A/B testing compares two versions of a product, concept, or design to see which performs better, usually by measuring conversion rates. Used in marketing, product and UX, it enables data-led decisions, improves user experience, and reduces risk through controlled testing.

ASTs (accompanied shopping trips) involve a researcher accompanying a shopper in-store to observe and explore real-time purchase behaviour, decision-making, and customer experience. This method reveals rich, contextual insights through observation and in-depth discussion.

Ad hoc research surveys are one-off, tailored studies exploring specific questions at a single point in time. Typically conducted online, they help businesses respond quickly to emerging trends or issues, delivering actionable insights without ongoing tracking or long-term research programmes.

Advertising research is a powerful market research technique that allows you to truly ‘discover’. It gives you insight into any sort of campaign..

Artefact Analysis, rooted in social anthropology, examines the material, aesthetic and interactive qualities of objects. Used in qualitative, ethnographic and archaeological research, it focuses on what objects communicate through their physical and practical attributes.

The AQR is a leading UK organisation advancing qualitative research. It supports professionals through training, networking and industry standards, promoting best practice, innovation and ethics to help researchers deliver deeper insights across marketing and social market research.

Asynchronous focus groups are online qualitative discussions where participants contribute at different times over several days. This approach encourages considered responses, wider geographic reach and deeper insights, making them ideal for hard-to-reach audiences and sensitive topics.

B2B research, short for business-to-business research, refers to market research and intelligence conducted by organisations that sell to or support other businesses. Unlike consumer research, it is carried out with business decision-makers rather than members of the public.

Behavioural Economics (BE) is a key discipline for market research, examining why people make irrational decisions and how their behavior deviates from economic models. Notable figures in this field include Nobel laureates Gary Becker, Daniel Kahneman, and George Akerlof.

Brand Essence represents the core values that distinguish a brand and remain consistent over time, while execution elements like packaging and marketing may change. Establishing a clear brand essence provides a model for all marketing and NPD to align with the brand’s image.

Brand extension is a marketing strategy where a company uses an established brand name to launch new products in a different category. This approach leverages existing brand equity to enhance consumer trust and recognition, thereby reducing launch risk.

Brand health tracking monitors consumer perceptions, awareness, usage, and loyalty over time – measuring marketing effectiveness, monitoring competitors, identifying trends, and highlighting strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities to inform strategy

BPTO measures how price changes affect consumer preference across competing brands. By adjusting prices and tracking choices, it reveals brand value, price elasticity, and willingness to pay—guiding pricing strategies and brand equity assessment.

Brand reputation reflects public perception shaped by experiences, trust, values, and communication. It drives loyalty and competitive advantage. Tracking and measuring it identifies risks, strengthens credibility, and supports long-term growth.

Brand strategy is a long-term plan that defines how a brand positions itself, communicates value, and shapes perception, aligning insight, messaging, and experience to drive differentiation, trust, and sustainable growth.

Bulletin boards are online qualitative platforms where participants post responses, comments, and media over time. Unlike live focus groups, they offer flexibility for busy or hard-to-reach audiences, enabling rich, in-depth insights across extended periods.

CATI is a telephone research method where interviewers follow an on-screen script, entering responses directly into the system. Ideal for structured surveys and quota control, it offers an efficient, flexible approach to quantitative data collection.

Chatbot groups use AI-powered chat interfaces to simulate group discussions, guiding participants through questions to gather qualitative insights. Scalable, cost-effective, and real-time, this method suits time-poor or tech-savvy audiences in digital environments.

Cluster analysis is a data-driven technique that groups customers or organisations into meaningful segments based on shared characteristics, enabling more precise targeting, positioning, and strategic decision-making.

Competitor analysis evaluates rivals to understand their strengths, weaknesses, strategies, and positioning. It helps identify opportunities, benchmark performance, anticipate trends, and refine strategies to gain competitive advantage across marketing, product development, and branding.

A customer panel is a selected group of volunteers who provide ongoing input on products and services. They’re a valuable research tool for gathering feedback, testing hypotheses, trialling new offerings, and uncovering behaviours and insights.

Customer satisfaction measures how well a product meets expectations. Research gathers feedback through surveys and interviews to identify strengths, weaknesses, and improvements—enhancing experience and driving loyalty for long-term success.

Data science extracts meaningful insights from complex datasets using statistical analysis, programming, and machine learning. In market research, it identifies patterns, predicts behaviours, and drives decision-making across segmentation, pricing, and campaign optimisation.

A glossary is a collection of defined terms and key concepts, typically organized alphabetically, designed to help readers understand specific language, jargon, or terminology within a particular subject or field.

Desk or Secondary research is the process of gathering and analysing existing data from sources such as reports, studies, and databases to generate insights.

Diary studies are qualitative methods where participants self-record experiences, behaviours, or thoughts via written, audio, or video formats. They capture longitudinal data, revealing habits, decision-making, and emotional journeys in real-world contexts.

Exit interviews survey customers as they leave a store, while shopper intercepts gather real-time opinions in-store. Both capture immediate feedback on experience, behaviour, and satisfaction—providing valuable insights to improve products, services, and retail strategies.

Eye tracking records where and how long people look at visual stimuli using infrared sensors or cameras. In market research, it reveals attention and engagement patterns – helping optimise packaging, adverts, websites, and in-store layouts by understanding what captures attention.

Facial coding uses AI or biometric software to detect and interpret facial expressions, revealing emotional responses to ads or products. It uncovers subconscious reactions—such as joy, surprise, or confusion—providing deeper insights into consumer engagement and emotional impact.

A viewing facility is a purpose-built location for hosting focus groups, workshops, and research interviews. Designed for moderators, respondents, and clients, these studios enable live observation and are a dedicated space for qualitative research.

Focus groups are a qualitative method where a small group of participants discuss a product, service, or concept guided by a moderator. They explore attitudes, perceptions, and motivations—delivering rich insights to shape marketing strategies, product development, and brand positioning.

Forensic research connects with keywords like investigative research, behavioural insights, customer insight, qualitative interviewing, and evidence-based decision-making. Combining these expands SEO reach, linking detective-style thinking with market research, strategy, and psychology to position deeper, more reliable insight generation.

fMRI measures brain activity by detecting changes in blood flow. In market research, it reveals subconscious consumer responses to ads or products—offering deep insights into emotion, attention, and decision-making that go beyond self-reported data.

The galvanic skin response (GSR) refers to changes in sweat gland activity that are reflective of our emotional arousal. Typically an electrode is applied to the fingers to measure skin conductance, and the higher the skin conductance, the higher the arousal.

Generational cohorts—such as Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z—group people by shared experiences, values, and life stages. For marketers, they provide a framework to understand consumer behaviours, tailor messaging, and predict trends as younger cohorts grow in purchasing power.

Hall tests (CLTs) gather consumers in a neutral venue to evaluate products, ads, or packaging. Under controlled conditions, often with blind testing, they provide reliable feedback on sensory appeal to inform product and marketing decisions.

Heart Rate Variability (HRV) measures variation between heartbeats, reflecting autonomic nervous system activity. Influenced by stress, sleep, and physical activity, it’s measured via ECG or PPG and analysed using time-domain, frequency-domain, or nonlinear methods in research.

Heuristics are mental shortcuts that simplify decision-making. Types include availability, representativeness, anchoring, and affect heuristics. They speed up judgments but can introduce cognitive biases—key considerations in UX design and behavioural research.

The ICO is the UK’s independent authority upholding information rights and data privacy. Responsible in part for GDPR, it promotes openness by public bodies and ensures individuals can access and influence how their data is used in an increasingly data-driven world.

The IAT measures automatic associations between concepts by assessing reaction times when pairing categories with attributes. Faster responses suggest stronger implicit links, revealing unconscious attitudes that affect perception, judgment, and behaviour.

Implicit Reaction Time (IRT) testing measures how quickly individuals respond to stimuli, revealing insights into cognitive processing and engagement. Used in market and psychological research, it uncovers unconscious attitudes beyond self-reported responses.

In-depth interviews probe thoughts, feelings, and emotions one-to-one, free from group influence. They provide rich insights to optimise messaging, inspire new product ideas, and uncover barriers to behaviour—making them ideal for sensitive topics or deeply personal subject matter.

In-home interviewing involves researchers visiting participants at home to conduct face-to-face interviews. Observing consumers in their natural environment provides rich, authentic insights into behaviours, product usage, and lifestyle—ideal for product development and ethnographic research.

Infographics combine data, design, and storytelling to communicate insights clearly and compellingly. They’re a powerful tool for thought leadership, easily repurposed across platforms and channels—making complex research findings more accessible, shareable, and impactful for brands.

The Kano Model, developed by Dr Noriaki Kano in the 1970s–80s, helps businesses understand how different product attributes drive customer satisfaction. By identifying which features delight, meet expectations, or go unnoticed, it guides smarter product development decisions.

LARIA (Local Area Research and Intelligence Association) is a UK organisation supporting researchers and analysts in public sector services. It promotes the use of research, data, and evidence to inform policy and decision-making through networking, resources, and events.

Market research helps businesses identify target consumers, understand what buyers think about their products or brands, and gather insights to improve decision-making. It reduces risk, uncovers opportunities, and provides the evidence needed to drive strategy and long-term success.

The UK Market Research Society (MRS) is one of the world’s leading research associations. Vision One are long-term accredited MRS Company Partners

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a framework that explains human motivation through five levels of needs, from basic survival to self-actualisation, showing how people prioritise what matters most.

Like Electroencephalography (EEG), mobile EEG is a methodology which records brain activity using small sensors applied to the scalp which picks up the electrical potentials outputted by your brain. This allows researchers to measure the brain’s cognitive processes. ​

Mobile eye tracking is a relatively new invention. It is a sensor technology that can detect a person’s presence and follow what they are looking at in real time, usually involving a pair of glasses with cameras installed.

Mystery shopping is a research method where trained individuals pose as customers to evaluate real-world brand interactions. It reveals how staff behaviour, service quality, and in-store or digital experiences measure up—highlighting gaps between brand promise and customer reality.

Net Promoter Score (NPS) measures customer experience and predicts business growth by asking how likely customers are to recommend a brand. A widely trusted metric, it provides a simple yet powerful benchmark for managing and improving customer experience programmes.

Neuromarketing refers to the measurement of physiological and neural signals to gain insight into customers’ motivations, preferences, and decisions, which can help inform creative advertising, product development, pricing, and other marketing areas.

Observational research involves directly watching consumers in natural settings to understand behaviours, movements, and decision-making. Without relying on self-reporting, it reveals what truly attracts and influences customers—helping brands optimise environments and experiences.

The Big Five (OCEAN) personality traits—Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism—are widely used in market research to segment consumers and understand behaviour. They’re also used in HR to evaluate and profile prospective employees.

An Omnibus survey is a quantitative market research method where information on a variety of subjects is collected on the same questionnaire and is used by multiple clients who share the cost of conducting research by sharing the survey costs. It is also sometimes known as ‘Piggyback’ surveys.

Online communities provide authentic, real-time engagement for research. They enable researchers to gather qualitative insights, track evolving opinions, and observe natural interactions—flexible and cost-effective, they’re ideal for longitudinal consumer studies.

Online focus groups offer a flexible way to gather qualitative insights from diverse participants without geographical constraints. Using video, chat, and screen sharing, they enable real-time exploration of attitudes and motivations—an efficient alternative to in-person sessions.

Online focus groups offer a flexible way to gather qualitative insights without geographical constraints. Using video, chat, and screen sharing, they enable real-time exploration of attitudes and motivations—an efficient alternative to in-person sessions.

Psychographics studies personality, values, attitudes, interests, and lifestyles. Unlike demographics, which cover factual traits like age or gender, it explores the deeper motivations and mindsets that drive consumer behaviour and decision-making.

Qualitative market research explores people, markets, and brands through meaning rather than numbers. Small-scale by nature, it uses verbal and non-verbal methods—including face-to-face interviews, online discussions, and observation—to uncover deep consumer insights and understanding.

The Drum Recommends (formerly RAR+) is the UK’s leading agency review register. Only agencies scoring above a set threshold are included, providing businesses with trusted, client-verified insights to help them identify and select the best research suppliers.”

The Recruiter Accreditation Scheme, also known as RAS, is a certification developed by the Market Research Society (MRS) alongside the Association for Qualitative Research (AQR). Created to raise the status and profile of recruiters and recognise the skills of professional recruiters.

A research moderator is a trained facilitator who guides group discussions to uncover opinions, emotions, and motivations. They keep sessions on track, probe deeper into responses, and maintain neutrality to transform conversations into meaningful insights.

Semiotics explores how signs, symbols, language and imagery create meaning in culture and communication. By analysing these signals, businesses can understand how audiences interpret brands, packaging and advertising, revealing deeper insights that inform stronger brand strategy.

Serviceable Available Market (SAM) is the portion of the Total Addressable Market a business can realistically target based on geography, customer segments, and product fit. It helps focus resources, set achievable goals, and define practical market opportunities.

Shadowing is a qualitative method where researchers closely follow participants in their daily life or work to gather first-hand, real-time insights. Often used in accompanied shopping trips, observations are documented through photographs, notes, sketches, or audio recordings.

Shopper intercepts involve stopping and screening shoppers to complete a survey or interview on the spot or at a nearby research facility. A cost-effective method for capturing real-time opinions, they provide valuable insights into in-store behaviour and purchase decisions.

A shopping journey begins with identifying a need, followed by researching options, comparing products, prices, and reviews before purchasing. Post-purchase evaluation shapes satisfaction and loyalty. Understanding each stage helps businesses optimise customer experiences and drive growth.

Snap Surveys is a leading market research software platform, enabling businesses to design, distribute, and analyse surveys with ease. It supports a wide range of research methods, offering powerful data collection and reporting tools for professional insight teams.

Street interviews are a fast and effective form of face-to-face fieldwork, ideal for reaching a wide demographic. Conducted in public locations, they capture spontaneous, real-time opinions—making them a practical and cost-efficient method for quantitative data collection.

SWOT analysis is a strategic framework evaluating Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. Widely used in marketing and business planning, it helps organisations understand their position, identify growth opportunities, and make informed strategic decisions.

System 1 refers to the brain’s fast, automatic, and intuitive mode of thinking. It operates unconsciously, making quick judgments based on emotions, instincts, and past experiences. In market research and behavioral science.

The Social Research Association (SRA) is the UK’s leading professional body for social researchers. It promotes high standards, connecting and supporting the community through events, resources, and its quarterly magazine, Research Matters.

TAM, SAM, and SOM are tools for sizing markets. TAM is the total demand for a product, SAM is the segment you can realistically serve, and SOM is the share you can capture. Together, they help predict market opportunity, guide strategy, and set achievable growth targets.

Usability testing evaluates how easily users interact with a product, website, or app. By observing real users completing tasks, researchers identify issues, improve design, and enhance experience—ensuring products are intuitive and aligned with user needs before launch.

UX research studies how people interact with products, services, and digital platforms. By uncovering user needs, behaviours, and pain points, it guides design and strategy—improving usability, reducing risk, enhancing loyalty, and creating experiences that drive growth.

The Value Proposition Canvas is a framework that helps businesses align their products or services with customer needs by mapping customer jobs, pains, and gains against the value they deliver.

Vox Pop, from the Latin ‘voice of the people’, is a compilation of short video clips capturing candid opinions from members of the public. Widely used in research and media, they provide authentic, spontaneous perspectives on topics, products, or experiences.

Visual Attention Analysis (VAA) or Predictive Eye Tracking (PET) is a new type of neuromarketing technique that uses an AI-based predictive eye tracking analysis system to evaluates the visual effectiveness of stimulus, ranging from branding and advertising to packaging design.

Weighting is a method in market research that adjusts survey results to better reflect the real population. If some groups are over- or underrepresented, researchers assign “weights” to responses so the data is balanced. This makes insights more accurate, reliable, and useful for business decisions.

Word clouds are visual representations of text data where word size reflects frequency or importance. Used in market research, they help identify key themes, patterns, and sentiments within open-ended responses—making complex data easier to interpret at a glance.

The Z test is a statistical method used in research to check if differences between groups or results are real or just due to chance. By comparing data to an expected average, it helps businesses confirm whether findings are meaningful, giving confidence in decisions based on survey results.