Market Research Glossary

Plain english definitions for every research term from fundamentals to advanced methods.

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Metrics

Brand Awareness

The extent to which consumers recognise or recall a brand within a given product or service category.

Metrics

Brand Equity

The commercial value a brand adds beyond product attributes, built through consumer perceptions, associations, and loyalty over time.

Analysis

Conjoint Analysis

A technique that measures how people trade off between product features to reveal which attributes actually drive purchase decisions.

Methods

Consumer Insight

A finding about consumer attitudes or behaviour that reframes how a business understands a problem or opportunity.

Analysis

Cross-Tabulation

A method of analysing survey data by breaking down responses to one question by the answers to another, displayed as a grid.

Methods

Customer Journey

The sequence of experiences a customer has with a brand from first awareness through to purchase, use, and beyond.

Metrics

Customer Satisfaction

A measure of how well a specific experience met customer expectations, usually captured directly after an interaction.

Methods

Desk Research

The process of collecting and synthesising information from published sources without conducting original fieldwork.

Qualitative

Ethnography

Observational research in which a researcher studies people in their natural environment to understand real-world behaviour in context.

Analysis

Factor Analysis

A statistical technique that identifies underlying patterns in a dataset by reducing many variables into a smaller set of factors.

Qualitative

Focus Group

A moderated group discussion, usually 6 to 8 participants, used to explore opinions, reactions, and attitudes on a topic.

Analysis

Hypothesis Testing

A statistical method for determining whether a specific claim about a dataset is supported or contradicted by the evidence.

Qualitative

In-Depth Interview

A one-to-one qualitative conversation used to explore an individual's attitudes, experiences, or decision-making in detail.

Methods

Market Research

The process of gathering and analysing information about markets, customers, and competitors to inform business decisions.

Analysis

Market Segmentation

Dividing a market into distinct groups of consumers with shared characteristics, needs, or behaviours to enable targeted strategies.

Metrics

Net Promoter Score

A single-question loyalty metric that asks how likely customers are to recommend your product or service — scored 0–10 and segmented into Promoters, Passives, and Detractors.

Methods

Primary Research

Research you collect directly from the source for a specific purpose, such as surveys, interviews, or observation.

Qualitative

Qualitative Research

Research that explores opinions, motivations, and behaviours through open methods like interviews and focus groups, rather than statistics.

Quantitative

Quantitative Research

Research that collects numerical data from large samples to measure attitudes, behaviours, or outcomes with statistical reliability.

Quantitative

Random Sampling

A method in which every member of a target population has an equal chance of being selected to take part in a study.

Methods

Research Brief

A document that defines the objectives, background, and outputs required for a research project before fieldwork begins.

Quantitative

Sample Size

The number of people included in a study, which determines how reliably results can be projected onto a wider population.

Methods

Secondary Research

Research that uses data already collected by others, such as industry reports, government statistics, or published studies.

Analysis

Statistical Significance

A measure of whether a result is likely to reflect a real difference or effect rather than random variation in the data.

Quantitative

Survey

A structured set of questions presented to a sample of respondents to collect data on attitudes, behaviours, or preferences at scale.

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