Market Research: a key component of business strategy

The Enterprise Ireland Market Research Centre is located at our offices at East Point Business Park, Dublin. Client companies can access the most up-to-date information on a vast range of markets, sectors, companies and countries, either in Dublin or at our regional locations.

What is market research?

Neil Armstrong defined research as a “means to investigate something you do not know or understand.” This definition can also be applied to the more specific area of market research.

There are two types of market research: primary and secondary. Primary market research involves collecting data from its source (e.g. by surveying customers). This type of research is usually used by the company itself. The other type of research is called secondary research (or “desk research”) and involves the gathering and summarising of primary research.

Enterprise Ireland subscribes to over 30 premium online sources of commercial information, prepared by sector specialists from some of the leading analyst houses, in order to assist clients with secondary research work. These sector reports and directory sources cover market, company and country information in global industries ranging from medtech and pharmaceuticals to pet food and everything inbetween.

Who can use the Market Research Centre (MRC)?

The MRC’s service is available to all established clients of Enterprise Ireland, as well as Phase Two participants of the New Frontiers Programme.

Anne Walsh is a New Frontiers Programme participant. Her company, Allergy Lifestyle, provides a range of products for the management of allergies & anaphylaxis. After using the MRC, she commented,

“We found that Enterprise Ireland Market Research Centre reports are an invaluable resource not to be overlooked in helping us research our market and profile our competitors. Staff were extremely helpful in assisting us access the many industry standard reports available.”

What’s in it for me?

The American anthropologist and author, Zora Neale Hurston, said that “Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose.” There are many benefits to taking the time to conduct market research. For those of us working in the MRC, our job is to assist clients in their research for market, company and country information. We do this by talking clients through their request, so that both parties can clarify what exactly needs to be researched and what direction will be taken. As I have mentioned earlier, we specialise in three main areas of market research:

1. Market information deals with the sector size and share as well as its growth rates. We also have resources such as www.marketline.com which gives top-line information about industry structure and overview. Drivers and restraints, SWOT analysis and information on trends and forecasts are also a very important part of researching specific markets.
2. Company information involves researching your competitors, potential customers and the players involved in the route to market (e.g. suppliers, distributors, wholesalers, etc.).
3. Country information is concerned with regulations and legislations within a particular country, how to do business and PESTLE insights.

By conducting research in these three key areas, you will gain great insight into the markets you wish to enter and develop your existing knowledge about the industry you are situated in.

It has been proven time and again that companies that undertake effective market research have a huge competitive advantage over their competitors and often become leaders in their sector. Needless to say, good market research will also help your business to save money, time and headaches in the long run.

Katja Bressette, a leading qualitative market researcher, said that “to understand how consumers really think and feel, it is vital to go beyond words.”

Let’s get started!

If you’re interested in using our Market Research services, you can call us on 01 727 2324 or email us at market.research@enterprise-ireland.com. There is also a full list of our resources on the Enterprise Ireland website (click on “All Databases” in the Global Research Databases section).

Once you have contacted us, a member of the Market Research Centre team will assist you in deciding what to research and how to go about it. We will look into your query and gather relevant information, arrange an appointment for you to visit the Market Research Centre and when you visit we will show you how to use the research the available information in our resources and databases.

Carl Sagan, the famous astrophysicist and astronomer, rather poetically said that “somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.” I believe that to be true, whether you are researching the stars or simply reaching for them!