What can I find inside?

ESOMAR's annual Global Users & Buyers of Insights report explores the resources, behaviours and desires of users and buyers of research, platforms and insights. Receive a unique link to explore the data through its dedicated online dashboard.

If you are an insights agency and want to understand what your clients do and what you should do to cater to them, this report is for you. If you are a user or buyer of research and insights and want to compare yourself or understand the habits of the industry, this report is for you, too!

The Global Users & Buyers of Insights 2023 shows how, today, almost half of all research projects are conducted internally. This is facilitated by companies specialised in each step of the process: from the collection of data to its analysis, from the presentation of the results through straightforward visualisations to the guidance of the company’s decision-makers through prediction and advisory. This dynamic makes it clear that the relationship between internal insights teams and external insights providers should look less like a client-provider exchange and more like a partner-to-partner one.

Now that a substantial portion of insights can be extracted internally, external agencies and researchers should also step up and either understand the client’s reality to provide strategic guidance or differentiate themselves by providing a level of expertise and specialisation that cannot be sourced internally.

More about this report

The Global Users & Buyers of Insights 2023 report is the result of a Global Survey conducted by ESOMAR and supported by its network of contributors during the first half of the year. The results include the views of almost 600 participants from 46 countries.

We are delighted to have worked with, and are grateful to, the following national partners: ABEP (Brazil), AIM (Chile), CEIM (Argentina), CMRA (China), CRIC (Canada), Insights Association (USA), JMRA (Japan), NewMR, MRS (UK), OFBOR (Poland), PTBRiO (Poland), RANZ (New Zealand), SAIMO (Argentina), SORMA (Romania), TRS (Australia)

We also owe a great deal of gratitude to Forsta for programming and hosting the questionnaire, as well as Infotools for providing the exclusive online dashboard for analysis.

Table of contents

1.     Global and regional highlights
This chapter offers insight into the trends of users and buyers of insights globally and provides a summary of each of the world’s regions with available data

1.1.        Global outlook
1.2.        Regional outlook
1.2.1.    Europe
1.2.2.    North America
1.2.3.    Asia Pacific
1.2.4.    Latin America
1.2.5.    Africa and the Middle East

 2.    Project sourcing: internal/external
A look at the level of internalisation of the insights function globally, regional variations over time, differences in project sourcing by industry sector, expected change in the next 12 months, size of the insights teams, and types of projects more suitable for internalisation, as well as those commissioned to external partners

2.1. Project sourcing globally
2.2. Regional project sourcing
2.3. Project sourcing per industry
2.4. Expected change in project sourcing
2.5. Size of internal insights teams
2.6. Types of projects conducted internally
2.7. Types of projects conducted through external partners

3.     Challenges ahead, and support
This chapter looks into the challenges expected in the medium term and currently faced by corporate insights teams, as well as the availability of resources and expected workload in the next 12 months

3.1. Current issues for insights generation
3.2. Medium-term challenges
3.3. A look at resources: workload, and budget

4.     Current internal expertise, and external demands
Explore the main skills currently present within insights teams and what types of tools are helping bring internal research to fruition. Understand the needs of these teams and what they wished externals suppliers would do more of

4.1. Expertise within the organisation
4.2. Supporting software and technology
4.3. Wish from agencies

5.     How insights agencies will benefit from their clients’ internalisation
By Naoki Takahashi, Nissan

By examining the driving factors behind the research internalisation in client insight teams, providers would identify significant business opportunities: integrating into the client's insight team, generating insights using diverse data, including data from other suppliers, and supporting the client’s AI utilisation. The realization of the opportunities would require constructing a different business model than before.

6.     The unique added value agencies can provide insights teams
By Emma Gillingham, Scentre Group

Increasingly, we are turning to agency partners who are able to offer expertise and a perspective that cannot be sourced internally. It is not enough for agencies to simply provide another data source or tool. Agencies that deliver actionable insights and who can translate this into strategic insights relevant to their clients are likely to be more valued than those who do not have that expertise.

7.     Survival of the Insights Function: a Latam's Case Study
By Alejandro Prieto, Coca-Cola

The transformation of the insights function highlights the need for a more collaborative, partner-to-partner relationship between internal insights teams and external insights providers. In this article, we will explore this shift, focusing on Coca-Cola Latam's approach to data internalisation and its implications for the market research industry.

8.     Budgets don’t decrease, yet they’re the main challenge? The next insights revolution
By Elisa Romo de Vivar, Danone

Twenty years ago, we made a big revolution by outsourcing most of the job to external agencies so we could be focused on better understanding and influencing the business. The result was great at that moment, as we dramatically improved our business influence. And then, the second revolution came, driven by technology.

9.     Survey data
Selected tables summarising the results of the questionnaire. Much more detailed data can be obtained in the online dashboard facilitated by Infotools. Please, let us know in case you cannot access it.

9.1.        List of tables
9.2.        Questionnaire