Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with research and market

What do market research/strategic consulting firms look for in an applicant?

libertypie — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 13:32:57 -0800

What do market research/strategic consulting firms look for in an applicant? Let's say you were a twenty-something political analyst with a grad degree in the social sciences and a burning desire to get out of the nonprofit sector as fast as your little legs could take you. Market research and consulting seems like a good fit: you still get to puzzle out human behavior, analyze social scientific data, and work on selling ideas, but in a professional environment. How would you go about getting there?

Market research firms seem to be incredibly vague about what exactly it is that they do, and what exactly they're looking for. My grad degree is from a name school and I'll have a year of research and writing experience under my belt, plus some advertising-related soft skills (design, copywriting, social media marketing). I have some quant skills, but most of my methods are public opinion/focus group-y. My communications skills are solid and demonstrable.

What does a market research firm look for in a qualitative analyst? All I get from their various job listings is "good school, good academic performance," which isn't really helping me write a cover letter.

Bonus points for any insight into what the job is like. Thanks!

How to recruit passersby to take an unpaid survey?

kaye88 — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 21:42:20 -0800

I need tips on working as a consumer interviewer/survey-taker -- how do you convince people to give 15 minutes of their time to a survey with no incentive other than having their opinions heard? I'm interviewing for a position which would require me to convince passersby (specifically, people who are leaving a movie theater) to spend 10-15 minutes doing an online survey at a nearby kiosk. The company doesn't offer any kind of incentive for the consumers taking the survey (though I think it would be much more effective if it did), but it pays the "recruiters" based on how many surveys are completed per hour. The surveys are designed to obtain feedback regarding movie trailers the consumers have just seen. Any suggestions? What pitch would convince you to stop and take a survey?

Doing your own market research?

tessalations999 — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 09:17:38 -0800

My friend is trying to start a business and is currently writing his business plan. He needs to do market research, but is having trouble finding the information he needs on google or other searches. Any tips on how to do market research for free without paying for a consulting service? If that is the only way, what is the pricing like for those services? Thanks!

Is this Market Research?

schwap23 — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 10:32:56 -0800

I'm looking at some newly affordable technologies and I'm wondering if there are enough people willing to pay for the technology's services to make building a small business around it a good idea. Is this market research and if so, how do I get some? I've been loosely following developments in the 3-D printer market, and there have been some interesting developments recently. Specifically, there are machines that are user friendly, produce decent size objects (about the size of a bread box), and available for $5k or less. If I could stretch to $10k, the options become even more tantalizing! I say this from the perspective of someone who gets excited about these kinds of things!

I have been a 'builder-of-stuff' for over 15 years (everything from theatre props to kitchen cabinets), but I'm not blind to the advances in technology that eat at the edges of my field. Rather than try to fight the rising tide of machines, I want to try and ride the wave.

I have operated as a freelance builder for the last two years, and if there is one thing I have learned, it's the importance of your business network. If people don't know what you can do and how to get a hold of you, you might as well set your business funds on fire!

I want to know if there is a true market for the kinds of objects that I can produce, both on my own and using these new machines. I understand the importance of having a good understanding of this, but I don't know how to go about getting it... On my own? At the library? Pay some consultant? Too many options!

RSS reader optimized for Craigslist and Kijiji

Chuckles — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:29:33 -0800

Wanted, an RSS reader optimized for Craigslist and Kijiji. Willing to program myself, if necessary. I'm looking to optimize my use of RSS feeds when perusing online classified adds. I've been using Thunderbird, and I've set a few message filters to save me some time, but it isn't enough. Some of the features I need:

Sophisticated kill scripts, to avoid spam, duplicate listings, and items I'm simply not interested in
Permanent storage of the listing and pictures for market research purposes. This would include monitoring changes, and recording the date of listing removal.

I'm sure there are a million features I haven't thought of, but those two are really key, and they are not at all typical for RSS readers, as far as I can tell.

I'm a junior programmer, but I'm happy to take this on as a project. Hopefully, as a plugin for existing software, or a modification of an existing open source RSS reader. Happier still if somebody has already made it, of course!

And as an adjunct question, I'm very interested in recommendations for ebay software. Again, looking for permanent caching and tracking of auctions. I've heard of some ebay market analysis services, but paying a subscription isn't really an option, unless it is very cheap.

Market data on bikers?

ijoshua — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 10:54:19 -0800

Where can I find current demographic and market research statistics on a specific group: motorcycle and offroad/ATV riders?

Where do I start?

jourman2 — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 20:00:02 -0800

How can I find out what my career prospects are in market research? I just started a job in market research/analysis (marketing, not finance) at a small startup in NYC. So far I've been liking it so I'm wondering about career prospects. The salary and benefits are ok now, but where can I find a legitimate estimate of earning prospects down the road? I've checked salary.com but I've found them to be a bit inconsistent. I guess I'm looking for someone in the field to chime in. Also, where can a job like this ultimately lead me?

Obviously the main thing to do now is get some experience under my belt, but I'm wondering what other steps I can take to further my position. Will graduate school be necessary at some point? Or am I ok with my BA in Psych and Business? What other advise can ye market researchers bestow upon me?

How to evaluate market research firms?

fermion — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 14:45:58 -0800

My employer is investigating the introduction of a new software product. My job, among others, is to find a market research firm that can give us information about the trials, tribulations, needs, psychology, et cetera of various types of customers. How can I figure out which research firms are good? Google gives me plenty of market research firms, but I don't know how best to figure out which ones are worth our money. I want to find some really solid, top-tier researchers, either general or industry-specific. How to sort the gold from the pyrite? Is there someone who reviews or evaluates these sorts of things?

This is a question about methodology, but of course if you have good personal experiences with a specific market researcher I'm interested to hear that too.

Our free pineapple giveaway did not produce the results we hoped for...

concreteforest — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 08:24:35 -0800

I'm looking for recommendations for firms or individuals located in or near Vancouver Canada that can help where I work refine current recruitment advertising strategy. I'm not looking for someone to design the ads themselves, but more to help us determine how we are seen in the marketplace right now and what we can do to better attract new employees. Cost of the firm would be a factor, but not the only item we're considering. Also, the field that we work in is pretty specialized but it relates to construction, if that helps.

How do I market what my small company does?

yaquina27 — Sat, 27 Nov 2004 11:01:01 -0800

I own a very small company, and I feel that my product is the best in its category. If I can just get my message to the masses, my company will be a success (otherwise I'll have to go back to work for "the man"). What's the best way to ge the message out? I realize that everyone is advertising-averse, and I don't want to consider anything that might irritate people.