You might have an understanding of what market research is, but maybe you’re wondering what all the fuss is about. After all, isn’t business as simple as providing a product or service and seeing if it sells? 

Of course, keeping it simple is an option, but with adequate market research, you can alleviate risk. Rather than sinking money and time into a product that nobody wants, research can help set expectations ahead of time. 

In business, it’s always important to give your customers what they want. If your product or service falls short, it’s unlikely that you’ll find much success. While you might get lucky from time to time, you’re much better off developing an understanding of those wants upfront. 

With that in mind, there are a ton of reasons why market research matters. Let’s take a look at some of the top examples, and how you can use it to your benefit. 

Risk Mitigation

In business, limiting the amount of risk you take is essential. While calculated risk can help a business grow, too much risk will often lead to long-term viability issues. 

This is where market research can help a business stay ahead of the game. By issuing surveys, hosting focus groups, or letting consumers test products, you’re already curbing that risk. The more opinions you get, the more prepared you are for how your product will perform in the market.

This isn’t to say, however, that market research guarantees the success of a product or business. There will always be risk associated with any new product. But, the more information you have, the less likely you’ll be to get caught by surprise. 

Marketing 

Market research is also essential to a good marketing campaign. Who are you trying to reach? What does that market respond to? How can you get them to engage? 

These are all questions that marketers constantly ask. Without proper market research, they’re simply guessing. By forming an understanding of your audience, you’re much more likely to market your product in a way that people will connect with. 

Quality marketing is key to the long-term success of a business. Unengaged consumers will quickly move on to something else. So, make sure you’re reaching them with something that understands them. 

Customer-First Mentality

So many businesses make the mistake of putting the business before the customer. This is a recipe for failure. With a customer-first mentality, a product or service (or marketing campaign) puts the customer’s needs ahead of all else. 

Without market research, you’re unlikely to even know what it is that your customers want. If you fail to ask, listen, and respond accordingly, you’re simply guessing. While you might get lucky every now and then, you’ll always be better off gathering information upfront.