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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Market research data falls into two categories: primary and secondary research. Primary research entails the collection of new data, and usually involves investigating the opinions of business people or consumers. Secondary research (or `desk research') consists of previously collated or published data. This report focuses on primary marketing research and, more specifically, on externally commissioned or agency research.
The UK market research business was worth £810m in 1998. The market grew by 8.7 percent in 1998 and by 90.6 percent between 1993 and 1998, encouraged by steady and sustained economic growth since 1993, combined with a greater need for analysis of increasingly diverse and segmented markets. International research has been an important driver of growth since 1993, although the high value of sterling is now proving damaging to international business.
In recent years, there has been an increasing trend towards the establishment of research super groups. Largely driven by increasing globalisation, these super groups have the ability to offer fully co-ordinated worldwide research and to invest considerable sums in the development of technology. However, global strategies are not a guaranteed recipe for success -- and, in fact, have been the downfall of many advertising groups, where the resulting conglomerate has lost the key competencies of the independent operations.
The Internet will have an increasing impact on the industry as a whole, with primary research gathered remotely, and without the need for field researchers. In the short-term future, the Millennium bug could present serious and costly problems to agencies which rely on large databases of research data. Industry-specific factors which will affect the market include the Market Research Society's (MRS) revamping of its codes of practice -- which made important changes to how children can be interviewed -- and problems in recruiting field researchers and respondents for qualitative research programmes. Another potential problem facing the industry is the proposed ending of agency access to the Electoral Register, which would be a serious blow to consumer research.
Key Note estimates that the UK market research industry will be worth £1.1bn in 2003, growing by 34.3 percent between 1999 and 2003. Key determinants for success include increased valued-added data analysis and report writing, and the ability to harness the Internet to improve efficiency and international reach.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive Summary

Market Definition

OVERVIEW OF MARKETING RESEARCH

FOCUS OF THE REPORT

MARKET POSITION

MARKET TRENDS

Table 1: Share of the Business Information Market Taken by Market Research Agencies ( percent of value sales), 1993-1998

Market Size

THE TOTAL MARKET

BY MARKET SECTOR

Table 2: The UK Market Research Market (£m), 1993-1998

Table 3: Breakdown of the UK Market Research Market ( percent by value), 1998

Table 4: Interviewing by Methods by AMSO Members' Revenues (£000 and percent), 1997

Table 5: UK Market Research Agency Revenues by Interview Method (£m and percent), 1998

Table 6: Number of Respondents by Interview Method ( percent), 1997

Table 7: International and Domestic Research Revenues for AMSO Members (£000), 1997

Table 8: Estimated International and Domestic Research Revenues (£m), 1998

Industry Background

RECENT HISTORY

INDUSTRY CONCENTRATION

TRADE ASSOCIATIONS

Table 9: Number of VAT-Based Market Research Businesses by Turnover (£000), 1998

Competitor Analysis

THE MARKETPLACE

MARKET LEADERS AND THEIR BRANDS

Table 10: Organisations with Market Research Society Members by Area of Expertise (by number of organisations offering each service), 1998

Table 11: Leading UK Market Research Agencies by Turnover (£m), 1997/1998

Table 12: Breakdown of ACNielsen's Global Sales ($m), 1995-1997

Table 13: Performance of ACNielsen by Region ($m and percent), Second Quarter 1998

Table 14: Breakdown of Taylor Nelson Sofres PLC Revenues (£m and percent), 1995-1997

Table 15: Taylor Nelson Sofres PLC UK Financial Profile (£m), Year Ending 31st December 1992-1997

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT)

STRENGTHS

WEAKNESSES

OPPORTUNITIES

THREATS

Buying Behaviour

THE KEY BUYER GROUPS

BY INDUSTRY SECTOR OF CLIENT

USE OF MARKET RESEARCH

WHAT BUYERS WANT FROM AGENCIES

Table 16: Breakdown of AMSO Members' Revenues by Industry Sector of Client (£000 and percent), 1997

Table 17: Business Information Used on a Daily (Regular) Basis (number of reponses and percent of total), January-March 1998

Current Issues

GLOBALISATION AND THE RISE OF RESEARCH SUPER-GROUPS

VALUE OF THE POUND

NEW RESEARCH CODES

PROBLEMS RECRUITING FIELD RESEARCHERS

INTERNET RESEARCH

YEAR 2000 COMPLIANCE

RESPONDENT VALIDATION

'OVER-RESEARCH' IN THE BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS SECTOR

ELECTORAL REGISTER

Table 18: The World's Leading Market Research Agencies, Mid-1998

Forecasts

OVERVIEW

INCREASED CUSTOMISATION

NEW MEDIA AND THE MARKET RESEARCH AGENCY

SUMMARY OF MAJOR CHANGES IN THE RESEARCH MARKET, 1999 TO 2005

FORECASTS 1999 TO 2003

Table 19: Summary of Major Changes in the Research Market, 1999-2005

Table 20: Forecast UK Market Research Market (£m at constant 1993 prices), 1999-2003

Company Profiles

INTRODUCTION

DEFINITIONS

FURTHER INFORMATION

Further Sources

ASSOCIATIONS

PERIODICALS

DIRECTORIES

GENERAL SOURCES

HBI UK INFORMATION SOURCES

GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS

OTHER SOURCES

Text © 1999 Key Note

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Last updated by Jacob van Eldik 22th February 2000