Marketing Research Methods

Our Marketing Research Methods

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  Consumer Surveys

  Awareness, attitude, and usage (A&U) surveys measure what consumers think, feel, and do. They enable marketers to understand brand awareness, purchase motivations, purchase frequency, customer satisfaction, willingness to recommend, and other important aspects of consumer psychology and behavior.

  IMS survey consultants can help you use consumer insights to make better, data-driven marketing decisions.

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  Segmentation Surveys

  Different types of consumers may have different needs, purchase motivations, and brand preferences. Surveys can identify the consumer segments that exist in your marketplace.

  Our consumer science team can help you evaluate which segments provide the most profitable marketing opportunities and the most compelling messages to attract target customers, as well as identify the most effective media to reach valuable consumers.

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  Concept & Product Testing

  Product and concept tests measure consumer preferences before you spend the money to bring new offerings to market. With our survey experts, you can measure new service models, pricing, consumer packaged goods packaging, menu items, and more. This research method helps you identify which ideas resonate, which fall short, and which deserve further development.

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  Business-to-Business Research

  B2B marketing strategies require a more nuanced approach. Our experienced research team understands how to reach B2B audiences through expert interviews, custom surveys, stakeholder discussions, and channel partner analysis—allowing you to make data-backed decisions in high-stakes situations.

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  Advanced Analytics: Conjoint, MaxDiff & Discrete Choice

  Trust consumer science experts to measure how customers make decisions, including what trade-offs they are willing to accept. Our experienced team conducts conjoint analysis (traditional and adaptive), MaxDiff scaling, discrete choice modeling, TURF analysis, latent class segmentation, and market simulation and scenario planning. With these methodologies, we help clients optimize messaging, prioritize product features, and simulate market impact.

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  Qualitative Research

  You cannot put a number on some insights. Through qualitative research, we take the time to really listen to respondents, measuring the motivations, emotions, and values behind their behavior. The resulting data informs strategy, storytelling, and key ways to communicate value to consumers.

  IMS’s marketing research team offers focus groups and in-depth interviews, as well as observational and ethnographic research and hybrid qualitative-quantitative designs that combine in-depth narrative with measurable results.