Marktstudies

Marktstudies is a term used in Dutch- and German-speaking contexts to refer to systematic investigations of markets conducted to understand demand, competition, and market potential. They encompass a range of activities, from market research and market analysis to market sizing, segmentation, and forecasting. The goal is to provide evidence-based information to support strategic decisions for businesses, policymakers, and other organizations.

Methods include both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Qualitative methods such as interviews, focus groups, and expert panels explore motivations and unmet needs, while quantitative methods such as surveys, experiments, and analysis of secondary data quantify market size, share, and trends. Analysts may conduct descriptive studies to characterize the market, exploratory studies to generate hypotheses, or causal studies to test effects of variables like price or promotion.

Typical process steps: define the research question, design the study, collect data (primary sources via surveys, interviews, or observation; secondary sources like industry reports, census data), sample selection, data cleaning, analysis, and reporting. Findings are presented with metrics such as market size (current and forecast), growth rate, segment shares, competitive landscape, and key drivers.

Data sources include primary data from respondents, transactional data, and secondary data from trade associations, government statistics, and market intelligence databases. Ethical and legal considerations, including privacy, consent, and data quality, are important in conduct and reporting.

Limitations include sampling bias, nonresponse, measurement error, and rapid market changes. Marktstudies inform decisions in product development, pricing, distribution, and marketing strategy, and are often conducted by market research firms, consultancies, or internal corporate analytics teams.