market research analysts

What does a market research analyst do?

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What is a Market Research Analyst?

A market research analyst specializes in studying market conditions to identify potential sales opportunities for a product or service. They collect and analyze data on consumers' preferences, buying habits, and economic trends to help companies make informed decisions about their products and marketing strategies.

Market research analysts employ a variety of techniques, including surveys, interviews, focus groups, and statistical analysis, to gather relevant data. By evaluating market trends and consumer behavior, they provide valuable insights to businesses, enabling them to understand their target audience better and anticipate changes in demand. These professionals play an important role in shaping marketing campaigns, product development, and overall business strategies, ensuring that companies stay competitive in the market.

What does a Market Research Analyst do?

Duties and Responsibilities Market research analysts play a vital role in helping companies understand market trends, consumer behavior, and competitive landscapes. Their duties and responsibilities encompass a wide range of tasks aimed at gathering and analyzing data to provide actionable insights for strategic decision-making. Here are the key duties and responsibilities of a market research analyst:

• Data Collection: Market research analysts collect data through various methods such as surveys, interviews, questionnaires, and focus groups. They may also use tools to gather data from social media, online platforms, and public records.
• Data Analysis: Analysts use statistical software and techniques to analyze collected data. They interpret numerical data and transform it into meaningful insights, identifying patterns, trends, and correlations.
• Market Trends Analysis: Analysts study market trends, including consumer preferences, buying behaviors, and economic indicators. They assess the potential demand for products or services, helping businesses anticipate market changes.
• Competitor Analysis: Market research analysts analyze competitors' strategies, products, and market positioning. They identify strengths and weaknesses, providing companies with a competitive advantage by understanding the market landscape.
• Consumer Behavior Research: Analysts delve into consumer motivations, perceptions, and preferences. They evaluate factors influencing purchasing decisions, allowing businesses to tailor their products and marketing strategies to target audiences effectively.
• Report Generation: Analysts prepare detailed reports and presentations summarizing research findings. These reports often include visualizations such as charts and graphs to communicate complex data in a clear and understandable manner.
• Strategic Recommendations: Based on their analyses, market research analysts provide strategic recommendations to businesses. They offer insights on product development, pricing strategies, marketing campaigns, and market entry or expansion plans.
• Client Consultation: In consultancy roles, market research analysts engage with clients to understand their research needs. They design research methodologies, present findings, and offer actionable insights tailored to specific client objectives.
• Industry Analysis: Analysts assess broader industry trends, regulations, and technological advancements. They evaluate how these factors impact the market and provide industry-specific insights to businesses operating within that sector.

Types of Market Research Analysts Market research analysts can specialize in various fields and industries, each requiring unique skills and expertise. Here are some common types of market research analysts based on their areas of specialization:

• Consumer Market Research Analysts: These analysts focus on understanding consumer behavior, preferences, and buying patterns. They conduct surveys, interviews, and observational studies to gather insights into consumers' attitudes toward products and services.
• Product Market Research Analysts: Product-focused analysts research specific products or services to assess market demand, pricing strategies, and potential improvements. They analyze existing products, evaluate competitors, and identify opportunities for product enhancements.
• Advertising and Marketing Research Analysts: Analysts in this category study the effectiveness of advertising and marketing campaigns. They assess consumer responses to advertisements, analyze market trends, and provide recommendations for optimizing marketing strategies.
• Social and Opinion Research Analysts: These analysts focus on public opinion and social issues. They conduct surveys and polls to gather data on public attitudes, political preferences, social behaviors, and cultural trends. Their findings are often used by governments, nonprofits, and advocacy groups.
• Financial Market Research Analysts: Financial analysts specializing in market research assess financial markets, stocks, bonds, commodities, and investment opportunities. They analyze market trends, economic indicators, and company financial statements to provide insights to investors and financial institutions.
• Healthcare Market Research Analysts: Analysts in the healthcare sector study market trends related to pharmaceuticals, medical devices, healthcare services, and patient preferences. They analyze healthcare data to assist pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, and healthcare providers in making strategic decisions.
• Technology Market Research Analysts: Technology analysts research trends in the technology industry, including software, hardware, and emerging technologies. They assess consumer demand, competitor products, and industry innovations to provide insights for technology companies.
• International Market Research Analysts: Analysts specializing in international markets assess global market trends, cultural differences, and regulatory environments. They provide insights to companies looking to expand their operations internationally, helping them adapt their products and marketing strategies to different regions.
• Environmental Market Research Analysts: These analysts study market trends related to environmental issues, sustainable products, and green technologies. They assess consumer attitudes toward eco-friendly products and help businesses develop environmentally conscious strategies.
• Real Estate Market Research Analysts: Analysts in this field study real estate market trends, property values, and consumer preferences. They analyze data related to housing markets, commercial real estate, and property development to assist real estate agencies, developers, and investors.

Are you suited to be a market research analyst?

Market research analysts have distinct personalities . They tend to be investigative individuals, which means they’re intellectual, introspective, and inquisitive. They are curious, methodical, rational, analytical, and logical. Some of them are also enterprising, meaning they’re adventurous, ambitious, assertive, extroverted, energetic, enthusiastic, confident, and optimistic.

Does this sound like you? Take our free career test to find out if market research analyst is one of your top career matches.

What is the workplace of a Market Research Analyst like?

The workplace of a market research analyst is diverse and can vary based on the industry, the specific focus of research, and the type of organization they work for. Market research analysts are employed in various sectors, including market research firms, advertising agencies, consulting companies, corporate organizations, government agencies, and non-profit organizations. Here's an overview of what the workplace environment for a market research analyst might entail:

Office Environment: Market research analysts typically spend a significant amount of time in office settings, especially during tasks related to data analysis, report generation, and client consultations. In these environments, they work with computers, utilizing specialized software for data analysis, statistical modeling, and creating visually appealing presentations. Offices are often equipped with the necessary tools and technology to conduct research, such as survey software, databases, and communication systems.

Client Meetings and Consultations: Market research analysts frequently engage with clients to understand their research needs and present findings. These meetings can occur both in the analyst's office and at the client's location. During these consultations, analysts discuss research methodologies, data collection strategies, and the interpretation of results. Effective communication skills are crucial as analysts need to convey complex data and insights in a clear and understandable manner.

Fieldwork and Data Collection: Depending on the nature of the research project, market research analysts might conduct fieldwork to gather primary data. This could involve organizing focus group discussions, conducting surveys, or interviewing respondents. Fieldwork allows analysts to interact directly with consumers or participants, providing valuable qualitative insights that complement quantitative data.

Collaboration and Teamwork: Market research projects often require collaboration among a team of researchers, data analysts, and sometimes specialists from other disciplines. Analysts work closely with colleagues to design research studies, collect and analyze data, and develop comprehensive reports. Teamwork is essential for brainstorming ideas, validating research methodologies, and ensuring the accuracy of findings.

Remote Work and Flexibility: In recent years, the workplace of market research analysts has increasingly embraced remote work options, allowing professionals to work from home or other locations. This flexibility is particularly beneficial during data analysis and report writing stages, where analysts can focus on tasks without the distractions of a busy office environment. Remote work also enables collaboration through virtual meetings and communication tools.

Travel: For market research analysts involved in projects that require on-site data collection or client meetings, travel might be a component of their work. Analysts may need to visit focus group locations, attend industry conferences, or meet with clients in different cities or countries.

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Market Research Analyst

Market research analysts study consumer preferences, business conditions, and other factors to assess potential sales of a product or service. They help companies understand what products people want, who will buy them, and at what price.

Market research analysts typically do the following:

• Monitor and forecast marketing and sales trends
• Measure the effectiveness of marketing programs and strategies
• Devise and evaluate methods for collecting data, such as surveys, questionnaires, and opinion polls
• Gather data on consumers, competitors, and market conditions
• Analyze data using statistical software
• Convert data and findings into tables, graphs, and written reports
• Prepare reports and present results to clients and management

Market research analysts gather data and study other information to help a company promote its products or services. They gather data on consumer buying habits, demographics, needs, and preferences. They collect data and information using a variety of methods, such as focus groups, interviews, literature reviews, market analysis surveys, public opinion polls, and questionnaires.

Analysts help determine a company’s position in the marketplace by researching their competitors and studying their marketing methods, prices, and sales. Using this information, analysts may determine potential markets, product demand, and pricing. Their knowledge of the targeted consumer enables analysts to develop advertising brochures and commercials, product promotions, and sales plans.

Market research analysts evaluate data using statistical techniques and software. They must interpret what the data mean for their client, and they may forecast future trends. They often make charts, graphs, infographics, and other visual aids to present the results of their research.

Workers who design and conduct surveys that market research analysts use are survey researchers.

Market research analysts held about 792,500 jobs in 2021. The largest employers of market research analysts were as follows:

Because most industries use market research, these analysts are employed throughout the economy.

Market research analysts work individually or as part of a team, collecting, analyzing, and presenting data. For example, some analysts work with graphic designers and artists to create charts, graphs, and infographics summarizing their research and findings.

Work Schedules

Most market research analysts work full time during regular business hours.

Market research analysts typically need a bachelor’s degree. Some employers require or prefer that job candidates have a master’s degree. Strong research and analytical skills are essential.

Market research analysts typically need a bachelor's degree in market research or a related business, communications, or social science field.

Courses in statistics, research methods, and marketing are important for prospective analysts. Courses in communications and social sciences, such as economics or consumer behavior, are also helpful.

Some employers of market research analysts require or prefer a master’s degree. Several schools offer graduate programs in marketing research, but analysts may choose to complete a bachelor’s degree in another field, such as statistics and marketing, and earn a master’s degree in business administration (MBA). A master’s degree is often required for leadership positions or positions that perform more technical research.

Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations

Analysts may pursue certification, which is voluntary, to demonstrate a level of professional competency. The  Insights Association  offers several certifications for market research analysts, including the IPC Principal and the IPC Masters. Candidates qualify based on industry experience and passing an exam.

Other Experience

Completing an internship while in school may be helpful. Prospective analysts also may gain experience by volunteering for an organization and helping with market research or related projects.

Employers may prefer to hire candidates who have experience in other positions that require collecting and analyzing data or writing reports to summarize research. 

Market research analysts typically have an interest in the Thinking, Persuading and Organizing interest areas, according to the Holland Code framework. The Thinking interest area indicates a focus on researching, investigating, and increasing the understanding of natural laws. The Persuading interest area indicates a focus on influencing, motivating, and selling to other people. The Organizing interest area indicates a focus on working with information and processes to keep things arranged in orderly systems.

If you are not sure whether you have a Thinking or Persuading or Organizing interest which might fit with a career as a market research analyst, you can take a career test to measure your interests.

Market research analysts should also possess the following specific qualities:

Analytical skills. Market research analysts must be able to understand large amounts of data and information. 

Communication skills. Market research analysts need strong communication skills when gathering information, interpreting data, and presenting results to clients. 

Critical-thinking skills. Market research analysts must assess all available information to determine what marketing strategy would work best for a company.

Detail oriented. Market research analysts must be detail oriented because they often do precise data analysis.

The median annual wage for market research analysts was $63,920 in May 2021. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $37,570, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $128,320.

In May 2021, the median annual wages for market research analysts in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:

Employment of market research analysts is projected to grow 19 percent from 2021 to 2031, much faster than the average for all occupations.

About 99,800 openings for market research analysts are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire. 

Employment growth will be driven by an increasing use of data and market research across many industries. These workers will be needed to help understand the needs and wants of customers, measure the effectiveness of marketing and business strategies, and identify the factors affecting product demand.

The increase in the collection and analyses of big data—extremely large sets of information, such as social media comments or online product reviews—can provide insight on consumer behaviors and preferences. Businesses will need market research analysts to conduct analyses of the data and information.

For more information about market research analysts, visit

Insights Association

For resources and information about qualitative research, visit

Qualitative Research Consultants Association  (QRCA)

Where does this information come from?

The career information above is taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook . This excellent resource for occupational data is published by the U.S. Department of Labor every two years. Truity periodically updates our site with information from the BLS database.

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There is no published author for this page. Please use citation guidelines for webpages without an author available. 

I think I have found an error or inaccurate information on this page. Who should I contact?

This information is taken directly from the Occupational Outlook Handbook published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Truity does not editorialize the information, including changing information that our readers believe is inaccurate, because we consider the BLS to be the authority on occupational information. However, if you would like to correct a typo or other technical error, you can reach us at [email protected] .

I am not sure if this career is right for me. How can I decide?

There are many excellent tools available that will allow you to measure your interests, profile your personality, and match these traits with appropriate careers. On this site, you can take the Career Personality Profiler assessment, the Holland Code assessment, or the Photo Career Quiz .

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How to Become a Market Research Analyst

By Alyciah Beavers

Published: March 19, 2024

In today’s ever-evolving business landscape, organizations strive to make informed decisions that will propel them toward success, and this is where a market research analyst role is crucial. The career suits anyone who wants to become a master of data, a sleuth of consumer behavior, and a guardian of market insights. Read on to understand what is a market research analyst and if this career might be the right choice for you.

Career Summary

Market research analyst salary.

Here is a general trajectory of market research analyst salary, according to Glassdoor.com :

• Entry Salary (US$56k)
• Median Salary (US$71k)
• Executive Salary (US$100k)

To put this into perspective, the annual average wage for all occupations in the US is $61,900 . This means that, based on your level, you can make some excellent cash as a market research analyst.

Market Research Analyst Job Description

So, what does a market research analyst do? A market research analyst collects, analyzes, and interprets data to provide insights and recommendations on market trends and consumer behavior to a business . Their main objective is to help businesses make informed decisions regarding their products, services, and marketing strategies. Additionally, a market research analyst conducts market analysis and assists companies in understanding the products people want and how to price them.

Market Research Analyst Career Progression

• Entry-Level Analyst: It is the starting point for most market research analysts. At this stage, your roles involve assisting more senior analysts in conducting research, collecting data, and analyzing market trends. Your role also entails preparing reports and presentations.
• Research Analyst: You have more independence and take on greater responsibility for designing research methodologies, managing data collection, and conducting analysis.
• Senior Analyst: You have a deeper understanding of market research methodologies, advanced analytical techniques, and industry-specific knowledge.
• Supervisor: Here, your role involves overseeing multiple research projects, managing a team of analysts, and contributing to high-level decision-making. You are responsible for resource allocation, project planning, and client management.
• Head of Market Research: You are responsible for shaping the overall research strategy, guiding the research team, and collaborating with senior executives to align research efforts with business goals. You are also involved in budgeting, business development, and fostering relationships with clients and stakeholders.

• It simulates intellectual intelligence, where you develop your critical and problem-solving skills.
• It gives you the proper industry exposure since you work with clients from diverse industries.
• The career offers continuous learning opportunities since market research is a rapidly evolving field.
• As a marketing analyst, you can comfortably tackle complex business problems.
• It offers a collaborative environment where you work as a team with other people, such as marketing professionals, statisticians, data scientists, and business executives.
• Some tasks are monotonous as they involve collecting and analyzing large amounts of data, which can sometimes be tedious.
• Market research often operates on tight deadlines, requiring analysts to work under pressure to meet project timelines.
• At times there is limited creativity, whereby some analysts may feel constrained when developing innovative solutions or exploring unconventional approaches.
• The industry is competitive, so analysts need to stay updated constantly on the trends and consumer behaviors.
• There is a lot of data overload, which is overwhelming and challenging to navigate.

Useful Skills to Have As a Market Research Analyst

As a market research analyst, several useful skills can enhance your abilities and contribute to your success in the field, including:

• Research and Analytical Skills
• Data Interpretation and Statistical Analysis
• Critical Thinking Skills
• Strong Communication Skills
• Problem-Solving Abilities
• Technological Proficiency

Popular Market Research Analyst Specialties

Market research analysts specialize in various areas depending on the industry and the specific needs of their clients or employers.

There are some popular specialties within the field of market research analysis:

• Consumer Behavior
• Market Segmentation
• Competitive Analysis
• Brand Research
• Product Development
• Market Trend Analysis

How to become a Market Research Analyst

The right way to become a market research analyst is through education, relevant work experience, and specific skills. While the exact path can vary depending on individual circumstances, here are some common steps to help you pursue a career in market research analysis.

Obtain a Degree in a Relevant Field

Do i need a degree to become a market research analyst.

While having a degree is not always a strict requirement to become a market research analyst, it can significantly enhance your prospects and competitiveness in the job market. Many employers prefer candidates with a bachelor’s degree, particularly in fields such as market research, business administration, statistics, economics, or social sciences .

Why Is It Important to Get A Degree In Market Research or a Related Field?

While it’s not always a strict requirement, obtaining a degree offers numerous advantages. A relevant degree equips you with the foundational knowledge and analytical skills necessary for market research analysis, as well as the skills to analyze complex data sets, use statistical tools and software, and derive meaningful conclusions.

A degree program can provide a comprehensive understanding of research methodologies, statistical analysis, consumer behavior, data interpretation, and marketing principles. These skills are essential for conducting adequate market research and making informed decisions based on the collected data.

Furthermore, some employers may specifically request a degree or prefer candidates with higher qualifications for specific positions or in highly competitive job markets.

Additionally, having a degree can serve as evidence of your commitment, discipline, and ability to acquire and apply knowledge, which can be valuable to potential employers.

How Long Does It Take To Get A Degree?

The duration of a degree program in market research analysis can vary depending on several factors, including the degree level and the educational institution’s structure:

• Associate’s Degree: An associate’s degree generally takes around two years to complete . This program provides a foundational understanding of market research principles and techniques.
• Bachelor’s Degree: A bachelor’s degree typically requires four years of full-time study . Students delve deeper into market research methodologies, data analysis, and related business courses during this program.
• Master’s Degree: Pursuing a master’s degree in market research takes two years beyond the bachelor’s degree . This program focuses on advanced research techniques, data analysis, consumer behavior, and marketing strategy.
• Doctoral Degree: A Ph.D. or doctoral degree in market research analysis can take an additional four to six years of study beyond the master’s degree . The programs emphasize research, theory development, and advanced methodologies. These degrees are more suited for individuals interested in academic or research-oriented careers.

How Much Does It Cost to Study Market Research Analysis at University?

The cost of studying market research analysis at a university can vary widely depending on factors such as the country, the specific university, the level of study, undergraduate or postgraduate. Additionally, tuition fees can change over time, so it’s essential to check with the specific university or college for the most accurate and up-to-date information. Here is a breakdown as of 2022:

• Undergraduate marketing research program tuition for an in-state student is US$12,020, while an out-of-state student pays US$28,345.
• A graduate market research in-state student pays US$13,864, while an out-of-state student pays US$24,560.

Can I become a Market Research Analyst Through Online Education?

Yes, online education makes it possible to become a market research analyst . The web offers numerous resources and programs in multiple fields, including market research, with flexible learning hours.

Look for accredited online courses, certificate programs , or degree programs in market research, marketing, business, statistics, or related fields. Ensure that the program you choose is from a reputable institution.

Gain Practical Experience

Practical experience complements theoretical knowledge and helps you demonstrate your skills and abilities to potential employers. Seeking opportunities to apply your knowledge and skills in realistic settings and continuously striving to expand your expertise through hands-on experience in market research is the only way to go. Some ways involve volunteering and interning in different corporations to gain hands-on experience.

What are Internship Opportunities for A Market Research Analyst?

As a market research analyst, several internship opportunities are available to gain practical experience and develop your skills.

Here are some potential avenues to explore:

• Market Research Firms: Many market research companies offer internship programs tailored explicitly for aspiring analysts. These firms research for various clients and industries, exposing interns to multiple projects and methodologies.
• Corporate Internships: Numerous companies, especially larger ones, have in-house market research departments. These organizations often offer internships to support their research activities, allowing you to work directly with their marketing teams and gain industry-specific insights.
• Advertising and Marketing Agencies: Advertising and marketing agencies frequently require market research to inform their strategies and campaigns. Interning with such agencies can expose you to diverse projects and clients, enhancing your understanding of how research drives marketing decisions.
• Technology Companies: Tech companies, particularly those involved in data analytics and consumer insights, often offer internships for market research analysts. These opportunities can provide exposure to innovative tools, techniques, and datasets, allowing you to develop skills in the intersection of technology and market research.
• Consulting Firms: Consulting firms may have market research divisions or projects to which interns can contribute. These firms work with clients to provide strategic advice; market research is critical to their decision-making processes.
• Government Agencies: Government agencies often conduct market research to inform policy decisions, public campaigns, and program evaluations. Interning with a government agency can provide insights into the unique challenges and considerations of conducting research within the public sector.

To find internship opportunities , consider exploring online job boards, company websites, and professional networking platforms and contacting your university’s career services department. Networking with professionals in the field, attending industry events, and joining relevant market research associations or groups can also help you discover internship opportunities.

What Skills Will I Learn As A Market Research Analyst?

As a market research analyst, you will develop various skills to effectively gather, analyze, and interpret data to support business decision-making.

Here are some essential skills you can expect to learn and enhance in this role:

• Research Design: You will learn how to design research studies and formulate appropriate research questions and objectives.
• Data Collection: You will acquire skills in collecting data through surveys, interviews, focus groups, and observational studies. This includes developing questionnaires, conducting interviews, and managing data collection processes.
• Data Analysis: You will gain proficiency in analyzing data using statistical techniques, data visualization tools, and software packages like Excel, SPSS , or R . This involves interpreting quantitative and qualitative data, identifying patterns and trends, and drawing meaningful insights.
• Market Analysis: You will learn to assess market trends, customer behavior, and competitive landscapes. This includes conducting competitor analyses, market segmentation, and identifying target markets.
• Report Writing: You will develop strong written communication skills to effectively communicate research findings and insights through reports, presentations, and visualizations. This involves summarizing complex data into clear and actionable recommendations.
• Critical Thinking: You will enhance your ability to think critically and analytically, evaluate research methodologies, assess data quality, and identify potential biases or limitations in research findings.
• Problem-Solving: As a market research analyst, you will learn to identify business problems, formulate research objectives, and develop strategic solutions based on data-driven insights.
• Collaboration: You will develop teamwork and collaboration skills, as market research often involves working with cross-functional teams, stakeholders, and clients to understand their needs and deliver actionable results.
• Technology and Tools: You will become proficient in utilizing market research tools, software, and technologies to enhance data collection, analysis, and reporting. This may include data analytics platforms, survey software, CRM systems , and visualization tools.
• Industry Knowledge: You will gain deep knowledge and understanding of the industry or market you are researching, including key trends, regulations, and emerging opportunities.

What are Some Web Resources to Learn Skills to Become a Market Research Analyst?

Several web resources can help you acquire the necessary knowledge and skills.

Here are some useful platforms and websites you can explore:

• MarketResearch.com : This website offers various market research reports and articles covering multiple industries. It can help you understand different research methodologies, industry trends, and analysis techniques.
• GreenBook : GreenBook provides a platform for market research professionals and offers industry news, reports, webinars, and online resources. It covers topics such as research techniques, data analysis, and emerging trends in the field.
• American Marketing Association (AMA) : The AMA website provides valuable resources and tools for marketers, including market research-related content. It offers articles, white papers, webinars, and events that enhance your understanding of market research concepts and practices.
• Research Association (ESOMAR) : ESOMAR is a global association for market, opinion, and social research professionals. Their website offers a comprehensive library of resources, including industry reports, webinars, and guidelines for conducting market research.
• Quirks : Quirks is a website that offers market research articles, case studies, and industry news. It covers various topics like survey design, data analysis, and emerging methodologies. They also have a directory of market research vendors and services.
• Research World : Research World is an online publication covering recent trends and developments in the market research industry. It provides articles, case studies, and insights from industry experts, which can be valuable for learning and staying updated.

Obtain Certifications

Consider pursuing additional certifications or courses in market research, data analysis, or relevant areas to enhance your knowledge and marketability.  While there is no single universal certification for market research analysts, several reputable organizations offer certifications that can enhance your credentials.

Some popular certifications include:  

• Certified Market Research Professional (CMRP) : This is a widely recognized certification that demonstrates a market research analyst’s expertise in research methodologies, ethics, and data analysis. It signifies a commitment to high professional standards and best practices in the field. Earning the CMRP can enhance your credibility, increase your chances of landing job opportunities, and potentially lead to higher earning potential.
• Professional Researcher Certification (PRC) : The PRC certification validates a market researcher’s knowledge, skills, and ethical practices. It covers a broad range of market research topics, including research design, data collection, analysis, and reporting. Holding the PRC designation demonstrates your commitment to professional excellence and adherence to industry standards.
• Google Analytics Individual Qualification (GAIQ) : While not specific to market research, the GAIQ certification is highly relevant for market research analysts who deal with website data and analytics. It showcases proficiency in using Google Analytics, a widely used tool for analyzing website traffic and user behavior. GAIQ certification can be valuable in demonstrating your ability to interpret web data, track consumer interactions, and optimize online marketing strategies.

It’s important to note that, to take the exam and become certified, you must meet eligibility requirements. Some might require a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field such as marketing, business, or statistics and a specific number of years of experience working in market research or a related area.

What’s the Career Outlook for Market Research Analysts?

As of 2021, the career outlook for market research analysts is generally positive, and the field will continue to experience steady growth. Researchers estimate that there will be a 19% growth from 2021 to 2031, which is way faster than any other occupation.

However, please note that economic and industry trends can change over time, so it’s always a good idea to consult up-to-date sources and labor market data for the most accurate information.

Some of the factors contributing to the positive career outlook for market research analysts include:

• Increasing Demand: With the rise of technology and data-driven decision-making, there is a growing need for skilled professionals who can interpret and analyze market data. Businesses across various industries rely on market research to gain a competitive edge, expand their customer base, and identify new market opportunities.
• Globalization and International Markets: As companies expand their operations globally, understanding diverse markets and consumer behaviors becomes crucial. Market research analysts with expertise in international markets and cultural nuances can offer valuable insights and are in high demand.
• Emphasis on Data-Driven Decision-Making: Organizations increasingly rely on data to drive their strategies in today’s data-driven business landscape. Companies seek market research analysts who can effectively collect, analyze, and interpret data using advanced analytical tools and techniques.
• Technological Advancements: Advancements in technology, such as big data analytics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, are revolutionizing the field of market research. Professionals who can adapt to these technological changes and utilize them to extract actionable insights will likely have strong career prospects.

What Are The Job Opportunities Of A Market Research Analyst?

Market research analysts have a wide range of job opportunities across various industries. Their primary responsibility is to gather and analyze data to help organizations make informed business decisions.

Luckily, there are many other job opportunities within the field of market research analysis that a market research analyst can do:

• Market Research Analyst: This is the primary role of a market research analyst where they collect and analyze data to identify market trends, consumer behavior, and competitive landscape. They design surveys, conduct interviews, and use statistical techniques to interpret the data and generate actionable insights for decision-making.
• Market Intelligence Specialist: In this role, you would focus on gathering and analyzing data related to the industry, competitors, and market conditions. You would monitor market trends, track competitor activities, and provide strategic recommendations to support business development, product positioning, and market entry strategies.
• Consumer Insights Analyst: As a consumer insights analyst, you would delve into understanding consumer behavior, preferences, and attitudes. You would employ various research methods such as surveys, focus groups, and interviews to gather data and then analyze it to uncover consumer insights. These insights help companies develop effective marketing strategies and refine product offerings.
• Data Analyst : Data analysis is an essential aspect of market research, and as a data analyst, you would specialize in processing, organizing, and interpreting large datasets. You would use statistical techniques, data mining, and visualization tools to extract meaningful patterns and trends. Your findings would assist in making informed business decisions and optimizing marketing campaigns.
• Market Research Consultant: In a consulting role, you would work with clients from different industries to provide expert market research guidance. You would conduct comprehensive market studies, assess competitive landscapes, and deliver strategic recommendations based on your analysis. Consultants often work on a project basis and collaborate closely with clients to address specific business challenges.
• Brand Strategist: Brand strategists combine market research insights with creative thinking to develop and implement effective branding strategies. You would analyze consumer perceptions, market positioning, and competitive landscape to define brand identities, messaging, and marketing campaigns that resonate with target audiences.

What Type Of Companies Hire A Market Research Analyst?

Market research analysts are in demand across various industries and sectors.

Some of the companies that hire market research analysts include:

• Market Research Firms: These specialized firms conduct market research for clients across different industries.
• Consumer Goods Companies: Companies that produce and sell consumer goods often employ market research analysts to gather insights on consumer preferences, market trends, and product performance.
• Technology Companies: Technology companies, especially those involved in software development, electronics, and telecommunications, rely on market research analysts to understand customer needs, evaluate competition, and assess market potential.
• Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Companies: These companies require market research analysts to study patient demographics, evaluate the efficacy of drugs, analyze healthcare trends, and assess market opportunities.
• Financial Institutions: Banks, insurance companies, and investment firms hire market research analysts to analyze market trends, identify investment opportunities, and assess customer preferences.
• Advertising and Marketing Agencies: Agencies that offer advertising, branding, and marketing services often have market research analysts on their teams to provide insights for developing effective strategies and campaigns.
• Retail Companies: Retailers employ market research analysts to understand consumer behavior, analyze purchasing patterns, and identify market opportunities.
• Media and Entertainment Companies: Media companies, including television networks, film studios, and streaming platforms, use market research analysts to understand audience preferences, gauge viewership, and identify potential content opportunities.

What Is The Work-Life Balance Of A Market Research Analyst?

A market research analyst’s work-life balance can vary depending on company culture , industry, workload, and personal preferences. Generally, market research analysts strive to maintain a balanced lifestyle, but the actual balance achieved can differ from person to person.

The working hours of market research analysts involve standard office hours, 9 am to 5 pm, or similar. However, there may be times when they need to perform additional hours to meet project deadlines or during busy periods. Therefore, this affects how these individuals maintain their work and social life.

However, there is also a lot of flexibility in this job. Depending on the company and specific job requirements, market research analysts may have some flexibility in their work arrangements. This could include options for remote work , flexible schedules, or compressed work weeks. Flexibility can contribute positively to achieving a better work-life balance.

The workload varies based on the organization’s demands and the projects involved at different quarters of the year. There may be periods with high-intensity work where you should meet the deadlines, which could affect your work-life balance. However, there may also be quieter periods with a more manageable workload. Balancing workload, managing deadlines, and effectively communicating with stakeholders can help alleviate stress and improve work-life balance.

Personal factors such as individual preferences, commitments, and priorities significantly affect work-life balance. Some market research analysts may prioritize their personal lives, hobbies, or family time more, while others may focus more on their careers. Individuals must assess and prioritize their needs to achieve the desired work-life balance.

Ultimately, achieving a good work-life balance as a market research analyst involves finding a suitable position with a supportive company culture, managing workload and stress effectively, and establishing personal boundaries to ensure time for personal life outside of work.

Should I become a Market Research Analyst?

If you have a passion for market research, understanding market trends, and delving into the factors that influence consumers’ life decisions, this is the perfect career for you. It’s important to make an informed decision based on your interests, skills, and long-term goals. Notably, there will be over 99,800 job openings for market research analysts each year for the next decade leading to this job increase. Therefore, if you’re looking to invest in a promising career for the future, this is the ideal path to pursue.

Careers Related to Market Research Analyst

• Business Analyst
• Data Analyst
• Marketing Manager
• Product Manager
• Sales Manager

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Market Research Analyst Career

What is a market research analyst .

Positioned at the crossroads of psychology, data science, and advertising, market research analysis involves leveraging qualitative and quantitative information to enhance marketing strategies. Market research analysts and marketing specialists provide data-informed marketing guidance to companies. They’re skilled researchers who scour web analytics, sales records, social media platforms, and customer feedback to collect data and uncover valuable insights. Market research analysts translate disjointed, complex information into cohesive action plans that marketing teams use to expand their audience, increase sales, and better meet customers’ needs. If you’re an analytical thinker with an interest in marketing, the market research analyst career may be right for you. 

RESPONSIBILITIES

What Does a Market Research Analyst Do? 

The day in the life of a market research analyst involves a mixture of data collection, statistical analysis, reporting, presentations, and cross-team collaboration. While job duties can vary depending on the industry and marketing goals, this dynamic career typically involves the following responsibilities: 

• Developing data-collection tools such as customer satisfaction surveys and questionnaires.
• Interviewing customers and conducting focus groups to understand the target audience’s opinions and perceptions of the brand. 
• Collecting and analyzing data from web analytics tools, social media interactions, online reviews, sales statistics, and customer relationship management (CRM) systems. 
• Estimating potential sales. 
• Visualizing and summarizing numerical information using graphs, charts, tables, and infographics.
• Developing action plans detailing the suggested marketing goals and strategies. 
• Recommending new marketing tactics to company leaders.
• Evaluating sales data and analytics to determine the success of the company’s marketing initiatives.
• Investigating competitors’ products, services, systems, and advertising methods.
• Closely following emerging consumer trends, market fluctuations, and industry dynamics.

EDUCATION & BEST DEGREES

How do i become a market research analyst .

The market research field attracts individuals of diverse educational backgrounds. If you’re interested in this multifaceted and evolving profession, consider earning a degree in marketing, business, or psychology. While each educational route provides a unique skill set and knowledge base, they can all establish the foundation for a thriving market research analyst career. Professionals with a B.S. in Psychology , for example, use their understanding of human behavior to identify customers’ needs and devise persuasive marketing strategies. Psychology programs emphasize quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis—abilities that are crucial for a research analyst job. 

A  B.S. in Business Administration–Marketing  or  B.S. in Business Administration–Business Management  can also set the stage for a prosperous market research analyst career. If you want to qualify for advanced positions with greater responsibilities and higher salaries, consider earning a master’s degree. An  M.S. in Marketing  can provide the in-depth knowledge needed to excel in this competitive job market. Once you’ve earned your degree, you may want to acquire one or more professional certifications. Certifications can further enhance your legitimacy as a research analyst and show employers that you have the expertise needed to succeed in this challenging career. WGU offers a self-directed, competency-based  Business Leadership Certificate  to help you develop your leadership abilities. The certificate curriculum is deliberately chosen to align with the competencies employers seek in job candidates.

Best Degrees for a Market Research Analyst

An online psychology program for students who want to make a difference in...

An online psychology program for students who want to make a difference in their life, and the lives of others.

• Time:  95% of students finish similar programs in less than 4 years.
• Tuition:  $4,085 per 6-month term.
• Courses:  34 total courses in this program.

Skills for your résumé included in this program: 

• Social psychology
• Consumer psychology
• Adult psychology
• Mental health awareness
• Psychopathology

This degree allows you to gain valuable knowledge and experience in the field of psychology and can prepare you for additional certifications or careers.

Hone your business acumen and garner added respect:...

Hone your business acumen and garner added respect:

• Time: 61% of graduates finish within 19 months
• Tuition:  $3,755 per 6-month term
• Courses : 40 total courses in this program

Skills for your résumé this program will teach you include: 

• Business communication
• Product development
• Decision making models
• Project management strategies
• Budgeting for business

This online degree program is an excellent choice for kick-starting your organizational management career.

For those who want to lead brands and steer consumer markets:...

For those who want to lead brands and steer consumer markets:

• Time: 60% of graduates finish within 19 months.
• Tuition:  $3,755 per 6-month term.
• Courses: 41 total courses in this program.

Skills for your résumé you will learn in this program include: 

• Communication
• Project Management
• Product Management

Marketing is a creative and exciting field—and one where an undergraduate degree will open better opportunities.

Two online marketing master's degree options with a focus on either...

Two online marketing master's degree options with a focus on either digital marketing or marketing analytics.

• Time:  61% of graduates finish WGU master's programs in 18 months
• Tuition:  $4,530 per 6-month term
• Courses:  10 total courses in this program
• Specialization:  Students choose from two specializations to focus their marketing studies on digital marketing or marketing analytics

Skills for your résumé that you will learn in this program:

• Strategic Planning
• Digital Marketing Analytics
• Presentations
• Market Research
• Communications

A marketing master's degree will help you prepare for a wide range of exciting marketing careers.

How Much Does a Market Research Analyst Make? 

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), The median market research analyst salary is $68,230 per year . Annual wages range from less than $38,280 to more than $131,850. Salaries vary based on location, employer, and industry. 

What Is the Job Outlook for a Market Research Analyst? 

Consumers have more options than ever when choosing the companies they patronize. Businesses rely on market research analysts to provide data-driven insights to help them develop effective marketing campaigns and stand out from the competition. The BLS estimates that the need for market research analysts from 2022 to 2032 will grow by 13% . This favorable job outlook is primarily driven by the increasing use of data-informed marketing across industries. During this period, there will be an estimated 94,600 openings for market research analysts each year. 

What Skills Does a Market Research Analyst Need? 

Because it’s a multifaceted profession, market research analyst jobs require proficiency in multiple domains. You’ll need the following skills:

• Data collection and analysis. Through systematic data analysis, market research analysts pinpoint the marketing strategies with the greatest potential for advancing the business. 
• Research expertise . Navigating vast data sets isn’t easy, and marketing professionals must harness statistical knowledge, analytical thinking, and attention to detail to identify patterns and extract meaningful insights. 
• Communication . Because they explain complex marketing recommendations to stakeholders, market research analysts need a mix of strong verbal and written communication skills. 
• Strategic thinking. Strategic thinking allows market research analysts to collect data, account for relevant factors, prioritize information, and develop marketing initiatives that are practical, financially worthwhile, and aligned with the business’s broader goals.
• Continuous learning. By embracing a growth mindset, research analysts can stay abreast of market conditions and economic trends influencing their marketing strategies.
• Collaboration. Because the job intersects with so many other business sectors, teamwork is vital to being a market research analyst. 
• Technological proficiency. Market research analysts need to be proficient in various digital tools and technologies. They frequently use data from CRM systems, Google Analytics, HubSpot, SEMrush, and internal databases to inform their marketing approaches. 
• Project management. It’s common for marketing specialists to manage numerous initiatives simultaneously, so project management skills are essential. 
• Creativity. Market research analysts use their creative talent to design innovative research methodologies and marketing tactics. 
• Brand management. Ensuring that marketing tactics improve the target audience’s perception of the brand requires marketing know-how, ingenuity, and adaptability. 
• Social media marketing. Proficiency in content creation, customer relationship management, and data interpretation allows market research analysts to develop successful social media campaigns.

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Market Research Analyst

Job summary:.

The Market Research Analyst will research, compile, and analyze information on products and market conditions to identify potential new markets, sales opportunities, and the most effective methods of marketing specified products.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

Duties/responsibilities:.

• Identifies and defines the objective of an assigned marketing research project; determines the best methods to use to meet those objectives.
• Drafts questionnaires, polls, surveys, and other data collection resources.
• Researches and compiles data related to current product market, customer demographics and interest, and factors influencing product demand; analyzes results to identify ways of maximizing sales and market penetration of current products.
• Compiles data related to competitors products such as pricing, sales, and marketing or distribution methodology.
• Summarizes and analyzes data; makes recommendations related to research findings.
• Reports findings, complete with graphs illustrating data and written text explaining complex findings.
• Identifies potential new products or markets through research.
• Forecasts and tracks industry marketing and sales trends based on collected data.
• Delivers reports and presentations of findings to management and/or executive leadership.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Required Skills/Abilities:

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Superior research and analytical skills.
• Ability to translate complex concepts and methodologies into easily understood language.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite or related software.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelors degree in Marketing Research, Statistics, Math, or related field required; MBA preferred.
• Some related experience preferred.

Physical Requirements:

• Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times.

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Market Research Analyst job description

A Market Research Analyst collects and analyzes data on consumers, competitors, and the marketplace. They provide insights and recommendations to support decision-making, identify market trends, and improve competitiveness. Strong analytical skills, knowledge of statistical packages, and excellent communication are essential.

Eleni, ex-People Ops Manager at Workable, excelled in recruitment, lifecycle management, and employer branding.

This Market Research Analyst job description template is optimized for posting on online job boards or careers pages and easy to customize for your company.

What is a Market Research Analyst?

A Market Research Analyst is a professional who collects and analyzes data on consumers, competitors, and the marketplace. They interpret the findings to provide valuable insights and recommendations to businesses for informed decision-making and to identify market trends and opportunities.

What does a Market Research Analyst do?

A Market Research Analyst conducts research and gathers data using various methods such as surveys, interviews, and data analysis tools. They analyze the collected data, interpret trends, and provide reports and presentations to clients or internal stakeholders. They play a crucial role in helping businesses understand consumer preferences, market dynamics, and competitive landscape to drive strategic decision-making and improve overall business performance.

Market Research Analyst responsibilities include:

• Collecting data on consumers, competitors and market place and consolidating information into actionable items, reports and presentations
• Understanding business objectives and designing surveys to discover prospective customers’ preferences
• Compiling and analyzing statistical data using modern and traditional methods to collect it

Want to generate a unique job description?

Looking for a job.

We are seeking a detail-oriented Market Research Analyst to conduct surveys and analyze customer preferences and statistical data.

Your role will involve providing valuable insights to support customers in their decision-making processes related to product designs, pricing, and promotions.

As a successful Market Research Analyst, you will have the ability to independently analyze qualitative data, identify trends, assess strategies, and evaluate competition, with the ultimate goal of enhancing competitiveness.

Your responsibilities will include gathering and interpreting market research data, generating reports, and presenting findings to stakeholders.

We are looking for a self-motivated professional with strong analytical skills and a deep understanding of market dynamics.

Join our team and contribute to our company’s success by helping us make data-driven decisions to optimize our products and strategies.

Responsibilities

• Collect data on consumers, competitors and market place and consolidate information into actionable items, reports and presentations
• Understand business objectives and design surveys to discover prospective customers’ preferences
• Compile and analyze statistical data using modern and traditional methods to collect it
• Perform valid and reliable market research SWOT analysis
• Interpret data, formulate reports and make recommendations
• Use online market research and catalogue findings to databases
• Provide competitive analysis on various companies’ market offerings, identify market trends, pricing/business models, sales and methods of operation
• Evaluate program methodology and key data to ensure that data on the releases are accurate and the angle of the release is correct
• Remain fully informed on market trends, other parties researches and implement best practices

Requirements and skills

• Proven Market Research Analysis experience
• Ability to interpret large amounts of data and to multi-task
• Strong communication and presentation skills
• Excellent knowledge of statistical packages (SPSS, SAS or similar), databases and MS Office
• Search engines, web analytics and business research tools acumen
• Familiarity with CRM programs
• Adequate knowledge of data collection methods (polls, focus groups, surveys etc)
• Working knowledge of data warehousing, modelling and mining
• Strong analytical and critical thinking
• BS degree in Statistics, Marketing or related field

Post this Market Research Analyst job to over 200 job boards at once.

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Learn About the Salary, Required Skills, & More

The Balance / Theresa Chiechi 

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Market Research Analyst Salary

• Education, Training & Certification
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Job Outlook

Work environment, work schedule, comparing similar jobs.

Market research analysts assess consumer preferences to help organizations decide how to shape, advertise, and market their products and services. Many market research analysts work for consulting firms that are hired on a contract basis. Others work directly for employers as part of a marketing team at consumer and product firms.

Approximately 738,000 people worked as market research analysts in the U.S. in 2020.

Market Research Analyst Duties & Responsibilities

Market analysts' responsibilities can depend somewhat on the employer, but they're largely similar:

• Devise and evaluate methods for collecting data, such as surveys, focus groups, questionnaires, and opinion polls.
• Analyze data using statistical software.
• Interpret the data they've collected, ​organizing this information into statistical tables and reports.
• Present their findings to executives and clients through charts, graphs, and other visual means to help them make ​better-informed decisions about product introductions, modifications, and marketing campaigns. 
• Create a visual of industry trends and of competitors so organizations can predict how products and services will fare in the marketplace.
• Measure effectiveness of marketing programs and strategies.

The industries that most frequently employ market research analysts include management, science, technical consulting services, computer systems design services, and advertising/public relations services.

Salaries can vary depending upon employer and industry. Those who work in the publishing industry tend to be the highest paid, but only marginally over those in company management.

• Median Annual Salary: $65,810
• Top 10% Annual Salary: More than $127,410
• Bottom 10% Annual Salary: Less than $33,80

Education, Training & Certification

Advanced education and certification can help land a job in this occupation.

• Education: Market research analysts typically have at least a bachelor's degree in marketing, market research, statistics, computer science, math, social sciences, business administration, communications, or a related field. An  MBA  or other advanced education isn't required, but it's usually desired for leadership positions.
• Certification: Certifications are voluntary but strongly recommended because they help demonstrate professional competency.

The  Marketing Research Association  provides training and certification to those who qualify. 

Market Research Analyst Skills & Competencies

Some qualities and acquired skills will help you succeed at becoming a market research analyst.

• Computer skills: Experience with Microsoft PowerPoint and Word, as well as statistical software platforms such as SPSS, WinCross, SAS, and Market Sight, can help with sorting data, as well as creating visual results and trends.
• Math and analytical skills: These are essential for analyzing research data.
• Confidence : You should be comfortable speaking in front of strangers and presenting results to internal team members and management.
• Multitasking capability : You should be able to manage multiple projects with a quick turnaround.
• Interpersonal skills: You'll need an ability to work well with all levels of management, internal staff, clients, and vendors.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, opportunities for market research analysts are expected to grow by 18% from 2016 through 2029, which is much faster than the average for all occupations.

Trends toward using data to understand consumer preferences for products and services and to target marketing to specific consumer niches are chiefly responsible for this projected growth.

This is a diversified position that can require working alone or with a team at any given time. You'll be working with people with a wide variety of skills and talents.

This is a full-time job, normally during regular business hours. Some overtime can be required due to looming deadlines and business volume.

How to Get the Job

LEARN AND APPLY:

The Insights Association has job listings, a networking portal, and it offers a certification program that can add immeasurably to your resume. Also check the top job boards for available positions.

DRAFT THE PERFECT RESUME:

Your resume is your first introduction to a prospective employer, and a good one can't be overrated. Learn tips and techniques for making yours perfect.

INCLUDE RELEVANT SKILLS IN YOUR COVER LETTER:

If the job requests a  cover letter , use two to three short paragraphs to describe past projects where you successfully performed market research.

Here's the estimated annual earning for similar occupations.

• Cost estimator : $66,610
• Economist : $108,350
• Public relations specialist : $62,810
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Market research examines consumer behavior and trends in the economy to help a business develop and fine-tune its business idea and strategy. It helps a business understand its target market by gathering and analyzing data.

Market research is the process of evaluating the viability of a new service or product through research conducted directly with potential customers. It allows a company to define its target market and get opinions and other feedback from consumers about their interest in a product or service.

Research may be conducted in-house or by a third party that specializes in market research. It can be done through surveys and focus groups, among other ways. Test subjects are usually compensated with product samples or a small stipend for their time.

Key Takeaways

• Companies conduct market research before introducing new products to determine their appeal to potential customers.
• Tools include focus groups, telephone interviews, and questionnaires.
• The results of market research inform the final design of the product and determine how it will be positioned in the marketplace.
• Market research usually combines primary information, gathered directly from consumers, and secondary information, which is data available from external sources.

Market Research

How market research works.

Market research is used to determine the viability of a new product or service. The results may be used to revise the product design and fine-tune the strategy for introducing it to the public. This can include information gathered for the purpose of determining market segmentation . It also informs product differentiation , which is used to tailor advertising.

A business engages in various tasks to complete the market research process. It gathers information based on the market sector being targeted by the product. This information is then analyzed and relevant data points are interpreted to draw conclusions about how the product may be optimally designed and marketed to the market segment for which it is intended.

It is a critical component in the research and development (R&D) phase of a new product or service introduction. Market research can be conducted in many different ways, including surveys, product testing, interviews, and focus groups.

Market research is a critical tool that companies use to understand what consumers want, develop products that those consumers will use, and maintain a competitive advantage over other companies in their industry.

Primary Market Research vs. Secondary Market Research

Market research usually consists of a combination of:

• Primary research, gathered by the company or by an outside company that it hires
• Secondary research, which draws on external sources of data

Primary Market Research

Primary research generally falls into two categories: exploratory and specific research.

• Exploratory research is less structured and functions via open-ended questions. The questions may be posed in a focus group setting, telephone interviews, or questionnaires. It results in questions or issues that the company needs to address about a product that it has under development.
• Specific research delves more deeply into the problems or issues identified in exploratory research.

Secondary Market Research

All market research is informed by the findings of other researchers about the needs and wants of consumers. Today, much of this research can be found online.

Secondary research can include population information from government census data , trade association research reports , polling results, and research from other businesses operating in the same market sector.

History of Market Research

Formal market research began in Germany during the 1920s. In the United States, it soon took off with the advent of the Golden Age of Radio.

Companies that created advertisements for this new entertainment medium began to look at the demographics of the audiences who listened to each of the radio plays, music programs, and comedy skits that were presented.

They had once tried to reach the widest possible audience by placing their messages on billboards or in the most popular magazines. With radio programming, they had the chance to target rural or urban consumers, teenagers or families, and judge the results by the sales numbers that followed.

Types of Market Research

Face-to-face interviews.

From their earliest days, market research companies would interview people on the street about the newspapers and magazines that they read regularly and ask whether they recalled any of the ads or brands that were published in them. Data collected from these interviews were compared to the circulation of the publication to determine the effectiveness of those ads.

Market research and surveys were adapted from these early techniques.

To get a strong understanding of your market, it’s essential to understand demand, market size, economic indicators, location, market saturation, and pricing.

Focus Groups

A focus group is a small number of representative consumers chosen to try a product or watch an advertisement.

Afterward, the group is asked for feedback on their perceptions of the product, the company’s brand, or competing products. The company then takes that information and makes decisions about what to do with the product or service, whether that's releasing it, making changes, or abandoning it altogether.

Phone Research

The man-on-the-street interview technique soon gave way to the telephone interview. A telephone interviewer could collect information in a more efficient and cost-effective fashion.

Telephone research was a preferred tactic of market researchers for many years. It has become much more difficult in recent years as landline phone service dwindles and is replaced by less accessible mobile phones.

Survey Research

As an alternative to focus groups, surveys represent a cost-effective way to determine consumer attitudes without having to interview anyone in person. Consumers are sent surveys in the mail, usually with a coupon or voucher to incentivize participation. These surveys help determine how consumers feel about the product, brand, and price point.

Online Market Research

With people spending more time online, market research activities have shifted online as well. Data collection still uses a survey-style form. But instead of companies actively seeking participants by finding them on the street or cold calling them on the phone, people can choose to sign up, take surveys, and offer opinions when they have time.

This makes the process far less intrusive and less rushed, since people can participate on their own time and of their own volition.

How to Conduct Market Research

The first step to effective market research is to determine the goals of the study. Each study should seek to answer a clear, well-defined problem. For example, a company might seek to identify consumer preferences, brand recognition, or the comparative effectiveness of different types of ad campaigns.

After that, the next step is to determine who will be included in the research. Market research is an expensive process, and a company cannot waste resources collecting unnecessary data. The firm should decide in advance which types of consumers will be included in the research, and how the data will be collected. They should also account for the probability of statistical errors or sampling bias .

The next step is to collect the data and analyze the results. If the two previous steps have been completed accurately, this should be straightforward. The researchers will collect the results of their study, keeping track of the ages, gender, and other relevant data of each respondent. This is then analyzed in a marketing report that explains the results of their research.

The last step is for company executives to use their market research to make business decisions. Depending on the results of their research, they may choose to target a different group of consumers, or they may change their price point or some product features.

The results of these changes may eventually be measured in further market research, and the process will begin all over again.

Benefits of Market Research

Market research is essential for developing brand loyalty and customer satisfaction. Since it is unlikely for a product to appeal equally to every consumer, a strong market research program can help identify the key demographics and market segments that are most likely to use a given product.

Market research is also important for developing a company’s advertising efforts. For example, if a company’s market research determines that its consumers are more likely to use Facebook than X (formerly Twitter), it can then target its advertisements to one platform instead of another. Or, if they determine that their target market is value-sensitive rather than price-sensitive, they can work on improving the product rather than reducing their prices.

Market research only works when subjects are honest and open to participating.

Example of Market Research

Many companies use market research to test new products or get information from consumers about what kinds of products or services they need and don’t currently have.

For example, a company that’s considering starting a business might conduct market research to test the viability of its product or service. If the market research confirms consumer interest, the business can proceed confidently with its business plan . If not, the company can use the results of the market research to make adjustments to the product to bring it in line with customer desires.

What Are the Main Types of Market Research?

The main types of market research are primary research and secondary research. Primary research includes focus groups, polls, and surveys. Secondary research includes academic articles, infographics, and white papers.

Qualitative research gives insights into how customers feel and think. Quantitative research uses data and statistics such as website views, social media engagement, and subscriber numbers.

What Is Online Market Research?

Online market research uses the same strategies and techniques as traditional primary and secondary market research, but it is conducted on the Internet. Potential customers may be asked to participate in a survey or give feedback on a product. The responses may help the researchers create a profile of the likely customer for a new product.

What Are Paid Market Research Surveys?

Paid market research involves rewarding individuals who agree to participate in a study. They may be offered a small payment for their time or a discount coupon in return for filling out a questionnaire or participating in a focus group.

What Is a Market Study?

A market study is an analysis of consumer demand for a product or service. It looks at all of the factors that influence demand for a product or service. These include the product’s price, location, competition, and substitutes as well as general economic factors that could influence the new product’s adoption, for better or worse.

Market research is a key component of a company’s research and development (R&D) stage. It helps companies understand in advance the viability of a new product that they have in development and to see how it might perform in the real world.

Britannica Money. “ Market Research .”

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A market analysis can help you identify how to better position your business to be competitive and serve your customers.

Table of Contents

A market analysis is a thorough assessment of a market within a specific industry. These analyses have many benefits, such as reducing risk for your business and better informing your business decisions. A market analysis can be a time-intensive process, but it is straightforward and easy to do on your own in seven steps.

To perform a market analysis for your business, follow the steps outlined in this guide.

What does a market analysis include?

In a market analysis, you will study the dynamics of your market, such as volume and value, potential customer segments , buying patterns, competition, and other important factors. A thorough marketing analysis should answer the following questions:

• Who are my potential customers?
• What are my customers’ buying habits?
• How large is my target market ?
• How much are customers willing to pay for my product?
• Who are my main competitors?
• What are my competitors’ strengths and weaknesses ?

What are the benefits of running a marketing analysis?

A marketing analysis can reduce risk, identify emerging trends, and help project revenue. You can use a marketing analysis at several stages of your business, and it can even be beneficial to conduct one every year to keep up to date with any major changes in the market.

A detailed market analysis will usually be part of your business plan , since it gives you a greater understanding of your audience and competition. This will help you build a more targeted marketing strategy.

These are some other major benefits of conducting a market analysis:

• Risk reduction: Knowing your market can reduce risks in your business, since you’ll have an understanding of major market trends, the main players in your industry, and what it takes to be successful, all of which will inform your business decisions. To help you further protect your business, you can also conduct a SWOT analysis , which identifies the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for your business.
• Targeted products or services: You are in a much better position to serve your customers when you have a firm grasp on what they are looking for from you. When you know who your customers are, you can use that information to tailor your business’s offerings to your customers’ needs.
• Emerging trends: Staying ahead in business is often about being the first to spot a new opportunity or trend, and using a marketing analysis to stay on top of industry trends is a great way to position yourself to take advantage of this information.
• Revenue projections: A market forecast is a key component of most marketing analyses, as it projects the future numbers, characteristics and trends in your target market. This gives you an idea of the profits you can expect, allowing you to adjust your business plan and budget accordingly.
• Evaluation benchmarks: It can be difficult to gauge your business’s success outside of pure numbers. A market analysis provides benchmarks or key performance indicators (KPIs) against which you can judge your company and how well you are doing compared to others in your industry.
• Context for past mistakes: Marketing analytics can explain your business’s past mistakes or industry anomalies. For example, in-depth analytics can explain what impacted the sale of a specific product, or why a certain metric performed the way it did. This can help you avoid making those mistakes again or experiencing similar anomalies, because you’ll be able to analyze and describe what went wrong and why.
• Marketing optimization: This is where an annual marketing analysis comes in handy – regular analysis can inform your ongoing marketing efforts and show you which aspects of your marketing need work, and which are performing well in comparison to the other companies in your industry.

What are the drawbacks of running a marketing analysis?

The below drawbacks of running a market analysis pertain less to the method itself than the resources it requires.

• Market analysis can be expensive. If you’re not as familiar with marketing concepts such as market volume and customer segmentation, you might want to outsource your market analysis. Doing so can be great for your analysis’s quality, but it can also leave a big dent in your budget. Narrow your market analysis to a certain group – perhaps current customers – to lower your costs.
• Market analysis can be time-consuming. Market analysis can take precious time away from more directly business-related tasks. You can analyze one area at a time – say, buying patterns or competition – to free up your day-to-day schedule.
• Market analysis can require extra staff. Some larger companies retain in-house market analysis staff, and you can follow their lead. Doing so, though, comes with all the usual costs of hiring a new employee . The question then becomes: Do you conduct your market analysis yourself, outsource it, or hire in-house? The more expensive options can often yield more meaningful insights.
• Market analysis can be narrow. The most successful market analyses use actual customer feedback, which analysts often get through customer surveys. These surveys may reach only a portion of your entire customer base, leading to an inaccurate sample size. The result is that market analysis may not fully detail your customers and what you should know about them.

Market analysis vs. conjoint analysis vs. sentiment analysis

Where market analysis is broad and comprehensive, conjoint analysis focuses on how customers value what you offer. Surveys are often the backbone of conjoint analysis – they’re a great way for customers to share what drives their purchases. Product testing is an especially common application of conjoint analysis. This method can yield insights into pricing and product features and configurations.

Sentiment analysis goes beyond number-driven market and conjoint analysis to identify how customers qualitatively feel about your offerings. It can show you what customers are happy and unhappy about with your offerings or buying process. You can also wade into deeper emotional territory such as anger, urgency and intention, or you can dig up descriptive feedback. It’s a great tool to use alongside market analysis, whereas conjoint analysis is all but included in market analysis.

How to conduct a market analysis

While conducting a marketing analysis is not a complicated process, it does take a lot of dedicated research, so be prepared to devote significant time to the process.

These are the seven steps of conducting a market analysis:

1. Determine your purpose.

There are many reasons you may be conducting a market analysis, such as to gauge your competition or to understand a new market. Whatever your reason, it’s important to define it right away to keep you on track throughout the process. Start by deciding whether your purpose is internal – like improving your cash flow or business operations – or external, like seeking a business loan. Your purpose will dictate the type and amount of research you will do.

2. Research the state of the industry.

Map a detailed outline of the current state of your industry. Include where the industry seems to be heading, using metrics such as size, trends and projected growth, with plenty of data to support your findings. You can also conduct a comparative market analysis to help you find your competitive advantage within your specific market.

3. Identify your target customer.

Not everyone in the world will be your customer , and it would be a waste of your time to try to get everyone interested in your product. Instead, use a target market analysis to decide who is most likely to want your product and focus your efforts there. You want to understand your market size, who your customers are, where they come from, and what might influence their buying decisions. To do so, look at demographic factors like these:

During your research, you might consider creating a customer profile or persona that reflects your ideal customer to serve as a model for your marketing efforts.

4. Understand your competition.

To be successful, you need a good understanding of your competitors, including their market saturation, what they do differently than you, and their strengths, weaknesses and advantages in the market. Start by listing all your main competitors, then go through that list and conduct a SWOT analysis of each competitor. What does that business have that you don’t? What would lead a customer to choose that business over yours? Put yourself in the customer’s shoes.

Then, rank your list of competitors from most to least threatening, and decide on a timeline to conduct regular SWOT analyses on your most threatening competitors.

5. Gather additional data.

When conducting marketing analyses, information is your friend – you can never have too much data. It is important that the data you use is credible and factual, so be cautious of where you get your numbers. These are some reputable business data resources:

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Census Bureau
• State and local commerce sites
• Trade journals
• Your own SWOT analyses
• Market surveys or questionnaires

6. Analyze your data.

After you collect all the information you can and verify that it is accurate, you need to analyze the data to make it useful to you. Organize your research into sections that make sense to you, but try to include ones for your purpose, target market and competition.

These are the main elements your research should include:

• An overview of your industry’s size and growth rate
• Your business’s projected market share percentage
• An industry outlook
• Customer buying trends
• Your forecasted growth
• How much customers are willing to pay for your product or service

7. Put your analysis to work.

Once you’ve created a market analysis, it’s time to actually make it work for you. Internally, look for where you can use your research and findings to improve your business. Have you seen other businesses doing things that you’d like to implement in your own organization? Are there ways to make your marketing strategies more effective?

If you conducted your analysis for external purposes, organize your research and data into an easily readable and digestible document to make it easier to share with lenders.

Retain all of your information and research for your next analysis, and consider making a calendar reminder each year so that you stay on top of your market.

Making market analysis easy

If you have the time to conduct a market analysis yourself, go for it – this guide will help. If you don’t have the time, hiring an in-house expert or outsourcing your analysis is often worth the cost. Your analysis will help you figure out who to target and how – and that’s a huge part of business success.

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The state of AI in early 2024: Gen AI adoption spikes and starts to generate value

If 2023 was the year the world discovered generative AI (gen AI) , 2024 is the year organizations truly began using—and deriving business value from—this new technology. In the latest McKinsey Global Survey  on AI, 65 percent of respondents report that their organizations are regularly using gen AI, nearly double the percentage from our previous survey just ten months ago. Respondents’ expectations for gen AI’s impact remain as high as they were last year , with three-quarters predicting that gen AI will lead to significant or disruptive change in their industries in the years ahead.

About the authors

This article is a collaborative effort by Alex Singla , Alexander Sukharevsky , Lareina Yee , and Michael Chui , with Bryce Hall , representing views from QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey, and McKinsey Digital.

Organizations are already seeing material benefits from gen AI use, reporting both cost decreases and revenue jumps in the business units deploying the technology. The survey also provides insights into the kinds of risks presented by gen AI—most notably, inaccuracy—as well as the emerging practices of top performers to mitigate those challenges and capture value.

AI adoption surges

Interest in generative AI has also brightened the spotlight on a broader set of AI capabilities. For the past six years, AI adoption by respondents’ organizations has hovered at about 50 percent. This year, the survey finds that adoption has jumped to 72 percent (Exhibit 1). And the interest is truly global in scope. Our 2023 survey found that AI adoption did not reach 66 percent in any region; however, this year more than two-thirds of respondents in nearly every region say their organizations are using AI. 1 Organizations based in Central and South America are the exception, with 58 percent of respondents working for organizations based in Central and South America reporting AI adoption. Looking by industry, the biggest increase in adoption can be found in professional services. 2 Includes respondents working for organizations focused on human resources, legal services, management consulting, market research, R&D, tax preparation, and training.

Also, responses suggest that companies are now using AI in more parts of the business. Half of respondents say their organizations have adopted AI in two or more business functions, up from less than a third of respondents in 2023 (Exhibit 2).

Gen AI adoption is most common in the functions where it can create the most value

Most respondents now report that their organizations—and they as individuals—are using gen AI. Sixty-five percent of respondents say their organizations are regularly using gen AI in at least one business function, up from one-third last year. The average organization using gen AI is doing so in two functions, most often in marketing and sales and in product and service development—two functions in which previous research  determined that gen AI adoption could generate the most value 3 “ The economic potential of generative AI: The next productivity frontier ,” McKinsey, June 14, 2023. —as well as in IT (Exhibit 3). The biggest increase from 2023 is found in marketing and sales, where reported adoption has more than doubled. Yet across functions, only two use cases, both within marketing and sales, are reported by 15 percent or more of respondents.

Gen AI also is weaving its way into respondents’ personal lives. Compared with 2023, respondents are much more likely to be using gen AI at work and even more likely to be using gen AI both at work and in their personal lives (Exhibit 4). The survey finds upticks in gen AI use across all regions, with the largest increases in Asia–Pacific and Greater China. Respondents at the highest seniority levels, meanwhile, show larger jumps in the use of gen Al tools for work and outside of work compared with their midlevel-management peers. Looking at specific industries, respondents working in energy and materials and in professional services report the largest increase in gen AI use.

Investments in gen AI and analytical AI are beginning to create value

The latest survey also shows how different industries are budgeting for gen AI. Responses suggest that, in many industries, organizations are about equally as likely to be investing more than 5 percent of their digital budgets in gen AI as they are in nongenerative, analytical-AI solutions (Exhibit 5). Yet in most industries, larger shares of respondents report that their organizations spend more than 20 percent on analytical AI than on gen AI. Looking ahead, most respondents—67 percent—expect their organizations to invest more in AI over the next three years.

Where are those investments paying off? For the first time, our latest survey explored the value created by gen AI use by business function. The function in which the largest share of respondents report seeing cost decreases is human resources. Respondents most commonly report meaningful revenue increases (of more than 5 percent) in supply chain and inventory management (Exhibit 6). For analytical AI, respondents most often report seeing cost benefits in service operations—in line with what we found last year —as well as meaningful revenue increases from AI use in marketing and sales.

Inaccuracy: The most recognized and experienced risk of gen AI use

As businesses begin to see the benefits of gen AI, they’re also recognizing the diverse risks associated with the technology. These can range from data management risks such as data privacy, bias, or intellectual property (IP) infringement to model management risks, which tend to focus on inaccurate output or lack of explainability. A third big risk category is security and incorrect use.

Respondents to the latest survey are more likely than they were last year to say their organizations consider inaccuracy and IP infringement to be relevant to their use of gen AI, and about half continue to view cybersecurity as a risk (Exhibit 7).

Conversely, respondents are less likely than they were last year to say their organizations consider workforce and labor displacement to be relevant risks and are not increasing efforts to mitigate them.

In fact, inaccuracy— which can affect use cases across the gen AI value chain , ranging from customer journeys and summarization to coding and creative content—is the only risk that respondents are significantly more likely than last year to say their organizations are actively working to mitigate.

Some organizations have already experienced negative consequences from the use of gen AI, with 44 percent of respondents saying their organizations have experienced at least one consequence (Exhibit 8). Respondents most often report inaccuracy as a risk that has affected their organizations, followed by cybersecurity and explainability.

Our previous research has found that there are several elements of governance that can help in scaling gen AI use responsibly, yet few respondents report having these risk-related practices in place. 4 “ Implementing generative AI with speed and safety ,” McKinsey Quarterly , March 13, 2024. For example, just 18 percent say their organizations have an enterprise-wide council or board with the authority to make decisions involving responsible AI governance, and only one-third say gen AI risk awareness and risk mitigation controls are required skill sets for technical talent.

Bringing gen AI capabilities to bear

The latest survey also sought to understand how, and how quickly, organizations are deploying these new gen AI tools. We have found three archetypes for implementing gen AI solutions : takers use off-the-shelf, publicly available solutions; shapers customize those tools with proprietary data and systems; and makers develop their own foundation models from scratch. 5 “ Technology’s generational moment with generative AI: A CIO and CTO guide ,” McKinsey, July 11, 2023. Across most industries, the survey results suggest that organizations are finding off-the-shelf offerings applicable to their business needs—though many are pursuing opportunities to customize models or even develop their own (Exhibit 9). About half of reported gen AI uses within respondents’ business functions are utilizing off-the-shelf, publicly available models or tools, with little or no customization. Respondents in energy and materials, technology, and media and telecommunications are more likely to report significant customization or tuning of publicly available models or developing their own proprietary models to address specific business needs.

Respondents most often report that their organizations required one to four months from the start of a project to put gen AI into production, though the time it takes varies by business function (Exhibit 10). It also depends upon the approach for acquiring those capabilities. Not surprisingly, reported uses of highly customized or proprietary models are 1.5 times more likely than off-the-shelf, publicly available models to take five months or more to implement.

Gen AI high performers are excelling despite facing challenges

Gen AI is a new technology, and organizations are still early in the journey of pursuing its opportunities and scaling it across functions. So it’s little surprise that only a small subset of respondents (46 out of 876) report that a meaningful share of their organizations’ EBIT can be attributed to their deployment of gen AI. Still, these gen AI leaders are worth examining closely. These, after all, are the early movers, who already attribute more than 10 percent of their organizations’ EBIT to their use of gen AI. Forty-two percent of these high performers say more than 20 percent of their EBIT is attributable to their use of nongenerative, analytical AI, and they span industries and regions—though most are at organizations with less than $1 billion in annual revenue. The AI-related practices at these organizations can offer guidance to those looking to create value from gen AI adoption at their own organizations.

To start, gen AI high performers are using gen AI in more business functions—an average of three functions, while others average two. They, like other organizations, are most likely to use gen AI in marketing and sales and product or service development, but they’re much more likely than others to use gen AI solutions in risk, legal, and compliance; in strategy and corporate finance; and in supply chain and inventory management. They’re more than three times as likely as others to be using gen AI in activities ranging from processing of accounting documents and risk assessment to R&D testing and pricing and promotions. While, overall, about half of reported gen AI applications within business functions are utilizing publicly available models or tools, gen AI high performers are less likely to use those off-the-shelf options than to either implement significantly customized versions of those tools or to develop their own proprietary foundation models.

What else are these high performers doing differently? For one thing, they are paying more attention to gen-AI-related risks. Perhaps because they are further along on their journeys, they are more likely than others to say their organizations have experienced every negative consequence from gen AI we asked about, from cybersecurity and personal privacy to explainability and IP infringement. Given that, they are more likely than others to report that their organizations consider those risks, as well as regulatory compliance, environmental impacts, and political stability, to be relevant to their gen AI use, and they say they take steps to mitigate more risks than others do.

Gen AI high performers are also much more likely to say their organizations follow a set of risk-related best practices (Exhibit 11). For example, they are nearly twice as likely as others to involve the legal function and embed risk reviews early on in the development of gen AI solutions—that is, to “ shift left .” They’re also much more likely than others to employ a wide range of other best practices, from strategy-related practices to those related to scaling.

In addition to experiencing the risks of gen AI adoption, high performers have encountered other challenges that can serve as warnings to others (Exhibit 12). Seventy percent say they have experienced difficulties with data, including defining processes for data governance, developing the ability to quickly integrate data into AI models, and an insufficient amount of training data, highlighting the essential role that data play in capturing value. High performers are also more likely than others to report experiencing challenges with their operating models, such as implementing agile ways of working and effective sprint performance management.

About the research

The online survey was in the field from February 22 to March 5, 2024, and garnered responses from 1,363 participants representing the full range of regions, industries, company sizes, functional specialties, and tenures. Of those respondents, 981 said their organizations had adopted AI in at least one business function, and 878 said their organizations were regularly using gen AI in at least one function. To adjust for differences in response rates, the data are weighted by the contribution of each respondent’s nation to global GDP.

Alex Singla and Alexander Sukharevsky  are global coleaders of QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey, and senior partners in McKinsey’s Chicago and London offices, respectively; Lareina Yee  is a senior partner in the Bay Area office, where Michael Chui , a McKinsey Global Institute partner, is a partner; and Bryce Hall  is an associate partner in the Washington, DC, office.

They wish to thank Kaitlin Noe, Larry Kanter, Mallika Jhamb, and Shinjini Srivastava for their contributions to this work.

This article was edited by Heather Hanselman, a senior editor in McKinsey’s Atlanta office.

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Also featuring commentary from  global economic weekly, june 9, 2024.

Candace Browning, Head of BofA Global Research

It’s all about context. This week we discuss what’s driving the auto industry in uncertain times, why AI may be inflating but doesn’t look like a bubble yet and why our views on Mexican equities have turned South after a landslide election.

The auto team’s Car Wars, an annual look at the auto product pipeline based on primary and secondary sources, comes at a particularly uncertain time for automakers as some planned EV (electric vehicle) launches are doing a U-turn.

Core ICE (internal combustion engine) portfolios will be key to generating capital. Replacement rates are just below the historical average of 15% in model year 2025-26, but should accelerate in 2027-28. Crossover vehicles comprise over 50% of the refresh. Autos analyst John Murphy believes that replacement rate drives market share and profits.

Long-term growth trends were a key focus during last week’s BofA Tech Conference.

The optimism around AI is reflected in stock prices, but Head of Global Equity Derivatives Research Ben Bowler doesn’t think AI is a bubble yet. The tell-tale sign of an asset bubble is volatility rising with prices, but tech volatility has not risen materially since ChatGPT’s launch in November 2022. Compared to the internet bubble that popped in 2000, today looks closer to 1995 than 1999 as stocks are still tethered to fundamentals. While no analog is perfect, the internet bubble lasted 5 years, endured 100bps (basis point) of Fed hikes, and delivered 80%+ Nasdaq returns in each of its final two years. That said, Ben notes the sheer size of big-cap tech today may limit valuation expansion from here.

Dr. Claudia Sheinbaum is set to become Mexico’s first female president after a landslide election.

Sheinbaum’s Morena party coalition will have a qualified majority (>2/3 rd ) in the lower house and close to 64% in the Senate. Mexico economist Carlos Capistran expects Morena to move forward with 20 proposals to change the Mexican constitution that AMLO (Andrés Manuel López Obrador), the current president, presented in February. Electoral, judicial, and pension reforms are on the table along with the elimination of autonomous institutions and granting CFE, Mexico’s state-owned electric utility, regulatory power over the electricity sector. Given high political uncertainty, Mexico Equity Strategist Carlos Peyrelongue has turned more defensive in Mexican equities. Carlos recently added real estate companies to the Mexico Core Portfolio for exposure to nearshoring trends and historically high occupancy levels. He also reduced financials exposure further.

Please visit our Must Read Research webpage weekly for our latest insights.

Featuring Commentary from Global Economics Weekly

Claudio Irigoyen, Head of Global Economics, BofA Global Research

2027 risks come early: French snap elections in June/July

French President Macron dissolved parliament in a surprise move following the European election results at the French national level. The first round of the French parliamentary election will be held on June 30, the second on July 7. Opinion polls at this stage are not available, limiting visibility. Snap elections well ahead of the initial 2027 presidential and parliamentary election timeline increase political, public finance and economic policy uncertainty in France, with ramifications for French debt markets.

2024/25 budget uncertainty up

Our benign European Economics team’s macro outlook for France was based on the assumption that political uncertainty, in particular, would remain relatively contained until the 2027 elections. At this stage, firm conclusions on the outlook are tough, but uncertainty is up and that is usually not a good ingredient for growth and investor sentiment. That includes, but goes beyond, budget planning. The French 2024 budget was voted in December. Following the 2023 slippage, targets for this year and next were adjusted to 5.1% and 4.1% of GDP (gross domestic product) respectively. A new majority government could opt to revisit the whole trajectory. An Excessive Deficit Procedure at EU level is likely – snap elections are unlikely to alter that.

Economic policy uncertainty up

Composition of parliament can matter beyond that. In our macro base case, we assumed that the current parliament composition would not allow meaningful reform. New elections could help President Macron restore a working coalition majority in government. But it could also result in amplified fragmentation and make it even harder to find majorities, that could limit even the capacity to respond to new unforeseen economic shocks. Or new elections could deliver a majority for right wing populists Rassemblement National, which could have much deeper ramifications for the economic policy agenda including taxation, migration, or even European matters. At the current juncture, it is difficult to assess.

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2024 Housing Market Forecast and Predictions: Housing Affordability Finally Begins to Turnaround

As we look ahead to 2024 , we see a mix of continuity and change in both the housing market and economy. Against a backdrop of modest economic growth, slightly higher unemployment, and easing inflation longer term interest rates including mortgage rates begin a slow retreat. The shift from climbing to falling mortgage rates improves housing affordability, but saps some of the urgency home shoppers had previously sensed. Less frenzied housing demand and plenty of rental home options keep home sales relatively stable at low levels in 2024, helping home prices to adjust slightly lower even as the number of for-sale homes continues to dwindle. 

Realtor.com ® 2024 Forecast for Key Housing Indicators

Home Prices Dip, Improving Affordability

Home prices grew at a double-digit annual clip for the better part of two years spanning the second half of 2020 through 2022, a notable burst following a growing streak that spanned back to 2012. As mortgage rates climbed, home price growth flatlined, actually declining on an annual basis in early 2023 before an early-year dip in mortgage rates spurred enough buyer demand to reignite competition for still-limited inventory. Home prices began to climb again, and while they did not reach a new monthly peak, on average for the year we expect that the 2023 median home price will slightly exceed the 2022 annual median.

Nevertheless, even during the brief period when prices eased, using a mortgage to buy a home remained expensive. Since May 2022, purchasing the typical for-sale home listing at the prevailing rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage with a 20% down payment meant forking over a quarter or more of the typical household paycheck. In fact, in October 2023, it required 39% of the typical household income and this share is expected to average 36.7% for the full calendar year in 2023. This figure has typically ranged around 21%, so it is well above historical average. We expect that the return to pricing in line with financing costs will begin in 2024, and home prices, mortgage rates, and income growth will each contribute to the improvement. Home prices are expected to ease slightly, dropping less than 2% for the year on average. Combined with lower mortgage rates and income growth this will improve the home purchase mortgage payment share relative to median income to an average 34.9% in 2024, with the share slipping under 30% by the end of the year.

Home Sales Barely Budge Above 2023’s Likely Record Low

After soaring during the pandemic, existing home sales were weighed down in the latter half of 2022 as mortgage rates took off, climbing from just over 3% at the start of the year to a peak of more than 7% in the fourth quarter. The reprieve in mortgage rates in early 2023, when they dipped to around 6%, brought some life to home sales, but the renewed climb of mortgage rates has again exerted significant pressure on home sales that is exacerbated by the fact that a greater than usual number of households bought homes over the past few years, and despite stories of pandemic purchase regret , for the most part, these homeowners continue to be happy in their homes. 

This is consistent with what visitors to Realtor.com report when asked why they are not planning to sell their homes. The number one reason homeowners aren’t trying to sell is that they just don’t need to; concern about losing an existing low-rate mortgage is the top financial concern cited. Our current projection is for 2023 home sales to tally just over 4 million, a dip of 19% over the 2022 5 million total. 

With many of the same forces at play heading into 2024, the housing chill will continue, with sales expected to remain essentially unchanged at just over 4 million. Although mortgage rates are expected to ease throughout the course of the year, the continuation of high costs will mean that existing homeowners will have a very high threshold for deciding to move, with many likely choosing to stay in place.  Moves of necessity–for job changes, family situation changes, and downsizing to a more affordable market–are likely to drive home sales in 2024. 

Shoppers Find Even Fewer Existing Homes For Sale

Even before the pandemic, housing inventory was on a long, slow downward trajectory. Insufficient building meant that the supply of houses did not keep up with household formation and left little slack in the housing market. Both homeowner and rental vacancy remain below historic averages . In contrast with the existing home market, which remains sluggish, builders have been catching up, with construction remaining near pre-pandemic highs for single-family and hitting record levels for multi-family . 

Despite this, the lack of excess capacity in housing has been painfully obvious in the for-sale home market. The number of existing homes on the market has dwindled. With home sales activity to continue at a relatively low pace, the number of unsold homes on the market is also expected to remain low.  Although mortgage rates are expected to begin to ease, they are expected to exceed 6.5% for the calendar year. This means that the lock-in effect, in which the gap between market mortgage rates and the mortgage rates existing homeowners enjoy on their outstanding mortgage, will remain a factor. Roughly two-thirds of outstanding mortgages have a rate under 4% and more than 90% have a rate less than 6%.

Rental Supply Outpaces Demand to Drive Mild Further Decline in Rents

After almost a full year of double-digit rent growth between mid-2021 and mid-2022, the rental market has finally cooled down, as evidenced by the year-over-year decline that started in May 2023 . In 2024, we expect the rental market will closely resemble the dynamics witnessed in 2023, as the tug of war between supply and demand results in a mild annual decline of -0.2% in the median asking rent.

New multi-family supply will continue to be a key element shaping the 2024 rental market.  In the third quarter of 2023, the annual pace of newly completed multi-family homes stood at 385,000 units. Although absorption rates remained elevated in the second quarter, especially at lower price points, the rental vacancy rate ticked up to 6.6% in the third quarter. This uptick in rental vacancy suggests the recent supply has outpaced demand, but context is important. After recent gains, the rental vacancy rate is on par with its level right before the onset of the pandemic in early 2020, still below its 7.2% average from the 2013 to 2019 period.  Looking ahead, the strong construction pipeline– which hit a record high for units under construction this summer –is expected to continue fueling rental supply growth in 2024 pushing rental vacancy back toward its long-run average. 

While the surge in new multi-family supply gives renters options, the sheer number of renters will minimize the potential price impact. The median asking rent in 2024 is expected to drop only slightly below its 2023 level. Renting is expected to continue to be a more budget friendly option than buying in the vast majority of markets, even though home prices and mortgage rates are both expected to dip, helping pull the purchase market down slightly from record unaffordability. 

Young adult renters who lack the benefit of historically high home equity to tap into for a home purchase will continue to find the housing market challenging. Specifically, as many Millennials age past first-time home buying age and more Gen Z approach these years, the current housing landscape is likely to keep these households in the rental market for a longer period as they work to save up more money for the growing down payment needed to buy a first home. This trend is expected to sustain robust demand for rental properties. Consequently, we anticipate that rental markets favored by young adults , a list which includes a mix of affordable areas and tech-heavy job markets in the South, Midwest, and West, will be rental markets to watch in 2024.

Key Wildcards:

• Wildcard 1: Mortgage Rates With both mortgage rates and home prices expected to turn the corner in 2024, record high unaffordability will become a thing of the past, though as noted above, the return to normal won’t be accomplished within the year. This prediction hinges on the expectation that inflation will continue to subside, enabling the recent declines in longer-term interest rates to continue. If inflation were to instead see a surprise resurgence, this aspect of the forecast would change, and home sales could slip lower instead of steadying.
• Wildcard 2: Geopolitics In our forecast for 2023 , we cited the risk of geopolitical instability on trade and energy costs as something to watch. In addition to Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, instability in the Middle East has not only had a catastrophic human toll, both conflicts have the potential to impact the economic outlook in ways that cannot be fully anticipated. 
• Wildcard 3: Domestic Politics: 2024 Elections In 2020, amid the upheaval of pandemic-era adaptations, many Americans were on the move. We noted that Realtor.com traffic patterns indicated that home shoppers in very traditionally ‘blue’ or Democratic areas were tending to look for homes in markets where voters have more typically voted ‘red’ or Republican. While consumers also reported preferring to live in locations where their political views align with the majority , few actually reported wanting to move for this reason alone. 

Housing Perspectives:

What will the market be like for homebuyers, especially first-time homebuyers.

First-time homebuyers will continue to face a challenging housing market in 2024, but there are some green shoots. The record-high share of income required to purchase the median priced home is expected to begin to decline as mortgage rates ease, home prices soften, and incomes grow. In 2023 we expect that for the year as a whole, the monthly cost of financing the typical for-sale home will average more than $2,240, a nearly 20% increase over the mortgage payment in 2022, and roughly double the typical payment for buyers in 2020. This amounted to a whopping nearly 37% of the typical household income. In 2024 as modest price declines take hold and mortgage rates dip, the typical purchase cost is expected to slip just under $2,200 which would amount to nearly 35% of income. While far higher than historically average, this is a significant first step in a buyer-friendly direction.

How can homebuyers prepare? 

Homebuyers can prepare for this year’s housing market by getting financially ready. Buyers can use a home affordability calculator , like this one at Realtor.com to translate their income and savings into a home price range. And shoppers can pressure test the results by using a mortgage calculator to consider different down payment, price, and loan scenarios to see how their monthly costs would be impacted. Working with a lender can help potential buyers explore different loan products such as FHA or VA loans that may offer lower mortgage interest rates or more flexible credit criteria. 

Although prices are anticipated to fall in 2024, housing costs remain high, and a down payment can be a big obstacle for buyers. Recent research shows that the typical down payment on a home reached a record high of $30,000 .  To make it easier to cobble together a down payment, shoppers can access information about down payment assistance options at Realtor.com/fairhousing and in the monthly payment section of home listing pages. Furthermore, home shoppers can explore loan products geared toward helping families access homeownership by enabling down payments as low as 3.5% in the case of FHA loans and 0% in the case of VA loans .

What will the market be like for home sellers?

Home sellers are likely to face more competition from builders than from other sellers in 2024. Because builders are continuing to maintain supply and increasingly adapting to market conditions, they are increasingly focused on lower-priced homes and willing to make price adjustments when needed. As a result, potential sellers will want to consider the landscape for new construction housing in their markets and any implications for pricing and marketing before listing their home for sale.

What will the market be like for renters?

In 2024, renting is expected to continue to be a more cost-effective option than buying in the short term even though we anticipate the advantage for renting to diminish as home prices and mortgage rates decline. 

However, for those considering the pursuit of long-term equity through homeownership, it’s essential to not only stay alert about market trends but also to carefully consider the intended duration of residence in their next home. When home prices rise rapidly, like they did during the pandemic, the higher cost of purchasing a home may break even with the cost of renting in as little as 3 years. Generally, it takes longer to reach the breakeven point, typically within a 5 to 7-year timeframe. Importantly, when home prices are falling and rents are also declining, as is expected to be the case in 2024, it can take longer to recoup some of the higher costs of buying a home. Individuals using Realtor.com’s Rent vs. Buy Calculator can thoroughly evaluate the costs and benefits associated with renting versus buying over time and how many years current market trends suggest it will take before buying is the better financial decision. This comprehensive tool can provide insights tailored to a household’s specific rent versus buying decision and empowers consumers to consider not only the optimal choice for the current month but also how the trade-offs evolve over several years.

Local Market Predictions:

All real estate is local and while the national trends are instructive, what matters most is what’s expected in your local market. 

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Screening Tool for Equitable Adoption and Deployment of Solar

June 6, 2024 by Isa Ferrall-Wolf and Joyce McLaren, NREL

A new NREL tool helps states, cities, community organizations, and solar developers identify equitable solar energy deployment opportunities.

Originating from a need identified by multistakeholder teams of the Solar Energy Innovation Network (SEIN), the Screening Tool for Equitable Adoption and Deployment of Solar (STEADy Solar) helps identify specific locations where distributed-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) projects may be economically beneficial, allowing stakeholders to focus resources and deploy solar more equitably.

The STEADy Solar dataset is available in the NREL data catalog as a spreadsheet tool that combines:

• Publicly available information about eligibility for the Solar Investment Tax Credit bonus adders
• Modeled residential and commercial solar economics
• Demographic data
• Building count information—at the census tract level for the entire country.

The STEADy Solar User Guide provides details about the dataset and contains static state-level maps that visualize the dataset.

The STEADy Solar database is a result of technical assistance provided to teams of stakeholders participating in SEIN Round 3. One of those teams, which included the organizations RE-volv , Interfaith Power and Light , and Green the Church , aimed to increase equitable solar adoption for Black, indigenous, and people of color-led houses of worship. NREL developed the STEADy Solar dataset to help the team identify communities in the United States on which to focus their efforts.

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022—which you can learn more about on the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) website —provided $369B for investments in domestic energy production, promoting clean energy, and established the Solar Investment Tax Credit bonus adders for equitable clean energy deployment. STEADy Solar can help stakeholders understand where private funds or local government funding or programs can leverage this federal Investment Tax Credit or direct-pay benefits and fulfill opportunities for solar deployment.

The STEADy Solar dataset and User Guide can help decision makers at all levels by:

• Overlaying the eligibility maps for multiple solar tax credit bonuses available for projects located within energy justice communities
• Indicating the prevalence of building and land use types (e.g. government buildings, multi-family affordable housing, brown fields) for each census tract
• Identifying census tracts with favorable solar economics, based on NREL modeling.

Access the webinar recording with demo on how to use the STEADy dataset.

Need Assistance Using the Screening Tool for Equitable Adoption and Deployment of Solar?

SEIN staff help new stakeholders apply the solutions that were developed during previous rounds of the program to their own contexts. Contact Isa Ferrall-Wolf or Joyce McLaren .

Additionally, the National Community Solar Partnership provides no-cost assistance to stakeholders that are developing community solar projects.

To apply for help using STEADy Solar to deploy community solar, access the DOE National Community Solar Partnership webpage or contact Community Solar .

Interested in learning more about SEIN? Subscribe to our mailing list .