what's the best way to do market research?

searcher profile

April 19, 2020

by a searcher from Massachusetts Institute of Technology - MIT Sloan School of Management in Los Angeles, CA, USA

In evaluating a B2B niche services business, what's the best way to do market research? Google searches for this service only yield large players that cater to large companies - this particular company provides services to small business in a niche sector. I have also tried to find industry associations, but no luck, I am trying to assess the competition in this seemingly fragmented market. I have a hunch that the customers may be in-sourcing this service. What's the best way to verify it?

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commentor profile
Reply by a searcher
from Stanford University in Sydney NSW, Australia
I have heard some searchers mention direct calls to the owners or managers of the business and asking them directly as a potential buyer in the space, or mystery shop to get an idea of pricing if you have some information on costs. You can also speak to people who used to be in the industry (former employees if you can, get an intro through your linkedin network ) and ask about their experience and what the industry landscape looks like.
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Reply by a searcher
from Temple University in New York, USA
I'm biased here, but happy to provide you any one of IBISWorld's 1400+ industry market research titles to explore the type of information we provide for yourself. Shoot me a message on here and I can send you over our complete list. BTW - CapIQ does a great job on the company side of things (while we're viewed as the industry research component)
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