you can effectively convert rich qualitative data into meaningful insights, guiding critical decisions in your projects. As we delve into our top picks, you will discover how they can transform your research experience.

Why Qualitative Research Matters

Qualitative research plays a crucial role in understanding users' experiences, motivations, and behaviors. It sheds light on the nuances that quantitative data might overlook, providing rich insights that can drive meaningful change. When organizations aim to improve products, services, or customer interactions, qualitative research tools become invaluable. They enable researchers to unearth deep sentiments and perspectives that help in crafting solutions tailored to real needs.

These tools can reveal patterns and shared themes that inform strategic decisions. For instance, by analyzing verbatim responses, researchers can identify key insights that resonate across different participants. This understanding goes beyond surface-level statistics, facilitating a more profound comprehension of user needs. Embracing qualitative research empowers teams to ask the right questions and engage with customers on a deeper level, ultimately enhancing the effectiveness of their strategies. Understanding these aspects is essential for anyone looking to utilize top qualitative tools effectively.

Key Features of Top Qualitative Tools

Top Qualitative Tools share several key features that enhance their effectiveness for researchers. Ease of use is crucial; tools should simplify complex processes, making them accessible to users without extensive research experience. User-friendly interfaces enable quick learning and seamless integration into various projects. Furthermore, robust data analysis capabilities allow researchers to extract meaningful insights effortlessly, breaking down intricate interview transcripts and qualitative data effectively.

Another vital feature is customization. The best tools can adapt to unique research needs, allowing users to tailor their analysis workflows. Added functionalities such as tagging, sorting, and interactive visualizations enhance understanding of collected data. Collaborative features also stand out, enabling teams to work together efficiently and share valuable insights. In sum, Top Qualitative Tools provide comprehensive solutions that transform raw data into actionable insights, empowering researchers to make informed decisions based on nuanced interpretations.

Top Qualitative Tools for Effective Research

Understanding the top qualitative tools for effective research can significantly enhance your insights and findings. These tools allow researchers to collect, analyze, and interpret qualitative data, making the process more structured and insightful. From interview analysis to survey response evaluation, these tools cater to various research needs.

Key tools in this domain include transcription software, qualitative data analysis platforms, and user feedback systems. For instance, transcription software simplifies converting spoken words into written text, enabling more focused analysis. Qualitative data analysis tools provide robust frameworks for identifying patterns, themes, and insights from collected information. Additionally, user feedback systems facilitate direct engagement with participants, ensuring that the insights gained are relevant and actionable. Together, these top qualitative tools empower researchers to derive meaningful conclusions, ultimately driving informed decision-making.

Software Solutions for Qualitative Data Analysis

Qualitative data analysis is essential for understanding complex human behaviors and emotions. Utilizing software solutions can significantly enhance this process, making it efficient and systematic. The top qualitative tools are designed to simplify the transcription, analysis, and reporting of qualitative data, which often involves text, audio, and video formats. These tools help researchers focus on deriving meaningful insights instead of spending excessive time on tedious manual tasks.

When selecting software solutions for qualitative data analysis, consider key features such as automation, ease of use, and collaboration capabilities. Here are some crucial aspects to evaluate:

Automation : Look for tools that offer automated transcription and analysis to save time and reduce errors.

Collaboration : Opt for software that facilitates teamwork, allowing multiple researchers to work on the same project seamlessly.

Data Visualization : Choose tools that provide visualization options to make insights more digestible.

Integration : Ensure that the software can integrate with other research tools or databases.

Support and Training : Good software comes with responsive customer support and educational resources.

Choosing the right software can lead to more accurate insights and a streamlined research process, ultimately enhancing the quality of qualitative analysis.

NVivo: An In-Depth Look

NVivo stands out among the top qualitative tools by providing researchers with a user-friendly and efficient platform for data analysis. Its innovative features allow users to quickly organize, manage, and analyze qualitative data, transforming complex datasets into actionable insights. One notable aspect is its ability to adapt to various project needs. Researchers can utilize ready-made templates tailored for market research, employee engagement, or product development.

Additionally, NVivo enhances the analysis process through AI integrations. This capability enables users to pose intricate questions and receive clear, data-driven responses in moments. With its visual dashboards, researchers can easily track their findings, facilitating a deeper understanding of the data at hand. Overall, NVivo is not only a powerful tool for qualitative research but also an essential asset for those seeking to derive meaningful insights from their data efficiently.

Atlas.ti: Simplifying Complex Data

The tool excels in simplifying complex data, making it easier for researchers to analyze. By integrating various features, it allows users to create robust datasets while highlighting relevant insights. Researchers can delve into multi-project queries to extract information across numerous datasets. This capability is especially beneficial in qualitative research, as it provides a holistic view of varied data sources.

Moreover, visual experiences like journey maps enhance data interpretation by transforming abstract concepts into tangible representations. Users can draft recommendations based on concrete data, guiding decision-making processes in fields such as banking and customer experience. With its user-friendly approach, the tool stands out as one of the top qualitative tools for researchers aiming to uncover meaningful insights efficiently. Streamlining the analysis process ultimately empowers researchers to focus on their core objectives while navigating the complexities of qualitative data.

Online Tools for Qualitative Surveys

Online tools for qualitative surveys have revolutionized the research process, enabling researchers to gather insights efficiently. These tools facilitate the collection and analysis of qualitative data, allowing for a deeper understanding of participants' perspectives. Throughout this journey, the challenge lies in selecting the right technology that meets the needs of your study while ensuring ease of use for all participants.

Several key online tools can enhance your qualitative research efforts. Firstly, engaging survey platforms offer intuitive designs that make it simple for respondents to share their thoughts. Secondly, transcription services convert verbal interviews into text quickly, saving valuable time. Additionally, visualization tools help researchers to interpret and present their findings in a compelling manner. Each of these solutions aims to streamline the process and improve data quality, making your research more effective. Remember, selecting the right tool can significantly impact the quality of insights you gain.

SurveyMonkey: Powering Research with Ease

When it comes to qualitative research, efficient data collection and analysis are crucial. This platform excels in powering research with ease, allowing users to create insightful surveys quickly. With user-friendly features, researchers can effortlessly design tailored surveys to capture rich qualitative data. Through engaging formats, such as open-ended questions, the platform encourages participants to share their thoughts and experiences in greater detail.

Additionally, the platform offers a powerful AI-driven analysis tool that transforms raw data into valuable insights. By using customizable templates, researchers can streamline their projects for various purposes like market analysis or employee engagement. This capability ensures that researchers can extract actionable insights faster, aiding in decision-making processes. With these robust features, the platform stands out among the top qualitative tools, enabling better understanding and more informed strategies.

Google Forms: A Free and Flexible Tool

Google Forms is a robust option among the top qualitative tools available today. Its user-friendly interface is designed to cater to researchers of all experience levels. With this tool, you can easily create surveys, collect data, and analyze responses without needing advanced technical skills. This flexibility makes it an ideal platform for various research needs, from academic studies to user feedback initiatives.

Here are some key features that enhance Google Forms' appeal:

Customization : Users can incorporate various question types, including multiple choice, text responses, and checkboxes to tailor surveys to specific research goals.

Real-Time Collaboration : Teams can collaborate on forms simultaneously, allowing seamless communication and faster data collection.

Accessibility : Since it is cloud-based, researchers can access their forms and data from any device, enhancing workflow efficiency.

Automatic Data Collection : Responses are automatically gathered and can be visualized in charts for easy analysis, facilitating quick insights.

These features underscore why Google Forms remains a go-to tool for qualitative research efforts.

Tools for Ethnographic Research

Ethnographic research often requires specific tools that facilitate in-depth understanding of cultural and social dynamics. These tools gather qualitative data through direct observation, interviews, and participatory methods. Among the top qualitative tools available, researchers can utilize field notes, audio recordings, and video documentation. Each of these tools plays a significant role in capturing the nuances of human experience.

Field notes allow researchers to document their observations in real-time, offering insights that might not be captured through formal interviews. Audio recordings of conversations can provide deeper context, enabling researchers to analyze tone and emotional cues. Video documentation captures visual interactions and settings, further enriching the understanding of a subject's environment. Employing these tools in ethnographic research ensures a comprehensive approach to data collection, ultimately leading to richer insights and more reliable conclusions.

Dedoose: Multi-Method Research Simplified

Dedoose simplifies multi-method research by seamlessly integrating qualitative and quantitative data analysis tools. Researchers can explore and synthesize complex information without the hassle of traditional methods. This tool is particularly useful for projects that involve multiple interviews, allowing users to manage and analyze data effectively. By offering features like the research matrix, it facilitates the comparison of themes across various transcripts, leading to richer insights.

Developers designed this software to enhance collaboration and streamline workflows. Users can easily mix standard spreadsheet tasks with advanced AI functions, making it a standout choice among top qualitative tools. As a result, researchers can extract specific insights and identify trends efficiently. This capabilities ultimately empower teams to make data-driven decisions that are informed by clear, actionable findings, ensuring a more structured approach to qualitative research.

MAXQDA: Bridging Quantitative and Qualitative Data

MAXQDA plays a vital role in bridging the gap between qualitative and quantitative data, acting as a robust research tool. In the realm of qualitative research, it supports users by analyzing text, audio, and video data, thus enriching the understanding of complex insights. This dual approach allows researchers to complement numerical data with rich narratives, providing a more holistic view of their studies.

One of the standout features of MAXQDA is its ability to automate insights and streamline reporting workflows. By minimizing the need for manual data transcriptions and analyses, it significantly enhances efficiency while maintaining high-quality outcomes. The integration of AI technologies ensures a reduction in bias, prompting better decision-making based on reliable data. Ultimately, tools like this exemplify the future of qualitative research, allowing for deeper insights that greatly inform strategies and outcomes.

Real-Time Collaboration Tools

In today’s rapidly evolving work environment, real-time collaboration tools have become essential for qualitative research teams. These tools allow multiple team members to contribute ideas and insights simultaneously, fostering creativity and enhancing productivity. Tools like shared digital whiteboards and brainstorming platforms enable researchers to organize thoughts visually, ensuring that no critical perspective is overlooked.

Moreover, real-time collaboration enhances communication among team members, providing instant feedback and support. Using chat features or video conferencing, teams can discuss findings and refine strategies immediately. This synergy is crucial when adapting to emerging trends or shifts in data. Ultimately, incorporating real-time collaboration into qualitative research processes streamlines workflows and produces richer, more nuanced insights. By utilizing the best qualitative tools available, research teams can transform their approach to gathering and analyzing information effectively.

Microsoft OneNote: Collaborative Note-Taking

Microsoft OneNote is a powerful tool for collaborative note-taking, making it a top contender among qualitative research tools. It enables users to gather and organize ideas from various discussions in a structured manner. By storing conversations, summaries, and highlights, users can easily revisit key insights that emerge during collaborative sessions. This capability encourages seamless communication among team members while allowing everyone to contribute their thoughts and perspectives.

Moreover, OneNote supports various media formats, allowing users to incorporate images, links, and documents. This versatility enhances the richness of data collected, encouraging dynamic interactions. The tool also enables project integration, simplifying the process of linking notes to specific tasks or objectives. Its user-friendly interface streamlines collaboration, ensuring that teams can work together efficiently, making it an invaluable asset in qualitative research.

Trello: Organizing Research Processes

Trello excels at organizing research processes by providing a dynamic platform for project management. It allows teams to create boards that can categorize various qualitative research tasks, making collaboration straightforward and effective. For researchers, maintaining clarity amidst complex data collection and analysis is essential, and this tool facilitates that by enabling users to establish individual cards for each aspect of their research.

Each card can include descriptions, checklists, and attachments, ensuring that every detail is covered. Additionally, Trello’s commenting feature allows team members to communicate directly on respective tasks, thus reducing miscommunication. By visually representing tasks and their progress, Trello enhances the overall workflow. This level of organization is vital for researchers striving to achieve quality insights while managing time efficiently. Ultimately, utilizing such a tool is crucial for anyone looking to streamline their qualitative research efforts.

Conclusion: Choosing the Right Top Qualitative Tools

In conclusion, selecting the right top qualitative tools can significantly enhance your research efforts. The ideal tools should be user-friendly while offering powerful analytics capabilities. This balance allows researchers, regardless of their experience level, to draw valuable insights from their qualitative data.

Consider your specific needs when evaluating these tools. Features such as ease of use, scalability, and integration with existing systems can impact your choice. Ultimately, the right tool will empower you to gather rich, meaningful data, enabling informed decision-making and deeper understanding of your target audience.

Turn interviews into actionable insights

On this Page

5 Effective Market Research Strategies for Product Development

You may also like, generative ai consulting market: key insights.

Generative AI for product development: Top trends

Generative ai for hr: best tools to consider.

Unlock Insights from Interviews 10x faster

• Request demo
• Get started for free

Ecommerce Trend Forecasting with Secondary Market Research

Use secondary market research to predict ecommerce trends and make data‑driven business strategies.

As you journey through the expansive digital world, there's one thing that will prepare you to tackle the future with confidence: market research. Whether you're focused on conducting marketing experiments or determined to leverage actionable insights for improvement, understanding the power of secondary market research can help your business stay ahead of trends and dominate in the marketplace.

How do businesses anticipate the next significant shift in consumer behavior or demand? The answer lies in utilizing secondary research. If you don't have the time or resources to conduct your primary research, have no fear. A plethora of existing data offers invaluable insights into how you can develop your strategy to stay one step ahead of the competition.

In this post, we'll outline how you can leverage secondary research, such as industry reports and consumer insights, not just to follow trends but to forecast them. Keep reading to learn how your ecommerce business can leverage existing data to stay on the cutting edge.

What is secondary market research?

Unlike primary research, secondary market research does not include collecting data yourself. Instead, secondary market research involves using data already gathered and published by others. As one of the most popular research methods, secondary market research uses existing data. It's often used after primary research to provide context or supplemental information.

Secondary research is valuable because it is typically less time-consuming and more cost-effective than primary research. Your business can use secondary research to understand market trends, customer behavior, competitive landscape, and industry benchmarks. Secondary research can be a powerful tool if you don't have the time or resources to conduct primary research, such as surveys, interviews, or focus groups. Familiar secondary sources include:

• Industry reports: Comprehensive reports analyzing specific industries
• Market studies: In-depth studies focusing on particular markets or segments
• Government publications: Data and reports released by government agencies
• Academic journals: Research papers and articles that explore various aspects of business, economics, and consumer behavior
• Company reports: Annual reports, financial statements, and other publications released by companies
• News articles: Articles from reputable newspapers and magazines

Ecommerce is a rapidly evolving industry with new changes and developments occurring frequently. Secondary research data can help your business stay informed about these trends.

By leveraging existing data on consumer behavior, technological advancements, and market shifts, your ecommerce business can effectively forecast market dynamics, anticipate future changes, and work toward market dominance .

Benefits of using secondary research in trend forecasting

• Broad perspective: Secondary research provides a broader perspective of industry trends, drawing from various data sources. This allows you to identify overarching trends, such as shifts in consumer demand, emerging technologies, or regulatory changes that may impact the ecommerce space.
• Validation of primary research: Conducting secondary research to validate primary data is essential. By comparing primary and secondary research, you ensure the accuracy and reliability of trend forecasts, leading to more informed decision-making.
• Time efficiency: Forecasting trends requires staying ahead of the competition. Because secondary market research is often faster than primary research, ecommerce businesses can save significant time and resources by accessing existing data rather than starting from scratch.

Access to a broad range of data

One major benefit of leveraging secondary research methods is the diversity of data sources. Whether you leverage industry reports, academic research, market studies, or government publications, the diversity of data provides a comprehensive understanding of market trends and consumer behavior.

Secondary research often includes historical data, invaluable for identifying long-term trends and patterns. It can also provide detailed geographic and demographic information, empowering your term to tailor strategies to specific regions or customer segments.

Dive deeper into the data

Subscribe to get more marketing insights straight to your inbox..

By signing up, you are agreeing that we can use your email address to market to you. You can unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time by using the link in our emails. For more information, please review our privacy statement .

How to utilize secondary market research for ecommerce trend forecasting

So, you're ready to dive into the world of secondary market research but want to know how to leverage it for ecommerce trend forecasting. By following these key best practices, you can effectively perform secondary market research to stay ahead of the market. Follow these steps:

1. Identify reliable sources

The first step is to identify credible sources of information. Not all secondary data is created equally. Data collected from various sources can vary in terms of quality and relevance. Here are some common sources that provide reliable data:

• Industry reports from reputable market research firms like Statista, IBISWorld, or Garner
• Market analyses from trusted publications like Forbes, Business Insider, or industry-specific journals
• Data published by government agencies like the U.S. Census Bureau or the Bureau of Economic Analysis
• Research papers and articles from academic journals

2. Analyze historical data and industry reports

The next step involves analyzing the data collected. Historical data and industry reports are critical for identifying long-term trends and making accurate ecommerce forecasts.

Start by looking for recurring patterns in historical data, such as seasonal fluctuations in spending or consistent growth in specific ecommerce segments. Compare data over time by analyzing industry reports over several years. This can indicate whether certain trends are gaining momentum or losing relevance.

3. Leverage data from competitors and market leaders

Don't overlook data from your competitors and market leaders. Competitor analysis is a vital component of trend forecasting. You gain insights into potential market opportunities by studying the performance and strategies of your competitors. Different areas include benchmarking, case studies, and social media/online reviews.

4. Integrate secondary research with other forecasting methods

A holistic approach to trend forecasting involves integrating secondary research with other forecasting methods. This multifaceted approach ensures that your forecasts are accurate and actionable. Here's how to incorporate secondary market research with other methods:

• Combine primary and secondary market research to validate your findings
• Incorporate quantitative data collection methods, such as time series analysis or regression models
• Use insights from secondary research to develop different scenarios for future market conditions and product market fit
• Supplement existing data sources with expert opinions from industry analysts, consultants, or academics

Focusing on key metrics and data points relevant to ecommerce is beneficial with primary or secondary research. Which metrics are most helpful? Focusing on sales data and customer research will help you understand key customer journey stages.

The most important sales metrics to focus on include revenue growth, average order value (AOV), conversion rate, and cart abandonment rate. Regarding customer behavior, pay close attention to customer lifetime value (CLV), customer acquisition cost (CAC), repeat purchase rate, and traffic sources.

Leveraging key metrics can also help you break into an untapped market . Understanding market segmentation and trends will help you collect data from various sources to improve trend forecasting. Demographic segmentation includes age, gender, income level, geographic segmentation, and psychographic segmentation .

Understanding your target market is critical in ecommerce. You should also evaluate consumer preferences and buying patterns, such as product preferences, seasonal trends, pricing sensitivity, and consumer feedback.

Tools and resources for effective secondary market research

Where to start when conducting secondary research depends on what your goals are. Leveraging the right tools and resources is crucial in data collection, analysis, and evaluation.

Here are some recommended tools for collecting and analyzing data:

• Google Scholar
• Google Trends
• Social Media Analytics Tools (i.e., Hootsuite, Brandwatch)
• Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets

Popular databases and platforms for market reports include:

• Euromonitor International
• D&B Hoovers

How to evaluate the credibility of secondary sources

Nobody likes a sketchy source. Conducting market research relies on credible sources. Whether quantitative or qualitative data, secondary market research needs to come from reputable and reliable sources.

Follow these steps to ensure your secondary market research sources are credible:

• Source reputation: Check the publisher and author credentials to ensure the data comes from reputable organizations.
• Data currency: Check the publication date to ensure the data is recent and relevant to your research. Check the update frequency to ensure you work with the most recent dataset.
• Methodology transparency: Review the methodology used to collect the data, including the sample size, data collection techniques, and analysis methods.
• Bias and objectivity: Evaluate whether the data might be biased and cross-check it with other sources to verify its accuracy whenever possible.
• Peer reviews and citations: Academic journals that use a peer-review process are typically considered credible. Well-cited sources are another indication of thorough research.

While secondary market research is a valuable tool for ecommerce forecasting, it's important to understand the challenges and constraints that come with it.

One common pitfall to secondary research is data relevance. The data published may not be directly relevant to your specific research objectives. It may be too broad, outdated, or not focused on your demographics.

To overcome this pitfall, carefully assess the scope and focus of the data before using it to ensure it aligns closely with your research questions.

In fast-moving industries like ecommerce, data can quickly become outdated. When relying on old data, you may conclude incorrectly about current market trends. Always check the publication date of your sources and prioritize the most recent data available.

Another limitation of secondary market research can be the lack of specificity. If the data collected is too broad or generalized, your conclusions may not fully capture the nuances of your target market when trend forecasting.

Secondary data sources capture past or current conditions but may fail to capture emerging trends or future developments. This is why relying on various data sources beyond secondary market research is vital.

Future trends in secondary market research

It's a pivotal time in the ecommerce market. The future of ecommerce is being transformed by AI, machine learning, real-time analytics, and big data. These advancements enable more precise and timely ecommerce trend forecasting.

The expanded access to global data allows businesses to monitor global ecommerce trends and consumer behaviors across different regions, enabling them to reach more people than ever before. Global connectivity to data sources can help you identify new market opportunities, tailor your products and services to diverse consumer segments, and anticipate global ecommerce trends.

Social media and user-generated content are also pivotal in secondary market research. Businesses can analyze social media trends, online reviews, and influencer content to stay ahead of trends and better understand their audiences. The possibilities of future market research are continuously evolving.

Mailchimp's tools are strategically positioned to effectively empower your business to leverage secondary research. From audience segmentation to customer journey mapping , automation, and advanced analytics, Mailchimp's suite of services can help your ecommerce business stay competitive, respond swiftly to emerging trends, and make data-driven decisions.

Related Topics

• Marketing Tools
• Product-Market Fit
• Business Inspiration
• Create Your Brand
• Launching a Business