Top 13 Marketing Research Agencies for Informed Decision-Making (2023)

1. SmartSites

Proclaiming its position as an award-winning digital marketing agency, SmartSites has made a name for itself by consistently delivering exceptional marketing research services. Ranked #1 Marketing Research Agency by Goodfirms, SmartSites is based in Paramus, New Jersey, and has garnered recognition as a Google Ads Premier Partner, Microsoft Advertising Partner, and Facebook Marketing Partner since its inception in 2011.

Catering to a diverse clientele, SmartSites has produced remarkable results in various industries, such as home services, medical, legal, automotive, B2B, retail, industrial, and small businesses. By utilizing data-driven digital marketing strategies, SmartSites has successfully helped countless fintech businesses grow and flourish.

The key to SmartSites’ success lies in its dedicated and passionate team of over 100 digital experts. Committed to driving performance for businesses of all sizes, from small enterprises to Fortune 500 companies, the agency’s team consistently delivers top-notch services, ensuring the success and satisfaction of its clients.

2. Thinkpiece

Distinguished by its unique approach, Thinkpiece emerges as an industry leader among marketing research agencies. This firm’s status as industry insiders allows them to connect seamlessly with clients’ worlds and collaborate effortlessly with product teams to offer actionable insights. Catering primarily to technology, healthcare, and financial innovators, Thinkpiece specializes in B2B qualitative marketing research and aims to simplify complex concepts. They work with an array of esteemed organizations striving to make a positive impact on the world.

Thinkpiece’s unparalleled perspective on research ensures that clients gain a fresh outlook on their market. The team, comprising experts with backgrounds in engineering, healthcare, and economics, is adept at grasping clients’ needs and delivering valuable insights.

3. Ready to Launch Research

Ready to Launch Research is a California-based market research agency founded in 2014 with a mission to transform businesses through innovative market research solutions. Combining traditional quantitative and qualitative research methods with high-tech digital research strategies, their diverse team of experts effectively serves various industries and service sectors. Ready to Launch Research has quickly gained a reputation for offering an array of market research solutions while being mindful of time and budget constraints.

They understand the importance of actionable insights to maximize business potential and adapt to fast-changing market dynamics. Ready to Launch Research serves industries such as pharmaceutical, non-profit, consumer goods, and B2B services.

4. Bixa

As a highly-ranked market research and strategy firm, Bixa has provided in-depth, data-driven insights to over 100 leading brands. With an impressive portfolio featuring successful collaborations with Google, IBM, and Cox2M, Bixa’s market research consistently drives results. Their work with Google consisted of qualitative and quantitative studies aimed at reformatting ads for shopping, travel, local/maps, education, and jobs to better engage Gen Z audiences across the US, Brazil, and India.

Bixa specializes in customer-centric, digital market research solutions that enable businesses to make well-informed strategic decisions. Their award-winning market research studio delivers actionable data that can be directly applied to clients’ businesses. Bixa’s services, besides qualitative and quantitative research, include deep audience insights, and guidance towards radically intuitive experiences.

5. PlanBeyond

PlanBeyond is a boutique market research company dedicated to helping clients make better, smarter decisions through data-driven actions. The agency offers a wide range of market research services to drive customer acquisition, including qualitative research methods such as interviews and focus groups, and quantitative research methods such as surveys, segmentations, and optimization analyses.

Their qualitative research services involve focus groups, in-depth interviews, online communities, shop alongs, secret shopper visits, and user experience tests. PlanBeyond’s quantitative research offerings include surveys, conjoint analysis, MaxDiff tests, cluster analysis, pricing optimization, and product optimization.

PlanBeyond’s satisfied clientele ranges from startups to enterprises, and the company provides tailored market research services to help clients make effective, actionable business decisions. Their expertise covers brand awareness research, buyer persona research, competitive landscape research, customer segmentation research, go-to-market research, message testing, price optimization research, product concept testing, and product optimization research.

6. Antedote

As an innovation consultancy, Antedote is dedicated to discovering and unlocking growth opportunities for its clients. The agency employs award-winning agile thinking to deliver strategic insights, inspire innovation, and ignite action. Antedote conducts in-depth research and uses data science, modeling, and next-generation digital tools to find unique answers to clients’ specific questions.

Their innovation services encompass strategy development, product development, and interaction design, ensuring clients’ best routes forward are identified and executed. Additionally, Antedote offers product innovation, brand guidelines, service blueprints, and storytelling services to assist clients in defining their paths to success. The agency boasts an impressive portfolio of work, including customer journey mapping for innovation white spaces, fusing brand positioning and innovation for growth, and sizing market opportunities for disruptive startups. With accolades such as the AQR Shortlist 2022 and Marketing Week Masters 2021 Shortlisted, Antedote has solidified its leadership in the innovation consultancy space.

7. Isurus

Focusing on competitive B2B markets, Isurus stands out as a renowned marketing research agency that delivers research-based insights to help businesses excel. The firm boasts extensive experience in business software, healthcare, financial services, education, and manufacturing, showcasing a deep understanding of the complexities and nuances of B2B markets. Isurus’ senior team has successfully managed numerous projects and conducted thousands of interviews with B2B buyers, demonstrating their expertise in navigating intricate buying processes, competition, and market inertia.

Tailored to address various business challenges, Isurus’ services include understanding markets and buyers, sizing market opportunities, evaluating competitors, managing branding and communications, configuring offerings, and improving customer experience. The agency also caters to the technology sector, assisting B2B technology vendors in staying ahead of constant market evolutions and cybersecurity threats.

8. Stitch Marketing Research

Emphasizing human decision-making, Stitch Marketing Research is a forward-thinking agency based in San Diego with over a decade of experience. This agency is known for delivering empathic research that incorporates subjective experiences, providing impactful insights that drive real business results.

Adopting the unique “Tested on Humans” approach, Stitch employs human-centered research methodologies such as focus groups, surveys, in-depth interviews, and strategic analysis. This enables them to cater to clients of all sizes, from local partners to global corporations, who view challenges as opportunities. Luke Thorkildsen, Category Product Manager at Bear Archery, praises Stitch for their ability to quickly understand the market and provide valuable guidance. Stitch’s services include Qualitative Research, Quantitative Research, Market Landscape Research, Marketability Assessment, Concept Testing, and Research Strategy Consulting.

9. Highland

Highland, a digital innovation and business solutions provider, prides itself on creating, designing, scaling, and custom-configuring digital products and experiences that promote human flourishing across the business landscape. With over 22 years of experience, Highland has launched more than 300 digital products.

Their commitment to people-first values is evident in the authentic and impactful work they deliver. Clients like Christopher Neuharth, VP of Experience and Digital Innovation at Children’s Wisconsin, appreciate Highland’s research, stating that it helped doctors validate their thoughts and improve patient experiences.

Highland offers a broad range of services, including Digital Innovation and Business Solutions. They have successfully partnered with organizations like Barron Designs, Children’s Wisconsin Hospital, MTS, and Treatment, providing customized solutions that drive growth and enhance customer experiences.

10. Brandspeak

Since 2004, Brandspeak has been a top-tier UK Market Research Agency, supporting a wide range of clientele, including global brands, marketing agencies, start-ups, public sector organizations, and charities. With a strong reputation for providing expert qualitative, quantitative, ethnographic, and neuromarketing research, Brandspeak allows clients to fill gaps in their market knowledge and gain invaluable insights to stay ahead in the industry.

Brandspeak’s rapid growth can be attributed to the depth of their research expertise, the breadth of their research offer, cost-competitiveness, and their emphasis on exceptional account management. As a full-service agency, Brandspeak offers a wide range of services, including customer segmentation, brand development, advertising evaluation, customer experience, customer satisfaction, and market sizing & mapping. Additionally, the company is well-versed in qualitative research, quantitative research, ethnography, and neuromarketing, employing state-of-the-art tools and methodologies to address clients’ unique needs.

Their impressive track record speaks for itself, with clients such as Garner Denver Limited, Animal Friends Insurance, J.H. Tönnjes E.A.S.T. GmbH & Co. KG, and SHOTT Beverages praising Brandspeak’s professionalism, flexibility, and results-driven approach. With a dedicated team of market research experts, Brandspeak is committed to providing clients with accurate research and long-term benefits, enabling them to gain a competitive advantage in their respective markets.

11. Marketing Maven

Dedicated to creating customized campaigns for diverse clientele, Marketing Maven stands as a dynamic full-service agency. They offer a wide range of services including email marketing, creative branding, market research, web design, and public relations, making them a one-stop-shop for businesses seeking expansion and success. Marketing Maven’s market research services showcase their commitment to staying on the industry’s cutting edge, using techniques like customer surveys, online communities, social media analytics, Big Data analytics, experiments and testing, deep-dive web crawling, sentiment analysis, listening sessions, web chats with focus groups, and data synthesis.

The agency excels at utilizing market research to craft stories and content that address audiences’ pain points, developing strategies based on robust, authentic, and transparent data. By leveraging the latest market research methods, Marketing Maven can identify potential opportunities and deliver fast results that yield valuable ROI.

12. Provoke Insights

Provoke Insights is a market-leading agency that has carved its niche in the realm of branding, advertising, and content marketing research. Established with the mission to better align research with marketers’ needs, this New York-based global brand strategy and market research company focuses on delivering research-driven, ROI-enhancing marketing solutions. Provoke Insights’ unique selling point lies in its team of market researchers who possess extensive experience in advertising research and brand strategy, offering creative and impactful solutions that are relevant today and sustainable for the future.

With an obsession for research and data, Provoke Insights identifies critical factors that inspire new thinking and drive growth for organizations. The agency offers a comprehensive suite of services, ranging from market strategies to survey fielding, enabling the successful implementation and testing of advertising initiatives. The Provoke Insights Difference encapsulates its nimble and responsive approach, cross-disciplinary expertise, and actionable strategy & research.

Provoke Insights specializes in advertising testing, communication, brand equity, brand tracking, product development, product launch, and media research among consumers (B2C) and business professionals (B2B). The agency also conducts research to power innovative press and content marketing.

13. B2B International

B2B International is a trailblazer in B2B market research, boasting unrivaled experience and an extensive global reach. Trusted by global companies, B2B International has conducted more B2B research studies, in more languages and markets than any other agency, gaining a unique understanding of the questions to ask, the people to talk to, and the decisions to be made.

With a focus on creating superior B2B experiences, the agency expertly navigates the complexities of the rapidly evolving business landscape, combining global experience, advanced research techniques, and a forward-thinking attitude to deliver multi-layered insights into the dynamics of change.

B2B International offers a diverse array of research services, including brand & communication research, customer research & segmentation, markets & opportunities research, product & proposition research, and thought leadership research. The agency has catered to clients across numerous industry verticals, from AkzoNobel and Henkel to Samsung and BP Castrol.

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