Not all market research websites are created equal. In a digital world where business professionals are flooded with information it's difficult to understand which sources to trust. With new content being posted every second, your job as a researcher will not get any easier. But with all of these new insights at your fingertips, it will get more enlightening.
Here are 9 key resources and websites I have bookmarked and find myself checking often during my morning cup of coffee (or 3.) These sites all involve market research and can be utilized as an information hub for insight, knowledge-building tools for market research, or nifty sites for your reports and analysis. Whatever your role in market research is, you'll enjoy these:
Bookmark 1: MaritzCX Cafe at https://www.maritzcx.com/blog/
This blog continually pumps out fresh content and graphically appealing posts on a variety of customer experience (CX) topics and industries including automotive, financial services, and retail (3 of my personal favorites.) You'll find some well-written articles on here and it's a CX-haven for those in the industry.
Bookmark 2: Quirks at www.quirks.com
The company recently revamped its website to improve the user experience and it looks great. This site is a one-stop-shop for directories of market research companies, events, and job postings. You can search for articles online which appear in its monthly print magazine. Quirks Media goes hand-in-hand with market research.
Bookmark 3: Sample Size Calculator at http://www.surveysystem.com/sscalc.htm
This one is off the beaten Google path a bit but I've always found this particular sample size calculator useful. Why? It lets you 2 formulas. One approach from a sample size needed. The other from a confidence interval.
Bookmark 4: Research Rockstar at http://www.researchrockstar.com/blog/
Although many may claim a "Research Rockstar" title, there is only one and she owns the domain which kind of makes it official. On top of all of the training and online classes, Kathryn's blog offers a ton of great information and well-thought out articles on market research.
Bookmark 5: Tagxedo at http://www.tagxedo.com/
Word clouds are nothing new, they can add a little creative flavor to your market research report. There are several tools available to help you put together a word cloud but not many as good as Tagxedo. A simple paste of text not only allows some font and color customization but you can also shape the word cloud in a variety of sizes.
Bookmark 6: Qualtrics at https://www.qualtrics.com/blog/
Another great blog to keep an eye on every week or so. The authors usually take a deep dive into a topic and offer new perspectives. I always find the tips and suggestions actionable and easy to implement right away regardless of what survey platform you use. Sorry Qualtrics, I'm using you.
Bookmark 7: Greenbook at http://www.greenbookblog.org/
Another market research umbrella site with a lot of information ranging from forums to directories to jobs. The blog itself offers some original content from several popular authors. However, my favorite spot has to be GRIT - the Greenbook Research Industry Trends Report. Love reading this report.
Bookmark 8: Think with Google at https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/
Google is good at everything so why is it not a surprise they can offer some fascinating insights into consumer behavior and path to purchase. The entire site is chock-full of great information but my favorite patty on the hamburger menu is the consumer behavior and trends.
Bookmark 9: Nielsen Insights http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights.html
I do not check this site nearly as often as some others but I am often surprised by how I can find something relevant to my past or future studies. The charts included in the insight pieces are very easy to share and source in your reports which add credibility to your own custom research findings. Nielsen is a well-known name to source.
Thank you for reading and sharing with your network. I hope these tools come in handy for you as they have for Drive Research and me. Questions or comments? Contact us at [email protected].