Market Research Companies

Many companies engaged in market research services offer both customized research activities (i.e., produce work only for a single paying client) and commercial research (i.e., produce work that nearly anyone can buy). Commercial reports produced by reputable firms are generally

well-researched and contain extensive product/industry metrics and statistics, including forecasts and trend analysis. Often these reports are produced by a specific researcher who has been following the market/industry for many years and produces regular updates which include offering comments and insight that go beyond the numbers.

But these reports come with a high price tag. It is not uncommon to pay a large sum for a report that is only a hundred or so pages long. However, as we noted earlier, many research reports are updates of existing reports. The older reports may be available for lower cost.

The Internet has made it convenient for market research firms to sell reports, including single copies, directly through their website However, several of the leading firms do not offer an e-commerce purchase option for single research reports. Instead, these firms continue to follow a subscription model where clients are required to purchase of service agreements in order to gain access to many reports.