We've put together a list of articles that discuss market research, it's role in developing products, assessing customer needs and understanding how products are actually used. These are articles from some of the most respected sources on the subject. If you're looking to develop new and innovative products these articles are invaluable.
Guest Market Research 101 Blogs
We got a special opportunity to provide a lengthy blog entry on the prestigious New York Times Small Business Summit Blog and of course we jumped at the opportunity. This article provides a great introduction to the world of market research and why it can be so critical to a companies' continued success. It reviews some of the most common types of research and provides some helpful tips to someone who hasn't conducted a great deal of research themselves.
Putting the Cool Factor into Quality Products!
Consumers and business people alike are both deciding that not only do they want quality products, but they want them to be fashionable, and eye catching as well. From the home, to the car to the office, Industrial Design is becoming more important for nearly all categories of products. Some companies are taking note and adjusting, while others appear to be hoping that it's a fad and will pass shortly.
As the US Market is In Decline, it's Critical for Growing Businesses to Look Elswhere
As US Businesses explore other markets (with the US having only 1/25 of the worlds population) it's important to remember that many of the emerging markets are much more price sensitive than our market, however that doesn't simply mean that they want stripped down versions of our products either.
The Delicate Balance Between Technological Innovation and Meaningful Customer Benefits
This article discusses the balance of power that needs to exist between the technological innovations that the Research and Development group brings to the table and the understanding of desired customer benefits that the Marketing group provides. From my experience this is an ongoing challenge in most companies and it requires constant vigilance to maintain a good balance that provides relevant product benefits to customers.
Developing a Product Portfolio for Different Customer Targets
This article is a description of how Black and Decker brand construction tools extended their product line upscale to attract, not just the weekend warriors, but through the development of a new brand, managed to change their focus from weekend craftsman to successfully taking a good portion of the professional construction market with the DeWalt brand.
iRobot - Not Happy to Just Automatically Clean Our Floors Expands into Surprising New Markets
The iRobot engineers have been working hard, it seems, to see what else they can do with their automated devices and are developing products that can help to protect our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Fender Guitars Develops Distressed Guitars for Those Looking for Some Soul
This article describes how a classic guitar manufacturer has put a new twist on their guitars by taking into account the increasing prices of vintage guitar (with the look of a weathered, and worn patina that implies some hard living and some lifetime experiences). Fender Guitars has intentionally worked out a system to provide their new guitars, with the latest innovations a look that provides a pedigree of it's own – and on top of that they sell them at a premium over a gleaming perfect guitar, scratches, scars and all! This is a great example of watching your customers and giving them what they want.
Market Research - Overall
Carlos Alvarez: My Biggest Mistake
Calrlos Alvarez is the CEO of beer importer Gambrinus Inc. In a very candid interview with Inc.com, Mr. Alvarez explains how his company's past successes in importing beers into the US market resulted in an overconfidence that they could introduce a new beer to the American market without conducting research to understand who the target customer was going to be and how to market the beer. This article provides a very good lesson in the importance of understanding the customer's perceptions and preferences before you introduce a new product.
International Marketing
A side by side comparison of the world's economies. That provides such fundamental information such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita (which is the best overall approximation of average salary), landline v. cell phone use, literacy rates and of course the economic ranking of the country overall. This is a must-read for anyone considering international sales.
A fabulous article from Entrepeneur.com that discusses the benefits of market research to help develop better products by better understanding the motivations of potential customers. This article is aimed at the smaller business that doesn't have a large Market or Market Research department. It's a very good overview of the process and includes some good places to look for free existing information.
Market Research Process
Introduction to Market Research
An article describing the process of market research and explaining the types of research which can be conducted, and the benefits that can be derived from the results of market research.
A very thorough article on market research and goes into more details than the other articles on this list. It's a very good dissection of the phases of market research. It gets into some of the less expensive options to gum-shoe information about competitions and options for leveraging from the successful methods that they have developed.
Secrets of Successful Market Research Studies
This is a good article on the fundamentals of market research and the most critical factors in ensuring its high quality.
Product Development
A great article on the challenges of developing and introducing a new product and what role market research can play in understanding the customer's needs and motivations.
Golf Shoes Finally Get An Update
A case study from Inc. Magazine on the development of an innovative type of golf shoe that broke all of the rules of the predominately staid and static sport and found that there was a large group of customers who were looking to change their golf uniform (enough with the silly pants already!) to something a little different and with some new technology that might improve their game.
Secondary Market Research
Market Research: An Update on Sources and Techniques for Your Strategic Planning Efforts
A good article on the sources of secondary market research information, what some of the best sources are, and how the information can be used during the strategic planning process.
Competitive Analysis
An article which does a good job of discussing the fundamentals of conducting competitive analysis to assess your company's position in the marketplace.
Marketing Overall
This Wikipedia article gives a very detailed explanation of the basics of marketing, marketing approaches and touches on the uses of market research in certain situations. It provides a very good overview of marketing if you need a quick reminder of everything that you forgot from your Marketing classes.
