proposal of market research

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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Market Research Proposal

Proposal maker.

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.

Text prompt

• Instructive
• Professional

Generate a proposal for a new school recycling program

Compose a proposal for a school field trip to a science museum.

How to Do Market Research: The Complete Guide

Learn how to do market research with this step-by-step guide, complete with templates, tools and real-world examples.

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Market research is the systematic process of gathering, analyzing and interpreting information about a specific market or industry.

What are your customers’ needs? How does your product compare to the competition? What are the emerging trends and opportunities in your industry? If these questions keep you up at night, it’s time to conduct market research.

Market research plays a pivotal role in your ability to stay competitive and relevant, helping you anticipate shifts in consumer behavior and industry dynamics. It involves gathering these insights using a wide range of techniques, from surveys and interviews to data analysis and observational studies.

In this guide, we’ll explore why market research is crucial, the various types of market research, the methods used in data collection, and how to effectively conduct market research to drive informed decision-making and success.

What is market research?

The purpose of market research is to offer valuable insight into the preferences and behaviors of your target audience, and anticipate shifts in market trends and the competitive landscape. This information helps you make data-driven decisions, develop effective strategies for your business, and maximize your chances of long-term growth.

Why is market research important? 

By understanding the significance of market research, you can make sure you’re asking the right questions and using the process to your advantage. Some of the benefits of market research include:

• Informed decision-making: Market research provides you with the data and insights you need to make smart decisions for your business. It helps you identify opportunities, assess risks and tailor your strategies to meet the demands of the market. Without market research, decisions are often based on assumptions or guesswork, leading to costly mistakes.
• Customer-centric approach: A cornerstone of market research involves developing a deep understanding of customer needs and preferences. This gives you valuable insights into your target audience, helping you develop products, services and marketing campaigns that resonate with your customers.
• Competitive advantage: By conducting market research, you’ll gain a competitive edge. You’ll be able to identify gaps in the market, analyze competitor strengths and weaknesses, and position your business strategically. This enables you to create unique value propositions, differentiate yourself from competitors, and seize opportunities that others may overlook.
• Risk mitigation: Market research helps you anticipate market shifts and potential challenges. By identifying threats early, you can proactively adjust their strategies to mitigate risks and respond effectively to changing circumstances. This proactive approach is particularly valuable in volatile industries.
• Resource optimization: Conducting market research allows organizations to allocate their time, money and resources more efficiently. It ensures that investments are made in areas with the highest potential return on investment, reducing wasted resources and improving overall business performance.
• Adaptation to market trends: Markets evolve rapidly, driven by technological advancements, cultural shifts and changing consumer attitudes. Market research ensures that you stay ahead of these trends and adapt your offerings accordingly so you can avoid becoming obsolete. 

As you can see, market research empowers businesses to make data-driven decisions, cater to customer needs, outperform competitors, mitigate risks, optimize resources and stay agile in a dynamic marketplace. These benefits make it a huge industry; the global market research services market is expected to grow from $76.37 billion in 2021 to $108.57 billion in 2026 . Now, let’s dig into the different types of market research that can help you achieve these benefits.

Types of market research 

• Qualitative research
• Quantitative research
• Exploratory research
• Descriptive research
• Causal research
• Cross-sectional research
• Longitudinal research

Despite its advantages, 23% of organizations don’t have a clear market research strategy. Part of developing a strategy involves choosing the right type of market research for your business goals. The most commonly used approaches include:

1. Qualitative research

Qualitative research focuses on understanding the underlying motivations, attitudes and perceptions of individuals or groups. It is typically conducted through techniques like in-depth interviews, focus groups and content analysis — methods we’ll discuss further in the sections below. Qualitative research provides rich, nuanced insights that can inform product development, marketing strategies and brand positioning.

2. Quantitative research

Quantitative research, in contrast to qualitative research, involves the collection and analysis of numerical data, often through surveys, experiments and structured questionnaires. This approach allows for statistical analysis and the measurement of trends, making it suitable for large-scale market studies and hypothesis testing. While it’s worthwhile using a mix of qualitative and quantitative research, most businesses prioritize the latter because it is scientific, measurable and easily replicated across different experiments.

3. Exploratory research

Whether you’re conducting qualitative or quantitative research or a mix of both, exploratory research is often the first step. Its primary goal is to help you understand a market or problem so you can gain insights and identify potential issues or opportunities. This type of market research is less structured and is typically conducted through open-ended interviews, focus groups or secondary data analysis. Exploratory research is valuable when entering new markets or exploring new product ideas.

4. Descriptive research

As its name implies, descriptive research seeks to describe a market, population or phenomenon in detail. It involves collecting and summarizing data to answer questions about audience demographics and behaviors, market size, and current trends. Surveys, observational studies and content analysis are common methods used in descriptive research. 

5. Causal research

Causal research aims to establish cause-and-effect relationships between variables. It investigates whether changes in one variable result in changes in another. Experimental designs, A/B testing and regression analysis are common causal research methods. This sheds light on how specific marketing strategies or product changes impact consumer behavior.

6. Cross-sectional research

Cross-sectional market research involves collecting data from a sample of the population at a single point in time. It is used to analyze differences, relationships or trends among various groups within a population. Cross-sectional studies are helpful for market segmentation, identifying target audiences and assessing market trends at a specific moment.

7. Longitudinal research

Longitudinal research, in contrast to cross-sectional research, collects data from the same subjects over an extended period. This allows for the analysis of trends, changes and developments over time. Longitudinal studies are useful for tracking long-term developments in consumer preferences, brand loyalty and market dynamics.

Each type of market research has its strengths and weaknesses, and the method you choose depends on your specific research goals and the depth of understanding you’re aiming to achieve. In the following sections, we’ll delve into primary and secondary research approaches and specific research methods.

Primary vs. secondary market research

Market research of all types can be broadly categorized into two main approaches: primary research and secondary research. By understanding the differences between these approaches, you can better determine the most appropriate research method for your specific goals.

Primary market research 

Primary research involves the collection of original data straight from the source. Typically, this involves communicating directly with your target audience — through surveys, interviews, focus groups and more — to gather information. Here are some key attributes of primary market research:

• Customized data: Primary research provides data that is tailored to your research needs. You design a custom research study and gather information specific to your goals.
• Up-to-date insights: Because primary research involves communicating with customers, the data you collect reflects the most current market conditions and consumer behaviors.
• Time-consuming and resource-intensive: Despite its advantages, primary research can be labor-intensive and costly, especially when dealing with large sample sizes or complex study designs. Whether you hire a market research consultant, agency or use an in-house team, primary research studies consume a large amount of resources and time.

Secondary market research 

Secondary research, on the other hand, involves analyzing data that has already been compiled by third-party sources, such as online research tools, databases, news sites, industry reports and academic studies.

Here are the main characteristics of secondary market research:

• Cost-effective: Secondary research is generally more cost-effective than primary research since it doesn’t require building a research plan from scratch. You and your team can look at databases, websites and publications on an ongoing basis, without needing to design a custom experiment or hire a consultant. 
• Leverages multiple sources: Data tools and software extract data from multiple places across the web, and then consolidate that information within a single platform. This means you’ll get a greater amount of data and a wider scope from secondary research.
• Quick to access: You can access a wide range of information rapidly — often in seconds — if you’re using online research tools and databases. Because of this, you can act on insights sooner, rather than taking the time to develop an experiment. 

So, when should you use primary vs. secondary research? In practice, many market research projects incorporate both primary and secondary research to take advantage of the strengths of each approach.

One rule of thumb is to focus on secondary research to obtain background information, market trends or industry benchmarks. It is especially valuable for conducting preliminary research, competitor analysis, or when time and budget constraints are tight. Then, if you still have knowledge gaps or need to answer specific questions unique to your business model, use primary research to create a custom experiment. 

Market research methods

• Surveys and questionnaires
• Focus groups
• Observational research
• Online research tools
• Experiments
• Content analysis
• Ethnographic research

How do primary and secondary research approaches translate into specific research methods? Let’s take a look at the different ways you can gather data: 

1. Surveys and questionnaires

Surveys and questionnaires are popular methods for collecting structured data from a large number of respondents. They involve a set of predetermined questions that participants answer. Surveys can be conducted through various channels, including online tools, telephone interviews and in-person or online questionnaires. They are useful for gathering quantitative data and assessing customer demographics, opinions, preferences and needs. On average, customer surveys have a 33% response rate , so keep that in mind as you consider your sample size.

2. Interviews

Interviews are in-depth conversations with individuals or groups to gather qualitative insights. They can be structured (with predefined questions) or unstructured (with open-ended discussions). Interviews are valuable for exploring complex topics, uncovering motivations and obtaining detailed feedback. 

3. Focus groups

The most common primary research methods are in-depth webcam interviews and focus groups. Focus groups are a small gathering of participants who discuss a specific topic or product under the guidance of a moderator. These discussions are valuable for primary market research because they reveal insights into consumer attitudes, perceptions and emotions. Focus groups are especially useful for idea generation, concept testing and understanding group dynamics within your target audience.

4. Observational research

Observational research involves observing and recording participant behavior in a natural setting. This method is particularly valuable when studying consumer behavior in physical spaces, such as retail stores or public places. In some types of observational research, participants are aware you’re watching them; in other cases, you discreetly watch consumers without their knowledge, as they use your product. Either way, observational research provides firsthand insights into how people interact with products or environments.

5. Online research tools

You and your team can do your own secondary market research using online tools. These tools include data prospecting platforms and databases, as well as online surveys, social media listening, web analytics and sentiment analysis platforms. They help you gather data from online sources, monitor industry trends, track competitors, understand consumer preferences and keep tabs on online behavior. We’ll talk more about choosing the right market research tools in the sections that follow.

6. Experiments

Market research experiments are controlled tests of variables to determine causal relationships. While experiments are often associated with scientific research, they are also used in market research to assess the impact of specific marketing strategies, product features, or pricing and packaging changes.

7. Content analysis

Content analysis involves the systematic examination of textual, visual or audio content to identify patterns, themes and trends. It’s commonly applied to customer reviews, social media posts and other forms of online content to analyze consumer opinions and sentiments.

8. Ethnographic research

Ethnographic research immerses researchers into the daily lives of consumers to understand their behavior and culture. This method is particularly valuable when studying niche markets or exploring the cultural context of consumer choices.

How to do market research

• Set clear objectives
• Identify your target audience
• Choose your research methods
• Use the right market research tools
• Collect data
• Analyze data 
• Interpret your findings
• Identify opportunities and challenges
• Make informed business decisions
• Monitor and adapt

Now that you have gained insights into the various market research methods at your disposal, let’s delve into the practical aspects of how to conduct market research effectively. Here’s a quick step-by-step overview, from defining objectives to monitoring market shifts.

1. Set clear objectives

When you set clear and specific goals, you’re essentially creating a compass to guide your research questions and methodology. Start by precisely defining what you want to achieve. Are you launching a new product and want to understand its viability in the market? Are you evaluating customer satisfaction with a product redesign? 

Start by creating SMART goals — objectives that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. Not only will this clarify your research focus from the outset, but it will also help you track progress and benchmark your success throughout the process. 

You should also consult with key stakeholders and team members to ensure alignment on your research objectives before diving into data collecting. This will help you gain diverse perspectives and insights that will shape your research approach.

2. Identify your target audience

Next, you’ll need to pinpoint your target audience to determine who should be included in your research. Begin by creating detailed buyer personas or stakeholder profiles. Consider demographic factors like age, gender, income and location, but also delve into psychographics, such as interests, values and pain points.

The more specific your target audience, the more accurate and actionable your research will be. Additionally, segment your audience if your research objectives involve studying different groups, such as current customers and potential leads.

If you already have existing customers, you can also hold conversations with them to better understand your target market. From there, you can refine your buyer personas and tailor your research methods accordingly.

3. Choose your research methods

Selecting the right research methods is crucial for gathering high-quality data. Start by considering the nature of your research objectives. If you’re exploring consumer preferences, surveys and interviews can provide valuable insights. For in-depth understanding, focus groups or observational research might be suitable. Consider using a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods to gain a well-rounded perspective. 

You’ll also need to consider your budget. Think about what you can realistically achieve using the time and resources available to you. If you have a fairly generous budget, you may want to try a mix of primary and secondary research approaches. If you’re doing market research for a startup , on the other hand, chances are your budget is somewhat limited. If that’s the case, try addressing your goals with secondary research tools before investing time and effort in a primary research study. 

4. Use the right market research tools

Whether you’re conducting primary or secondary research, you’ll need to choose the right tools. These can help you do anything from sending surveys to customers to monitoring trends and analyzing data. Here are some examples of popular market research tools:

• Market research software: Crunchbase is a platform that provides best-in-class company data, making it valuable for market research on growing companies and industries. You can use Crunchbase to access trusted, first-party funding data, revenue data, news and firmographics, enabling you to monitor industry trends and understand customer needs.

• Survey and questionnaire tools: SurveyMonkey is a widely used online survey platform that allows you to create, distribute and analyze surveys. Google Forms is a free tool that lets you create surveys and collect responses through Google Drive.
• Data analysis software: Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets are useful for conducting statistical analyses. SPSS is a powerful statistical analysis software used for data processing, analysis and reporting.
• Social listening tools: Brandwatch is a social listening and analytics platform that helps you monitor social media conversations, track sentiment and analyze trends. Mention is a media monitoring tool that allows you to track mentions of your brand, competitors and keywords across various online sources.
• Data visualization platforms: Tableau is a data visualization tool that helps you create interactive and shareable dashboards and reports. Power BI by Microsoft is a business analytics tool for creating interactive visualizations and reports.

5. Collect data

There’s an infinite amount of data you could be collecting using these tools, so you’ll need to be intentional about going after the data that aligns with your research goals. Implement your chosen research methods, whether it’s distributing surveys, conducting interviews or pulling from secondary research platforms. Pay close attention to data quality and accuracy, and stick to a standardized process to streamline data capture and reduce errors. 

6. Analyze data

Once data is collected, you’ll need to analyze it systematically. Use statistical software or analysis tools to identify patterns, trends and correlations. For qualitative data, employ thematic analysis to extract common themes and insights. Visualize your findings with charts, graphs and tables to make complex data more understandable.

If you’re not proficient in data analysis, consider outsourcing or collaborating with a data analyst who can assist in processing and interpreting your data accurately.

7. Interpret your findings

Interpreting your market research findings involves understanding what the data means in the context of your objectives. Are there significant trends that uncover the answers to your initial research questions? Consider the implications of your findings on your business strategy. It’s essential to move beyond raw data and extract actionable insights that inform decision-making.

Hold a cross-functional meeting or workshop with relevant team members to collectively interpret the findings. Different perspectives can lead to more comprehensive insights and innovative solutions.

8. Identify opportunities and challenges

Use your research findings to identify potential growth opportunities and challenges within your market. What segments of your audience are underserved or overlooked? Are there emerging trends you can capitalize on? Conversely, what obstacles or competitors could hinder your progress?

Lay out this information in a clear and organized way by conducting a SWOT analysis, which stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Jot down notes for each of these areas to provide a structured overview of gaps and hurdles in the market.

9. Make informed business decisions

Market research is only valuable if it leads to informed decisions for your company. Based on your insights, devise actionable strategies and initiatives that align with your research objectives. Whether it’s refining your product, targeting new customer segments or adjusting pricing, ensure your decisions are rooted in the data.

At this point, it’s also crucial to keep your team aligned and accountable. Create an action plan that outlines specific steps, responsibilities and timelines for implementing the recommendations derived from your research. 

10. Monitor and adapt

Market research isn’t a one-time activity; it’s an ongoing process. Continuously monitor market conditions, customer behaviors and industry trends. Set up mechanisms to collect real-time data and feedback. As you gather new information, be prepared to adapt your strategies and tactics accordingly. Regularly revisiting your research ensures your business remains agile and reflects changing market dynamics and consumer preferences.

Online market research sources

As you go through the steps above, you’ll want to turn to trusted, reputable sources to gather your data. Here’s a list to get you started:

• Crunchbase: As mentioned above, Crunchbase is an online platform with an extensive dataset, allowing you to access in-depth insights on market trends, consumer behavior and competitive analysis. You can also customize your search options to tailor your research to specific industries, geographic regions or customer personas.

• Academic databases: Academic databases, such as ProQuest and JSTOR , are treasure troves of scholarly research papers, studies and academic journals. They offer in-depth analyses of various subjects, including market trends, consumer preferences and industry-specific insights. Researchers can access a wealth of peer-reviewed publications to gain a deeper understanding of their research topics.
• Government and NGO databases: Government agencies, nongovernmental organizations and other institutions frequently maintain databases containing valuable economic, demographic and industry-related data. These sources offer credible statistics and reports on a wide range of topics, making them essential for market researchers. Examples include the U.S. Census Bureau , the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Pew Research Center .
• Industry reports: Industry reports and market studies are comprehensive documents prepared by research firms, industry associations and consulting companies. They provide in-depth insights into specific markets, including market size, trends, competitive analysis and consumer behavior. You can find this information by looking at relevant industry association databases; examples include the American Marketing Association and the National Retail Federation .
• Social media and online communities: Social media platforms like LinkedIn or Twitter (X) , forums such as Reddit and Quora , and review platforms such as G2 can provide real-time insights into consumer sentiment, opinions and trends. 

Market research examples

At this point, you have market research tools and data sources — but how do you act on the data you gather? Let’s go over some real-world examples that illustrate the practical application of market research across various industries. These examples showcase how market research can lead to smart decision-making and successful business decisions.

Example 1: Apple’s iPhone launch

Apple ’s iconic iPhone launch in 2007 serves as a prime example of market research driving product innovation in tech. Before the iPhone’s release, Apple conducted extensive market research to understand consumer preferences, pain points and unmet needs in the mobile phone industry. This research led to the development of a touchscreen smartphone with a user-friendly interface, addressing consumer demands for a more intuitive and versatile device. The result was a revolutionary product that disrupted the market and redefined the smartphone industry.

Example 2: McDonald’s global expansion

McDonald’s successful global expansion strategy demonstrates the importance of market research when expanding into new territories. Before entering a new market, McDonald’s conducts thorough research to understand local tastes, preferences and cultural nuances. This research informs menu customization, marketing strategies and store design. For instance, in India, McDonald’s offers a menu tailored to local preferences, including vegetarian options. This market-specific approach has enabled McDonald’s to adapt and thrive in diverse global markets.

Example 3: Organic and sustainable farming

The shift toward organic and sustainable farming practices in the food industry is driven by market research that indicates increased consumer demand for healthier and environmentally friendly food options. As a result, food producers and retailers invest in sustainable sourcing and organic product lines — such as with these sustainable seafood startups — to align with this shift in consumer values. 

The bottom line? Market research has multiple use cases and is a critical practice for any industry. Whether it’s launching groundbreaking products, entering new markets or responding to changing consumer preferences, you can use market research to shape successful strategies and outcomes.

Market research templates

You finally have a strong understanding of how to do market research and apply it in the real world. Before we wrap up, here are some market research templates that you can use as a starting point for your projects:

• Smartsheet competitive analysis templates : These spreadsheets can serve as a framework for gathering information about the competitive landscape and obtaining valuable lessons to apply to your business strategy.
• SurveyMonkey product survey template : Customize the questions on this survey based on what you want to learn from your target customers.
• HubSpot templates : HubSpot offers a wide range of free templates you can use for market research, business planning and more.
• SCORE templates : SCORE is a nonprofit organization that provides templates for business plans, market analysis and financial projections.
• SBA.gov : The U.S. Small Business Administration offers templates for every aspect of your business, including market research, and is particularly valuable for new startups. 

Strengthen your business with market research

When conducted effectively, market research is like a guiding star. Equipped with the right tools and techniques, you can uncover valuable insights, stay competitive, foster innovation and navigate the complexities of your industry.

Throughout this guide, we’ve discussed the definition of market research, different research methods, and how to conduct it effectively. We’ve also explored various types of market research and shared practical insights and templates for getting started. 

Now, it’s time to start the research process. Trust in data, listen to the market and make informed decisions that guide your company toward lasting success.

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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 a Comprehensive Market Research Proposal

Conducting market research is essential for making informed business decisions, but before you can start gathering data, you need to get buy-in from leadership. That’s where a stellar market research proposal comes in. This proposal outlines your research goals, methods, timeline and budget – essentially making the case for why the project is worthwhile.

Writing an effective proposal requires careful thought and planning. This guide covers everything you need to craft a thorough, persuasive market research proposal that gets approved.

What You'll Learn

What is a Market Research Proposal?

A market research proposal is a formal document that describes, justifies and maps out plans for conducting market research into a product, service, industry or market segment. It serves as a blueprint for the entire research process.

The main objectives of a market research proposal are:

• Establish the need and rationale for the proposed research
• Define the specific goals, questions and scope of the research
• Outline the research design and methodology
• Estimate costs, staffing requirements and timeline

Essentially, the proposal must convince decision-makers that the market research is important, viable and worth funding. With approval and budget secured, the real work can begin.

Core Components of a Strong Proposal

While formats can vary, most comprehensive market research proposals will contain the following sections:

• Executive Summary
• Background & Research Objectives
• Research Methodology & Design
• Project Logistics
• Project Timeline
• Budget & Resource Requirements

Let’s look closer at each of these components and what to include.

1) Executive Summary

The executive summary provides a concise overview of your entire market research proposal. As the name implies, it summarizes all the key points into a few paragraphs or a single page.

Despite coming first, many experts recommend writing the executive summary last since it’s essentially a high-level synopsis of everything else you’ve written.

The main goals of the executive summary are:

• Quickly communicate the purpose and importance of the research
• Highlight the primary research objectives and methodology
• Present any key findings from prior or preliminary research
• State the projected budget and timeline requirements

This section should be clear, direct and easy-to-digest for busy executives. Think of it like the elevator pitch that piques their interest in reading the full proposal.

When drafting the executive summary, focus on emphasizing:

• Value: How will this research benefit the company? What key decisions will it inform?
• Credibility: Why is your team qualified to conduct this research effectively?
• Call-to-Action: A concise request to approve/fund the proposed research initiative

2) Background & Research Objectives

This section provides crucial context around the business challenge, industry climate or strategic opportunity that your market research will investigate. It establishes the rationale and importance of conducting the study.

The background should cover areas like:

• Company and product/service overview
• Description of the market, trends, challenges, etc.
• Prior research performed and key takeaways
• Remaining questions, gaps or needs driving this new initiative

After setting that foundation, you’ll want to clearly define the research objectives that this project aims to achieve. Effective objectives are:

• Specific and tangible rather than vague or abstract
• Directly linked to the business context and information needs
• Achievable given the available resources and scope
• Focused on outcomes rather than methodologies

Some examples of good market research objectives:

• Determine market demand and pricing sensitivity for a new product line
• Assess competitive positioning and brand awareness in the [Region] market
• Understand key drivers behind purchase decisions in the [Segment] demographic
• Identify unmet needs and potential new offerings for [Customer Group]

Spend time crafting meaningful, well-scoped objectives. They are the anchors that will guide your research design and analysis.

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3) Research Methodology & Design

This is arguably the most consequential part of the proposal. In this section, you’ll describe exactly how the market research will be executed in order to meet the stated objectives. That includes detailing:

• The overall research design and approach (exploratory, descriptive, causal, etc.)
• Specific data collection methods to be used
• Sampling populations, sample sizes and sampling techniques
• Any secondary data sources that will supplement the primary research
• Measurement tools/instruments like survey questionnaires, interview guides, etc.
• Plan for data coding, processing and analysis

There are a wide variety of market research methods to potentially use, such as:

Qualitative Methods

• Focus groups
• In-depth interviews
• Ethnographic studies/observation
• Open-ended surveys and questionnaires

Quantitative Methods

• Large-scale online/telephone/mail/intercept surveys
• Controlled experiments and A/B tests
• Sampling and data mining
• Structured surveys and polls

Secondary sources could include:

• Aggregated data from market intelligence firms
• Government statistics and demographic data
• Analyst reports, trade publications and academic studies
• Internal data from website, CRM, sales records, etc.

Most research designs incorporate multiple methods and data sources to get a well-rounded, high-quality view of the market. The key is choosing approaches aligned with your research objectives.

As you outline the methodology, be sure to:

• Justify why each method is appropriate and valuable
• Explain participant recruitment, screening and incentive strategies
• Acknowledge any potential limitations or sources of bias
• Define quality control and data validation processes

The more specific and grounded in research fundamentals you can be, the better. This section showcases your expertise.

4) Project Logistics

While the methodology maps out the “what” in terms of research activities, the project logistics section covers the “how” by detailing deliverables, staffing plans, data management, and other operational details.

Potential logistical components to address include:

Project Deliverables

• Reports, presentations or other final deliverables
• Determineformat, depth of insights, visualizations, etc.

Project Team & Responsibilities

• Internal team members and their respective roles/responsibilities
• If using external partners/vendors, their scope and integration

Data Collection & Management

• Tools and systems for data capture, storage, security, etc.
• Data coding, cleaning and processing workflows
• Qualitative data management like transcription/translation

Technology Requirements

• Software tools needed for analysis, reporting, etc.
• Hardware needs like audio/video equipment
• Online platforms for surveys, virtual interviews, etc.

Facility/Location Needs

• If conducting in-person research like focus groups
• Location scouting and site requirements
• Any travel or accommodations necessary

Scheduling & Communication

• Protocols for team meetings, progress reports, etc.
• Client communication cadence and touchpoints

The level of detail required depends on the research scope, but all key operational factors should be accounted for. This gives leadership confidence in your ability to execute effectively.

5) Project Timeline

Along with budget, schedule is one of the biggest factors that can make or break a market research project’s feasibility and approval. That’s why having a realistic, well-constructed timeline is critical.

When developing the project timeline, be sure to incorporate deadline for activities like:

• Literature review and secondary data gathering
• Survey, interview guide or other tool development
• Participant recruitment, screening and scheduling
• Actual data collection from all sources
• Data coding, processing and file preparation
• Analysis and insight synthesis
• Report drafting, reviews and finalization
• Result presentation/knowledge transfer

Map out each step and assign projected start/end dates and milestones. You may want to create a visual timeline or Gantt chart to illustrate the chronology and critical path.

Remember to build in reasonable buffer periods, especially for data collection, analysis and reporting phases which often take longer than expected. Holidays or other foreseeable conflicts should also be accounted for.

If the research needs to be completed by a certain final deadline, be sure to explicitly highlight that target date and work backwards when estimating phase durations.

Overall, the timeline shows an organized, realistic plan for completing all the work within a reasonable timeframe.

6) Budget & Resource Requirements

Last but certainly not least, the budget section outlines the estimated costs and resources needed to carry out the proposed market research project.

When developing the budget, be sure to account for expenses in areas like:

• Internal labor costs for all team members
• Cost of any external consultants, analysts or professional services

Participant Compensation

• Incentives for surveys, interviews, focus groups, etc.
• Participant recruitment costs if using panel providers

Travel & Facilities

• Transportation, lodging, car rental, meals, etc. for field research
• Venue and equipment rental fees for focus groups
• Conference fees if attending any industry events

Software & Subscriptions

• Survey tools, data analytics platforms, reporting software
• Market data, benchmarking or list purchases
• Printing/Copying for any printed materials like surveys
• Transcription services for interviews/focus groups
• Translation costs if working across languages

Miscellaneous

• Office supplies, postage, local transportation, etc.
• Telecommunications and online meeting platforms
• Any other incidental expenses

Be as comprehensive as possible, breaking out individual line items rather than bundling costs into vague categories. This shows you’ve thoroughly mapped out requirements.

It’s also wise to add a contingency buffer of 5-10% to account for any unforeseen expenses that may arise.

Justify each line item’s cost basis, don’t just state amounts. For example:

“$15,000 for nationwide online survey of 1,500 respondents ($10 per complete)”

“20 hours of transcription services at $100/hour for 8 focus groups”

The more you can back up projections, the more credible your budget appears.

Finally, be sure the summary budget total matches the scope and scale of the proposed research. Inflated numbers could raise red flags, while underestimating may cause approval roadblocks later.

With a thoroughly outlined methodology, logistics, timeline and budget, your market research proposal should have all the key elements covered. Now let’s look at some tips to take it to the next level.

Tips for an Effective & Persuasive Proposal

• Tell a Compelling Story Don’t just list facts and figures. Craft a logical, easy-to-follow narrative that connects the background, objectives and approach into a cohesive plan.
• Emphasize Value Over Costs While costs are important, the true focus should be on the immense value, insights and ROI this research will provide. Make a strong business case.
• Use Visualization Strategically Embed charts, diagrams, process flows and other visuals to illustrate key points more clearly and concisely than words alone.
• Keep it Focused Yet Comprehensive Stick to only the most relevant, need-to-know details without being overly long-winded. But don’t skimp on crucial specifics either.
• Anticipate and Overcomes Objections/Risks Don’t let questions linger. Get ahead of potential concerns around feasibility, costs, timelines, etc. and directly address them.
• Demonstrate Expertise and Credibility Weave in relevant examples, case studies and your past experience to show your market research capabilities and thought leadership.
• Have a Cycle for Review and Refinement Allow time for team reviews, revising and polishing before finalizing the proposal. An extra set of eyes is invaluable.
• Mind Formatting and Appearances Use templates, branding, formatting and writing conventions that make the proposal look clear, visually-appealing and professional.
• Tailor it to the Audience Research proposals for top executives will differ than ones for subject experts. Understand your audience and adjust accordingly.

Balancing comprehensive yet concise information, sound methodology with realistic expectations, and detailed execution plans with high-level value messaging is crucial.

A great market research proposal requires substantial work upfront, but that investment pays off exponentially by significantly increasing your chances of project approval and success.

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How To Write Market Research Proposal: Tips and Best Practices

Entrepreneurs and companies need to get critical information about their industry or specific market landscape to help ensure their business becomes a success.

This is where market research plays a role. But to be effective, proper steps must be outlined through a market research proposal.

If you’re a business owner or a marketer, you must learn how to write a market research proposal correctly . So here’s a handy step-by-step guide on how to do just that. Plus, we’ll throw in a free template to help you get started.

Table of Contents

How To Write a Market Research Proposal

When drafting a market research proposal , you can adopt various styles depending on the industry or business. But to put forth a more organized proposal, it helps to adhere to proven structures and follow these steps.

1. Start with an overview

It’s always wise to open with an overview to give the readers of the proposal a general idea of what the market research is all about, as well as set their expectations. If you don’t want to use the term overview, you can also go with an executive summary or an introduction.

You can do a simple overview consisting of one to three paragraphs. Or if the situation calls for it, you can also present your executive summary with supporting information that may include any or all of the following:

• Definition of terms. List the terms that will be used in the market research proposal. Make sure to define them properly.
• Market conditions. Give an overall picture of the current market conditions. Explain the industry’s state and the competition level, as well as mention relevant economic or even political factors.
• Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis. You can also present market conditions through a SWOT diagram, which summarizes everything neatly.
• Feasibility. If you want to cut to the chase, state the overall feasibility. You can also consider including the potential ROI (return on investment ).

2. Define the objectives

When writing a market research proposal, define the project’s goals as clearly as possible. You can begin with a larger, encompassing objective and then break it up with its corresponding parts. 

If you are dealing with multiple goals, make sure to explain how each separate objective relates to or affects one another.

Remember that clearly defined goals will guide the execution of the market research project – from the budget to the types of surveys or questions you will use.

3. Outline the execution

Market research can be accomplished in various ways, but there needs to be a clear plan for executing it.

Outline your methodology and approach to getting the information you need. As far as methods are concerned, you can choose from options like organizing focus groups, deploying online surveys, or holding interviews over the phone or face-to-face.

You should also consider if your approach is multi-faceted. Will the surveys be done once or through a series of batches? Will you follow up on the first wave of interviews with email surveys? 

Never forget to include the rationale for choosing your methodology. Factors to remember include costs, logistics, and timeline.

4. Explain how the results will be analyzed and reported

Market research proposal creation would be incomplete without including the mechanics for analyzing and reporting the results.

You must present a concrete plan for how the market research data will be collected and safely stored. 

Next on your list is to explain how the data will be analyzed. Of course, what comes after is the reporting part. It’s more than just presenting the facts. You should also include your interpretations and, more importantly, your recommendations.

5. Discuss the timeline, costs, and conditions

Market research takes time and isn’t free. So, you’ll need to define your timeline and expected costs clearly.

It’s also important to tackle the terms and conditions of the market research project. The more transparent you are, the more you can prevent misunderstandings in the future.

Download the Market Research Proposal Template

When drafting a market research proposal, you can accomplish things faster using a reliable template. 

Sign up now for a free account at Fill to get a market research proposal template. It’s just one of several templates that we offer for free.

Market Research Proposal

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Writing a Market Research Proposal

It’s not enough to know how to draft a market research proposal. You also have to be aware of common mistakes people commit when preparing these proposals.

• Lack of details. When you already know how to create market research proposals, you use certain structures and templates repeatedly. But sometimes, you forget to add elements that make your proposal look legit instead of being an apparent copy of another.
• There is not enough review and fact-checking. We’re not talking about simple spelling and grammar errors. We’re referring to the information you included in your market research proposal. Are they up-to-date? Are the sources considered trustworthy?
• There is too much hype. Be careful not to get caught up in the excitement of your proposal. Remember that you are dealing with business people. Be realistic and be clear about the goals. The last thing you need is to promise something you can’t deliver.
• Disorganized presentation. You can follow a decent structure when writing your market research proposal. But if you don’t organize the information you present in each section, you will you’re lose your reader’s interest.
• Underestimating visuals and diagrams. Yes, it’s showing real data is important, but you can be more persuasive by strategically using visuals, graphs, charts, and tables in your proposal. 

Using Fill to Create Your Market Research Proposal

Now that you know how to write a market research proposal, it’s time to put your learnings into practice immediately.

Create an account at Fill and grab a free market research proposal template today.

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​ [Sender.Company] is one of the industry's leading firms for marketing research. We specialize in understanding consumer behavior and helping you align your marketing strategy to best capture audience attention.

​ [Sender.Company] ’s headquarters is situated in [Sender.City] , but we have operations expanding overseas, including cities such as Mumbai, London, Washington DC, Sydney, Tokyo, and Mexico City. Our client list includes noteworthy names, such as (Client A, Client B, and Client C, etc.) , amongst others.

With over (X) years of industry experience, we have learned what makes your audience tick — and what makes them click — and we help you understand consumer behavior such that you can create better marketing strategies, land dream clients, and improve your sales processes.

Client testimonials

Here’s what some of our past clients have to say about our work.

(Client Testimonial 1)

​ [Client.Company] ​

​ [Client.FirstName] [Client.LastName] ​

(Client Testimonial 2) (Client.Company) (Client.FirstName) (Client.LastName)

(Client Testimonial 3) (Client.Company) (Client.FirstName) (Client.LastName)

The purpose of this research is to understand consumer behavior for the customers of [Client.Company] . We also aim to understand what strategies work for the target mix and how [Client.Company] can improve their marketing strategy to better educate, inform, and persuade their potential clients to buy their products or services.

This research was commissioned by [Client.Company] , and the proposal is therefore created uniquely for [Client.Company] by [Sender.Company] . This ensures both parties are on the same page before beginning the research process. We will be using both quantitative and qualitative research techniques to learn about [Client.Company] ’s target group’s consumer behavior, refining the process as we go, and presenting the most useful results of our analysis.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

The primary goal of the study is to gain a comprehensive, 360-degree understanding of consumer behavior with respect to [Client.Company] ’s customer base and target audience.

The study must meet the following research objectives to be considered accomplished:

It should critically examine the target demographic’s behavior.

It should intercept both primary and secondary data to come to conclusive results.

It should address implications of an ineffective marketing strategy.

It should understand what would be the right way to communicate with the target demo.

All other research objectives that the client deems necessary to be included in the study.

Framework analysis

This section goes hand-in-hand with the aims and objectives section, but should focus more in-depth on the background circumstances which indicate a need for the specific market research project proposed. While aims and objectives describe the specific outcomes the research will produce, the framework analysis section should demonstrate the scope of these outcomes from a practical standpoint. The framework analysis should include information from existing sources (the current body of knowledge) regarding the specific topic to be researched. You can then demonstrate the specific need for your proposed research plan.

Existing knowledge

Through secondary research and the previous data we have on the client’s target demographic, we know the following about the client:

Add details about the existing knowledge you have on your target mix.

By conducting this study, we also plan to understand if this knowledge still holds true for our client, and to what degree, within the current economic and social environment.

The hypothesis of the study is that the target audience enjoys [Client.Company] ’s social media posts. However, it does not like interacting with offline events that [Client.Company] conducts, and would ideally like to see more engaging offline events from the brand.

COLLECTION OF DATA

Use this section of the marketing research proposal to thoroughly describe all data collection methods which will be utilized in your research. The overall strategy can be addressed, as well as the individual data collection methods. For market research, these often include methods such as focus groups, surveys, social networking research, or in-home tests. Be specific about each method. For example, if your research includes the collection of surveys, specify in this section precisely how those surveys will be conducted (via phone, email, mail, etc.), what demographics will be sampled, and what the format will look like. The more detailed you can be in this section, the better likelihood that your proposal will be accepted.

Data collection can be done through many ways, such as client interviews, focus group studies, observation, social media data, online surveys, tests, questionnaires, published studies, public records, etc. Analysts usually use a mix of these data collection methods to understand audience behavior. Still, they may prefer some data collection methods over others depending on if they’re conducting qualitative research or quantitative research.

Target audience

Our target demographic for this study are men between the ages of 30-45, who are present on social media sites like LinkedIn and Twitter. The same target mix also has a spending power of up to (X) dollars per month, enjoys vacationing often, and prefers to buy luxury, high-quality products. They are motivated to buy [Client.Company] ’s products because they like the quality of materials the items are made from and because everything is ethically sourced and created.

Sampling method and size

For the research we’re conducting, [Sender.Company] has decided to explore the probability sampling methodology. Keeping all requirements of the research in mind, we believe that this method would be particularly fruitful to achieve accurate results. With probability sampling, [Sender.Company] plans to employ the stratified random sampling method, and will be using a sample size of (X) , which will be further divided based upon ages of the individuals.

Research methodology

Use this section to discuss the merits of your research methods. Describe the implications of each method of data collection, and explain the methodology you will use to interpret the data. Discuss the means of evaluating the collected data.

Fieldwork and Reporting

Starting from the date when the contract is signed by both parties, [Sender.Company] will begin fieldwork within 10 days. We will create a live data link to share all updates on the project. At every project milestone, [Client.Company] will be updated with a progress report. The link will be shared within 10 days of acceptance of the agreement, and can be accessed through a passcode [Sender.Company] will provide [Client.Company] .

Timeline and Budget

The following tables describe the budget and time requirements projected for the project.

ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS

Ethical considerations are very important in all types of research. Use this section to delineate the ways in which the research will abide by an ethical code in both methodology and practice. Among other possibilities, address factors such as confidentiality, data security, privacy, and consent of research participants.

LIMITATIONS

This section can remain somewhat brief. Here, you can concede any potential or probable limitations of your research methods.

FURTHER OUTCOMES

Although you have already addressed the likely outcomes of your findings previously in this research proposal, in this section you can expand upon the implications and potential benefits of your intended findings.

Terms and conditions

​ [Client.Company] agrees to pay [Sender.Company] 50% of the total project fee before beginning the project. The project will begin work once signatures are attained from both parties and 50% upfront payment is received by [Sender.Company] .

Once the project is completed, [Client.Company] is to send the remaining 50% payment amount due within 15 days after the final report is shared. Failure to send payment within the stipulated time period will result in a 10% late fee — this payment is to be made to the (Sender.Client) , unless the deadline for payment is agreed on a different date by both parties.

Any disputes arising from the agreement will be resolved based upon the laws and jurisdiction of [Sender.City] , [Sender.State] , [Sender.Country] ​.

Both parties agree that the contents and findings of the study will remain confidential, unless otherwise agreed upon. Confidential information is not information that is readily available to the public.

​ [Sender.Company] is not responsible for any damages arising from the case study unless there has been an error in the way the study was conducted.

​ [Client.Company] understands that there may be minor delays, not exceeding more than 2 weeks, depending on if the target audience of the study is quick (or not) to respond. Any delay and modifications in deadline will be communicated with [Client.Company] .

​ [Sender.Company] agrees to provide accurate and truthful information learned from the study. [Sender.Company] is not, however, responsible for the findings of the study. Nor is it liable for any damages arising out of the application of suggested solutions.

Please provide confirmation of agreeing to the terms of this agreement by signing the signature block below.

​ [Sender.FirstName] [Sender.LastName] ​

​ [Sender.Company] ​

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Market Research Proposal Template: A Comprehensive Guide + Free Template Download + How to Write it

The importance of a market research proposal template.

As a market researcher, I understand the importance of creating a comprehensive and well-organized market research proposal. This document serves as a roadmap for our research process , outlining the objectives, methodology, and timeline for our project. However, creating a proposal from scratch can be time-consuming and challenging. That’s where a market research proposal template comes in. This template provides a structured framework for developing a thorough and professional proposal , saving time and ensuring that all necessary components are included. In this article, we will explore the key elements of a market research proposal template and discuss why it is an essential tool for any successful market research project.

Market Research Proposal Template

Executive summary.

The purpose of this section is to provide a brief overview of the market research proposal. It should include the objectives of the research, the methodology that will be used, and the expected outcomes .

Example: In this market research proposal, we aim to investigate the buying behavior of millennials in the automobile industry. We will utilize a combination of surveys, focus groups, and data analysis to understand the preferences and decision-making process of this demographic. The expected outcome is to provide actionable insights for automobile companies to effectively target and appeal to millennials.

My advice on: The executive summary is a crucial part of the market research proposal as it sets the tone for the rest of the document. It should be concise yet informative, capturing the essence of the research project .

This section outlines the specific goals and objectives of the market research. It should clearly define what the research aims to achieve and how it will contribute to the organization’s strategies.

Example: The objectives of this market research include: 1. To identify the key factors influencing millennials’ purchasing decisions in the automobile industry. 2. To understand the perception of various automobile brands among millennials. 3. To determine the most effective marketing channels to reach millennials.

My advice on: When outlining the objectives, it is important to be specific and measurable. This will provide a clear direction for the research and allow for meaningful conclusions to be drawn.

Methodology

This section details the approach and methods that will be used to conduct the market research. It should include a description of the research design , data collection techniques, and data analysis methods .

Example: The methodology will involve a combination of quantitative and qualitative research. Surveys will be conducted to gather numerical data on purchasing preferences and behaviors, while focus groups will provide in-depth insights into millennials’ attitudes towards different automobile brands. Data analysis will include statistical techniques to identify trends and patterns.

My advice on: When describing the methodology, it is important to justify the choice of methods and demonstrate their suitability for the research objectives . This will help to establish the credibility of the research approach .

This section provides a detailed timeline for the market research project. It should outline the key milestones and deliverables, as well as the estimated timeframes for each stage of the research.

Example: – Research planning and design: 1 month – Survey administration: 2 weeks – Focus group discussions: 3 weeks – Data analysis and report writing : 1 month

My advice on: The timeline should be realistic and achievable, taking into account any potential obstacles or delays. It should also be well-structured to ensure that the research progresses smoothly.

This section outlines the estimated budget for the market research project. It should include a breakdown of costs for each aspect of the research, such as participant recruitment , data collection, and analysis.

Example: – Survey administration: $5,000 – Focus group discussions: $7,000 – Data analysis software : $3,000 – Research report writing: $2,000

My advice on: The budget should be carefully considered and realistic, taking into account all necessary expenses. It is important to justify the costs and demonstrate the value that the research will provide.

This section summarizes the key points of the market research proposal and reiterates the importance of the research in achieving the organization’s goals.

Example: The proposed market research will provide invaluable insights into the preferences and behaviors of millennials in the automobile industry. By understanding their decision-making process and perceptions of different brands, automobile companies will be able to tailor their marketing strategies and product offerings to better appeal to this demographic.

My advice on: The conclusion should leave a lasting impression and emphasize the significance of the research. It should reinforce the value of the proposed research in driving business growth and success.

By using these examples, individuals can gain a better understanding of how to structure and develop each section of a market research proposal. The detailed and in-depth writing provides a clear guide on what should be included in each part of the template, while the first-person advice offers practical tips on how to effectively approach each section. Ultimately, these examples can be used to improve the quality and impact of a market research proposal, ensuring that it is thorough, well-structured, and compelling.

Download free Market Research Proposal Template in Word DocX, Powerpoint PPTX, and PDF. We included Market Research Proposal Template examples as well.

Download Free Market Research Proposal Template PDF and Examples Download Free Market Research Proposal Template Word Document

Download Free Market Research Proposal Template Powerpoint

What is a Market Research Proposal?

A market research proposal is a document that outlines a plan for conducting market research, including the objectives, methodology, and timeline for the research.

What should be included in a Market Research Proposal?

A market research proposal should include a clear statement of the research objectives , details of the methodology to be used, a timeline for completion, and a budget for the research project.

Why is a Market Research Proposal important?

A market research proposal is important because it helps to clearly define the scope and objectives of the research, ensuring that all stakeholders are on the same page and committed to the research process.

What are the key components of a Market Research Proposal?

The key components of a market research proposal include the research objectives , methodology, timeline, budget, and a plan for analyzing and reporting the research findings .

How should a Market Research Proposal be presented?

A market research proposal should be well-organized and written in a clear and professional manner. It should include all necessary details and be presented in a format that is easy to understand and review.

What are some common challenges in creating a Market Research Proposal?

Some common challenges in creating a market research proposal include aligning the objectives of the research with the needs of stakeholders, defining a realistic budget and timeline , and selecting the most appropriate research methodology .

Who should be involved in the development of a Market Research Proposal?

The development of a market research proposal should involve input from all key stakeholders , including management, marketing and sales teams, and any external research partners or agencies. This ensures that the proposal reflects the needs and objectives of all parties involved.

What is the key purpose of a Market Research Proposal?

The key purpose of a market research proposal is to outline a plan for conducting research that will provide valuable insights into a specific market or target audience , ultimately helping to inform business decisions and strategies.

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Market Research Proposal Template

Use this template to create a proposal for a market research study.

• Estimated time required: 4 hours
• Skills required: Proposal writing

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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.

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Market Research Proposal Template

Capture clients' interest with this well-crafted Market Research Proposal Template – demonstrate research approach, expert knowledge, and potential results.

About this template

Secure more market research projects with our Market Research Proposal Template. Designed to showcase your research methodologies, expertise, and success stories, this visually engaging template demonstrates your capabilities and helps you win more business.

Capture the attention of potential clients by highlighting your unique approach to market research and the valuable insights you provide. Our Market Research Proposal Template is tailored to present the best of your research offerings, driving increased interest and bookings for your services.

What's included?

• Executive summary
• Timeline and costs

What is a Market Research Proposal?

A Market Research Proposal is a strategic document outlining the objectives, methodologies, timeline, and budget of a proposed research project. It's crucial in securing stakeholders' support by clearly communicating the project's value. Utilizing a proposal management system streamlines the creation and management of such proposals, ensuring efficiency, accuracy, and consistency in presenting the project's details and objectives to stakeholders.

Market research is vital for understanding target audiences and their preferences, uncovering new opportunities, and improving existing products or services.

Key elements in a proposal include clear research objectives, appropriate methodologies like surveys or interviews, a realistic timeline, and a well-planned budget covering all stages of the project. This essential document helps businesses efficiently conduct market research within their financial constraints.

When should you use a Market Research Proposal?

A Market Research Proposal is crucial when introducing a research project to stakeholders. It enhances the likelihood of securing internal funding or client approval. This proposal outlines the research's objectives, methodologies, expected outcomes, timeline, and budget.

Market research, a critical part of business strategy, provides insights into customers, competitors, and market trends. Your proposal should be tailored to meet stakeholder needs, focusing on the potential benefits for the company or how it can help external stakeholders achieve their goals.

Benefits of using Qwilr's Market Research Proposal Template?

Qwilr's Market Research Proposal Template offers several benefits that enhance your proposal creation process:

• User-Friendly : The template is designed to be simple and intuitive. You don't need advanced design skills to build an impressive, professional proposal.
• Customizable : You can tailor the template to meet your specific needs, including adding or removing sections, changing the color scheme and fonts, and uploading your company logos or images.
• Real-Time Collaboration : The platform allows for synchronous collaboration. You and your team can edit, comment, and fine-tune the proposal together, streamlining the process.
• Engagement Tracking : Qwilr provides analytics on proposal engagement, alerting you when someone views your proposal and how long they spend on each section.
• Responsive Design : With its adaptive design, your proposal will display correctly and attractively on any device, enhancing the user experience.

How do you use Qwilr's Market Research Proposal Template?

Here's a quick video overview of how to get started with this template:

Using Qwilr's Market Research Proposal Template is easy. To begin, simply select the template from the Qwilr library and customize it to match your needs. Add your business information, project objectives, and timeline for completion. You can also add visuals such as graphs or images that will help illustrate the proposal's key points. Once you're finished, share, and track engagement with your team or external clients.

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Frequently asked questions

How do you write a market research proposal.

When writing a market research proposal:

• Start with an overview of the project's objective, methods, timeline, and budget.
• Describe the target market and research methodology, including the sampling method, sample size, data collection tool, and survey questions.
• Address potential limitations and provide a timeline for completion.
• Outline the budget and provide a breakdown of the cost estimate.

What are the components of market research proposal?

The components of a market research proposal include an overview of the project's objective, methods, timeline, and budget, as well as the target market and research methodology, a description of potential limitations, and a budget breakdown.

How do you create a market research proposal in Qwilr?

To create a market research proposal in Qwilr, select the Market Research Proposal Template and customize it to match your needs.

Add your business information, project objectives, and timeline for completion. You can also add visuals such as graphs or images that will help illustrate the proposal's key points.

Finally, share and track engagement with your team or clients.

How do you price a market research project?

To price a market research project, consider factors such as complexity, time, and manpower needed to carry out the research.

As a rule of thumb, pricing should be commensurate with the project's scope and level of effort.

It's also a good idea to evaluate the competition pricing to ensure you remain competitive without undercutting your work's value.

What makes an effective market research proposal?

An effective market research proposal clearly outlines the objective of the project, the research methodology, and the budget.

Detailed graphics and visual aids can help illustrate key points and make the proposal easier to understand. Additionally, a clear timeline for completion and potential limitations should be addressed.

Finally, it should be presented in a professional and visually-appealing format that can be easily shared and tracked.

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Market Research Proposal Template To Close Deals

Companies that conduct market research and analysis can use our sample marketing research proposal template as an example of how to write a market research proposal, and as a guide when preparing survey proposals, data collection proposals, or business research.

This template allows you to explain your methodology for gaining qualitative and quantitative research, and provides a section to break down your research timeline into phases. It also includes a statement of work section to clarify what the customer will receive from the research, along with a detailed contract

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Template details

All of our templates are 100% customizable so you can edit the copy, design, images, and layout to suit your business, brand, and client project. Our online signature feature delivers 60% faster client approval and makes the proposal legally binding.

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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 Company Blog

How to Write a Market Research Request for Proposal [+ Free Template]

by Emily Carroll

Posted at: 7/6/2022 12:30 PM

Writing a market research request for proposal (RFP) can seem like a daunting and overwhelming task.

The RFP process involves a lot of time, energy, and information gathering. This of course is all the work that comes before you've even started the massive task of reviewing the submissions and selecting a vendor.

Oftentimes it takes days if not weeks to review all the submissions as a team and find the best market research company that fits your needs. 

But that's a little down the road for you.

Right now, you are either thinking about drafting a market research RFP, have recently started a market research RFP, or you are well into constructing it and you are looking for some tips to improve it. 

Download Now: Free Market Research RFP Template

What You'll Learn in This Article

This post was designed to walk you through the market research RFP or RFQ process in greater detail.

Drive Research has broken down the core components of a market research RFP into sections. 

Each section includes narratives on items you'll want to consider adding to your RFP and more importantly, why you should add it.

To skip to a section of most interest, click the navigation links below.

• Do you need market research?
• What are your objectives?
• Do you have a preferred methodology?
• If conducting customer research, what type of information do you have?
• Are there specific geographies or markets?
• What is your timeline?
• What type of reporting do you need?
• Do you have a budget?
• Determining who is responsible for rewards.
• Allowing bidding vendors to ask questions.
• What to look for when receiving your RFP back from a research firm.

It's critical to be as descriptive as possible with your requests and expectations in your RFP. This ensures the bids you receive can be comparable (apples to apples). 

With that being said, there are some areas of the RFP where it may work to your benefit to be flexible and let the market research company decide on the best approach.

These more flexible sections are noted.

Before we start with specific components of the RFP, let's talk a little bit about market research in general.  If you're at the beginning phases of the RFP process, the first question you might have is:

"Do I need market research?" 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♀️

Do You Need Market Research?

If you are at the point where you are considering a market research RFP for your organization, you've likely already arrived at this answer. 

There are many benefits of market research .

Regardless of the type of project, market research provides managers with the knowledge, power, and confidence they need in their decision-making. 

At a very high level, market research produces fact-based and evidence-based decisions to help fuel strategy.

Market research comes in many shapes and sizes. 

Whether you are looking to conduct a brand equity study , customer satisfaction study , or an employee survey , market research will help you eliminate the risk of making the wrong decision or taking the wrong path. 

Data is power. When collected and used correctly, data can fuel operational, marketing, and strategic initiatives at your company or organization.

To learn more about your options, read Types of Market Research to Consider .

Still need convincing? Do you really, really need market research? 

The answer is most likely yes. All organizations can benefit from it. 

The ROI of market research is: 

• Bettering customer relationships
• Better understanding of consumer behavior
• Understanding the appeal of a new product or service
• Quantifying potential success

And much, much more.

Market research is purely objective and uses hundreds and thousands of data points to point your business in the right direction rather than using the opinion of 1 person or a few board members.

This video goes into detail about how market research can help businesses save money - a common objective Drive Research hears from clients.

💡 The Key Takeaway: Market research provides a host of benefits to a business.   The more data you have, the better you’ll understand your customers, employees, competitors, and more.

What Are Your Objectives?

When structuring your market research RFP, you'll want to include your objectives.

The objectives section should be the first part of your RFP and it's arguably the most critical to the success of the research. 

Be as clear and as specific as possible.

• Mention why you are requesting market research. 
• Talk about what your expectations from the market research are. 
• Discuss what you'd like as far as data and feedback to drive decision-making.

Most importantly, write about what you'd like to do with the market research results. The market research results are only as good as what is done with them.

Spend some time in your proposal for market research to discuss how you'd like the data to guide the next steps and action items. 

Provide specifics on how you'd like the data and market research analysis to help guide initiatives at your company or organization. It is all about data-driven decision-making .

An RFP with clear and well-defined objectives will retrieve responses from market research firms that are more aligned and hit on all of your major goals. 

Don't leave market research companies guessing your expectations.

It creates a lot of apples to oranges proposals because unclear objectives lead to different approaches.

It's important to tell the market research company and vendors what you are aiming for.

A few common objectives our market research firm has heard from our clients are:

• Level of customer satisfaction and individual factors driving high or low satisfaction.
• Performance of marketing or advertising campaigns.
• Customer experience with the company’s employees.
• Associations and perceptions of a brand.
• Sources of information and content used by target audiences.

💡 The Key Takeaway: Before you can write an RFP, you have to clearly state what your goals are. Having even a few clear objectives can simplify the process and avoid confusion down the road. 

Do You Want a Specific Methodology?

The choice is up to you on this. Some organizations will specify a specific methodology or methodologies they'd like the market research companies to bid on.

For example, you may be looking for one type of quantitative or qualitative approach – or a hybrid of the two, such as Wave I of focus groups followed by Wave II of an online survey .

If you leave the methodology open for discussion and bid, the market research firms are given the flexibility to think outside of the box and present you with new perspectives on how to tackle your objectives. 

Qualitative research

When you think of the qualitative method, think small-scale and detailed.

This type of research is considered exploratory–it’s all about the “why” in research. Answers in qualitative research are often found through focus groups and in-depth interviews (IDIs).

Quantitative research

This type of research is the direct opposite of qualitative research. Instead of small-scale, think large-scale and big sample sizes.

Careful measurements are the name of the game with quantitative research, instead of exploratory research. It’s all about reliable data and gathering large groups of respondents in order to get that (pristine) data.

Hybrid research

Sometimes you can have the best of both worlds.

Hybrid research simply is a mixture of qualitative and quantitative methodology. When conducting hybrid research, the qualitative portion typically comes first.

This is ideal because having key details prior to quantitative research allows for better insight.

What method you choose to conduct first is, of course, dependent on what your research goals are for your project.

Allowing flexibility in the choice of methodology produces both pros and cons for your company or organization.

• Pro: This may include a new or revolutionary way of tackling objectives you had not thought of before. 
• Con: The downside of this approach is it makes the comparison between firms much more difficult.

The advantages of stating your choice of methodology 👍

If you are open to the market research companies suggesting the best approach it could work in your favor because they may be able to present a more cost-effective , quicker, and higher quality approach. 

For example, let's say you want to conduct market research to understand the usage of your current website and how to improve it for the major website redesign overhaul occurring next year. 

Instead of asking for 6 focus groups in the RFP document, you leave the methodology up for choosing.

In this scenario, a market research firm could send in a response that suggests conducting 40 1-on-1 user experience (UX) interviews utilizing screen share technology. 

This approach would save you $10,000, get you results 3 weeks faster, and the results would incur no group bias . 

The UX interviews is a methodology you didn't even know was a possibility because your team had tunnel vision on traditional focus groups .

The disadvantages of stating your choice of methodology 👎

Allowing the market research firm to choose the best methodology for your project may result in your bids looking something like this:

• Firm A presents Wave I of 8 focus groups and Wave II of 800 online survey completes.
• Firm B presents Wave I of 25 in-depth interviews and a Wave II of 400 phone survey completes.
• Firm C presents one wave of 1,500 online survey completes.

Can you see how difficult it would be to compare these proposals?

As shown from the 3 scopes above, making an apples-to-apples comparison on price and timeline would prove difficult because the scope differs so much.

💡 The Key Takeaway: It’s important to weigh the pros and cons of being flexible in choosing your market research methodology. Consulting your third-party team and going back through your key objectives can help narrow down the choice. 

Recommended Reading: Conducting Market Research? How to Choose the Best Methodology

For Customer Research, What Type of Information Do You Have?

If your company or organization has a strong CRM or customer database it will help save the market research company time and money to target, invite, and qualify participants for the study or studies.

In this part of the request for a quote, you'll want to talk about your CRM or customer database. 

• What type(s) of data and information do you have on hand?
• What type(s) of data don't you have? 

This makes a difference in the scope and bidding for the market research company.

The difference in price 💰

For example, the answer to these questions can make a difference between a 20-question survey and a 40-question survey. 

In this case, doubling the number of questions will likely result in a much higher cost. 

If your CRM tool has a significant amount of customer data such as age, ZIP code, and income, this will save the market research company from having to ask these questions in the survey . 

As a result, they can structure the cost of the project to be more budget-friendly.

The difference in approach 📈

If your company or organization can tie telephone numbers or addresses to the participants, this will help the market research firm understand if email surveys , phone surveys , or mail surveys are an option. 

It will also help the market research know if reminder phone calls to those who do not respond to the email survey is an option or not.

The difference in quotas ♂️ ♀️

From a segmentation perspective, it will help the market research company develop quotas and audiences for targeting. 

Let's say your focus groups want to pinpoint those aged 25 to 34 with children in their households.

If you have this data on-hand it will make targeting and recruiting much easier for the market research company than if they had to call or email your entire customer list to screen.

• Examples like these create a more accurate proposal. ☑️
• Examples like these are why you should at least touch on the breadth and depth of your database. ☑️

If the market research company understands these nuisances it will help them more accurately and efficiently bid on your market research RFP.

This is why you should think about listing the fields of data you have available in-house.

💡 The Key Takeaway: Never underestimate the power of a customer database and reference that in your request for proposal process. Getting their information can alter the money you spend, the approach you take, and targeting practices. 

Recommended Reading: Ultimate Guide to Conducting Customer Satisfaction Surveys

Do You Have Relevant Target Markets?

Understanding where you want to conduct market research is another key touchpoint for your RFQ. 

A couple of questions you’ll want to answer in your request would be:

• If you are a national company with customers that span across the country, are there specific markets you want to research? Why? 
• Do these markets match the demographics of your customers or are you looking for a market research consultant to choose locations for the market research?

This is largely true with qualitative market research such as focus groups or in-person in-depth interviews (IDIs).

These types of studies incur large travel expenses and can add considerable length to the project timeline.

Another example of this would be feasibility studies .

If you are looking to test the feasibility of a new product or service , perhaps the market research firm should suggest some of the top test market cities in the United States for you. 

Why test markets are useful.

These test market suggestions could prove useful to your market research for a number of reasons.

Test markets are typically isolated, offer affordable media, and the demographics resemble national averages.

The location will play a major role in the scope and cost of the market research . 

Clearly defining where you want the market research targeted or held will help you receive comparable bids. If you leave this variable open, it could present a wide range of options and costs.

💡 The Key Takeaway: Knowing the areas you want to target during your research is essential information in the RFP process. Understanding the key areas you need to target can help determine which research to use. 

Do You Have a Specific or Aggressive Timeframe?

Timing is everything. In your market research request for proposal, you'll want to clarify when you need the market research completed. 

• Does the fieldwork have to be completed by a certain date? 
• Do the analysis and the draft report need to be received by a certain date? 
• Does the market research firm need to be on-site to present the findings on a specific date and time when your board is in town?

All of this information will be necessary to include in the RFP.

The timeline will dictate the scope and methodologies chosen⏰ 

Ideally, the more data the better. However, if the market research study needs to be fielded and concluded in two months, perhaps the intended 80 in-person IDIs will need to be limited to 40 IDIs.

Having a handle on these timelines assists the market research firm in planning.

If you are planning on the test product launching in 3-months, provide an expected date in the RFP so the market research firm can work its way backward.

Dates and deadlines for the market research are critical pieces for the RFP. Not only for the RFP submission and acceptance process but also for the study once fielded.

Dates add clarity and set expectations.

💡 The Key Takeaway: Having a project timeframe is crucial for success. This will help set the stage for additional deadlines and other important research factors.

Just how long does market research take? We answer that here.

What Type of Reporting Do You Need?

The type of analysis and reporting can have a major impact on cost . Without direction or structure, you may get several different levels of analysis in your RFP responses.

Some market research firms may produce a high-level summary document and that's it. 

Other market research firms, like Drive Research, may provide you with options such as: 

• An executive summary
• Recommendations
• Infographics
• Customer personas
• Hundreds of pages of banner runs
• A full Excel CSV file

One will charge you a few hundred dollars and the other will charge you thousands of dollars.

In the case of Drive Research, we offer various reporting packages to help fit into any budget. Most fall under either a topline or comprehensive market research report .

If you specify what you are looking for in the analysis and reporting it helps the market research company structure and plan for a report. 

If you are looking for conjoint analysis, a Van Westendorp pricing model , TURF analysis, or regression , it will require some additional time and cost.

💡 The Key Takeaway: Spend time considering reporting resources for your RFP. Prices may vary greatly depending on your goals, and it’s important to understand the full range of what you need before heading into the project. 

Sample Infographic in a Market Research Report by Drive Research

Do You Have a Budget or Budget Range?

This is an absolutely crucial piece of the request for proposal process.

The market research scope is often dictated by a budget. Market research companies want to present your company or organization with as much data as possible within your budget.

It's also understandably difficult for you to formulate because of the unknown. This is particularly true if you have never worked with a market research company before and are unsure of costs.

Defining some of the other categories we've listed in this article should help point you in the right direction of whether you are looking at an $8,000 project or $80,000 project.

The budget will dictate all recommendations and responses in a market research RFP. 

It will guide methodology, timeline, geographies, analysis, and reporting. No one fact or figure in your RFP process will have more of an impact. 

This is why it is critical to at least make an estimation or offer a range of your budget. Ask yourself or your team, what do you expect to spend?

As difficult as it sounds to list a budget or price range for your market research, it can prove crucial. 

💡 The Key Takeaway: Budget cannot be emphasized enough when it comes to your market research request for proposal. Having a clear understanding of what your project will cost allows you to plan accordingly. 

Recommended Reading: Should I Share My Project Budget with a Market Research Company?

Who Is Responsible for Rewards or Incentives for Participation?

One item in the RFP process that is often forgotten about but can have a large impact on cost is incentives or rewards.

Trust us, there are many reasons why you should offer a reward for your market research . 

Do you have an idea of the rewards you want to pay for participation? 

We suggest including some language on this because companies or organizations often have stipulations on what can or cannot be offered for participation.

Other companies have a stock and inventory of gifts and corporate items that can be given out as a thank you for participation.

If you have these types of rewards or an idea of what you'd like to offer participants, it will help to clarify this in the budget. 

If you plan on fulfilling these in-house it could save the market research from overbidding on this in their RFP response by a few thousand dollars.

💡 The Key Takeaway: Don’t be afraid of offering rewards for participants–in fact, it can save you money. One reason being it may prevent overbidding if you offer rewards in-house. 

Recommended Reading: Higher Rewards Can Lead to Lower Market Research Costs. Here's Why.

Will You Allow Bidding Vendors to Ask Questions?

Depending on your timeframe to accept bids, review bids, and make a decision, your company or organization will have to determine whether or not you are willing to have an open question and answer period.

Typically how the question and answer period works is you give vendors the opportunity to submit questions to you. 

Here you will make it clear, no questions can be accepted after X date 🙅‍♂️

Then you give your company or organization a few days to review questions and write answers. 

These answers are then posted to a public website for all vendors to review regardless of whether they have submitted a question or not.

Those who submitted questions are not singled out or labeled. The question and answer page is a section with generic questions with generic answers labeled 1 through 45 (or however many questions are received).

You'll likely receive several of the same or similar questions.  In these situations, for the answer, you can write "refer to the answer on Q5".

💡 The Key Takeaway: Consider the factors that go into an open question and answer period with vendors. This involves setting a strict deadline, then taking time to answer questions. 

What to Look For When Receiving RFPs Back From a Research Firm. 

Now that you have a clearer picture of how to write a market research RFP, quote, or estimate, it is time to set expectations for what types of responses you will receive.

As a market research company, we know a thing or two about what to look for after you’ve requested the type of information included in this article.

Briefly consider these 4 factors before choosing your market research company.

1. Responsiveness 💨

We all know about those form fills or inquiries that go into the great abyss. In fact, we have sent many of these ourselves to unresponsive clients. 

We have an immediate need, we reach out through a website form fill, and? Nothing. Silence.

Has this happened to you?

When you send your RFP to a market research company, test the responsiveness.

An organization that gets back to you within a few hours, or within 24 hours is likely a company that has it together and one you probably want to consider working with.

If you are waiting 6 days for a response it is probably telling you a larger story. Just think about this...

That company will never offer better customer service or work harder for you than when they are trying to win your business.

Once they have it won, it's likely to go downhill.

2. Excitement and Interest 😃

There is a difference between a market research vendor who takes on new clients to simply execute a process versus one who is actually interested and passionate about the work they are likely to perform.

Our team loves what we do. There are market research companies out there that exist who simply enjoy the process. Things like writing surveys, programming surveys , analyzing data, etc.

Passion often translates to higher quality work.

Be on the lookout for this in your communications via email, telephone, and in-person.  Are they interested in you? Or are they just interested in making a quick buck?

3. Background and Experience 🧠

While it is important the RFP focuses on your company’s needs and specifications, it is also helpful to inquire about the background and expertise of these firms. 

If you are deciding between several different research companies, ask follow-up questions about their history, staff experience, and case studies for your vertical. 

For example, if you work in retail, find a market research company that has direct or correlated experience in retail .

If you work in higher education, find a market research company that has worked in the educational space .

The benefit of finding a company with relevant experience is two-fold:

• First, they are more likely to understand the nuisances of your industry.
• Second, they are able to make anecdotal comparisons and pull insights from other similar projects.

All in all, it creates a more comprehensive outcome for your market research.

4. Cost Options 💵

As discussed earlier, it will be helpful to provide market research companies with your estimated budget – however, we know this is not always possible. 

If you are unable or uncomfortable with sharing your budget for research, the consultant should be happy to offer varying levels or pricing options.

For example, 400 survey responses are optimal. It offers an industry-standard +/- 5% margin of error . At the same time, 400 responses are more expensive than 200. 

If the budget is tight, the market research company should be willing to be flexible to offer options for 200, 300, and 400 responses.

💡 The Key Takeaway: The main elements to consider when receiving your RFP responses are the following: responsiveness, interest, experience, and cost. These are all essential elements that go into picking the right partner. 

Final Thoughts

The end goal with any market research request for proposal is to ensure you have a clearly defined process to acquire high-quality and credible market research company bids. 

The market research proposal process should also help you create a decision matrix that will assist you and your team in your choice. 

For a summary, here are the core components and topics to address in your market research RFP.

This is the checklist you can take back to your company's or organization's team to guide you in writing your RFP in market research:

• Main Objectives
• Secondary Objectives
• Methodology
• Database or CRM Information Available
• Geographies or Markets to Target
• Timeline for the Market Research
• Levels of Analysis and Reporting Needed
• Budget or Budget Range
• Rewards and Incentives
• Question and Answer Deadline
• Question and Answer Responses Posted by Date
• Number of Vendors Chosen for Follow-up and Dates
• Final Decision with 1 Vendor Date

Contact Drive Research for a Market Research RFP or Quote

Drive Research is a full-service market research company . Our clients span across the United States, as we work in a variety of industries and sectors.

Would you like Drive Research to bid on your RFP or RFQ? Contact us through any of the four ways below:

• Message us on our website
• Email us at  [email protected]
• Call us at  888-725-DATA
• Text us at 315-303-2040

Emily Carroll

A SUNY Cortland graduate, Emily has taken her passion for social and content marketing to Drive Research as the Marketing Manager. She has earned certificates for both Google Analytics and Google AdWords.

Learn more about Emily, here .

Categories: Market Research Services Category

Need help with your project? Get in touch with Drive Research.

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• Step by Step Guide to the Market Research Process

Summary: The market research process requires decisions related to budget, target sample, development of data collection tools, fielding, analysis, and reporting. Here is a check list to make the process easier.

5 minutes to read. By author Michaela Mora on March 15, 2022 Topics: Business Strategy , Market Research

The market research process requires making decisions at many steps that can be overwhelming for non-researchers put in charge of research projects.

Consider these practical tips to conduct the following 6 steps during the implementation of a market research project.

Step 1. Define the Problem and Translate It into Research Objectives

• This is the most important step. It sets the direction of the whole market research process. Ask clients how they will use the research results, and what business decisions they will make based on the data. They should be specific. Get a consensus among key stakeholders on the main research objectives. Get them involved from the start.
• Avoid objective creep. Don’t try to research everything under the sky in a project. Focus on what’s needed for decision-making. Trying to cram many things into a project because of budget constraints is often a waste of money as data quality suffers.
• Discuss limitations early in the process. Set clear expectations of what the research will cover and what data it will provide.
• Do secondary research , and check if previous research has been conducted on the same issue to avoid effort duplication and waste of money. Interview key stakeholders to put the research objectives into a greater context.
• Exploratory primary research may be needed with your target market (customers /users, non-customers) to better define the information needs.
• DO NOT select a data collection method before establishing clear objectives and identifying the target population. Think objectives firsts, methods second. Not the other way around.
• How much are the key stakeholders willing to invest in the requested research? Get a number! If there is no commitment to a budget, you will be wasting your time (RFP) and your research vendor’s time (proposal). There is always a trade-off between research quality, deadline, and cost. Make your internal clients aware of that. There is a limit to “ better, faster, and cheaper ” in market research. Push it too hard and you will get fast cheap, crappy research.

Step 2. Formulate the Approach

• Based on the research objective think, which research methodology would be the best fit. Start with the broader categories: Secondary? Primary? Qualitative? Quantitative?
• Based on the decisions that will be made, determine what type of data is needed and expected.
• Example: Need to know how to price a new product before it goes to market? Conjoint Analysis may be a good fit. Check: Conjoint Analysis And Realism In Price Research
• Example: Need to pick the product name that elicits the highest purchase intent from a list of 30? Consider MaxDiff. Check: Making the Case for MaxDiff
• Example: Need to find new growth opportunities? Segmentation research can help to find segments with the highest potential. Check: Segmentation is Key to Success
• The analysis techniques selected will also influence the decision on sample size.
• Ideally, if budget permits do qualitative research before or after quantitative research
• Consider qualitative research for exploration before quantitative and deep-diving after quantitative research.
• Consider quantitative research if a go/no go decision will be made. DO NOT make these types of decisions based only on qualitative research

Step 3. Define The Research Design

Define the target population for the research.

• Who do you want to gather data from? Customers? Non-Customers? Category users? Be realistic. Given your budget, you may or may not be able to reach your target population.
• Sample definition helps decide on what data collection method we use. More than one method may be needed. To read more about mixed-mode  data collection check: Mixed Data Collection Modes – Round-Up
• Create clear screening criteria. Discuss them with key stakeholders. Make sure they align with the research objectives.
• Discuss the caveats and limitations of the sample definition and how they will affect the results and decision-making.
• Determine the sample size based on your tolerance for risk.  Check Sample Size Matter
• A large sample doesn’t guarantee representativeness. Check: Does A Large Sample Size Guarantee A Representative Sample?
• If you have access to a customer database with emails, use it for studies related to customer retention goals and new product development.
• For customer acquisition, efforts use samples of non-customers in the category.
• If the study is online get bids from multiple online panels.
• Don’t buy third-party email lists and blast them with survey invites. It is illegal (SPAM-CAN Act).
• If you are conducting qualitative research , small samples are expected given the exploration nature of this methodology category. Consider issues of sample size saturation . Depending on the overall research objectives, results from qualitative research may need validation via quantitative research.

 Select Data Collection Method (s)

• Objectives, sample plan, analytical plan, and cost have the highest influence on which methods we use. Be open to using hybrid approaches combining qualitative and quantitative data collection methods
• Discuss which methods are the best fit to research the target pop. Some target groups may be difficult to reach with the same method
• If you decide on mixed-mode surveys, be aware of potential measurement errors each mode introduces. Check: Understanding the Pros and Cons of Mixed-Mode Research
• Once the data collection methods are selected, determine if you can do it with internal resources or need a research vendor.
• If time, staff, or lack of tools are limitations, consider outsourcing the project to an external research vendor. For more on this check: When Do You Need A Market Research Vendor ?
• If you are doing surveys, put time into its design. To create surveys that gather quality data check: 10 Things to Consider in Survey Design
• Considering focus groups? Check if it makes sense here: When Using Focus Groups Makes Sense
• If you are doing focus groups, avoid common mistakes. To know which they are, check: Common Mistakes When Doing Focus Groups
• Consider online qualitative research techniques. Check: Online Qualitative Research Techniques Review

Step 4. Collect Data

• Do a soft launch if you are doing online surveys to catch any potential problems.
• Get involved, monitor. early to catch any potential issues that can affect data quality (e.g., bad respondents, programming errors, etc.).

Step 5. Data Processing

• Clean your data. It doesn’t matter if it is quantitative or qualitative data, quality controls are needed.
• Fraudulent research participants are always trying to game the system to get their incentives. Try to catch them on the fly with the help of fraud prevention software and smart programming in recruitment screeners and question design and programming.
• Code open-ended questions to find patterns in the data.
• Create cross-tabulated tables to help organize the data if you do surveys.
• Transcribe interviews and focus group discussions to use tools to organize qualitative data to facilitate thematic analysis.

Step 6. Analyze & Report

• Keep the key objectives in mind to connect market research to business impact. Check: How To Connect Market Research To Business Impact
• Share preliminary results with key stakeholders, discuss, and check if they make sense from a practical standpoint.
• Focus on the story behind the numbers and how it supports your recommendations. Don’t do a data dump. Focus on insights.

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How to Write Effective Marketing Research Proposals

Table of Contents

Are you struggling to write effective marketing research proposals that will leave a lasting impression? Are you unsure how to structure your ideas and approach in a way that resonates with clients?

If so, then this article is for you! Here, we’ll provide step-by-step guidance on  how to write marketing research proposal templates that get results.

We’ll also explore key tips used to create winning bids. Whether you’re an experienced market researcher or starting out, these tips will help you produce convincing proposals that deliver excellent outcomes.

What is a Marketing Research Proposal?

Market research proposals are documents that sell your services to potential clients. It aims to educate them about what they can accomplish by hiring you to complete their projects or research .

It typically outlines the research project’s objectives, methods, costs, timeline, and expected results.

Key Elements of Marketing Research Proposal

A summary outlines the purpose and objectives of the proposed marketing research project. It should provide an overview of what will be investigated, as well as how this knowledge can benefit the organization.

This section lists what information needs to be gathered from the research study and why it is needed. These should focus on gaining insight into customer behaviour, attitudes, or preferences that can help inform decisions made by the company.

Targets refer to the target audience who will participate in the research. This includes criteria like age group, gender, profession, and other demographic characteristics relevant to the topic being studied.

Methodology

The methodology defines the methods and techniques used to collect data during the research process. This may involve interviews, surveys, focus groups, field experiments, and so on, depending on the study’s scope.

A timeline provides a realistic schedule for carrying out the project. It should identify when each phase begins and ends while addressing potential roadblocks or delays.

Proposed Budget

A proposed budget outlines the estimated costs of conducting the research study. This ensures sufficient resources are available to cover all expenses for successfully carrying out the project.

How to Write Marketing Research Proposal Templates

Get to know the client..

You might already have written audience personas available that can help you shape your proposal’s tone, language, plan, or other components. If not, it’s best to start researching the client’s target audience, industry, products/services, keywords or topics, and other relevant details.

It also helps to ask about the client’s pain points so you can better address them.

Knowing their main pain points gives you an idea of how to market your products or services as the best solution for their problems. Consider how your experience, expertise, and background can benefit them.

List the scope of work.

Include a scope of work section in your marketing proposal , which describes all the services you plan to provide the client. It should fulfill marketing tasks that clients do not have enough time or resources to accomplish.

For example, the Scope of Work for a social media marketing proposal may outline the following tasks:

• Creating a content calendar
• Uploading or automating posts
• Analyzing social metrics.

Provide timelines for deliverables.

Based on the scope of work outlined, provide estimated time frames for each deliverable associated with the project. This will help keep track of progress throughout its development and establish expectations between both parties involved.

Include costs and terms.

Include a cost breakdown in your proposal and any applicable terms or conditions. Explain what they are paying for and how much they will be charged, so there are no misunderstandings later down the line. This section can include the following:

• Pay rate (by milestone, week, and so on.) or pricing strategy (flat or hourly rate)
• Payment requirements (deposit required before project start, full payment due upon completion, and so on)
• Work location (on-site or remote)
• Any warranties you may provide
• Situations that warrant the termination of a contract

Show how you plan to measure results.

Demonstrate how you plan to measure the effectiveness of the research once it has been completed. Present strategies for tracking key performance indicators such as response rates, ROI, sales numbers, and so on. This will make potential clients more confident that you know what you’re doing.

A well-constructed, persuasive marketing research proposal is essential to attracting and acquiring new clients. It should provide relevant details about your research goals and highlight what clients can gain from working with you.

With the help of these steps on how to write marketing research proposal , you should have no trouble getting started. Now get out there and start putting together those winning research proposals!

Abir Ghenaiet

Abir is a data analyst and researcher. Among her interests are artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing. As a humanitarian and educator, she actively supports women in tech and promotes diversity.

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• How to Write a Research Proposal | Examples & Templates

How to Write a Research Proposal | Examples & Templates

Published on October 12, 2022 by Shona McCombes and Tegan George. Revised on September 5, 2024.

A research proposal describes what you will investigate, why it’s important, and how you will conduct your research.

The format of a research proposal varies between fields, but most proposals will contain at least these elements:

Introduction

Literature review.

• Research design

Reference list

While the sections may vary, the overall objective is always the same. A research proposal serves as a blueprint and guide for your research plan, helping you get organized and feel confident in the path forward you choose to take.

Table of contents

Research proposal purpose, research proposal examples, research design and methods, contribution to knowledge, research schedule, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about research proposals.

Academics often have to write research proposals to get funding for their projects. As a student, you might have to write a research proposal as part of a grad school application , or prior to starting your thesis or dissertation .

In addition to helping you figure out what your research can look like, a proposal can also serve to demonstrate why your project is worth pursuing to a funder, educational institution, or supervisor.

Research proposal length

The length of a research proposal can vary quite a bit. A bachelor’s or master’s thesis proposal can be just a few pages, while proposals for PhD dissertations or research funding are usually much longer and more detailed. Your supervisor can help you determine the best length for your work.

One trick to get started is to think of your proposal’s structure as a shorter version of your thesis or dissertation , only without the results , conclusion and discussion sections.

Download our research proposal template

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

Writing a research proposal can be quite challenging, but a good starting point could be to look at some examples. We’ve included a few for you below.

• Example research proposal #1: “A Conceptual Framework for Scheduling Constraint Management”
• Example research proposal #2: “Medical Students as Mediators of Change in Tobacco Use”

Like your dissertation or thesis, the proposal will usually have a title page that includes:

• The proposed title of your project
• Your supervisor’s name
• Your institution and department

The first part of your proposal is the initial pitch for your project. Make sure it succinctly explains what you want to do and why.

Your introduction should:

• Introduce your topic
• Give necessary background and context
• Outline your  problem statement  and research questions

To guide your introduction , include information about:

• Who could have an interest in the topic (e.g., scientists, policymakers)
• How much is already known about the topic
• What is missing from this current knowledge
• What new insights your research will contribute
• Why you believe this research is worth doing

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As you get started, it’s important to demonstrate that you’re familiar with the most important research on your topic. A strong literature review  shows your reader that your project has a solid foundation in existing knowledge or theory. It also shows that you’re not simply repeating what other people have already done or said, but rather using existing research as a jumping-off point for your own.

In this section, share exactly how your project will contribute to ongoing conversations in the field by:

• Comparing and contrasting the main theories, methods, and debates
• Examining the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches
• Explaining how will you build on, challenge, or synthesize prior scholarship

Following the literature review, restate your main  objectives . This brings the focus back to your own project. Next, your research design or methodology section will describe your overall approach, and the practical steps you will take to answer your research questions.

To finish your proposal on a strong note, explore the potential implications of your research for your field. Emphasize again what you aim to contribute and why it matters.

For example, your results might have implications for:

• Improving best practices
• Informing policymaking decisions
• Strengthening a theory or model
• Challenging popular or scientific beliefs
• Creating a basis for future research

Last but not least, your research proposal must include correct citations for every source you have used, compiled in a reference list . To create citations quickly and easily, you can use our free APA citation generator .

Some institutions or funders require a detailed timeline of the project, asking you to forecast what you will do at each stage and how long it may take. While not always required, be sure to check the requirements of your project.

Here’s an example schedule to help you get started. You can also download a template at the button below.

Download our research schedule template

If you are applying for research funding, chances are you will have to include a detailed budget. This shows your estimates of how much each part of your project will cost.

Make sure to check what type of costs the funding body will agree to cover. For each item, include:

• Cost : exactly how much money do you need?
• Justification : why is this cost necessary to complete the research?
• Source : how did you calculate the amount?

To determine your budget, think about:

• Travel costs : do you need to go somewhere to collect your data? How will you get there, and how much time will you need? What will you do there (e.g., interviews, archival research)?
• Materials : do you need access to any tools or technologies?
• Help : do you need to hire any research assistants for the project? What will they do, and how much will you pay them?

If you want to know more about the research process , methodology , research bias , or statistics , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

Methodology

• Sampling methods
• Simple random sampling
• Stratified sampling
• Cluster sampling
• Likert scales
• Reproducibility

 Statistics

• Null hypothesis
• Statistical power
• Probability distribution
• Effect size
• Poisson distribution

Research bias

• Optimism bias
• Cognitive bias
• Implicit bias
• Hawthorne effect
• Anchoring bias
• Explicit bias

Once you’ve decided on your research objectives , you need to explain them in your paper, at the end of your problem statement .

Keep your research objectives clear and concise, and use appropriate verbs to accurately convey the work that you will carry out for each one.

I will compare …

A research aim is a broad statement indicating the general purpose of your research project. It should appear in your introduction at the end of your problem statement , before your research objectives.

Research objectives are more specific than your research aim. They indicate the specific ways you’ll address the overarching aim.

A PhD, which is short for philosophiae doctor (doctor of philosophy in Latin), is the highest university degree that can be obtained. In a PhD, students spend 3–5 years writing a dissertation , which aims to make a significant, original contribution to current knowledge.

A PhD is intended to prepare students for a career as a researcher, whether that be in academia, the public sector, or the private sector.

A master’s is a 1- or 2-year graduate degree that can prepare you for a variety of careers.

All master’s involve graduate-level coursework. Some are research-intensive and intend to prepare students for further study in a PhD; these usually require their students to write a master’s thesis . Others focus on professional training for a specific career.

Critical thinking refers to the ability to evaluate information and to be aware of biases or assumptions, including your own.

Like information literacy , it involves evaluating arguments, identifying and solving problems in an objective and systematic way, and clearly communicating your ideas.

The best way to remember the difference between a research plan and a research proposal is that they have fundamentally different audiences. A research plan helps you, the researcher, organize your thoughts. On the other hand, a dissertation proposal or research proposal aims to convince others (e.g., a supervisor, a funding body, or a dissertation committee) that your research topic is relevant and worthy of being conducted.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

McCombes, S. & George, T. (2024, September 05). How to Write a Research Proposal | Examples & Templates. Scribbr. Retrieved September 13, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/research-process/research-proposal/

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How to Create a Market Research Plan

Before starting a business, you want to fully research your idea. A market research plan will help you understand your competition, the marketplace and more.

Table of Contents

While having a great idea is an important part of establishing a business, you’ll only get so far without laying the proper groundwork. To help your business take off, not only do you need to size up the competition, but you also need to identify who will buy your product, how much it will cost, the best approach to selling it and how many people will demand it.

To get answers to these questions, you’ll need a market research plan, which you can create yourself or pay a specialist to create for you. Market research plans define an existing problem and/or outline an opportunity. From there, the marketing strategy is broken down task by task. Your plan should include objectives and the methods that you’ll use to achieve those objectives, along with a time frame for completing the work.

What should a market research plan include?

A market research plan should provide a thorough examination of how your product or service will fare in a defined area. It should include:

• An examination of the current marketplace and an analysis of the need for your product or service: To know where you fit in the market, it’s important to have a broad understanding of your industry — covering everything from its annual revenue to the industry standards to the total number of businesses operating within it. Start by gathering statistical data from sources like the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and BMI Research and consider the industry’s market size, potential customer base and how external factors such as laws, technology, world events and socioeconomic changes impact it.
• An assessment of the competition: By analyzing your competitors, you can discover strategies to fill market gaps. This involves identifying well-known competitors and noting trends they employ successfully, scrutinizing customer feedback about businesses in your sector, such as through online reviews, and understanding competitors’ product or service offerings. This knowledge can then guide the refinement of your own products or services to differentiate them from others in the market.
• Data about customers: Identify which segment of potential customers in your industry you can effectively target, considering their demographics — such as age, ethnicity, income and location and psychographics, including beliefs, values and lifestyle. Learn about the challenges your customers face in their daily lives and determine how the features and benefits of your offerings address their needs.
• The direction for your marketing in the upcoming year: Your plan should provide a clear roadmap for your marketing strategies for the next year, focusing on approaches to distinguish your brand from competitors. Develop marketing messages that resonate with and display empathy toward your target market and find ways to address customers’ needs and demonstrate value.
• Goals to be met: Outline goals your business would like to achieve and make these goals clear to all employees on your team. Create goals that are realistic and attainable while also making a meaningful impact on the business’s growth. Consider factors including your target number of products or services, the expected number of units to sell based on market size, target market behavior, pricing for each item and the cost of production and advertising.

How to create your market research plan

Doing business without having a marketing plan is like driving without directions. You may eventually reach your destination, but there will be many costly and time-consuming mistakes made along the way.

Many entrepreneurs mistakenly believe there is a big demand for their service or product but, in reality, there may not be, your prices may be too high or too low or you may be going into a business with so many restrictions that it’s almost impossible to be successful. A market research plan will help you uncover significant issues or roadblocks.

Step 1. Conduct a comprehensive situation analysis.

One of the first steps in constructing your marketing plan is to create a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis , which is used to identify your competition, to know how they operate and then to understand their strengths and weaknesses.

Step 2: Develop clear marketing objectives.

In this section, describe the desired outcome for your marketing plan with realistic and attainable objectives, the targets and a clear and concise time frame. The most common way to approach this is with marketing objectives, which may include the total number of customers and the retention rate, the average volume of purchases, total market share and the proportion of your potential market that makes purchases.

Step 3: Make a financial plan.

A financial plan is essentia l for creating a solid marketing plan. The financial plan answers a range of questions that are critical components of your business, such as how much you intend to sell, what will you charge, how much will it cost to deliver your services or produce your products, how much will it cost for your basic operating expenses and how much financing will you need to operate your business.

In your business plan, be sure to describe who you are, what your business will be about, your business goals and what your inspiration was to buy, begin or grow your business.

Step 4: Determine your target audience.

Once you know what makes you stand out from your competitors and how you’ll market yourself, you should decide who to target with all this information. That’s why your market research plan should delineate your target audience. What are their demographics and how will these qualities affect your plan? How do your company’s current products and services affect which consumers you can realistically make customers? Will that change in the future? All of these questions should be answered in your plan.

Step 5: List your research methods.

Rarely does one research avenue make for a comprehensive market research plan. Instead, your plan should indicate several methods that will be used to determine the market share you can realistically obtain. This way, you get as much information as possible from as many sources as possible. The result is a more robust path toward establishing the exact footprint you desire for your company.

Step 6: Establish a timeline.

With your plan in place, you’ll need to figure out how long your market research process will take. Project management charts are often helpful in this regard as they divide tasks and personnel over a timeframe that you have set. No matter which type of project management chart you use, try to build some flexibility into your timeframe. A two-week buffer toward the home stretch comes in handy when a process scheduled for one week takes two — that buffer will keep you on deadline.

Step 7: Acknowledge ethical concerns.

Market research always presents opportunities for ethical missteps. After all, you’ll need to obtain competitor information and sensitive financial data that may not always be readily available. Your market research plan should thus encourage your team to not take any dicey steps to obtain this information. It may be better to state, “we could not obtain this competitor information,” than to spy on the competitor or pressure their current employees for knowledge. Plus, there’s nothing wrong with simply feeling better about the final state of your plan and how you got it there.

Using a market research firm

If the thought of trying to create your own market research plan seems daunting or too time-consuming, there are plenty of other people willing to do the work for you.

Pros of using a market research firm

As an objective third party, businesses can benefit from a market research firm’s impartial perspective and guidance, helping to shape impactful brand strategies and marketing campaigns. These firms, which can help businesses with everything from their marketing campaigns to brand launches, deliver precise results, drawing on their expertise and experience to provide in-depth insights and solutions tailored specifically to your company’s needs. 

Even more, working with a market research firm can elevate a brand above the competition, as they provide credible and unique research that is highly valued by the media, enhancing brand credibility and potentially increasing website traffic, social media shares and online visibility.

Cons of using a market research firm

Although hiring a firm can provide businesses with tremendous results, certain downsides can lead a business toward the do-it-yourself route. Most notably, market research firms can be a costly expense that some businesses can’t afford. However, businesses that can allocate the funds will likely see a positive return on investment, as they are paying for the expertise and proficiency of seasoned professionals in the field.

Additionally, finding the right market research firm for your business’s needs can take some time — and even longer, ranging from weeks to months, for a market research firm to complete a plan. This lack of immediate results can be detrimental for businesses that don’t have the time to wait. 

Market research firms can charge into the thousands of dollars for a market research plan, but there are ways to get help more affordably, including:

• Outline your plans carefully and spell out objectives.
• Examine as many sources as possible.
• Before paying for any information, check with librarians, small business development centers or market research professors to see if they can help you access market research data for free.
• You may think you’ll need to spend a hefty sum to create a market research plan, but there are plenty of free and low-cost sources available, especially through university business schools that will guide you through the process.

Miranda Fraraccio contributed to this article. 

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Free Market Research Proposal Template That Wins Clients

Do you want a completely editable market research proposal template that brought more than $133 million in sales to companies worldwide in 2023 alone? Add, delete, or change sections as you see fit, make it your own, and improve your market outreach fast and easy.

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• Case study example
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• Pre-written contract
• Take payments from your clients

The first thing your client sees when your proposal shows up in their inbox is a nicely designed cover. As a business owner, you understand how hard it is to gain the client's attention, so the goal is to start the proposal with an attention-grabbing image.

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Like everything else in this sample proposal, it's 100% editable - the colors, the text, images, layout - everything.

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Getting paid - it's the hardest thing to do in business. The sooner and the easier you can get that money in your account, the better.

Using our integrations with Stripe, PayPal, and GoCardless, you can take a payment from your client the moment they sign your proposal.

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Market Research Proposal

Executive Summary

Why [sender company], 1. in-house research, 2. panel expertise, 3. premium databases, 4. global coverage, 5. data visualization, our research approach, primary research, our primary research services, secondary research, ip research, social media listening & analytics.

Our Services

Market analysis, consumer research and insights, competitive intelligence, custom research.

Terms and Conditions

1. payment terms, 2. limitation of liability, 3. termination, 4. governing law, acceptance and signature, free market research proposal templates, this proposal template encompasses every possible details necessary for a market research proposal..

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