Types of Marketing Research: Examples, Techniques & How to Use Them [2025 Guide]

Market research, also called marketing research, is how you get to know your customers, spot new opportunities, study competitors, and make smart business decisions.

Whether you’re launching a product, refining a service, or creating content, understanding your market is essential.

There are different types of marketing research, each with unique methods, tools, and goals.

In this guide, you’ll discover primary and secondary research, qualitative and quantitative methods, and practical examples for each, so you can apply them to your business strategy today.

Primary Market Research - Methods & Examples

Primary research is original data you collect yourself. It’s ideal when you need specific, timely insights that can impact your success.

You can conduct primary research in-house or outsource it to a market research agency. While outsourcing costs more, it can save time, provide expertise, and give unbiased results.

Primary research provides recent data directly from trusted sources on the topic you're interested in. However, it takes time to gather this data from scratch compared to finding secondary data through online searches or library visits.

Primary research involves two forms of data collection:

1. Exploratory Research: This type of primary research is conducted to understand a problem that hasn't been clearly defined yet.

📍 For example: Sales are dropping, and you want to know why. You might hold focus groups, interviews, or surveys to explore customer opinions.

2. Conclusive Research: This form of primary research is carried out to a specific problem identified through exploratory research or other primary data.

📍For example, exploratory research shows customers are unhappy with your support process. Conclusive research could include detailed surveys or one-on-one interviews to pinpoint issues and find actionable solutions.

The benefits of using data from multiple sources

Real understanding comes from exploring different angles. Blend diverse data, talk to teams, and turn chaos into campaign success.

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Types of Primary Research - Methods You Can Use

There are several primary research types available, and you probably already know them. Your choice will depend on your budget, time limits, research goals, and whether you're after numbers or insights.

Primary research methods include:

• Surveys & online questionnaires
• Focus groups
• One-to-one interviews
• Observations

Online surveys are a good fit if you’re looking to collect large volumes of data that can then be quantified. The interviews on the other hand can help you take a deep dive into the opinions and challenges of your target audience. They can’t be easily quantified, but are a good starting point if we’re starting from scratch. 

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Secondary Market Research - How To Use Existing Data

Secondary research uses data collected by others. It’s usually the first step in any research project, helping you understand what’s already known.

It's usually a solid foundation for your own research.

It’s cost-effective, often available online, and helps refine your research questions.

Even if your initial secondary research doesn't find a study matching your exact research goals, it still builds your knowledge base. This can help you improve and refine your research hypothesis and identify new market gaps you didn't know existed.

Secondary research covers a wide range of resources. Here are just a few places where you can find relevant information:

• Industry reports
• Books and magazines
• White papers
• Government reports and studies
• Reviews of competitors’ products/services
• Recently published research on relevant topics
• Scholarly journals, often available in reference libraries

PMI, for example, publishes reports regularly and their yearly report can be a great starting point for producing relevant, up-to-date content in the project management space.

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Qualitative Market Research - Examples & Techniques

Qualitative research gathers non-numerical insights, giving depth to your data.

Instead of pinpointing exact truths, qualitative research summarizes and concludes.

It’s often exploratory, helping you understand customer motivations, feelings, and preferences.

📍 Example: Testing a new product idea with a small group of target customers to understand reactions before a full launch.

Quantitative Research Methods & Examples

Quantitative research focuses on numbers and measurable data.

It answers questions like who, when, where, how many, and how often.

These questions seek specific, numerical data, not general exploration. If you want detailed information about your company, market, or target customers, this is the way to go.

Methods include:

• Surveys with multiple-choice questions
• Polls
• Structured questionnaires

📍 Example: A survey asking 1,000 customers how often they use a feature to inform product improvements.

Customer Market Research - Tools & Insights

Customer research helps you understand what motivates your audience and how to increase sales or engagement.

The goal is to deeply understand them and continually learn about their interactions with your company.

This research includes:

• Customer satisfaction research focuses on understanding what makes customers happy, as happier customers are more likely to stay with your company.
• Customer loyalty research examines which experiences build long-term loyalty.
• Customer segmentation research aims to identify who your customers are, their behaviors, preferences, and common traits.
• Desk research involves looking at past purchase records, customer journey maps, segmentation data, demographics, and persona templates.

📍Example: Conducting post-support surveys to improve customer experience.

Competitor Market Research - Examples & Analysis

Competitor research identifies strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities by studying other companies.

It helps you identify ways to differentiate yourself and plan for the future by keeping an eye on market trends and customer preferences.

📍 Example: Checking Google reviews or social media feedback for competitors can reveal gaps in service or product offerings.

Tip: Treat competitor insights as a shortcut to learning what works (or doesn’t) in your market.

Brand Market Research - Techniques & Examples

Brand research helps you define and improve your brand identity, including tone, visuals, values, and positioning.

Research methods can include interviews, industry events, focus groups, or surveys.

Other areas of brand research include exploring brand loyalty, how the brand is perceived, its market positioning, value, and identity.

The goal of the research is to figure out:

1. How your brand compares to competitors
2. Where you can enhance your brand efforts
3. What strengths can you compares highlight to boost your brand's reputation

📍 Example: Running a focus group to test a new logo or messaging.

Product Market Research & Case Examples

Product research ensures your offerings meet customer needs before launch.

The goal is to understand how customers view your product, whether it's providing value, and if it's working as intended. It also helps generate ideas for improvements and future product development.

Product research includes different paths:

1. Product branding test: Does the product's brand and design appeal to customers as intended?
2. Feature testing: How do customers react to new or improved features?
3. Design thinking workshops: Solve customer problems innovatively
4. Marketing evaluation: Are your messages memorable and persuasive?

📍 Example: Primary research methods shine in this type of market research. Surveys can assess feature popularity, and in-person interviews provide direct insight into how customers interact with the product.

Market research is key to a successful product launch. By understanding your audience and market trends, you can develop the perfect product and effective marketing messages. Listen to your customers' feedback and stay ahead of the curve to ensure your product stands out.

Combining Market Research Techniques and All-Around Insights

A strong marketing strategy uses all research types together:

• Primary + Secondary
• Qualitative + Quantitative
• Customer + Competitor + Brand + Product insights (Insights specific to your topic or focus area)

Bringing together these elements helps you see the full picture of what your market does and why, giving you a better understanding of your audience.

Conclusion

Market research isn’t a one-time task - it’s a continuous process.

By combining different types of marketing research - from primary and secondary methods to qualitative and quantitative techniques, you gain a full picture of your market, your competitors, and your customers.

The key is not just collecting data but turning it into actionable insights.

💡 Remember: markets shift, customer needs evolve, and what worked yesterday may not work tomorrow.

Keep researching, keep testing, and use these insights to refine your content strategy, product development, and overall growth.

In the long run, companies that listen, learn, and adapt through research are the ones that stay relevant and successful.

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