market research proposal for new product

Market research for new product development in 6 steps

Market research for new product development will help you understand your users' needs, as well as potential risks and market opportunities.

What is market research in new product development?

Why do market research for new product development, the importance of market research in product development, choose the correct type of market research, how to conduct market research for a new product , examples of market research for new products, what product development idea have you been dallying off.

Picture this: you’ve got a great idea for a new product, or for improving your current product or service. At least, you think it’s great. When you explain it to others, they raise their eyebrows.

While you are incredibly enthusiastic about the product, they have critical questions about consumer trends , the market , and those latest developments in the world. Ouch.

‘My gut told me to go for’ won’t convince a lot of investors to invest in your idea. Plus, your designers, marketers and engineers will work in a much more confident way if they know that what they’re working on has a chance to succeed. The only way to give them that confidence, is through market research. And one of the most valuable types of research is that which you’ve carried out among your target consumers. This research provides you with proprietary data (also known as zero-party data ).

In this article, we’ll explore why consumer research is so important when you’re developing a new product or want to change something you’re currently already selling. We’ll take you through five crucial steps and give you some valuable tips along the way.

Market research for new product development can focus on different areas. You can research market viability, the demand for the product you have in mind, the features your target group is looking for, or the best way to position, price, communicate and market your product to your target audience. You take into account your competitors, market developments, and important trends. And whether you’re running market research for a startup or a massive brand, it’s an essential step to make sure your new products hit the mark. This can be a difficult task, leading many to consult US market research companies .

Market research for new product development is all about identifying opportunities and finding out if it’s worth bringing your product idea to life. And if so, how to do that in the best way.

It’s about more than what the competition is doing, and if your target audience would be willing to spend money on you. You can also dive into market trends to identify the best ways to market your product.

You can use market research to fine-tune your product development and the relevant aspects around it. Based on how your audience is developing, what price and type of message would grab their attention? What kind of marketing tactics are likely to work, and what channels dominate your market?

Consumer research is about understanding all the aspects of your market. You can approach it as a big puzzle, and once you have all the pieces in place, you can proudly present a solid plan or research to your investors and team, to help them understand why your product development idea is worth working on.

To get the best consumer insights, send a survey with our concept testing template . And for a sector-specific lowdown, find out all about the food product development process .

Market research for your new product development strategy helps you minimise risks and prepares you for a successful product launch. You get to know your market and audience in a way that helps you create not just the perfect product concept, but also the right messaging and marketing around it—something that will actually resonate with your audience.

Market research is used to base your decisions on facts, not just ideas and hunches – however good you might be at guessing games. Before spending time and money on a product idea, you get a good idea of how likely it is to be a success. This will also help you plan how much time and money you’ll actually need.

Investors and stakeholders will also want to see market research if you want to launch a new idea: they want some kind of security that the product will actually sell. Even though market research isn’t a crystal ball and doesn’t exactly predict the future, when it’s done right it can definitely give you a clear picture of how your product concept will be welcomed into the market.

Market research is not only important to verify if your completely new product idea is worth the work. You can also use it to optimise existing products, by keeping a close eye on how competitors are changing their products. You might even read online reviews on products similar to yours and see that customers are asking for specific features. This is also market research.

This also goes for adding new products to a line to supplement your current assortment, or if you want to start an entirely new adventure with your breakthrough product idea.

Market research for product development, whether new or existing, is all about listening to what is happening in the market. Step outside of your organisation and ask the people who pay for your products how you would make them even happier, or find out what trends you can jump onto now, so you can become a frontrunner in the future.

Product development shouldn’t just be done in-house, with your designers and developers closely looking at the product. It’s easy to get tunnel vision and build a product that’s more focused on what you can and want to deliver, and less on what the customer wants.

Market research done right forces you to step out of that bubble and not just look at how you can make the product shinier, faster and stronger, but how you can give it the right place in the market . Because product development is also developing a marketing and sales strategy . It’s having a customer journey and experience ready to put the product in and turn your customers into fans. All you need to do, is go talk to them!

Moreover, market research helps you determine what the marketing mix should look like, since developing a new product is never just about a product.

Turn customers into fans with market research tools

Compare the top market research tools of 2022, including details on their features and the best ways to use each tool.

Let’s get back to basics: what types of market research are there? We often lose ourselves in the wide variety of tools out there that give you data – but what kind of data is available, and how relevant is it to you?

It’s important to understand where data is coming from and how complete it is. How can you supplement it with additional research to get the full picture? Let’s look at the types of research you can – and should! – combine.

Quantitative market research

Don’t let the saying ‘quality over quantity’ fool you for this one—if you’re trying to make money, quantity certainly does matter. Quantitative research focuses on things you can measure .

How many people are interested in your type of product? What are they willing to spend, on average? Has that number been growing, been steady or are they willing to pay less and less? And if the latter is the case, is the group growing in size at least?

You can also gather information on how happy people are about a product or service. What’s lacking in this type of information is the motives behind it. For that, you need qualitative market research .

Qualitative market research

Qualitative research gives context to the numbers . Yes, people are increasingly interested in product X – but why is that? What were they looking at before, and what made them make the switch? Was it a change in price, a recommendation from a friend, something they saw in the news?

Now, it’s nearly impossible to gather qualitative data for all the quantitative data you measure. That’s why it’s incredibly important that you get that qualitative data from a hyper-relevant part of your target group. Don’t send out surveys to gather quantitative data from a specific part of your target group, and then ask another part to explain those numbers. That wouldn’t be helpful at all.

Qualitative data often comes from focus groups . You could find a focus group in the people that you survey, or by interviewing existing customers that fit the profile you’re studying. This will help you get a real-life picture of consumer needs and consumer problems. The best person to ask is the one you’re trying to fit into a buyer’s persona.

How is qualitative market research important for your product development process? It’ll help you understand the needs of your target market better. You conduct research that will steer your product idea generation in the right direction, gathered by real consumer insights and consumer feedback.

Of course, you can’t come to your market consumer in the initial stages of the process and ask them to design the product for you. You’ll gather the base information you have through quantitative methods and online new product development surveys , so you can ask focused concept testing questions to your focus group.

Primary market research

Primary market research is collecting raw data directly from your target customers or market by doing your own research. It simply means you only use data you yourself have collected,  from things like surveys and focus groups – no trend reports from third parties.

This is important for product development research , because you can’t base your decisions and product development process on someone else’s findings for different product and target group entirely.

Anything you directly collect from your market, whether it’s through focus groups, surveys, interviews or product research is primary data.

Inform your product development with our JTBD template

Get up and running with your next product development project and learn what customers really need with our jobs-to-be-done (JTBD) template.

Secondary market research

Secondary research can be done using existing data . The fact that it’s not brand-new information, doesn’t mean that it doesn’t hold valuable insights. You just need to collect the right information and connect that to information that’s relevant for your case specifically.

Secondary research can be done to identify business risks, for instance by looking at market developments. Competitor research is also a valuable form of secondary research. Through competitor research you’ll get a real understanding of the other options your potential customers have – a good starting point for any new product development strategy.

What parts of market research can you not skip over when your goal is using it for product development research? We’ve divided it up into five bite-sized steps that will give you a solid framework to work within.

Step 1. Exploratory research

Basically, this is researching what you specifically want to research. It’s completely normal not to immediately know what your research goal is, or how you’ll get there. That’s where exploratory research comes in.

You start by gathering secondary data on all kinds of aspects. Find things that stand out, developments that you hadn’t thought about and things you want to know more about.

With that information, you can start defining what’s most relevant for you in this stage. Where are your knowledge gaps, and how do you make sure you get the relevant data to make wise business decisions?

This is not necessarily about gathering as much data as you can – you want to keep it manageable and relevant. Find out what questions you can’t answer straight away, and focus your exploratory research on that.

Step 3. Define research objectives

After your exploratory research, you can start pinpointing what you really need to know to move forward in your product development process.

Will you be focussing on customer needs, or how to get a competitive advantage? Will the market analysis focus on product demand and pricing, or is there still a lot of ground to cover in the physical product and usage habits?

It’s important to have a clear idea of what you’ll be researching. Ask yourself: what actionable insights do I need to win in this market segment? Make your objectives as concrete as you can, so your answers will be focused and you can confidently use them to base your next step on.

Step 4. Define the scope of the research

Of course, market research is a way to minimise risk. But there’s always a risk if you’re venturing out with a new product. You can never get a 100 percent guarantee of what will happen, until you launch your product.

That’s why it’s important to define a scope around your objectives. It can also help you to decide where you can use secondary data, and where you definitely need primary data.

Step 5. Decide on market research tools or partners

Are you going to focus on the product or business as usual while a research agency does the heavy lifting? Or do you want to keep everything in-house? In that case, you’re going to be in charge of deciding what market research tools you use. And the possibilities are nearly endless…

There’s a tool for every part of research, but it’s important that you use tools that are easy to work with, and collect all the data you want, so you don’t need to glue it all together from different tools. Especially if you’re going to talk directly to your consumers, you want to use a tool that’s as easy and pleasant to use for them as it is for you.

Of course, we have some suggestions. Check out our article on the 6 best—tried and tested—market research tools out there. And if you’re leaning towards agencies in the UK, here’s our rundown of the top market research agencies in London . And here are the top market research companies in the US .

Or, if you’d prefer to focus on sending out insightful customer insights surveys, see our list of the top 11 Qualtrics alternatives .

Step 6. Concept testing

As interesting as the market itself may be, this specific research is still about your product development idea. Is the idea you have in mind good enough to enter the market, or do you need input to fine-tune it?

That’s where concept testing comes in. With concept testing, you create an MVP that you can show to your focus groups. You find out what they think about it. What features do they miss and love? What would they pay for this? How easy is it to use?

But, like we said, you’re not just developing a product. You are also developing the marketing and communication around it, and that also needs to be tested thoroughly. That’s why you can also target your market research at your marketing for the new or improved product, by creating mock-ups and testing messaging with your focus group. 

How are brands you love using Attest to do market research around product development? Let’s tale a look at US farming cooperative,  Organic Valley . They save time and money by using quantitive analysis for new product development.

‘For a lot of our day-to-day work we had been using other tools that weren’t necessarily user-friendly, easy to use or intuitive. We were looking for a tool with a fairly rapid turnaround and I wanted my team to be able to use it themselves, I didn’t want to have to go out and hire somebody else,’ says Tripp Hughes, Organic Valley’s Senior Director of Consumer Strategy. He saw a need for a tool that his team could use, without having to go through excessive training.

After seeing Attest demoed at a conference, Hughes brought in some of his peers to take a look. They now use it for market analysis, concept ideation and testing, creative testing, and messaging testing.

Hughes estimates that being able to make quick initial learnings through Attest saves Organic Valley between 10 to 20 times what it would cost to make the discoveries later down the line.

‘The impact is coming in reduced time and improved next-round thinking that we’re taking into focus groups where we’ve got a high-cost factor. If we don’t go in with the right materials and the right framework, we’re wasting money. And so Attest has helped us do a lot of the front-end work that then we’re able to go and build on.’

Read more about how Organic Valley is developing awesome products with insights from Attest in this case study.

We get it – taking risks is scary. But developing new products is exciting, and could lift your business to the next level. And while doing product development research, you could find a lot more inspiration about other improvements you can make in your business.

If you’re looking for a tool that brings you closer to your target audience and helps you find hyper relevant results, try Attest.

Ask the right questions for NPD

Learn which product development survey questions you should ask to discover what customers value most, from pricing to features.

Customer Research Lead 

Nick joined Attest in 2021, with more than 10 years' experience in market research and consumer insights on both agency and brand sides. As part of the Customer Research Team team, Nick takes a hands-on role supporting customers uncover insights and opportunities for growth.

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How to Create a Market Research Proposal (+Template)

Continuing the market research series, in this article, we’ll discuss what a market research proposal is and how to create one.

To recap, what we’ve covered so far in the series, we’ve talked about what market research is, the different types of market research you need to do to grow your business, and the benefits of conducting market research .

What is A Market Research Proposal

Conducting market research is expensive, and if you work in a large organization, then you would need to justify such expenses.

Before conducting your research you’d need to shed some light on past data about your market, gaps in the data, and why new research is necessary.

This is where a Market Research Proposal come in to play.

Typically, a research proposal is a document proposing a research project, usually, these proposals are done by a scientist or an academic. 

The proposals are then evaluated on the cost and potential impact of the proposed research, and on the soundness of the proposed plan for carrying it out. Research proposals generally address several key points:

• What research question(s) will be addressed, and how they will be addressed
• How much time and expense will be required for the research
• What prior research has been done on the topic
• How the results of the research will be evaluated
• How the research will benefit the sponsoring organization and other parties involved

The same principles apply here, only that your business market environment is what is being researched, which is your target market.

A market research proposal is a document that details the what, the where, the when and the how of market research and the information and costs associated with it.

If this sounds complicated, then here’s what you need to know about a market proposal. It addresses:

• Why market research is necessary and what you aim to gain from the research
• What resources are required for the research
• Past research done on your market
• How the data from this market research will be collected, stored and used
• How the research will benefit your business

Keep in mind that at this point you are not conducting the research yet, you are simply providing a rationale behind why market research is necessary.

In the next article in this “Market Research” series, we will discuss the process of conducting market research, but for now, we need to provide a compelling document on why, how, when and where the research will be conducted.

11 Steps to Create A Market Research Proposal

Now that you know what a market research proposal is, it’s time to create one. There are 11 steps to create a sound and compelling market research proposal

1. Market Research Proposal Summary

Start your proposal by briefly explaining the purpose of the market research and why it is required. Also, give an overview of what the desired outcome of the market research is.

If your business is interested in pouring resources into an in-depth market research then surely, there is something you hope to gain from it.

Remember to provide reasoning for the need of this specific market research and let whoever is reading this, such as the CEO, COO. know what contributions this research will make to the company.

TEMPLATE TO USE:

The market research project, entitled [RESEARCH PROJECT TITLE] hopes to discover more information regarding market trends in [SPECIFIC AREA]. The following summary will give an overview of the causes, processes, and possible effects of the market research proposal, detailed below.

2. Research Objectives

In this section of your proposal give full details about what problem has been identified that requires market research to be conducted. I.e. Show why there is a specific need for this research in the first place.

Explain what the market research results will be used for and how they will help achieve the overall goals. Describe the goals which you hope to achieve with this project.

The proposed market research project contains the following objectives:

• Objective one
• Objective two

3. Background Information on Past Market Research

Odds are you’re not the first person/company to conduct research on your market. This means that there is existing information on your market. However, this knowledge might be outdated, or might not provide the data your business needs.

So, in this section explain what information already exists on this topic and what is already known. Also, highlight the gaps in knowledge that the market research will hopefully fill.

Here you will show information from existing sources regarding the specific topic to be researched. It is great to provide cited sources, graphs, charts, and statistics. 

You will use this section to show that you know a great deal about the market you will be researching, but you also need to show the holes in the current knowledge.

You can then demonstrate the specific need for your proposed research plan, and how this market research plan will fill these holes and contribute to the knowledge of this subject.

4. Market Research Proposal Hypothesis

If your business needs to conduct market research, then you probably have a few ideas of what you hope to get or learn from the research.

In this section describe what you believed to be the likely outcome of the market research and what you hope to learn.

5. Research Target Audience

Your business doesn’t target everyone, and odds are your business targets different audience types. So who is this research targeted at?

This is a very important part of your proposal and you need to be as detailed as possible about the target audience or audiences you will be researching.

Also, describe how you will source this target audience and how you will ensure they meet the correct criteria.

6. Data Collection of Market Research

Time to get to the good stuff. In this part of your proposal, you MUST detail all the data collection methods that will be used during the market research and, how they will be carried out. 

You MUST also explain how the accuracy of data will be maintained, how potential candidates for the research will be approached and, if applicable, how they will be reimbursed for their time and contribution.

Use specifics and consider potential questions such as.

• How will you maintain the accuracy of data? 
• How will you approach potential survey or research candidates? 
• Will these participants be paid for their time? 
• At what times of day will you make phone calls? 
• In what ways will you ensure an accurate data sample? 

The more information you can provide in this section, the better.

Our methods of data collection will be best suited to the project at hand. Research methods will include:

• Focus groups
• Collection of social media data
• Surveys via the Internet, phone, or email
• Long range in-home consumer tests
• Distribution of samples
• In person promotionals

These individuals will be selected [HOW THEY ARE SELECTED] to ensure an appropriately constituted pool of data from which we can infer accurate insights and trends.

The pool itself comprises of individuals who have expressed to us an interest in participating in such surveys, and they will be compensated by [METHOD OF COMPENSATION]….

7. Research and Analysis Methodology

In this section of your proposal, you are to discuss the strengths and possible limitations of your research methods. 

Provide an overall blueprint for your methodology in approaching research data, and describe the implications of each method of data collection, and explain the methods you will use to interpret the data. 

Lastly, discuss the means of evaluating the collected data and how you will account for errors, holes in data, or inaccuracies.

8. Ethics to be Followed During Research

You’re almost done with your proposal, but there are still a few important details that need to be included. 

Explain how the market research will adhere to ethical codes by thinking about how issues such as participant confidentiality, data security, privacy, and consent of research participants will be addressed.

Include waivers or documents you plan to provide to research participants, if applicable

9. Market Research Timeline

In this section, provide a detailed timeline of when the research needs to begin and when a full report is required, ensure sufficient and realistic time for both data collection and data analysis are considered.

Market Research Timeline

• Task 1 ([DATE] [TIME])
• Task 2 ([DATE] [TIME])
• Task 3 ([DATE] [TIME])

10. Market Research Budget

We’re almost done with our proposal, but it’s time to include arguably the most important section. After all, if your company does not have the funds and resources then there would be no research in the first place.

Provide an overall budget for the proposed project. Make sure to include all possible cost considerations. You can provide a breakdown of those here. 

Don’t forget budgets for sections such as Participant Reimbursement, funds for documents, rental space.

11. Conclusion

This is the last part of your market research proposal. You can add ways in which this market research will provide further benefits or include unique applications of the potential results.

Now that you know the market research proposal process and the importance of market research, in the next article will discuss the actual market research process.

Comment with any questions you have about Market Research Proposals and I will get back to you ASAP.

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Home • Knowledge hub • How to write a market research report for a new product launch

How to write a market research report for a new product launch

When launching a new product to market, it’s imperative to be prepared with relevant information. You need a deep understanding of your market, how your products will benefit that market, the potential challenges you might run into, and much more.

This is why it’s so important to write an in-depth, professional, and relevant market research report. Not only to gather and display all the right information but also so that you can share that information clearly and easily with people within and outside your organization. This is important for a wide range of different reasons.

In this article, we’ll look at why market research reports for product launches are so important and show you how to do it as effectively as possible.

Why market research reports are important

Conducting a detailed and relevant market research report before you launch your new product is a good idea for all kinds of reasons. Here are some of the main ones:

• Get buy-in from senior decision-makers . When launching any product, you’ll always want the full support of the top decision-makers at your organization. This can be a tricky thing to acquire, especially if your team is relatively unproven. A detailed and informative market research report can be the deciding factor in winning their support, convincing them that your product is well-placed to succeed, and making it much easier to achieve your goals.
• Learn more about your customers and target audience . One of the main reasons to conduct market research is to understand your prospective customers in more detail. The work you do to compile a report will give you a clear and detailed understanding of what your customers want, what they already like, where they conduct their own research, and much more. This will arm you with the insights and knowledge you need to launch your product confidently and successfully.

Discover ideas for new products and how to improve existing ones . When you research your target market, you’ll likely stumble upon inspiration for new products in addition to the one you’re planning to launch. The feedback you get from your research will also be laced with ideas for improving and tweaking existing products

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How to write a market research report effectively

In the rest of this guide, we’ll show you what you need to do to ensure your market research report is as detailed, relevant, and valuable as it possibly can be. Let’s start with the type of information you need to include.

What you need to include:

Buyer personas.

This is a crucial part of getting to know your customers and the different groups they fall into. You should start by researching your target market members as much as possible through a range of channels — interviews, social media research, email surveys, and more. Then, divide them into demographics and create a detailed persona to represent each one.

This is an incredibly valuable step because it allows you to break down your market and make broad predictions about each group’s preferences, pain points, habits, and desires. If done right, this helps you target your future marketing much more accurately and effectively.

Understand your competitors

Getting to know your competitors is a key element of market research. It allows you to understand what you will be up against when launching your product and what segments of your market might be easier or more difficult to sway from their loyalty to your competitors.

Your research report should contain detailed information about each of your competitors and what they offer. What do their products lack that yours can provide? Why do your customers go to them? How dominant are they in your market? What kind of loyalty do they command? What are some of the keys to their success? All this will help you understand what you’re up against and strengthen your chances of success.

Who did you talk to?

Much of your market research will involve talking to various people and groups of people in situations like focus groups, interviews, and surveys. It’s important to document this side of your research carefully and include it in your market research report. Be sure to break down the people you spoke to into demographics and be as specific as possible — try to align this with your buyer personas.

This will help you understand what different demographics want, identify any areas you may have missed, and see any opportunities for segmentation or expansion, as well as providing clear visibility into your research process and allowing you to justify your findings and decisions to other company members carefully.

Clearly show what will happen next — how will you use your findings? 

When you present your market research report to decision-makers in your organization, their primary concern will be what you want to do with it. Research is only valuable if it has a practical application, which should be a key element of your report.

It’s best to be specific — create plans and roadmaps for campaigns, build strategies, and include timelines and carefully researched cost estimates. If you can present a clear and viable plan for your product launch, it will be much easier to gain the support and buy-in of the higher-ups in your company. Be ready to defend and justify these plans.

Primary vs Secondary Market Research

There are two main types of research you’ll need to do when preparing your market research report: primary and secondary. Here is the difference:

• Primary research . This refers to the first-hand information you have gathered during your research — straight from the primary source. Examples include interviews with individuals, focus groups, surveys, and information from sales teams. It helps add a human touch to your research, incorporating real people’s distinct voices and opinions.
• Secondary research. This is data that your company didn’t personally collect but is available in the form of things like public records, trend reports, and market statistics. While it lacks the specific human element of primary research, it’s a great way to gain valuable overall insights about your target market without having to conduct huge research projects yourself.

Convincing company decision-makers with your market research report

One of the most essential functions of a market research report is to convince your company’s key stakeholders that you are prepared for a product launch and have everything in place to begin the process successfully.

When creating your report, you should always have this goal in mind. Here are some ways to do that:

• Always clearly tie your research for business outcomes. For every conclusion your report reaches, explain what this means for the business and what concrete actions you will take as a result.
• Use as many stats and as much hard data as possible. Clearly express this data in the form of graphs and other visual aids. Show where your data came from, how you collected it, and how your findings will impact your product launch.
• Consider using Porter’s 5 Forces Model . This business model is aimed at understanding and explaining the fundamental market forces at work in any given industry. It can be illuminating to tie your research into this model.

A well-researched and detailed market research report is an essential part of a successful product launch strategy. It allows you to clearly understand your market, formulate concrete plans and strategies, and gain the support of your organization’s decision-makers.

Without one, you’ll be plunged into the dark, facing the monumentally challenging task of launching a product without the support of extensive research and data. To find out more about how Kadence can help you prepare a market research report and launch your product with confidence, contact us .

Helping brands uncover valuable insights

We’ve been working with Kadence on a couple of strategic projects, which influenced our product roadmap roll-out within the region. Their work has been exceptional in providing me the insights that I need. Senior Marketing Executive Arla Foods

Kadence’s reports give us the insight, conclusion and recommended execution needed to give us a different perspective, which provided us with an opportunity to relook at our go to market strategy in a different direction which we are now reaping the benefits from. Sales & Marketing Bridgestone

Kadence helped us not only conduct a thorough and insightful piece of research, its interpretation of the data provided many useful and unexpected good-news stories that we were able to use in our communications and interactions with government bodies. General Manager PR -Internal Communications & Government Affairs Mitsubishi

Kadence team is more like a partner to us. We have run a number of projects together and … the pro-activeness, out of the box thinking and delivering in spite of tight deadlines are some of the key reasons we always reach out to them. Vital Strategies

Kadence were an excellent partner on this project; they took time to really understand our business challenges, and developed a research approach that would tackle the exam question from all directions.  The impact of the work is still being felt now, several years later. Customer Intelligence Director Wall Street Journal

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How To Do Market Research For New Product Development

Market research for new product development can be overwhelming.

It’s easy to get lost in a mountain of market reports with thousands of data points…. yet get no clear insights on which product is best for your brand.

Instead of aimlessly searching for new product ideas and sifting through endless market reports, this post will walk you through a simple step-by-step process that outlines:

• How to quickly find relevant new product ideas.
• Specific data and metrics you need to analyze each product opportunity (and how to find these metrics).
• How to use market research data to assess a product opportunity.

What Is Market Research For New Product Development?

Market research for new product development is the process of evaluating the demand, growth, and gaps in a market for a particular product (typically a physical product sold in a retail setting or direct to consumer).

These insights help you understand which products your target market wants, which ones are most profitable, and the key characteristics customers like and dislike about competitors' products.

With this data, you can more accurately predict which product will perform best for your business.

Types Of Market Research For New Product Development

There are four types of market research typically used for researching and developing products: 

• Qualitative research
• Quantitative research
• Primary research
• Secondary research

Quantitative Research

Examples of quantitative data you might collect during the product market research process include:

• Market size and growth rates
• Pricing data
• Sales forecasts
• Website traffic data
• Market share of the top competitors

Quantitative data is helpful for benchmarking and is often the main type of research used to quickly gauge the potential of market opportunities.

Quantitative data can be fact-checked, but accuracy still varies depending on factors like sample size and data collection methods.

Qualitative Research

Qualitative research is data based on subjective opinions.

An example of qualitative data is customer feedback.

This data is helpful for product market research, as you can better understand customer pain points and what they like and dislike about what's already out there.

Some examples of qualitative research methods include:

• Interviews with potential customers
• Customer reviews
• Questionnaires and surveys
• Discussion analysis (monitoring conversations on social media, in forums, etc.)
• Feedback from focus groups

Primary Research

Primary research is data collected by you or your company.

Here are some examples of primary research:

• Results from a survey you conducted
• A report from sales data your team analyzed
• Customer interviews conducted by your team

The advantage of primary market research is that it's proprietary data your company owns. So your competitors won't have access to it. You can also tailor the data to answer your specific questions about the market.

The downside of primary research is that it’s expensive and time-consuming. You'll have to conduct the research, clean the data, and analyze it yourself.

You can hire a market research firm to help, but this will make it even more costly.

Secondary Research

Secondary research is data collected and published by other third-party sources, like an industry publication or government agency.

Here are some examples of secondary research:

• Free and paid market reports published by a source like Grand View Research or MarketResearch.com .
• Statistics published by a source like The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or the U.S. Energy Information Administration .
• Data in the Census Business Builder .

Secondary research is usually cheaper than primary research, so it's great for the early stages of product market research when you're narrowing down your list of product ideas.

For example, if you're interested in the padel market, search "padel market forecast" to find free industry reports. You can look at statistics like compounding annual growth rate and market size to quickly gauge if the padel market is worth exploring in more detail.

The drawback of secondary research is that the data quality may vary as you can't control data quality.

So research how each provider collects and cleans the data they publish.

Step By Step Process To Conduct Market Research For Product Development

​​In this step-by-step market research process for new product development, you'll learn how to find, validate, and develop a great product.

Step 1: Research And Identify Trending Products

Many people browse social media and Amazon to find trending product ideas.

But emerging products, by definition, aren't easy to find.

You might spend hours browsing these platforms to find a few promising product ideas. And even the most diligent product researchers might still overlook the best emerging product ideas.

One solution to find great product ideas faster is to use a product research tool.

However, each tool contains different product ideas.

So the tool you choose significantly impacts the product ideas you find.

For example, many product research tools only show products that have grown significantly in the past few weeks. These are often fads, and demand may die out when you’re ready to launch your product.

Other product research tools show you products that are currently trending. Yet this isn't helpful if you want to launch a product before demand peaks.

Or, the product research tool might simply overlook the best product ideas. This is common with product research tools relying on human analysts to find product ideas, as even the best analysts may overlook a great product idea.

To solve these problems, we built our own product research tool, Exploding Topics.

It has a unique trend identification and qualification method that uses AI and ML to scan millions of data points across sources like YouTube, Amazon, Spotify, Google Search, and Reddit. This ensures it consistently spots emerging product ideas. Then, we use Google Search volume data to ensure the topic has a steady compounding growth trajectory.

This process allows Exploding Topics to consistently identify emerging products with long-term growth potential.

It's also easy to use.

When you open the Trending Products dashboard, you'll see a list of trending products. You can filter the database by category (fitness, fashion, beauty, gaming, pets, etc.), BSR, monthly sales, price, revenue, and reviews.

The graph next to the product information also represents the keyword's Google Search volume trend so that you can gauge its growth trajectory:

When you see a product that interests you, click on it for more details, like a forecast of its growth trend for the coming year.

Further down the product page is a list of the Top Sellers for that product on Amazon.

You’ll also see related trending products and topics. You can also click on any of those products for more detailed information.

To track a product, click "Track Topic" and add it to a Project.

Projects are folders that live inside the Trend Tracking dashboard, and Exploding Topics updates each topic's growth trend in real time.

This makes it easy to gauge product growth at a glance so that you never have to worry about managing a product idea spreadsheet.

You can try Exploding Topics Pro for $1 to start researching product ideas.

Step 2: Analyze The Market For Each Product Idea

Your product is much more likely to succeed if it’s part of a growing market.

An easy way to quickly analyze a market’s general growth trajectory is to look at a market forecast.

Sources like Grand View Research , Globe Newswire , and Market.us usually offer free market reports with forecast data.

To find these reports, Google the product keyword and "market report:"

Next, identify the brands with the largest market share and analyze their growth trajectory.

If the market leaders are growing rapidly, the market is probably also expanding.

There are two ways to easily gauge a brand's growth.

1. Check the brand’s Google Search volume trend .

You can find a brand's Google Search volume trend by typing the brand name into Google Trends or the Trends Search feature in Exploding Topics.

You can also click "Track Topic" and add it to a Project to monitor growth.

2. Employee headcount

A company is probably growing if it has steadily increased employee headcount over the past few years.

You can find employee headcount data by typing the brand name into LinkedIn and scrolling down to the bottom of the company page:

Funding data is also a great indicator of a market's growth trajectory.

Investors spend a lot of time and resources assessing market growth, so a lot of funding activity is a good sign the market is growing.

Paid tools like CB Insights and Pitchbook offer detailed funding data for most industries. You can also search "funding" and the industry name to find press releases, funding reports, and other relevant investment news.

Step 3: Conduct Customer Research

Once you find a trending product in a growing market, the next step is figuring out how to create the best product possible.

First, identify what customers like and dislike about existing products. Then, create a product that incorporates the elements customers like about existing products and solves the pain points they experience.

The easiest way to conduct customer research is to analyze customer reviews.

Amazon is the best resource to find verified reviews. As you're reading through the reviews, make notes on:

• Target Audience Demographics : Who is buying the product? (gender, age, location, etc.).
• Use Case : What problem did they purchase the product to solve?
• Praise : What do they like about the product?
• Pain Points : What do they like about the product?

For example, from the review below, you can tell that customers value soft material, accurate color descriptions, and expensive aesthetics. You can also see that customers want a more durable product.

Reading through reviews can help you better understand your target customers, but most people don't have time to read thousands of customer reviews.

So you can also copy and paste customer reviews into ChatGPT and ask it to extract insights on audience demographics, product use cases, likes, and dislikes.

Here's a prompt you can use to analyze the reviews. (In this screenshot, all of the reviews are pasted in quotes following the prompt):

Here’s a snippet of the response it generated:

You can also find Reddit or Facebook groups of your target audience.

For example, if you're considering selling infant vitamins, you could join these Facebook groups for moms:

After joining the group, you can ask members about the product you're researching. Here are some specific questions you can ask:

• Why did they purchase the product?
• How did they select the brand they purchased from?
• What do they like/dislike about the product?

You can also ask respondents if they would consider getting on a quick call. One-on-one interviews let you ask more follow-up questions to better understand the audience.

Talking to prospects is also a great way to build up some demand for your product and even recruit a group of beta testers.

If you already have an audience, ask them about your new product idea.

For example, this creator asked her TikTok followers what they thought of her sleepwear product idea.

Then, she documented the product development process and gathered feedback from her followers to craft a product they want.

For example, after designing a few concepts with the manufacturer, she created another video of the initial product designs and asked her audience for feedback.

Her product launch went on to be a major success and she sold out in a matter of hours.

Step 4: Pre-Sell Your Product And Gather Initial Feedback

The best way to validate market demand for your product concept is to see if people will buy it.

So design a few product samples and then run a pre-order sale.

If nobody buys the product, you'll avoid wasting thousands of dollars developing tens or hundreds of products that nobody wants.

And if your pre-order sale is successful, you can use that revenue to fund product development.

For example, Nebia ran a pre-order sale for its bidets to validate the product concept.

There are a few different ways you can generate pre-orders.

If you already have an audience, you can create a social media post or email your list and announce the pre-order sale.

This post is a great example of a pre-order sale video. The influencer explains how the product works, its benefits, and how it solves common pain points.

If you don't have an audience, you can work with an influencer to create a pre-order video for you.

You can also run Facebook or Instagram ads to a landing page to generate pre-orders. Facebook has a step-by-step guide explaining how to set up and run ads for pre-order sales.

Another option is to run a pre-order sale on Kickstarter.

Nebia is a great example of an ecommerce brand that validated its product idea on Kickstarter.

The Kickstarter community will also give you initial feedback on the product before you launch it to the public. Kickstarter users also know they're beta testers, so they tend to be more forgiving if the initial product concept isn't perfect.

You can also ask some Kickstarter buyers to record video reviews of the product for your public product launch.

Step 5: Launch Your New Product And Gather Feedback

After launching your product, gather feedback from your audience to continue iterating on the original product.

If you have a social media following, you can ask your audience what they like and dislike about the product.

You can also email your list offering a discount or coupon to complete a product survey.

Survey tools like Pollfish and SurveyMonkey make it easy to create and send a product survey.

In the survey, ask specific questions about the product. For example, if you’re selling athletic clothing, you could ask them to rate the product fit, material quality, durability, style, color, and other specific factors.

If you leave the questions too open ended, people will give you generic feedback that might not be very helpful for improving the product.

Start The New Product Market Research Process Today

A solid product market research process takes the guesswork out of product launches by giving you the data you need to identify and design the best product for your audience.

It will also give you more confidence on launch day, as you'll have solid evidence of strong demand for your product.

To get started with the first step of the product market research process, use Exploding Topics to browse thousands of emerging trending products today.

Find Thousands of Trending Topics With Our Platform

Focus Groups

How to Write a Market Research Proposal

The market research proposal is an important first step in near all studies. First and foremost, a skeleton that details a study’s direction, goals, and focus, such proposals are typically the first point of reference for management. While the proposals make or break a project’s funding, there is one other strength no research team can ignore: direction.

Critical for any undertaking that involves research, direction helps with both the pragmatics and concepts of near all studies. Market research proposals are vital for outlining both. They also explain the potential returns or results a study can yield. Ideally, the proposal should convince outside readers while informing research and development teams.

Language is important for writing a proposal, as is organization. A lot of detail goes into the typical research proposal, and sometimes there is no clear place for essential odds and ends. Luckily, there is a general organization, or logic, that most research proposals adopt. This allows readers to quickly absorb details, jump to pertinent sections, and digest its conclusions.

While not mandatory, using these structures add a cohesion that makes reading these papers more convenient and cohesive. Length, detail, and overall complexity are all factors when considering how a research proposal should be organized. Similarly, weigh the study’s goals and potential returns. Not every proposal necessitates the same sections. In fact, simple studies can do without a lot of sections that more involved or longer studies require. That mentioned, never write off these critical five elements of your research proposal.

Overview, Definition, and Terms

Important for summing up the study’s incentives, intents, and overall feasibility, overviews prep readers for the project’s strengths. Like everything else in a proposal, clarity is also all-important. Definitions and terms are vital. Overviews are also excellent for showcasing market conditions, opportunity, goals, and overall impact to ROI. While very important, always make sure to focus on the client. Their edification should be at the forefront of any proposal writer’s mind.

Hypothesis and Goals

While referenced in the overview, extrapolation about a project’s actual agenda goes a long way. Near everyone reviewing a research proposal will search for a hypothesis. While fine to reference in the overview, an outright hypothesis will always predominate the research proposal and its direction. Be clear as possible!

The hypothesis itself, however, explains the goal’s prospective burdens, costs, and returns. Also explain how these different elements combine to form a whole level of different parts. Perhaps most intrinsic is the order of said goals, as well how they compliment each other.

Realizing goals requires exploring a range of target segments that can appreciate the product, content, or whatever else. Exploring these different targets includes any range of periphery methods, not to mention actual possibilities. What is vital, however, is a full explanation as to why the target is pertinent.

Methodology and Conditions

The logical extension, research proposals must detail methodology. Include practices and conditions, study types, analysis standards, and other crucial aspects. Make sure extrapolation focuses on the actual methodology, however. Pragmatic intricacies can be glossed over, but that really depends on the reader. Researchers will typically want to know about the whole process, while management typically focuses on efficacy and ROI.

Discuss.io can offer deliverables within 48 hours, the fastest in the industry. Establishing a clear timeline  is still critical though. Product and content dev teams typically need to keep informed. A common timeline really encourages such cohesion, not mention also keeps MR better aware as to the product or content’s direction. Along with setting a schedule, timelines also helps inform team members of their objectives and schedule. Such a cohesive view both informs researchers as reminds them of the importance of each task.

Source:  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode

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Market Research: A How-To Guide and Template

Discover the different types of market research, how to conduct your own market research, and use a free template to help you along the way.

MARKET RESEARCH KIT

5 Research and Planning Templates + a Free Guide on How to Use Them in Your Market Research

Updated: 02/21/24

Published: 02/21/24

Today's consumers have a lot of power. As a business, you must have a deep understanding of who your buyers are and what influences their purchase decisions.

Enter: Market Research.

Whether you're new to market research or not, I created this guide to help you conduct a thorough study of your market, target audience, competition, and more. Let’s dive in.

Table of Contents

What is market research?

Primary vs. secondary research, types of market research, how to do market research, market research report template, market research examples.

Market research is the process of gathering information about your target market and customers to verify the success of a new product, help your team iterate on an existing product, or understand brand perception to ensure your team is effectively communicating your company's value effectively.

Market research can answer various questions about the state of an industry. But if you ask me, it's hardly a crystal ball that marketers can rely on for insights on their customers.

Market researchers investigate several areas of the market, and it can take weeks or even months to paint an accurate picture of the business landscape.

However, researching just one of those areas can make you more intuitive to who your buyers are and how to deliver value that no other business is offering them right now.

How? Consider these two things:

• Your competitors also have experienced individuals in the industry and a customer base. It‘s very possible that your immediate resources are, in many ways, equal to those of your competition’s immediate resources. Seeking a larger sample size for answers can provide a better edge.
• Your customers don't represent the attitudes of an entire market. They represent the attitudes of the part of the market that is already drawn to your brand.

The market research services market is growing rapidly, which signifies a strong interest in market research as we enter 2024. The market is expected to grow from roughly $75 billion in 2021 to $90.79 billion in 2025 .

Free Market Research Kit

• SWOT Analysis Template
• Survey Template
• Focus Group Template

You're all set!

Click this link to access this resource at any time.

Why do market research?

Market research allows you to meet your buyer where they are.

As our world becomes louder and demands more of our attention, this proves invaluable.

By understanding your buyer's problems, pain points, and desired solutions, you can aptly craft your product or service to naturally appeal to them.

Market research also provides insight into the following:

• Where your target audience and current customers conduct their product or service research
• Which of your competitors your target audience looks to for information, options, or purchases
• What's trending in your industry and in the eyes of your buyer
• Who makes up your market and what their challenges are
• What influences purchases and conversions among your target audience
• Consumer attitudes about a particular topic, pain, product, or brand
• Whether there‘s demand for the business initiatives you’re investing in
• Unaddressed or underserved customer needs that can be flipped into selling opportunity
• Attitudes about pricing for a particular product or service

Ultimately, market research allows you to get information from a larger sample size of your target audience, eliminating bias and assumptions so that you can get to the heart of consumer attitudes.

As a result, you can make better business decisions.

To give you an idea of how extensive market research can get , consider that it can either be qualitative or quantitative in nature — depending on the studies you conduct and what you're trying to learn about your industry.

Qualitative research is concerned with public opinion, and explores how the market feels about the products currently available in that market.

Quantitative research is concerned with data, and looks for relevant trends in the information that's gathered from public records.

That said, there are two main types of market research that your business can conduct to collect actionable information on your products: primary research and secondary research.

Primary Research

Primary research is the pursuit of first-hand information about your market and the customers within your market.

It's useful when segmenting your market and establishing your buyer personas.

Primary market research tends to fall into one of two buckets:

• Exploratory Primary Research: This kind of primary market research normally takes place as a first step — before any specific research has been performed — and may involve open-ended interviews or surveys with small numbers of people.
• Specific Primary Research: This type of research often follows exploratory research. In specific research, you take a smaller or more precise segment of your audience and ask questions aimed at solving a suspected problem.

Secondary Research

Secondary research is all the data and public records you have at your disposal to draw conclusions from (e.g. trend reports, market statistics, industry content, and sales data you already have on your business).

Secondary research is particularly useful for analyzing your competitors . The main buckets your secondary market research will fall into include:

• Public Sources: These sources are your first and most-accessible layer of material when conducting secondary market research. They're often free to find and review — like government statistics (e.g., from the U.S. Census Bureau ).
• Commercial Sources: These sources often come in the form of pay-to-access market reports, consisting of industry insight compiled by a research agency like Pew , Gartner , or Forrester .
• Internal Sources: This is the market data your organization already has like average revenue per sale, customer retention rates, and other historical data that can help you draw conclusions on buyer needs.
• Focus Groups
• Product/ Service Use Research
• Observation-Based Research
• Buyer Persona Research
• Market Segmentation Research
• Pricing Research
• Competitive Analysis Research
• Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty Research
• Brand Awareness Research
• Campaign Research

1. Interviews

Interviews allow for face-to-face discussions so you can allow for a natural flow of conversation. Your interviewees can answer questions about themselves to help you design your buyer personas and shape your entire marketing strategy.

2. Focus Groups

Focus groups provide you with a handful of carefully-selected people that can test out your product and provide feedback. This type of market research can give you ideas for product differentiation.

3. Product/Service Use Research

Product or service use research offers insight into how and why your audience uses your product or service. This type of market research also gives you an idea of the product or service's usability for your target audience.

4. Observation-Based Research

Observation-based research allows you to sit back and watch the ways in which your target audience members go about using your product or service, what works well in terms of UX , and which aspects of it could be improved.

5. Buyer Persona Research

Buyer persona research gives you a realistic look at who makes up your target audience, what their challenges are, why they want your product or service, and what they need from your business or brand.

6. Market Segmentation Research

Market segmentation research allows you to categorize your target audience into different groups (or segments) based on specific and defining characteristics. This way, you can determine effective ways to meet their needs.

7. Pricing Research

Pricing research helps you define your pricing strategy . It gives you an idea of what similar products or services in your market sell for and what your target audience is willing to pay.

8. Competitive Analysis

Competitive analyses give you a deep understanding of the competition in your market and industry. You can learn about what's doing well in your industry and how you can separate yourself from the competition .

9. Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty Research

Customer satisfaction and loyalty research gives you a look into how you can get current customers to return for more business and what will motivate them to do so (e.g., loyalty programs , rewards, remarkable customer service).

10. Brand Awareness Research

Brand awareness research tells you what your target audience knows about and recognizes from your brand. It tells you about the associations people make when they think about your business.

11. Campaign Research

Campaign research entails looking into your past campaigns and analyzing their success among your target audience and current customers. The goal is to use these learnings to inform future campaigns.

• Define your buyer persona.
• Identify a persona group to engage.
• Prepare research questions for your market research participants.
• List your primary competitors.
• Summarize your findings.

1. Define your buyer persona.

You have to understand who your customers are and how customers in your industry make buying decisions.

This is where your buyer personas come in handy. Buyer personas — sometimes referred to as marketing personas — are fictional, generalized representations of your ideal customers.

Use a free tool to create a buyer persona that your entire company can use to market, sell, and serve better.

Don't forget to share this post!

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How to do market research in 4 steps: a lean approach to marketing research

From pinpointing your target audience and assessing your competitive advantage, to ongoing product development and customer satisfaction efforts, market research is a practice your business can only benefit from.

Learn how to conduct quick and effective market research using a lean approach in this article full of strategies and practical examples. 

Last updated

Reading time.

A comprehensive (and successful) business strategy is not complete without some form of market research—you can’t make informed and profitable business decisions without truly understanding your customer base and the current market trends that drive your business.

In this article, you’ll learn how to conduct quick, effective market research  using an approach called 'lean market research'. It’s easier than you might think, and it can be done at any stage in a product’s lifecycle.

How to conduct lean market research in 4 steps

What is market research, why is market research so valuable, advantages of lean market research, 4 common market research methods, 5 common market research questions, market research faqs.

We’ll jump right into our 4-step approach to lean market research. To show you how it’s done in the real world, each step includes a practical example from Smallpdf , a Swiss company that used lean market research to reduce their tool’s error rate by 75% and boost their Net Promoter Score® (NPS) by 1%.

Research your market the lean way...

From on-page surveys to user interviews, Hotjar has the tools to help you scope out your market and get to know your customers—without breaking the bank.

The following four steps and practical examples will give you a solid market research plan for understanding who your users are and what they want from a company like yours.

1. Create simple user personas

A user persona is a semi-fictional character based on psychographic and demographic data from people who use websites and products similar to your own. Start by defining broad user categories, then elaborate on them later to further segment your customer base and determine your ideal customer profile .

How to get the data: use on-page or emailed surveys and interviews to understand your users and what drives them to your business.

How to do it right: whatever survey or interview questions you ask, they should answer the following questions about the customer:

Who are they?

What is their main goal?

What is their main barrier to achieving this goal?

Pitfalls to avoid:

Don’t ask too many questions! Keep it to five or less, otherwise you’ll inundate them and they’ll stop answering thoughtfully.

Don’t worry too much about typical demographic questions like age or background. Instead, focus on the role these people play (as it relates to your product) and their goals.

How Smallpdf did it: Smallpdf ran an on-page survey for a couple of weeks and received 1,000 replies. They learned that many of their users were administrative assistants, students, and teachers.

Next, they used the survey results to create simple user personas like this one for admins:

Who are they? Administrative Assistants.

What is their main goal? Creating Word documents from a scanned, hard-copy document or a PDF where the source file was lost.

What is their main barrier to achieving it? Converting a scanned PDF doc to a Word file.

💡Pro tip: Smallpdf used Hotjar Surveys to run their user persona survey. Our survey tool helped them avoid the pitfalls of guesswork and find out who their users really are, in their own words. 

You can design a survey and start running it in minutes with our easy-to-use drag and drop builder. Customize your survey to fit your needs, from a sleek one-question pop-up survey to a fully branded questionnaire sent via email. 

We've also created 40+ free survey templates that you can start collecting data with, including a user persona survey like the one Smallpdf used.

2. Conduct observational research

Observational research involves taking notes while watching someone use your product (or a similar product).

Overt vs. covert observation

Overt observation involves asking customers if they’ll let you watch them use your product. This method is often used for user testing and it provides a great opportunity for collecting live product or customer feedback .

Covert observation means studying users ‘in the wild’ without them knowing. This method works well if you sell a type of product that people use regularly, and it offers the purest observational data because people often behave differently when they know they’re being watched. 

Tips to do it right:

Record an entry in your field notes, along with a timestamp, each time an action or event occurs.

Make note of the users' workflow, capturing the ‘what,’ ‘why,’ and ‘for whom’ of each action.

Don’t record identifiable video or audio data without consent. If recording people using your product is helpful for achieving your research goal, make sure all participants are informed and agree to the terms.

Don’t forget to explain why you’d like to observe them (for overt observation). People are more likely to cooperate if you tell them you want to improve the product.

💡Pro tip: while conducting field research out in the wild can wield rewarding results, you can also conduct observational research remotely. Hotjar Recordings is a tool that lets you capture anonymized user sessions of real people interacting with your website. 

Observe how customers navigate your pages and products to gain an inside look into their user behavior . This method is great for conducting exploratory research with the purpose of identifying more specific issues to investigate further, like pain points along the customer journey and opportunities for optimizing conversion .

With Hotjar Recordings you can observe real people using your site without capturing their sensitive information

How Smallpdf did it: here’s how Smallpdf observed two different user personas both covertly and overtly.

Observing students (covert): Kristina Wagner, Principle Product Manager at Smallpdf, went to cafes and libraries at two local universities and waited until she saw students doing PDF-related activities. Then she watched and took notes from a distance. One thing that struck her was the difference between how students self-reported their activities vs. how they behaved (i.e, the self-reporting bias). Students, she found, spent hours talking, listening to music, or simply staring at a blank screen rather than working. When she did find students who were working, she recorded the task they were performing and the software they were using (if she recognized it).

Observing administrative assistants (overt): Kristina sent emails to admins explaining that she’d like to observe them at work, and she asked those who agreed to try to batch their PDF work for her observation day. While watching admins work, she learned that they frequently needed to scan documents into PDF-format and then convert those PDFs into Word docs. By observing the challenges admins faced, Smallpdf knew which products to target for improvement.

“Data is really good for discovery and validation, but there is a bit in the middle where you have to go and find the human.”

3. Conduct individual interviews

Interviews are one-on-one conversations with members of your target market. They allow you to dig deep and explore their concerns, which can lead to all sorts of revelations.

Listen more, talk less. Be curious.

Act like a journalist, not a salesperson. Rather than trying to talk your company up, ask people about their lives, their needs, their frustrations, and how a product like yours could help.

Ask "why?" so you can dig deeper. Get into the specifics and learn about their past behavior.

Record the conversation. Focus on the conversation and avoid relying solely on notes by recording the interview. There are plenty of services that will transcribe recorded conversations for a good price (including Hotjar!).

Avoid asking leading questions , which reveal bias on your part and pushes respondents to answer in a certain direction (e.g. “Have you taken advantage of the amazing new features we just released?).

Don't ask loaded questions , which sneak in an assumption which, if untrue, would make it impossible to answer honestly. For example, we can’t ask you, “What did you find most useful about this article?” without asking whether you found the article useful in the first place.

Be cautious when asking opinions about the future (or predictions of future behavior). Studies suggest that people aren’t very good at predicting their future behavior. This is due to several cognitive biases, from the misguided exceptionalism bias (we’re good at guessing what others will do, but we somehow think we’re different), to the optimism bias (which makes us see things with rose-colored glasses), to the ‘illusion of control’ (which makes us forget the role of randomness in future events).

How Smallpdf did it: Kristina explored her teacher user persona by speaking with university professors at a local graduate school. She learned that the school was mostly paperless and rarely used PDFs, so for the sake of time, she moved on to the admins.

A bit of a letdown? Sure. But this story highlights an important lesson: sometimes you follow a lead and come up short, so you have to make adjustments on the fly. Lean market research is about getting solid, actionable insights quickly so you can tweak things and see what works.

💡Pro tip: to save even more time, conduct remote interviews using an online user research service like Hotjar Engage , which automates the entire interview process, from recruitment and scheduling to hosting and recording.

You can interview your own customers or connect with people from our diverse pool of 200,000+ participants from 130+ countries and 25 industries. And no need to fret about taking meticulous notes—Engage will automatically transcribe the interview for you.

4. Analyze the data (without drowning in it)

The following techniques will help you wrap your head around the market data you collect without losing yourself in it. Remember, the point of lean market research is to find quick, actionable insights.

A flow model is a diagram that tracks the flow of information within a system. By creating a simple visual representation of how users interact with your product and each other, you can better assess their needs.

You’ll notice that admins are at the center of Smallpdf’s flow model, which represents the flow of PDF-related documents throughout a school. This flow model shows the challenges that admins face as they work to satisfy their own internal and external customers.

Affinity diagram

An affinity diagram is a way of sorting large amounts of data into groups to better understand the big picture. For example, if you ask your users about their profession, you’ll notice some general themes start to form, even though the individual responses differ. Depending on your needs, you could group them by profession, or more generally by industry.

We wrote a guide about how to analyze open-ended questions to help you sort through and categorize large volumes of response data. You can also do this by hand by clipping up survey responses or interview notes and grouping them (which is what Kristina does).

“For an interview, you will have somewhere between 30 and 60 notes, and those notes are usually direct phrases. And when you literally cut them up into separate pieces of paper and group them, they should make sense by themselves.”

Pro tip: if you’re conducting an online survey with Hotjar, keep your team in the loop by sharing survey responses automatically via our Slack and Microsoft Team integrations. Reading answers as they come in lets you digest the data in pieces and can help prepare you for identifying common themes when it comes time for analysis.

Hotjar lets you easily share survey responses with your team

Customer journey map

A customer journey map is a diagram that shows the way a typical prospect becomes a paying customer. It outlines their first interaction with your brand and every step in the sales cycle, from awareness to repurchase (and hopefully advocacy).

The above  customer journey map , created by our team at Hotjar, shows many ways a customer might engage with our tool. Your map will be based on your own data and business model.

📚 Read more: if you’re new to customer journey maps, we wrote this step-by-step guide to creating your first customer journey map in 2 and 1/2 days with free templates you can download and start using immediately.

Next steps: from research to results

So, how do you turn market research insights into tangible business results? Let’s look at the actions Smallpdf took after conducting their lean market research: first they implemented changes, then measured the impact.

Implement changes

Based on what Smallpdf learned about the challenges that one key user segment (admins) face when trying to convert PDFs into Word files, they improved their ‘PDF to Word’ conversion tool.

We won’t go into the details here because it involves a lot of technical jargon, but they made the entire process simpler and more straightforward for users. Plus, they made it so that their system recognized when you drop a PDF file into their ‘Word to PDF’ converter instead of the ‘PDF to Word’ converter, so users wouldn’t have to redo the task when they made that mistake. 

In other words: simple market segmentation for admins showed a business need that had to be accounted for, and customers are happier overall after Smallpdf implemented an informed change to their product.

Measure results

According to the Lean UX model, product and UX changes aren’t retained unless they achieve results.

Smallpdf’s changes produced:

A 75% reduction in error rate for the ‘PDF to Word’ converter

A 1% increase in NPS

Greater confidence in the team’s marketing efforts

"With all the changes said and done, we've cut our original error rate in four, which is huge. We increased our NPS by +1%, which isn't huge, but it means that of the users who received a file, they were still slightly happier than before, even if they didn't notice that anything special happened at all.”

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Market research (or marketing research) is any set of techniques used to gather information and better understand a company’s target market. This might include primary research on brand awareness and customer satisfaction or secondary market research on market size and competitive analysis. Businesses use this information to design better products, improve user experience, and craft a marketing strategy that attracts quality leads and improves conversion rates.

David Darmanin, one of Hotjar’s founders, launched two startups before Hotjar took off—but both companies crashed and burned. Each time, he and his team spent months trying to design an amazing new product and user experience, but they failed because they didn’t have a clear understanding of what the market demanded.

With Hotjar, they did things differently . Long story short, they conducted market research in the early stages to figure out what consumers really wanted, and the team made (and continues to make) constant improvements based on market and user research.

Without market research, it’s impossible to understand your users. Sure, you might have a general idea of who they are and what they need, but you have to dig deep if you want to win their loyalty.

Here’s why research matters:

Obsessing over your users is the only way to win. If you don’t care deeply about them, you’ll lose potential customers to someone who does.

Analytics gives you the ‘what’, while research gives you the ‘why’. Big data, user analytics , and dashboards can tell you what people do at scale, but only research can tell you what they’re thinking and why they do what they do. For example, analytics can tell you that customers leave when they reach your pricing page, but only research can explain why.

Research beats assumptions, trends, and so-called best practices. Have you ever watched your colleagues rally behind a terrible decision? Bad ideas are often the result of guesswork, emotional reasoning, death by best practices , and defaulting to the Highest Paid Person’s Opinion (HiPPO). By listening to your users and focusing on their customer experience , you’re less likely to get pulled in the wrong direction.

Research keeps you from planning in a vacuum. Your team might be amazing, but you and your colleagues simply can’t experience your product the way your customers do. Customers might use your product in a way that surprises you, and product features that seem obvious to you might confuse them. Over-planning and refusing to test your assumptions is a waste of time, money, and effort because you’ll likely need to make changes once your untested business plan gets put into practice.

Lean User Experience (UX) design is a model for continuous improvement that relies on quick, efficient research to understand customer needs and test new product features.

Lean market research can help you become more...

Efficient: it gets you closer to your customers, faster.

Cost-effective: no need to hire an expensive marketing firm to get things started.

Competitive: quick, powerful insights can place your products on the cutting edge.

As a small business or sole proprietor, conducting lean market research is an attractive option when investing in a full-blown research project might seem out of scope or budget.

There are lots of different ways you could conduct market research and collect customer data, but you don’t have to limit yourself to just one research method. Four common types of market research techniques include surveys, interviews, focus groups, and customer observation.

Which method you use may vary based on your business type: ecommerce business owners have different goals from SaaS businesses, so it’s typically prudent to mix and match these methods based on your particular goals and what you need to know.

1. Surveys: the most commonly used

Surveys are a form of qualitative research that ask respondents a short series of open- or closed-ended questions, which can be delivered as an on-screen questionnaire or via email. When we asked 2,000 Customer Experience (CX) professionals about their company’s approach to research , surveys proved to be the most commonly used market research technique.

What makes online surveys so popular?  

They’re easy and inexpensive to conduct, and you can do a lot of data collection quickly. Plus, the data is pretty straightforward to analyze, even when you have to analyze open-ended questions whose answers might initially appear difficult to categorize.

We've built a number of survey templates ready and waiting for you. Grab a template and share with your customers in just a few clicks.

💡 Pro tip: you can also get started with Hotjar AI for Surveys to create a survey in mere seconds . Just enter your market research goal and watch as the AI generates a survey and populates it with relevant questions. 

Once you’re ready for data analysis, the AI will prepare an automated research report that succinctly summarizes key findings, quotes, and suggested next steps.

An example research report generated by Hotjar AI for Surveys

2. Interviews: the most insightful

Interviews are one-on-one conversations with members of your target market. Nothing beats a face-to-face interview for diving deep (and reading non-verbal cues), but if an in-person meeting isn’t possible, video conferencing is a solid second choice.

Regardless of how you conduct it, any type of in-depth interview will produce big benefits in understanding your target customers.

What makes interviews so insightful?

By speaking directly with an ideal customer, you’ll gain greater empathy for their experience , and you can follow insightful threads that can produce plenty of 'Aha!' moments.

3. Focus groups: the most unreliable

Focus groups bring together a carefully selected group of people who fit a company’s target market. A trained moderator leads a conversation surrounding the product, user experience, or marketing message to gain deeper insights.

What makes focus groups so unreliable?

If you’re new to market research, we wouldn’t recommend starting with focus groups. Doing it right is expensive , and if you cut corners, your research could fall victim to all kinds of errors. Dominance bias (when a forceful participant influences the group) and moderator style bias (when different moderator personalities bring about different results in the same study) are two of the many ways your focus group data could get skewed.

4. Observation: the most powerful

During a customer observation session, someone from the company takes notes while they watch an ideal user engage with their product (or a similar product from a competitor).

What makes observation so clever and powerful?

‘Fly-on-the-wall’ observation is a great alternative to focus groups. It’s not only less expensive, but you’ll see people interact with your product in a natural setting without influencing each other. The only downside is that you can’t get inside their heads, so observation still isn't a recommended replacement for customer surveys and interviews.

The following questions will help you get to know your users on a deeper level when you interview them. They’re general questions, of course, so don’t be afraid to make them your own.

1. Who are you and what do you do?

How you ask this question, and what you want to know, will vary depending on your business model (e.g. business-to-business marketing is usually more focused on someone’s profession than business-to-consumer marketing).

It’s a great question to start with, and it’ll help you understand what’s relevant about your user demographics (age, race, gender, profession, education, etc.), but it’s not the be-all-end-all of market research. The more specific questions come later.

2. What does your day look like?

This question helps you understand your users’ day-to-day life and the challenges they face. It will help you gain empathy for them, and you may stumble across something relevant to their buying habits.

3. Do you ever purchase [product/service type]?

This is a ‘yes or no’ question. A ‘yes’ will lead you to the next question.

4. What problem were you trying to solve or what goal were you trying to achieve?

This question strikes to the core of what someone’s trying to accomplish and why they might be willing to pay for your solution.

5. Take me back to the day when you first decided you needed to solve this kind of problem or achieve this goal.

This is the golden question, and it comes from Adele Revella, Founder and CEO of Buyer Persona Institute . It helps you get in the heads of your users and figure out what they were thinking the day they decided to spend money to solve a problem.

If you take your time with this question, digging deeper where it makes sense, you should be able to answer all the relevant information you need to understand their perspective.

“The only scripted question I want you to ask them is this one: take me back to the day when you first decided that you needed to solve this kind of problem or achieve this kind of a goal. Not to buy my product, that’s not the day. We want to go back to the day that when you thought it was urgent and compelling to go spend money to solve a particular problem or achieve a goal. Just tell me what happened.”

— Adele Revella , Founder/CEO at Buyer Persona Institute

Bonus question: is there anything else you’d like to tell me?

This question isn’t just a nice way to wrap it up—it might just give participants the opportunity they need to tell you something you really need to know.

That’s why Sarah Doody, author of UX Notebook , adds it to the end of her written surveys.

“I always have a last question, which is just open-ended: “Is there anything else you would like to tell me?” And sometimes, that’s where you get four paragraphs of amazing content that you would never have gotten if it was just a Net Promoter Score [survey] or something like that.”

What is the difference between qualitative and quantitative research?

Qualitative research asks questions that can’t be reduced to a number, such as, “What is your job title?” or “What did you like most about your customer service experience?” 

Quantitative research asks questions that can be answered with a numeric value, such as, “What is your annual salary?” or “How was your customer service experience on a scale of 1-5?”

 → Read more about the differences between qualitative and quantitative user research .

How do I do my own market research?

You can do your own quick and effective market research by 

Surveying your customers

Building user personas

Studying your users through interviews and observation

Wrapping your head around your data with tools like flow models, affinity diagrams, and customer journey maps

What is the difference between market research and user research?

Market research takes a broad look at potential customers—what problems they’re trying to solve, their buying experience, and overall demand. User research, on the other hand, is more narrowly focused on the use (and usability ) of specific products.

What are the main criticisms of market research?

Many marketing professionals are critical of market research because it can be expensive and time-consuming. It’s often easier to convince your CEO or CMO to let you do lean market research rather than something more extensive because you can do it yourself. It also gives you quick answers so you can stay ahead of the competition.

Do I need a market research firm to get reliable data?

Absolutely not! In fact, we recommend that you start small and do it yourself in the beginning. By following a lean market research strategy, you can uncover some solid insights about your clients. Then you can make changes, test them out, and see whether the results are positive. This is an excellent strategy for making quick changes and remaining competitive.

Net Promoter, Net Promoter System, Net Promoter Score, NPS, and the NPS-related emoticons are registered trademarks of Bain & Company, Inc., Fred Reichheld, and Satmetrix Systems, Inc.

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How to Write a Winning Market Research Proposal

The current pandemic may have curbed our travel, but that doesn’t mean we don’t all still know the value of having good maps and a suggested itinerary. Indeed, a solid plan of action makes any endeavor — whether it be a fun-filled vacation, an educational goal, or a professional enterprise — more focused, less stressful, and, thus, more effective. It doesn’t matter if life interrupts our plans (“Hello, COVID-19!”); in fact, interruptions are a given, but we still know that good plans prepare us for whatever lies ahead. They help us to define our priorities and clarify our needs so that we can better manage our resources. The result: we are better prepared to handle uncertainties and more formidable and more productive in whatever we choose to do.

For businesses, good plans are based on good research. More than good products and services, good information sets profitable companies apart from their competition, allowing them to prepare for — and plan for — success. This is why market research proposals are so important. A market research proposal is a document a company uses to map out its future. It unites company stakeholders in joint discovery of information so that everyone knows who and what really matters. In short, a market research proposal outlines the specifics of an information-gathering project. This is how to write a winning one:

Keep It Brief

A market research proposal is sometimes called a “market research brief” because it's just that: brief. It should also be clearly written with no unusual acronyms or industry jargon and only the necessary points to underscore the overall research objective (as well as how it will be addressed) highlighted.

Include a Company Overview

The beginning of the proposal should include a short overview of the company, including such details as its mission and vision statements; market performance history; industry facts, figures, and trends; competitor data points and any other past research findings that shed light on the issue(s) at hand and why further research is needed.

Clearly Define the Objective

The research objective is the most important part of the proposal, as it clearly outlines the information a company needs, and, thus, defines the overall goal of the project. It’s basically the question a company wants to be answered and needs to be specific and measurable (but not necessarily quantitative) with the desired outcome.

Explain the Research Methodology

Of course, a market research proposal should also include a section explaining how the information to address the research objective will be obtained. Details about data collection (including the definition of the target audience, sample selection criteria, and proposed methodology) need to be clarified (since specific demographic, technological, economic, political, and even environmental concerns inevitably impact research outcomes) and should be evident with reasons for their use thoroughly transparent.

List Expected Outcomes

Finally, a good market research proposal needs to include a list of expected outcomes. An estimation of budget concerns, as well as a timeline for specific research milestones and project completion, should be listed here, along with an overview of projected deliverables to be anticipated. This helps both company executives and researchers to remain focused and on point.

Ready to Learn More?

A winning market research proposal isn’t just the one that seals the deal on a research project. It’s the one that provides actionable insights for companies and researchers alike. Following a determined set of standards, a winning market research proposal has the potential to garner data that can be used to inform better business decisions. Our team at Research America has the expertise needed to craft winning market research proposals that yield meaningful results for all involved. Please contact us to learn more.

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How to Write Product Proposals That Land Deals (+Examples)

Learn how to write product proposals with our expert tips. Discover inspiring product proposal examples and use templates to create your best deck yet.

8 minute read

helped business professionals at:

Short answer

What is a product proposal?

A product proposal is a document that outlines the concept, benefits, and roadmap of a new product. It's designed to persuade stakeholders or investors by showcasing the product's potential and how it addresses specific user needs or bridges market gaps.

Why do most product proposals fail?

Your product proposal is competing for attention against an army of competitors. For a busy decision-maker, 99% of proposals look alike.

Most product proposals fail because they fail to stand out. What are you doing to be that 1% that makes it in the door?

Stick around, and I’ll teach you how to write a product proposal that opens doors.

You’ll also get concrete examples and templates of product proposals that worked well for others like you.

Let’s dive in!

What should be included in a product proposal?

Creating a product proposal presentation is like painting a picture of your product's future – it needs to be vivid, compelling, and memorable.

Here's a list of essential elements to include, ensuring your proposal captures attention and convinces readers to buy into your vision.

11 elements of a product proposal:

Engaging introduction: Begin with a headline that grabs attention and succinctly presents your product idea.

Product overview: Provide a concise yet thorough summary of your product, highlighting its unique aspects.

Target market analysis: Clearly define and describe the intended market for your product, emphasizing its relevance to this group.

Consumer advantages: Clearly list the key benefits your product offers to its users and the problem it solves.

Market comparison: Analyze similar products in the market, showcasing how your product differentiates and excels.

Development roadmap: Outline the key stages in your product's development, including current progress and future goals.

Team: Introduce yourself, highlighting your background and experiences that add credibility to the product's success.

Promotional strategies: Detail your plans for marketing and promoting your product.

Pricing strategy: Discuss your product's pricing model, explaining how it aligns with market expectations and product value.

Financial projections: Provide calculated estimates of potential earnings, costs, and overall financial growth expectations.

Next step: End with a clear call to action, guiding readers on what to do next.

What is the best product proposal format?

When it comes to product proposals, format is key. The most popular product proposal formats include traditional documents and PowerPoint presentations.

Documents are great for detailed, text-heavy content, allowing for in-depth explanations and comprehensive data presentation.

PowerPoint presentations, on the other hand, are excellent for visually driven pitches, making them ideal for capturing attention with graphics and concise points.

Interactive decks combine the best of both worlds – the detail of documents and the visual appeal of presentations.

They stand out for their dynamic nature, allowing viewers to engage with the content through clickable elements, embedded videos, and interactive data visualizations.

It's a format that not only tells but shows the potential of your product, making it a powerful tool in any salesperson's arsenal.

You can see what an interactive product proposal looks like below:

Product proposal examples that sell your idea

Exploring product proposal examples is a great way to understand what leads to success.

In this section, we showcase a variety of proposals that have effectively achieved their goals, whether it’s securing investment, impressing stakeholders, or launching a product with a bang.

We'll break down what makes each example stand out. You'll see how clear communication, creative presentation, and a solid understanding of the audience and market come together to create a persuasive and impactful product proposal.

Product marketing proposal

This product marketing proposal outlines a strategic approach to boost business efficiency and growth, leveraging tailored consulting solutions to overcome common industry challenges.

What makes this product proposal example great:

Strategic insights and custom solutions: It offers actionable strategies and custom solutions tailored to specific business challenges, demonstrating a deep understanding of dynamic market needs.

Quantifiable success metrics: The proposal highlights proven impacts, such as revenue growth, market expansion, and client satisfaction rates, providing tangible evidence of its effectiveness.

Engaging and interactive presentation: Utilizing an interactive format, the proposal engages readers with a compelling narrative and easy-to-navigate sections, enhancing the overall user experience.

Product supply proposal

This product supply proposal shows how a well-structured presentation, combined with a clear value proposition and user-friendly design elements, can effectively communicate the benefits of a product, encouraging potential clients to take the next step.

Clear value proposition: The proposal effectively communicates a clear value proposition, emphasizing how the presented solutions address inefficiencies in IT systems.

Narrated design: It employs a narrated design approach in the key features section, making it easy for readers to understand the benefits of the offered solutions.

Embedded calendar for easy scheduling: Embedding your calendar in the deck simplifies the process for potential clients to schedule a meeting or demo, enhancing user engagement and facilitating immediate action.

Private label product proposal

This proposal effectively utilizes multimedia elements and customization options to enhance engagement and provide comprehensive insights into the product's value proposition.

Video on the cover: Incorporating a video on the cover page immediately engages viewers, providing a dynamic introduction to the product and setting the tone for the proposal.

Option to embed external links: The proposal includes the ability to embed a link to a detailed case study, offering potential clients a deeper insight into the product's impact and success stories.

Easy personalization: It offers the flexibility to easily create personalized versions of the deck in just a few clicks, allowing for a tailored presentation that can address the specific needs and interests of different clients.

Product distribution proposal

This product distribution proposal is designed to efficiently outline a strategic approach for expanding market reach through various distribution channels, leveraging digital tools for customization and adaptability.

What makes this product distribution proposal example great:

Easily customizable logo placeholders: The proposal includes easily customizable logo placeholders, allowing for quick branding personalization that aligns with the distributor or partner's corporate identity.

Option to edit details after sending the deck: It offers the flexibility to edit details even after the deck has been sent, ensuring that the information remains up-to-date and can be adjusted based on ongoing discussions or feedback.

Option to segment content in tabs: You can segment the content in tabs, making the proposal easy to navigate and allowing readers to quickly access the information most relevant to them.

Product development proposal

This product development proposal is crafted to showcase a strategic approach for creating innovative solutions, utilizing a dynamic and interactive presentation format that emphasizes key information and engages stakeholders.

What makes this product development proposal example great:

Use of grayed-out content: The proposal smartly uses grayed-out content to subtly guide the reader's attention towards the most critical information, ensuring focus on key points and decisions.

Various image and video placeholders: It is equipped with a variety of image and video placeholders, allowing for a rich, multimedia presentation of the product concept, features, and potential impact, making the proposal more engaging.

Option to add an accept button: Including an 'Accept' button streamlines the decision-making process and facilitates quicker progression to the next stages of development.

Software product proposal

This product proposal is designed to present a software solution that combines the charm of retro gaming with modern technology. This deck is ideal for showcasing software products that appeal to both nostalgia and contemporary user needs.

What makes this product proposal great:

Captivating introduction: The deck starts with a compelling introduction that sets the stage for the software's unique features and potential impact.

Mission and vision communication: The proposal articulates a mission that focuses on reconnecting generations through the shared joy of gaming, adding depth to the product's purpose.

Interactive elements for user experience: It incorporates interactive elements like demos or virtual tours, enhancing user engagement and understanding.

Physical product proposal

This physical proposal deck is specifically designed for introducing a tangible product, in this case, high-end headphones. It combines technical details with a focus on user experience, making it ideal for a product that blends technology with lifestyle.

Engaging product storytelling: The proposal opens with a compelling narrative about the product, focusing on its unique features and user benefits.

Strategic market positioning: It features a market analysis section, focusing on positioning the product in a competitive landscape.

Target audience identification: It includes a section for defining the target audience, focusing on demographics, preferences, and buying behaviors.

Product business proposal

This proposal is a specialized presentation designed to effectively communicate a product's strategic plan and development journey. It's crafted to be both informative and engaging, with features that enhance the presentation and understanding of the product strategy.

Interactive timeline: It features an interactive timeline that allows viewers to explore the key value propositions.

Built-in analytics panel: The deck features a built-in analytics panel that tracks its performance. This tool provides valuable insights into viewer engagement, helping to measure the effectiveness of the proposal and make data-driven improvements.

Smart CTA with an embedded calendar: The proposal includes a smart call-to-action feature with an embedded calendar, enabling readers to easily schedule a meeting or consultation directly from the proposal.

How to write a product proposal?

Crafting a product proposal is like telling a compelling story where your product is the protagonist. It's not just about listing features; it's about weaving a narrative that captivates, convinces, and converts. Here’s how you can do it in a few simple steps.

7 steps to write a product proposal:

1) Understand your audience

Know who you're speaking to. Whether it's investors, stakeholders, or potential customers, understanding their needs and expectations is crucial. Tailor your product proposal to address their specific interests and concerns.

2) Define your product’s unique value

What makes your product unique? Focus on the features that set your product apart from the competition. Explain how it solves a problem or fulfills a need better than anything else out there.

3) Structure your proposal effectively

Start with an engaging introduction that piques interest, such as a surprising statistic or a relatable anecdote.

Then, detail your product with a focus on benefits, not just features. Conclude with a call to action that's clear and compelling, like inviting stakeholders to a demo. Make sure every section flows logically into the next.

4) Use persuasive language

Your choice of words can make a big difference. Use persuasive language that evokes emotion and creates a sense of urgency. However, avoid over-exaggeration; stay credible and authentic.

For example, instead of saying, "Our product increases productivity," say, "Imagine reclaiming 10 hours a week with our productivity tool." This approach makes the benefit tangible and personal.

If you want to learn more, check out our guide on how to make a persuasive presentation .

5) Provide concrete data and research

Support your proposal with market research, user testimonials, or case studies. For instance, use data to show market trends that support the need for your product, or include a case study of a beta tester who significantly benefited from your product. Use generative AI to gather such insights.

6) Address potential concerns

Identify potential objections and address them head-on. For example, if cost might be a concern, include a comparative analysis showing long-term savings compared to competitors. This approach demonstrates foresight and builds trust.

7) End with a memorable conclusion

Your conclusion should be more than a summary; it should be a final, persuasive pitch. For instance, conclude with, "Be a part of the revolution in enhancing project management efficiency by arranging a demo with us today."

You can also embed your calendar directly into the proposal to make taking that next step easier than ever.

Here's a great example of a deck with an embedded calendar:

Similarly, adding an 'Accept' button to your proposal can streamline the decision-making process. This simple yet powerful feature dramatically reduces friction, letting your clients commit with just a single click.

This effectively shortens the sales cycle, paving the way for quicker, more efficient business transactions.

Here's an example of a deck with an accept button:

How to design a product proposal?

Designing a product proposal is about creating a visual journey that captivates and informs. It's not just about what you say; it's about how you present it.

A well-designed proposal can significantly enhance the impact of your message, turning a simple document into an engaging experience.

7 design tips for your product proposal:

1) Embrace scrollytelling

Scrollytelling , or scroll-based storytelling, brings your proposal to life, turning static information into an interactive journey. As the reader scrolls, they're drawn into a story that unfolds with each swipe, keeping them engaged and interested.

Here's a great example of scrollytelling in action:

2) Personalize your deck

Personalize your proposal by integrating with a CRM to automatically extract elements like the prospect's name or company name. This level of personalization shows attention to detail and creates a connection with the prospect, making the proposal feel tailor-made for them.

Here's an example of a personalized proposal slide:

3) Use data visualization

Go beyond basic charts and graphs. For example, use interactive timelines to show market trends or animated graphs to demonstrate user growth. This approach makes complex data easily digestible and engaging.

Here's a great example of data visualization use:

4) Include visuals and demonstrations

High-quality images, videos, or even interactive demos can significantly enhance your proposal. They allow the reader to see your product in action, providing a clearer understanding of its features and benefits.

For instance, a short video demo can be more effective than pages of text in explaining how your product works.

Here's an example of a visual proposal:

5) Design for all devices

In today's mobile-first world, your proposal needs to look great on any device. Responsive design ensures that your proposal adapts to different screen sizes, providing a seamless experience whether it's viewed on a desktop, tablet, or smartphone.

Here's what a responsive deck looks like:

6) Use consistent branding

Your proposal should reflect your brand's identity. Consistent use of colors, fonts, and logos reinforces your brand and builds trust. Every element of your proposal should align with your brand's aesthetic and values.

Here's an example of a branded deck:

7) Add interactive elements

Incorporate interactive elements like clickable tabs, expandable sections, or embedded ROI calculators that prospects can adjust to see the potential return on their investment.

These features not only make your proposal more engaging but also allow readers to explore your product in a way that's hands-on and make its benefits more tangible.

Here's a great example of an interactive slide:

Interactive product proposal templates

Crafting a proposal from scratch requires not only a deep understanding of your product but also skills in design, storytelling, and data presentation.

This is where interactive product proposal templates become invaluable. They offer a well-structured starting point, saving you from the blank slide syndrome and hours of design work.

With customizable features, these templates allow you to infuse your brand's identity and tailor the content to your product's unique story.

Grab one from the library below.

Hi, I'm Dominika, Content Specialist at Storydoc. As a creative professional with experience in fashion, I'm here to show you how to amplify your brand message through the power of storytelling and eye-catching visuals.

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How to Write a Marketing Research Proposal

• Small Business
• Advertising & Marketing
• Market Research
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How to Design a Focus Group Research Proposal

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• How to Use Social Media for Qualitative Market Research
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Marketing research is at the heart of addressing the four P’s of marketing: product, price, place and promotion. That is, the product must satisfy a need, be priced at the right level in a place where it will be seen by the right people and promoted to generate sales. The proposal is a rationale for undertaking a research project and as such it must be persuasive, written in non-technical language and thorough in its analysis.

Purpose and Scope

The marketing research proposal’s primary function is to state the question that the research will attempt to answer. The proposal may attempt to determine how to introduce a new product or to find out why sales are lagging with an established product. In addition to stating the objective, the proposal should include a descriptive background that provides the context of why the ultimate goal is important. If cost is a factor -- and it usually is -- the proposal should include an estimate. A timeline with major milestones or Gantt chart might be appropriate if the proposed research is of significant scope.

The Marketing Environment

Marketing research must include an overview of the marketing environment. Environmental factors include cultural issues (demographic trends and attitudes), technological issues (the internet and data interchange), competitive factors (pricing, service and speed) and economic concerns (competition and unemployment). Even the global market must be considered since the product may be made in a faraway land and compete with imports from other offshore locations.

Data Sources

Data can be gathered from primary or secondary sources. Primary sources include interviews, focus groups, surveys -- either face-to-face or online -- and customer feedback. Customers and prospective customers answer questions, discuss likes and dislikes and provide opinions about existing products; this information can illuminate prior market performance. Primary sources can be expensive or hard to obtain, so secondary sources provide alternative sources of information. Secondary sources include government publications, online searches, magazines, clipping services and trade organizations.

Methodology

Data analysis can be descriptive or statistical. Whatever measurement techniques are used, the researcher must be careful to maintain objectivity. In this section of the proposal the researcher must lay out the methodology that will be used to interpret the data, including a blend of research from primary and secondary sources. Qualitative aspects might include anecdotal evidence, measurement of the intensity of emotions from respondents, compiling consensus opinions from multiple inputs and the like. Quantitative analysis using figures can measure data precisely, offering exact outcomes for the hypothesis being tested. Alternative research methods should be explained to justify their inclusion.

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Thomas Metcalf has worked as an economist, stockbroker and technology salesman. A writer since 1997, he has written a monthly column for "Life Association News," authored several books and contributed to national publications such as the History Channel's "HISTORY Magazine." Metcalf holds a master's degree in economics from Tufts University.

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Free Marketing Research Proposal Template

Fully editable with custom branding and templated offering.

Bonsai has helped create 1,023,928 documents and counting.

Table of contents

What is a Marketing research proposal?

A marketing research proposal is a document designed to sell your services by showing potential clients the research that you will carry out for their project. Whether you’re a freelance marketing consultant or you have your own marketing agency, a market research proposal will cover what research needs to be done, how you’ll go about it, and why they should choose you for the project.

A proposal is typically one of the first points of contact that you have with an organization. Therefore, it’s a chance to make a strong first impression.

Note: Sign up now to get your free marketing research proposal template that will make yours stand out for all the right reasons.

What to include in the Marketing research proposal

A market research proposal will outline your market research plan and each critical step you need to take to perform the necessary research. It usually consists of three parts.

• Introduction: This includes project objectives and scope, target market, and methodology, including data collection methods.
• Discussion: This covers existing knowledge of the market, case studies or competitor analysis, a project timeline, proposed budget, deliverables, and ethical considerations. ‍
• Summary: This concludes what you expect to achieve from the market research, how it will support the initial objectives, and why your company is the best for the job.

Introduction

At the top of any market research proposal template should be the title of your document followed by who it has been written by and who it’s for. You can also include both company addresses here if you wish.

Proceed to outline the project description and the purpose of performing the market research. What are you trying to achieve? Why is this research needed? Who will be conducting it? What problem are you trying to solve for the client?

You should also include a methodology section in your introduction. The research methodology should dive into what primary and secondary research will be conducted, how data will be collected, and the expected outcomes. As a freelance researcher, you’ll already know this, but it’s worth covering what’s included in each to the client:

• Primary research is research that you carry out yourself in the form of two research methods: qualitative and quantitative research. Qualitative research relies on first-hand observation from things like interviews, questionnaires, and focus groups. Quantitative research, on the other hand, relies on the collection and analysis of data from an online survey and polls.
• Secondary research is research that has already been published and comes from secondary sources. This may include academic literature, print publications, and online studies.

It’s important to give an overview of your target audience in your methodology too.

For instance, if your client is trying to determine whether it’s a good time to launch a new product, your methodology in your market research proposal would explain how you plan to arrange a focus group with their target audience of females aged 16-24. Being present in the meeting, asking the right questions, and making notes to refer to later on would confirm whether the prospective product could be useful and — ultimately — successful.

The discussion section of your marketing research proposal is typically the meatiest. It’s where you should demonstrate what you already know about the industry and company, while getting into the finer details of the market research project.

• Existing Industry Knowledge: Prospective clients are likely going to want to hire someone who knows what they’re talking about. Right? Demonstrate that’s you by discussing the market and how it’s being affected in terms of the PEST analysis (politically, economically, socioculturally, and technologically). You can also cover case studies or a competitor analysis of companies that have already undertaken the same research and achieved similar goals.
• Timeline: For the research items that you listed in your methodology, include time frames of when each one will be conducted. You don’t have to be super precise here — it’s more about giving your client a realistic idea of the timings of key project milestones. However, exact details can be tweaked and laid out in a marketing research contract once your proposal and project quote has been approved.
• Proposed Budget: Any market research proposal template has to include a budgeting section. This is where you would break down how much you expect the research to cost, while offsetting it with how the client can make the most out of their investment. Just like with the timeline, the information doesn’t have to be exact at this stage. It’s more a rough estimate to ensure that the project expectations of both parties align.
• Deliverables: This section should answer any questions that a prospective client may have on the general organization of the project. In other words, it should tell them how you plan to present the research and its findings, whether it’s in the form of a one-off report, series of meetings, or collaborative Google Docs. You may choose to hand-deliver a printed copy of your findings or email through a PDF file. Either way, this section is a significant part of a market research proposal as the findings taken from the document need to be actionable by the marketing team.
• Ethical Considerations: This part of the market research proposal should outline any ethical issues that may arise throughout the course of your research, from conflicts of interest to concerns about supplier relationships. It should also cover how you plan to deal with participants, data gathering, and privacy issues before the project has even begun.

For example, you may write something like the following: “Each participant will be told that their input in this research is voluntary. They will be provided with a form to assure them that their data will remain confidential for the purposes of this research and won’t be used by third parties. They must sign this form in person or we can accept digital signatures to consent to these terms.”

The summary tends to be the shortest section of your market research proposal. It’s where you would refer back to the initial project objectives and conclude the desired outcomes from the market research.

It’s a good idea to end on a punchy note by describing why your potential client should become an actual client.

• What can your company offer to this project that no other company can?
• Why are you the perfect person or team to perform the research?
• What makes this proposal unique?

Don’t lose sight of the fact that you’re trying to convince somebody (or some people) of your value. You want them to take action after reading your proposal, which is why you should include a compelling Call-To-Action (CTA). Let them know what the next steps entail, and how to take them.

How to write a Marketing research proposal

The truth is, it’s difficult to draft a market research proposal without some key information from your prospective client.

To gather all of the details you need to create a winning marketing research proposal, follow the below steps.

Find out exactly what the client wants to achieve

During your initial email or phone discussion, ask your client what they want to get out of the research. Are they rebranding and want to redefine their target market? Or are they testing out a new product with a small group of people before unleashing it to the masses?

Either way, it’s useful to know their final goals so that you can start to make a plan on how to help them achieve them.

Discuss the finer details

Alongside your prospective client’s research objectives, you need to find out more details in terms of their:

• Target demographics
• Project deadline
• Project budget

You should also ask them if there’s any other key information that they would like you to include in the market research proposal. This will ensure that you have everything you need upfront without having to make extensive edits later on.

Figure out what sets you apart

Keep in mind that you haven’t been awarded the job yet. A work proposal is essentially a sales document — it almost serves as a resume before the client decides that you’re the ideal person to hire.

As such, do some company research to put you ahead of your competition. Is there a link you can make with the company based on your background and interests? Why should they care about you? What do you offer that no one else does?

Be sure to feature all of this information in your market researching proposal, and don’t be afraid of highlighting your strengths and wins.

Creating a Marketing research proposal is simple with Bonsai

There's plenty to think about when conducting marketing research, which is why you can make life a little simpler with Bonsai. Bonsai's all-in-one tool for small businesses, freelancers, and entrepreneurs streamlines administrative tasks and covers all bases when it comes to proposals, contracts, and invoices.

You can find a template specific to market research and edit it to meet your needs in minutes. Then all you have to do is send it off to your client, which you can do without even leaving the platform. Talk about a time- and energy-saver!

The marketing research proposal template is professional and refined in structure. This provides clarity to your potential client by laying out exactly what you can do for them within their timeline and budget.

Simply enter your information, sit back, and be prepared to wow your prospective client so much that they hire you on the spot.

Note : Sign up for free and get started!

Marketing research proposal FAQs

How long should a marketing research proposal be.

A market research proposal should be concise and fluff-free. It should cover all the obligatory information without dragging it out. After all, prospective clients are busy reviewing other proposals and working on further aspects of their business.

The perfect length is between 1-2 pages, but try to ensure that it’s no more than 3.

What should the tone and writing style of a marketing research proposal be?

Because your market research proposal is only a couple of pages long, the writing style should be clear and easy to read. The language should be simple, everyday, and familiar, using short sentences that get to the point and won’t clutter up the document.

The tone of your plan should be informative and position you as the expert to leave a positive, long-lasting impression on your prospective client.

What is the main purpose of marketing research?

Marketing research aims to investigate and assess how certain factors influence consumer behavior. This provides key insights that are relevant to decision making.

Marketing research can identify new business opportunities and avoid business failures. That said, above all, it can be used to inform a company’s marketing strategy to help them achieve their business goals.

How do you write a marketing research proposal?

What is market research and examples, what is research proposal template.

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Market Research Proposal

Setting the direction for any market research effort is an essential and critical step that you have to consider whenever you would like to look into the trends in the marketplace or assess the key factors that affect the purchasing decisions of your target audience. Before doing any program or activity related to the specified matter, you first have to know how to execute an effective proposal writing procedure.

Developing a comprehensive and detailed market research proposal can help you a lot in terms of organizing the market research processes that you would like to conduct as well as the resources that you will be needing.

• Google Docs

Size: A4, US

State the objectives, scope of work, research methodology, target market, and other such important information of your market research by downloading and using this above-shown research  proposal example  template. This ready-made template’s content can be edited and customized in various file formats such as MS Word, Pages, Gooogle Docs, and editable PDF. Hurry up and try it out now!

Market Research Proposal Example

Download and make use of this market research template so that you can conduct your market research effectively. Using this, you can conveniently outline the objectives and goals for your market research, thereby, saving you enough time to do other tasks related to the research. Edit and customize using  MS Word and Pages. You can also click on  multimedia project proposal examples .

Marketing Research Proposal Example

It is important to not let yourself get confused between a market research proposal and a marketing research proposal. The marketing research proposal deals with the presentation of potential promotional and advertising activities that can be implemented by a company to present and market its products, services, deals, and other offers while the marketing research proposal is focused on learning the market movement based on the market’s trends, activities, and size.

Proposal for Market Research Example

Size: 10 KB

If you want to create your market research proposal, one of the things that you can do to help you have an easier time when developing the document is to look into references like downloadable examples. Simply browse through the market research proposal examples in PDF that are available in this post so you can have an idea of how to properly create the best market research proposal for your business.

Free Market Research Proposal Example

Size: 340 KB

Importance of a Market Research Proposal

A market research proposal helps you properly think of the things that truly matter when it comes to the market research. With the help of this document, you can give priority to the factors and elements that can contribute to the advancement and growth of your business .

Using a market research proposal can also give you time to put together relevant and necessary processes that are most likely helpful in achieving not only the goals of your market research activities but the corporate goals of the business as well. Here are some of the reasons why you need to create and use a market research proposal:

1. A market research proposal is one of the most essential documents that are used by businesses to properly plan the entire process of their market research activities. It presents the outline of the market research’s goals and it also focuses on the action plans that can lead the business to the achievement of its objectives and vision.

2. A market research proposal can give an idea about the funding that is needed by the team to execute the activities for market research. Financial support from the organization is needed to be addressed to make sure that all plotted procedures will be implemented accordingly. You may also see business proposal examples .

Developing the market research proposal with the knowledge that funding will be given for its implementation can make the marketing team, as well as the other people involved in the activity, become more proactive and efficient as it is most likely that what they envisioned and planned will be realized.

3. A market research proposal, especially one that contains a marketing SWOT analysis and a market condition overview, can help you look into the external and internal factors that affect your business operations.

The knowledge about the nature of your business, the competition that you need to look out for, the threats and risks that you need to prepare for, the needs and demands of your audience, the movement and shifts in the marketplace, and the opportunities that you should grab can make you become more well-rounded and multifaceted when drafting the market research proposal that you would like to present. You may also check out project proposal examples .

4. A market research proposal can discuss the milestones that are expected to be achieved by the business with the help of market research strategies and general action plans . Hence, this document can persuade and convince its target audience that a proposed market research activity must be approved especially if expected results can excessively benefit the business or provide a solution to its current issues, problems, and concerns.

Sample Marketing Research Proposal Example

Size: 90 KB

Proposal for Marketing Research and Market Intelligence Example

Size: 607 KB

Market Research and Analysis Report for Proposal Referencing Example

Size: 152 KB

Market Research Proposal Content

Different market research proposals have different sections, clauses, or areas of discussion. The content of a market research proposal depends on the purpose of its usage, the scope of the activity, the expected returns of the business, the professional goals of the market research, and the relation of the document’s usage to the vision of the business.

Even if there are differences when it comes to the information that you can see in many market research proposals used in various industries, there are still common or usual information that is seen in any market research proposal. Some of the details that are essential to be included in a market research proposal are as follows:

1. Develop a hypothesis. This is very important as you need to present the potential impacts of the market research proposal when implemented. This can also help you identify the ways on how you can interlink or align all the elements that are essential for the successful execution of all the market research proposal’s areas. You may also see short proposal examples .

2. Present an overview of the market research activities that you would like the business to consider. You have to sum up the intent of the market research as well as the output that you expect from it. More so, you have to discuss the feasibility, attainability, and sustainability of your general plans . Being able to showcase these strengths can help your market research proposal become more appealing and relevant.

3. Just like when making a development project proposal , use a timeline that can give an idea of the entire duration of the market research proposal’s actual usage. You have to set time frames where specific deliverables should be seen or observed already. With this, you can ensure your target audience that the proposal is time-bound and realistic.

4. Especially if you will use technical terms, a proper definition of terms is highly suggested to be included in your market research proposal. This part of the document can make the general proposal more understandable for any reasonable person.

5. Know your targets so you can easily come up with the methodology that is relevant to your needs. All the practices and activities that you would like to immerse in should be thoroughly defined in the document so that the general analysis of the measures of your proposal can be objectively done.

6. Discuss the current market conditions in the marketplace where your business belongs. Aside from the trends that you need to consider, you also have to list down the opportunities that the business can take to help it achieve its goals and return of investments.

Marketing Information Management System Research Proposal Example

Size: 399 KB

Research Proposal Usable for Market Study Example

Size: 99 KB

Market Research and Developing a Marketing Plan Proposal Example

Market Research Conduct and Proposal Drafting Example

Size: 131 KB

Discussion Flow for a Simple Market Research Proposal

The format and discussion flow of the market research proposal can contribute to the document’s successes, or the lack thereof. This is the reason why you have to be careful with how you will present the market research proposal to your audience. You have to ensure that the document is visually pleasing and well-organized so that people will not have a hard time reviewing its content. You may also see  freelance proposal examples .

A basic discussion flow that you can use when presenting the details of your market research proposal are listed below:

• The title of your market research  proposal sample
• The date when the market research proposal has been made and the dates of its updates
• The name of the company who can benefit from the document
• The name of the person who prepared the proposal and the department or division where he or she is assigned at
• The executive summary of the market research proposal
• The objectives of the market research proposal
• The current condition of the business and the market as well as other important existing knowledge
• The expected output of the document’s usage, when approved
• The demographics targeted by the business with the help of the market research proposal
• The processes of data gathering, collection, assessment, and presentation
• The methodology that will be applied for the  research project plan intended for a particular market
• The dates and periods where particular tasks should already be done
• The budget proposed by the team or the individual who made the proposal
• Any ethical considerations that must be looked into before the implementation of the market research

Proposal to Conduct Consumer Experience of Care Surveys or Market Research

Size: 103 KB

Request for Proposal for Solicitation for Contract for Market Research Example

Size: 344 KB

Marketing Research Group Project Proposal Example

Marketing Research Firm Proposal Example

Size: 477 KB

Tips to Develop an Impressive Market Research Proposal

Aside from having an advertising and marketing business plan , you should also have a market research plan. It is not enough for you to rely on your knowledge about the things that you can control. You also have to think of the elements that are not within your hands like the trends in the marketplace and the reaction of your audience and competition with regards to these trends and/or any other market changes.

Listed below are a few of the tips that you can use if you want to develop an impressive market research proposal for your business:

1. Since a market research proposal is one of the first documents that you will be needing for your market research, you have to ensure that the content of the document is flexible enough to adapt to possible changes within the development of the market research planning and implementation phases. You have to ensure that there are windows where appropriate changes can be inserted as well as channels, mediums, or platforms where you can incorporate backup plans when necessary or called for.

2. Keep in mind that the language and tone that you will use when creating the content of the market research proposal must be highly considered.

You have to ensure that the document is formal, business-appropriate, and compelling. Aside from the fact that the market research proposal is expected to be complete with all the details about your proposed market research plan, it is also imperative for you to make sure that the document is understandable, well-defined, and clear. You may also see security proposal examples .

3. Know the basics of market research proposal organization. There are different kinds of structures that you can look into so that your market research proposal can look cohesive and well put together.

The structure of the document should depend on the length of your discussion, the details that you will incorporate in your market research undertakings, and the key factors that you need to give focus and highlight on when presenting the complexity of the market research. You may also like budget proposal examples .

It will rather be more efficient for you if you plan to use references like templates and examples while preparing your market research proposal.

Maximize the help that you can get from the downloadable examples in this post as well as the related discussion that we have presented. Always ensure that there is an organization in the procedures of market research proposal development so you can be well-guided in terms of getting the output that you would like to have for your market research undertaking.

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Top 10 Product Market Research Templates with Samples and Examples

Deepika Dhaka

Product Market Research is important for businesses to plan and make good choices. It's like a strong base that helps them make smart decisions and grow steadily. Companies can learn important things by looking closely at how the market works, what customers do, and what's popular in the industry. This helps them improve their products, determine who their customers are, and make better marketing plans. 

A compelling illustration of the indispensable role of Product Market Research in achieving business success is evident in the case of Netflix. 

As the streaming industry evolved, Netflix consistently conducted thorough research to comprehend shifting viewer preferences, content consumption habits, and emerging technological trends. This proactive approach allowed the company to shift from its initial DVD rental model to a streaming service, reshaping the entertainment landscape. By analyzing data on user behavior, content engagement, and regional variations, Netflix effectively curated a diverse array of original programming that resonated with global audiences, propelling it to become a household name in the streaming sphere. This example shows how important Product Market Research is for helping companies to be flexible, creative, and stand out in tough and competitive markets.

If you're someone who is in charge of finding out what people want for a new product, you might find it hard. The biggest problem is figuring out how to do this research in a way that helps your new product succeed. Well, that's where we can help!

Here comes Product Market Research Templates!

Best Product Market Research Templates for New Product Development

This blog will walk you through the most popular templates to prepare for effective research that ensures that none of your resources are wasted. Also, the 100% customizable nature of the templates provides you with the desired flexibility to edit your presentations. The content-ready slides give you the much-needed structure. 

Let’s begin exploring these pre-designed templates!

Template 1: New Product Market Research PowerPoint Presentation

This Complete Deck is your one-stop solution for conducting thorough research for new products. It equips you with well-structured slides on the customer preferences survey form and overview slides for survey outcomes. It contains easy-to-understand graphics, pie charts, and well-formatted tables to assist you best. It will help you save time you would have otherwise wasted drafting the forms and creating the resulting structure. Download this presentation now to have a handy resource. 

Download this template

Template 2: Market Research for New Product PPT Slide

This PowerPoint Slide will help you understand and communicate the two aspects. These are the market research process and the new product development process. The market research process includes steps like primary & secondary research, concept volumetric and packaging testing, consumer usage research, advertising research pre-testing, and marketing monitoring. On the other hand, the new product development process includes identifying consumer views, product concept and packaging development, testing the product, brand positioning and advertising development, and product launch and post-launch. Download this template now for a consolidated view of these crucial processes.

(Leverage our Qualitative and Quantitative Data Analysis Templates to uncover meaningful patterns, translating data into actionable strategies. Download today for a transformative analysis experience!)

Template 3: Product Market Research Outcome Analysis

This PPT Template is ideal if you want to plan and present the product market research outcome analysis. It includes factors like growth drivers, restraints, challenges, and opportunities, which are also abbreviated as DRCO for easy recall. If you're working on a new product or business, you can use this slide to organize your thoughts and plan what you need to focus on. Download this helpful resource now!

Template 4: Budgeting for Product Launch Market Research

If you are struggling to draft a budget for your research, here’s an effective tool to the rescue. This Budgeting framework includes five columns entailing business objective, research objective, priority, methodologies, and the annual budget. This content-ready slide is your one-stop solution to all your budgeting challenges. It will help you give a crystal clear- justification for the money involved. Download it today to create an effective and efficient budget. 

Template 5: Quarterly Market Research Roadmap for Product Launch

Use this PPT Template to create an achievable and practical roadmap for your research. It encompasses a yearly roadmap divided into four quarters and covers activities such as market and community research, identifying target customers, devising a unique value proposition (USP), and determining market strategy. It also includes other tasks such as testing product and overall approach, rolling out marketing campaigns, and monitoring product life cycle. If you want to add or remove the activities as per your requirement, you can easily do it here. Download this PPT Slide now to ensure easy communication of tasks and timeline to the members helping you with the research.

Template 6: New Product Market Research Survey Form Template

Streamline your product development process with this user-friendly template, designed to gather valuable insights on customer preferences and expectations. Easily customizable, this template offers a structured approach to crafting surveys that unveil critical market trends. From identifying target audiences to refining product features, this template empowers you to make informed decisions backed by thorough research. Download this template now!

Template 7: New Product Market Research Survey Outcome Template

Get a comprehensive view of your survey results with this feature-packed slide entailing fool-proof graphics and visuals. If you use this slide, it will just need a glance to understand your customer preferences. It covers crucial questions that you need to know before developing a new product. Download this template now for informed and data-driven decision-making!

Template 8: Product Market Research Survey Result Page

This template presents your survey findings in an elaborated manner, using clear visuals to reveal customer preferences. Streamline decision-making by identifying key trends for well-informed product strategies. It encompasses essential customer details like their professions and highlights customer responses, categorizing them by country. With user-friendly graphics, this PPT template simplifies complex information, making it easily understandable. Get it today!

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Template 9: Survey Result Reporting Dashboard Template

Presenting a comprehensive report derived from a product market research survey, this slide highlights customer feedback. It encompasses vital components, including desired ingredients, new product concept assessment, and demographic insights grouped by gender, marital status, age, and education. It delves into key evaluation factors such as uniqueness, problem-solving ability, effectiveness, trend appeal, and safety. Instantly grasp the survey outcomes with this template. Download now for a concise overview of the report!

Template 10: Market Research Survey Questionnaire Template

If you are struggling to create a survey questionnaire with a well-structured format, this PPT Slide is the best choice. It contains important questions you must ask for a new product development market research, such as “What is your first impression of the product?”, “What is your household income group” and how valuable the product is for the consumer. Each of these questions is an objective type providing easy-to-choose answers for the consumer. Get it now to obtain the real response.

Conduct Your Best Research Ever

By understanding the ever-evolving needs and preferences of our customers, we fortify our foundations, innovate relentlessly, and position ourselves for success. The strategic insights gained from thorough research become the building blocks of our growth, enabling us to craft products that truly resonate with our audience. 

Whether you're a seasoned industry professional or an aspiring entrepreneur, harness the power of informed decisions by leveraging SlideTeam's meticulously crafted templates. Take the first step towards success. Download these templates now!

PS: If you are looking for Product Proposal Templates, here’s a handy guide with the most popular samples and examples.

Explore our Monthly, Semi-annual, and Annual plans here to download the premium templates on any topic.

FAQs on Product Market Research

What is product market research.

Product market research involves studying the market to understand what customers want and need, as well as how they behave. It helps businesses make informed decisions about their products and marketing strategies by collecting and analyzing data about customer preferences, trends, and competition.

How to do market research for new products?

To conduct market research for new products, you can follow these steps:

• Define Your Goals: Understand what you want to learn and achieve.
• Identify Your Target Audience: Determine who your potential customers are.
• Collect Data: Use surveys, interviews, online research, and more to gather information.
• Analyze Data: Look for patterns, preferences, and trends in the collected information.
• Evaluate Competition: Study similar products and their success in the market.
• Make Decisions: Based on your findings, make informed decisions about your new product.

What is the objective of product research?

The objective of product research is to gather insights and information that help in developing, launching, and promoting products successfully. It aims to understand customer needs, preferences, and behaviors, evaluate market demand, identify competitive advantages, and guide strategic decisions throughout the product's lifecycle.

What are the five product levels?

The five product levels represent different layers of a product's offering:

• Core Product: The basic benefit or problem-solving function that the product provides.
• Generic Product: The basic features and attributes of the product.
• Expected Product: The set of attributes that customers expect to receive when they purchase the product.
• Augmented Product: Additional features, benefits, or services that exceed customer expectations.
• Potential Product: The future possibilities and innovations that the product could offer.

Why is product research important in marketing?

Product research is vital in marketing for several reasons:

• Customer Understanding: It helps in comprehending customer needs, preferences, and behaviors.
• Innovation: Research guides the development of new and improved products.
• Market Positioning: It assists in identifying unique selling points and differentiating from competitors.
• Reduced Risk: Research minimizes the risk of product failure by aligning products with customer demands.
• Effective Marketing Strategies: Insights from research inform targeted marketing campaigns and communication.

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