essay writing

market research project director

CLIMB

What Does a Market Research Project Manager Do?

Find out what a market research project manager does, how to get this job, and what it takes to succeed as a market research project manager.

market research project director

Table Of Contents

Market research project manager job duties.

Market Research Project Manager Job Requirements

Market research project manager skills, market research project manager work environment, market research project manager trends, how to become a market research project manager, advancement prospects.

Market research project managers are responsible for overseeing the creation of market research reports. They work with teams of researchers, statisticians, and other professionals to design and execute studies that help companies understand their customers, products, or services.

Market research project managers may also be tasked with presenting findings from these studies to senior leadership or other stakeholders in an organization. This might include creating presentations, writing reports, or facilitating meetings where findings are discussed and decisions are made.

A market research project manager typically has a wide range of responsibilities, which can include:

Market Research Project Manager Salary & Outlook

Market research project managers’ salaries vary depending on their level of education, years of experience, and the size and industry of the company. They may also earn additional compensation in the form of bonuses.

The employment of market research project managers is expected to grow much faster than average over the next decade.

Employment growth will be driven by the increasing importance of data and information in business decision making. As companies seek to understand their customers, they will need to collect and analyze more information than ever before.

A market research project manager typically needs the following qualifications:

Education: Most employers require market research project managers to have a bachelor’s degree in marketing, business or a related field. Some employers prefer candidates who have a master’s degree in business administration (MBA). An MBA is useful for those who want to advance their careers or specialize in a certain industry.

Training & Experience: Most of a project manager’s training will take place on the job. They will learn the company’s processes and procedures, and they will work closely with their immediate supervisor to learn the best practices for completing their duties. They may also receive training in specific software or computer programs the company uses.

Certifications & Licenses: Certifications are not usually a requirement to become a market research project manager. However, certifications can help you become a more competitive candidate when applying for jobs.

Market research project managers need the following skills in order to be successful:

Communication: As a project manager, you need to communicate with a variety of individuals and groups. You may need to communicate with clients, marketing teams, research teams and other stakeholders. You need to be able to communicate effectively in both written and verbal forms. You may also need to communicate complex ideas in a way that is easy to understand.

Organization: Organization is another skill that can help you be an effective project manager. As a project manager, you may be responsible for managing several projects at once. Having strong organizational skills can help you manage all of your projects effectively. You can use organization to keep track of your research projects, including their deadlines, the tasks each project has completed and the status of each project.

Time management: Time management is another skill that can be useful for market research project managers to have. This is because they often have many tasks to complete simultaneously. Having good time management skills can allow them to prioritize their work and ensure they meet the deadlines for their projects.

Data analysis: Data analysis is the ability to interpret and understand the information you receive from research. As a market research project manager, you may be responsible for analyzing the data you receive from research firms. This requires you to be able to read and interpret data to understand the information it provides.

Problem-solving: Problem-solving skills allow you to identify challenges and develop solutions to overcome them. As a project manager, you may be responsible for overseeing a research project from start to finish. This means you may be the person who identifies potential challenges and develops solutions to overcome them. For example, if a research team is having trouble reaching a target audience, the project manager may be responsible for finding a solution to overcome this challenge.

Market research project managers work in a variety of settings, including corporate marketing departments, advertising agencies, market research firms, and government agencies. They typically work full time during regular business hours, although they may occasionally work overtime to meet deadlines. Market research project managers typically have a great deal of responsibility and must be able to handle multiple tasks simultaneously. They must be able to work well under pressure and be able to meet deadlines. They must also be able to work independently and be self-motivated.

Here are three trends influencing how market research project managers work. Market research project managers will need to stay up-to-date on these developments to keep their skills relevant and maintain a competitive advantage in the workplace.

The Need for Speed

The need for speed is a trend that is affecting all aspects of business, including market research. As businesses become more competitive, they need to be able to react quickly to changes in the market and new opportunities.

This means that market research project managers will need to be able to work quickly and efficiently in order to keep up with the demands of their clients. They will also need to be able to manage projects effectively and ensure that they are completed on time.

Data Science Becomes More Important

As data science becomes more important, so too does the role of the market research project manager. This is because the job of the market research project manager is to collect, organize, and analyze data in order to help companies make better decisions about their products and services.

In order to be successful in this field, market research project managers will need to have strong skills in data science and be able to understand how to use data to make informed decisions. They will also need to be able to communicate effectively with other members of the team in order to get everyone on the same page.

More Focus on Data Quality

As data becomes an increasingly valuable resource, businesses are beginning to focus more on data quality. This is because poor data quality can lead to inaccurate conclusions and bad decisions.

As a result, market research project managers will need to be able to ensure that the data they are collecting is accurate and reliable. They will also need to be able to identify potential problems with data before it is used in any reports or analyses.

A career as a market research project manager can be very rewarding. It offers the opportunity to work with a variety of people and companies, and to help shape products and services that are important to society.

To become a successful market research project manager, you need to have strong organizational skills, be able to manage multiple projects simultaneously, and be able to work effectively with people from all walks of life. You should also be familiar with the latest marketing techniques and technologies, so that you can keep your clients up-to-date on the latest trends.

The best way to advance your career as a market research project manager is to gain experience and knowledge in the field. There are many ways to do this, such as taking on additional responsibilities at work, attending conferences and seminars, or pursuing a higher degree in market research or a related field. As you gain experience and knowledge, you will be better equipped to handle more complex projects and will be more likely to be promoted to a higher position.

Market Research Project Manager Job Description Example

At [CompanyX], we’re always looking for ways to improve our products and services to better meet the needs of our customers. To do this, we rely on the expertise of our market research team to provide us with insights that guide our decision-making. We’re currently seeking a market research project manager to lead our team in designing and conducting research studies that provide actionable insights to inform our business decisions. The ideal candidate will have experience managing market research projects from start to finish, as well as strong analytical and presentation skills. He or she will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of market research projects, from proposal development to data analysis to report writing.

Duties & Responsibilities

Required Skills and Qualifications

Preferred Skills and Qualifications

What Does an Audit Specialist Do?

What does a credit union examiner do, you may also be interested in..., what does a marketing consultant do, what does a chief of surgery do, what does a pharmaceutical manufacturing technician do, what does a chef manager do.

Market Research Director Salary in the United States

market research project director

market research project director

market research project director

Market Research Director Salary

How much does a Market Research Director make in the United States? The average Market Research Director salary in the United States is $190,791 as of February 27, 2023, but the range typically falls between $172,033 and $210,402 . Salary ranges can vary widely depending on many important factors, including education , certifications, additional skills, the number of years you have spent in your profession. With more online, real-time compensation data than any other website, Salary.com helps you determine your exact pay target. 

Recently searched related titles: Director Of Cloud Operations

Employers: Find Surveys For This Job

Employers: Price Your Company Jobs

Employees: View your Salary

Director, Market Research

Abbott - Alameda, CA

Director of Marketing, Surgical Endoscopic Video Imaging- Technology

KARL STORZ Endoscopy - America - Downey, CA

Director, Surgical Marketing: Procedural & Clinical

KARL STORZ Endoscopy - America - El Segundo, CA

Associate Director, Integrated Insights - HIV

Gilead Sciences Inc. - Foster City, CA

Individualize employee pay based on unique job requirements and personal qualifications.

Get the latest market price for benchmark jobs and jobs in your industry.

Analyze the market and your qualifications to negotiate your salary with confidence.

Search thousands of open positions to find your next opportunity.

Job Description for Market Research Director

Market Research Director is responsible for the market research department. Directs and oversees an organization's marketing policies, objectives, and initiatives. Being a Market Research Director manages a team to review changes to the marketplace and industry and adjusts marketing plan accordingly. Analyzes existing goals and programs and recommends improvements. Additionally, Market Research Director requires a bachelor's degree in area of specialty. Typically reports to a top management. The Market Research Director manages a departmental sub-function within a broader departmental function. Creates functional strategies and specific objectives for the sub-function and develops budgets/policies/procedures to support the functional infrastructure. To be a Market Research Director typically requires 5+ years of managerial experience. Deep knowledge of the managed sub-function and solid knowledge of the overall departmental function. (Copyright 2023 Salary.com)... View full job description

Employers: Job Description Management Tool

See user submitted job responsibilities for Market Research Director.

Search Job Openings

Career path for market research director, what does a market research director do, are you an hr manager or compensation specialist.

Salary.com's CompAnalyst platform offers:

Market Research Director Pay Difference by Location

Similar jobs to market research director, level of education for market research director.

Market Research Director Salary by Global Country

Market research director salary by state, browse all marketing jobs by salary level, browse related job categories with market research director.

Take just three simple steps below to generate your own personalized salary report

Understand the total compensation opportunity for a Market Research Director, base salary plus other pay elements

Average base salary.

Core compensation

Average Total Cash Compensation

Includes base and annual incentives

Discover how your pay is adjusted for skills, experience, and other factors

How much should you be paid.

For a real-time salary target, tell us more about your role in the four categories below.

Your estimated salary based on up-to-date market data and the factors you selected below

View the Cost of Living in Major Cities

Skills associated with Market Research Director: Market Research , Market Analysis , General Data Analysis Software , Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software ... More

Salary estimation for Market Research Director at companies like : AXIM BIOTECHNOLOGIES INC , CEL-SCI CORP , MANNATECH INC

Jobs with a similar salary range to Market Research Director : Principal Security Analyst

All MRS websites use cookies to help us improve our services. Any data collected is anonymised. If you continue using this site without accepting cookies you may experience some performance issues. Read about our cookies here .

Sort by: Newest Oldest Relevance

market research project director

Rory-orange-bg-columnist-logo

Rory Sutherland: All else being equal

Rory Sutherland

Impact magazine is a quarterly publication for MRS members. You can access Impact content on this website.

Insight & Strategy

Pepsi drink with a lot of ice

Refreshing research: How PepsiCo uses insight

Pepsi drink with a lot of ice

Impact Reports

IR-jan-22-6

It's the taking part that counts: Improving the participant experience

NEWS 13 March 2023

Touchstone Research names senior project director

News North America People

US – Marketing research and consumer insights business Touchstone Research has promoted Alexis Warnick to senior project director within the company’s qualitative research division.

Alexis Warnick

In her new role, Warnick (pictured) will oversee Touchstone Research’s core media, entertainment and technology work, as well as youth and family client accounts.

Before taking up her new role, Warnick was project director at Touchstone Research and has been at the company for around four years and 10 months.

Touchstone Research specialises in custom research, online panels and communities, youth and family, media and entertainment and technology research, and is headquartered in New Haven, Connecticut, US, with teams based in Los Angeles, Austin, Denver, Florida, Chicago, North Carolina, Michigan, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Idaho and Rhode Island.

Samantha Leaman , senior research manager at Touchstone Research, said: “We are very excited to announce Alexis’ well-deserved promotion to senior project director.

“It has been an absolute pleasure to watch her growth and development within the organisation, and to see her develop into the exceptional qualitative researcher that she is.

“With her extensive experience and expertise, Alexis will continue to work with our core client accounts and play an instrumental role in expanding Touchstone’s offerings.”

Sign up for the latest news and opinion. You will be asked to create an account which also gives you free access to premium Impact content.

  Daily   Weekly   Both

@RESEARCH LIVE

Try harder to reach 'hard to reach' communities, hears panel https://t.co/8RMxtQoiAh #mrx #marketresearch

David Olusoga: 'Some things are not identities - they are metrics that we need to analyse toxic ideas'… https://t.co/HY5dWJnUQ0

David Olusoga: "We know more about what we think than what we are. We are more interested in opinion than fact. The… https://t.co/Pa2VmjM6NX

Research Jobfinder Logo

The world's leading job site for research and insight

Resources Group Qualitative Research Manager – International Cultural & Brand Insights – Boutique Consultancy £35,000–£45,000 + strong benefits

Resources Group Quant Consultant – Social Research and Consulting Up to £35,000 + Benefits

Swarm Recruitment Research Manager (Quant and Qual) £28,000–£34,000

Featured company

Town/Country: London

Tel: +44 (0)20 7490 7888

Kudos Research are leading providers of premium quality UK and International Telephone Data-Collection. Specialising in hard to reach B2B and Consumer audiences, we achieve excellent response rates and provide robust, actionable, verbatim-rich data. Methodologies include CATI, . . .

Related Articles

Touchstone Research appoints experienced research analyst to senior research role

Touchstone Research promotes senior manager

Touchstone Research and Sup3rnatural announce strategic partnership

Touchstone Research creates dedicated quality control team

Next Article

Leger and Ressac launch digital performance brand

The Research Buyers Guide

Find your next agency.

Powered by the Research Buyers Guide

Advanced Search

MRS - Evidence Matters logo

RT @researchlive : David Olusoga: "If I tick an acronym in a box, it is not an identity, it is a metric. There isn't a box that is going to…

Evidence matters MRS logo

The post-demographic consumerism trend means segments such age are often outdated, from @trendwatching #TrendSemLON

Are you human?

market research project director

Market Research Project Manager

Table of contents, job description overview.

As a Market Research Project Manager, you're responsible for overseeing projects that gather data about customers, competitors, and markets. You work with a team of analysts to design studies and collect information through surveys, interviews, and focus groups. Your goal is to help businesses better understand their customers and make data-driven decisions. You collaborate with other departments, such as marketing and product development, to ensure that research is aligned with business goals. You also create reports that summarize findings and recommendations. Attention to accuracy, detail, and timeliness are essential for this job as working on tight deadlines and within budget constraints is common. Therefore, effective communication and organizational skills are a must. If you're interested in a Market Research Project Manager job description, contact us today to learn more!

Job Duties and Responsibilities

Experience and Education Requirements

If you want to be a Market Research Project Manager, you need to have education and experience in the marketing field. Most companies require a bachelor’s degree in marketing or a related field, but some prefer candidates with a master’s degree or an MBA. 

Experience is also very important, and most companies require a minimum of 3-5 years of experience in market research, data analysis or project management. You should have experience in managing projects from start to finish and have a solid knowledge of quantitative and qualitative research methods. 

Good communication and teamwork skills are also important, as project managers will be working with many different teams and stakeholders to complete projects on time and within budget. Attention to detail, problem-solving, and analytical thinking are also key traits for a successful market research project manager.

Salary Range

According to Glassdoor, the average salary for a Market Research Project Manager in the United States is around $80,000-90,000 per year. However, this can vary depending on location, level of experience, and company. For example, market research project managers in cities like New York and San Francisco tend to have higher salaries, with an average of around $100,000 per year.

Other countries, such as the United Kingdom, report similar salaries for this position, with an average of around £35,000-£45,000 per year. In Canada, the average salary is around CAD$70,000-80,000 per year.

It is important to note that salary ranges can vary greatly depending on the specific company and industry. In general, larger companies tend to offer higher salaries than smaller ones.

Career Outlook

The career outlook for Market Research Project Managers in the Marketing industry over the next five years is great. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for Marketing Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists, which includes Project Managers, is projected to grow 18% from 2019 to 2029. This rate of growth is much faster than the average for all occupations.

Companies are increasingly relying on research to better understand their customers and improve their products or services. Project Managers are essential to managing the research process and ensuring that projects are completed on time and within budget.

Overall, the career outlook for Market Research Project Managers is positive. With the demand for marketing research expected to increase, there will be plenty of opportunities for professionals in this field to secure stable, well-paying jobs.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: What does a Market Research Project Manager do?

A: A Market Research Project Manager is responsible for overseeing and coordinating research projects that are designed to provide insight and data about specific markets or target audience.

Q: What qualifications are needed to become a Market Research Project Manager?

A: Typically, a bachelor's degree in marketing or market research is required, along with relevant experience in research, project management, and data analysis.

Q: What skills are essential for success as a Market Research Project Manager?

A: Excellent organizational and communication skills, attention to detail, strong analytical skills, and problem-solving abilities are all crucial for success in this job.

Q: What are some of the main job duties of a Market Research Project Manager?

A: Some of the primary responsibilities include developing research plans, coordinating research teams, managing budgets and timelines, analyzing data, and presenting findings to clients or internal stakeholders.

Q: What are some challenges that Market Research Project Managers may face in their work?

A: Some of the main challenges may include tight deadlines, managing multiple projects simultaneously, navigating complex client needs and expectations, and ensuring the accuracy and integrity of the data collected.

Cover Letter Example

Job descriptions:, influencer marketing coordinator, marketing operations specialist, communications director, brand strategy manager, seo content strategist.

Average Project Manager, Market Research Hourly Pay

The average hourly pay for a Project Manager, Market Research is $16.28

Featured Content

What is the pay by experience level for project manager, market researches .

An early career Project Manager, Market Research with 1-4 years of experience earns an average total compensation (includes tips, bonus, and overtime pay) of $18.00 based on 6 salaries. A mid-career Project Manager, Market Research with 5-9 years of experience earns an average total compensation of $0.00 based on 8 salaries. An …Read more

Common Health Benefits for a Project Manager, Market Research

Gender breakdown for project manager, market researches.

benefits-icon

FAQs About Project Manager, Market Researches

What is the highest pay for project manager, market researches.

Our data indicates that the highest pay for a Project Manager, Market Research is $NaN / hour

What is the lowest pay for Project Manager, Market Researches?

Our data indicates that the lowest pay for a Project Manager, Market Research is $NaN / hour

How can Project Manager, Market Researches increase their salary?

Increasing your pay as a Project Manager, Market Research is possible in different ways. Change of employer: Consider a career move to a new employer that is willing to pay higher for your skills. Level of Education: Gaining advanced degrees may allow this role to increase their income potential and qualify for promotions. Managing Experience: If you are a Project Manager, Market Research that oversees more junior Project Manager, Market Researches, this experience can increase the likelihood to earn more.

Home Page

Market Research Project Manager Job Description

Author

Practical Project Management, The Market Research Manager, Research Project Managers: Experience and Knowledge, Marketing Project Managers, Project Management: A Career in the Information Science and more about market research project manager job. Get more data about market research project manager job for your career planning.

Job Description Image

Practical Project Management

The market research manager, research project managers: experience and knowledge, marketing project managers, project management: a career in the information science, confidence intervals in statistical analysis: a helpful tool for medical researchers, a product marketing project with a non-biased cost.

You will gain skills that include: Creating risk management plans, Understanding process improvement techniques, Managing escalations, team dynamics, and stakeholders, Creating budgets and navigating procurement, and practicing Agile project management. You will get introduced to planning and running both traditional and Agile projects through a mix of videos, assessments, and hands-on activities. You will develop a tool to show your understanding of project management elements.

Don't miss our story on Order Manager career planning.

The Market Research Manager is responsible for selecting the research methodology and supporting techniques to meet the business objective. The research manager develops or assists in the development of the research instrument depending on the method used. The Research Manager works closely with the vendors to ensure the successful execution of the fieldwork. The Market Research Manager makes recommendations to the sponsoring client after reviewing the data, authors reports and business-oriented information collected.

Project managers with expertise in research possess advanced program and project management skills, strong analytical abilities, and familiarity with research discovery and development processes. They coordinate and facilitate the research project management life cycle. They are responsible for coordinating early research activities, identifying research candidates, and managing the completion of investigational forms.

Research PMs coordinate study teams and manage timelines to ensure research trials are completed on time. Project managers pick the most appropriate methodology and techniques for facilitating the research in the context of research management. They are responsible for producing research plans, questionnaires and guides.

Research project managers work with study teams, the project and research directors, and conduct post- research analyses and evaluations. They use their eye for detail to make recommendations. Research project managers are responsible for the completion of both research and project management deliverables.

They broker partnerships across various research constituencies. Research project managers can present at research seminars. A research project manager in the United States is expected to make $82,000 in 2010.

The average salaries for research project managers are 27 percent higher than average salaries for all job postings nationwide, as of 2010, according to national income trends from Indeed.com. A research project manager's salary can be affected by a number of factors. The average salary of jobs with related titles is between $26,000 and $132,000.

Detailed report about Manager Surgical Services job planning.

A marketing project manager is a project manager who works on marketing campaigns. They are responsible for turning the strategist's vision into reality. Marketing Project Managers strategically delegate tasks to the appropriate team members when they identify all the tasks that need to be completed within a marketing campaign.

The Marketing Project Manager is a supervisor. They are responsible for managing people. Marketing Project Managers work in an office.

They can work for a large company in the marketing department or for a small to mid-sized business at a marketing agency. The Marketing Project Manager is responsible for mapping out the tasks required to implement the vision of the campaign. The Marketing Project Managers have a hybrid of technical and soft skills.

Project Management theory and best practices must be understood by marketing project managers. They must have the same skills. A big part of the job of a marketing project manager is keeping everyone involved with a project on track.

They have to be good at communicating with their team members in order to maximize their production. Organizational skills are required by marketing project managers when creating the projects and associated tasks. They use their organizational skills when crafting budgets.

Project managers begin each project by defining the main objectives, purpose and scope. They identify key internal and external stakeholders, discuss expectations, and gain the required authorization to move a project forward. Project planning doesn't end until the project does.

The project plan should be treated as a living document that constantly changes. A post-implementation review is used to identify key lessons learned after the project is completed. Understanding what went well, what could be done differently, and what to stop doing can help inform and improve project management practices moving forward.

Detailed paper on Gateway Manager career description.

If you've ever skipped over the results section of a medical paper because of the terms "confidence interval" or "p-value", then you're in the right place. You may be a clinical doctor reading research articles to keep up with the latest developments in your field or a medical student wondering how to approach their own research. Confidence in the results of statistical analysis can benefit both professionals and those doing research.

An ill-advised assumption about the customer, too much focus to push a technical solution into the marketplace, or the zeal to just get started with the real work are some of the reasons that projects can still fail. One invests resources in a project hoping to get some return. It is important to have a clear idea of the market you intend to participate in, the target customers and the value proposition you intend to deliver in the early stages of a project.

The product marketing organization was the sponsor and the project manager was identified. The project manager and sponsor worked together to start the project. The project charter did not have a specific budget estimate.

Read also our article about Legal Operations Manager career planning.

market research project director

Trending Now

An Overview of Administrative Jobs in Construction, The Construction Administrator: A Job Description, A Bachelor's Degree in Construction Office Management, Office Administrators and more about construction office administrator job

Teacher Assistants, The Top Ten State Pays for Teacher Assistant Jobs, Teaching Assistants: A Guide for Students to Success in the Classroom and more about associate teacher job

A Postgraduate Degree in Housing Studies, The Fair Housing Act of 1968 and the Commons, Information Maintenance and Repair Services for Rental Properties and more about housing needs and policy manager job

Job FAQ Image

A Job Description for a Front Desk Receptionist Position, The Front Desk, Front Desk Jobs in Hotel Management, The Front Desk Officer and more about front desk job

The Salaries of Senior Systems Administrators, Senior Service Administrator: A Case Study, The Job Description of Field Engineer: An Overview, Automated Script Generation and more about senior systems administrator job

Public Relations Assistants, Public Relations Specialists, PR and Communications Assistants: How to Influence People'S Opinion, Communications Assistant: A Post-Gravity Associate Position and more about public relations assistant job

Job Search Image

A Beginner’s Guide to Market Research

ProjectManager

Business creates goods or services and delivers them to a market that buys or uses them for a fee. Everyone’s happy! That’s the way it’s supposed to work, but anyone who has tried to make a living in the real world has experienced the complexities inherent in such a simple formula. There are many variables to consider in marketing , but let’s just focus on the marketplace and the research required to understand it.

The market can be a small or vastly large group of people who need goods and services. They’ve got money in their pockets and businesses are looking to have them use it to purchase their product or service. But that’s a very general sketch of a process that requires a lot more specifics.

How does a business gather the data they need to understand the needs and wants of the market, and who they should be targeting when developing ideas, advertising and marketing projects ? That’s not so easy—especially from the perspective of a cubicle.

There’s a world outside the office and businesses need to know it intimately if they’re to offer something that the world wants. Whether it’s a delicious meal or a product people don’t even know that they want yet, this process starts with market research.

What Is Market Research?

Market research is shorthand for talking about an organized effort to gather information about customers. It’s a way to profile and target people to know what they desire or what they need, so businesses can exploit that and produce it to their satisfaction. Market research is a relatively young discipline. It began to be conceptualized and practiced in the 1930s, and it grew out of the boom in radio in the United States at that time. Advertisers learned that listener demographics were crucial to companies that sponsored different programs.

Market research is a cornerstone on which a business strategy is built, market research being about specific markets while the larger business strategy is about the process of marketing. Market research is fundamental to keeping businesses competitive as it analyzes the needs, size and competitors in the marketplace, so companies can make strategic decisions.

Related: 10 Marketing Tips for Small Businesses That Cost $0

Types of Market Research

There are various techniques to market research. Some are qualitative and use focus groups, in-depth interviews and ethnography, while others are quantitative, which involve customer surveys and analysis of secondary data.

Primary research is when the effectiveness of sales, existing business practices, quality of service and communications are monitored and reported on. This helps the business understand the competition and evaluate a strategic business plan to take advantage of the market.

Secondary research uses data that has already been published and is collected in a new database to help with situation analysis. From this, businesses can develop strategies for benchmarking and targeting specific market segments.

Why Market Research Is Important

Market research is important for the obvious reason that without it, a company is firing blindly into the void. You can create a great product or service, but without knowing who to sell it to it will whither on the vine and die.

Related: How to Plan a Successful Product Launch

There might have been a time when market research wasn’t as necessary when there was less competition and so customers could find your product or service. But that time has long since passed. The more knowledge a company has about the market and the customer’s needs within that market, the more likely it’ll have success.

There are many reasons why businesses should conduct market research. It helps to identify problem areas in your business. You can’t resolve a problem until you first know what it is.

Customer Satisfaction

It’s not just about selling products and services. Market research is also important in that it helps increase customer satisfaction. That means businesses retain more customers and their brand is less likely to be tarnished by false steps and miscalculations. By using tools like surveys for customer feedback , you’re also going to understand the needs of your existing customer base. It’ll help you to know why they’ve chosen your company over your competitors, which will allow you to better serve them.

Campaign Effectiveness

Using market research is one way to help marketing campaigns be more effective. It identifies new business opportunities and then designs the best marketing push to capture the target audience. This is a sure-fire method of increasing sales, which is the backbone of business success.

Knowledge of Competitors

There’s also the benefit of having a bead on what your competitors are up to in the marketplace. It can be used to evaluate your progress but also what your competitors are up to and how they are expanding or not in the market. Knowing what your competitors are up to will offer insight into how you want to strategically place yourself in the market to stay ahead of them.

Market research is also a way to reduce and often avoid loss. If you know the landscape well before you launch a product or service, you will be aware of hurdles to clear and problems to avoid. You’ll also have a better idea of the risks involved in bringing something to market and therefore be able to work on solutions for those risks if they in fact arise.

Related: Free Risk Tracking Template

Business Opportunities Revealed

Then there are the business opportunities that arise from market research. These are new areas that a business might have been ignorant of before and now can exploit for greater market penetration and profits. It will also highlight areas where the business can expand and increase its customer base. New customers can also be discovered through market research, further expanding the company’s reach. Gap analysis is one method that can be used to evaluate how well a service is performing versus its potential.

Set Targets for Growth

Another reason for businesses to conduct market research is that it allows them to set achievable targets for growth, sales and product development. It provides businesses with information that helps with the decision-making process about services and effective product development strategies.

How to Conduct Market Research

There are many ways to get the data you need for market research. Some of them include starting with a business’ own employees. They’re in the front with customers and can offer valuable insight.

Customers can be tapped with comment cards that ask basic questions. Talking to your existing customer base through the web, email, snail mail, telephone surveys or in-person with focus groups is one of the best ways to know what they want and need. You can also track what customers are buying and not buying from you through documentation and records. Be sure to get a firm grasp of your fundamental digital marketing metrics .

In terms of secondary sources, there are resources such as the census bureau, the local chamber of commerce, the department of commerce, libraries, trade and professional organizations and publications.

The process of conducting market research follows these six steps.

1. Define Your Buyer

Before you can sell something, you must know who you’re selling to. What’s their age, gender, location, what do they do for a living, how big is their family, what’s their income, etc? The more data you can get, the better targeted your marketing campaign will be.

Now that you have a profile, you want to find a representative sample of those targeted customers to understand their characteristics, challenges and buying habits through focus groups, surveys, phone interviews, etc.

Related: The Importance of Customer Development for Startups

2. Choose Which Buyers to Survey

When gathering customers for your surveys, you’ll want to get a group that represents each buyer persona you have come up with. It’s good to have a mix of people but you can choose one person if you think that’s best.

Make sure whoever you choose is someone who has recently interacted with you and your competitor and even those who are not interested in purchasing from either. This widens the lens and gives you a more accurate view of the marketplace.

3. Engage the Participants

For the data collected to be accurate and usable, you must engage the participants, whether they’re the ideal panel or not. Try to get a list of customers who made recent purchases.

There are also those customers who purchased from competitors or were close to choosing your product or service but didn’t. You can reach out to participants on social media, leverage your existing network or create an incentive to participate.

4. Prepare Questions

Once you have a group, you must do your due diligence and have targeted questions that have been worked on to get the most out of the audience and help you with the problem at hand, otherwise, you’re wasting everyone’s time.

You want the discussion to be natural and conversational, not scripted. However, it should include a short backgrounder, followed by a short response from the audience on their opinion or problems with the product or service. Then, take a deep dive into buyer researched potential solutions (make this interactive, following up and interjecting more specific queries). Wind down with decisions from the group, and close by opening up for questions and thanking the people there.

5. Know Your Competitors

They’re doing the same thing as you, so the more you understand them and how they act, the better you can respond and exploit areas that they’re not exploring. Also, competition is complicated. It can be a whole company or a division within that you’re competing with. But you must list the competitors and always be aware of them.

6. Summarize Your Findings

Now comes the time to crunch the numbers and look for common threads that run through the data you collected. It can be overwhelming at first, all that information, which is why it’s wise to boil the work down to the essential findings. These make actionable points.

Break your final report into sections: background, participants, executive summary for the main points, awareness of the common questions, consideration for the themes you uncovered, how the group came to decide, and finally an action plan on how to move forward with the information you gathered.

Market research is a project, and projects need tools to manage them. ProjectManager is a cloud-based project management software that has a robust dashboard that can collect, crunch and deliver the market research you gather in easy-to-read and share charts and graphs. Plus it features task management tools like Kanban boards and task lists to keep the project moving forward. See how it can help you make sense of your market research today by taking this free 30-day trial.

Related Posts

Click here to browse ProjectManager's free templates

Deliver your projects on time and under budget

Start planning your projects.

What Does a Market Research Manager Do?

What They Do

A market research manager is responsible for identifying goals, products, or services through market research. You will lead and oversee a team of researchers, collecting information and data about market segments and reporting them to marketing managers. Your duties will include assisting in the design and evaluation of a marketing campaign in collaboration with other marketing staff, researching and developing strategies on customer retention. Other duties include investigating market conditions, defining and measuring key performance indicators on customer satisfaction.

Market Research Manager Responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real market research manager resumes representing typical tasks they are likely to perform in their roles.

Resume

Market Research Manager Job Description

When it comes to understanding what a market research manager does, you may be wondering, "should I become a market research manager?" The data included in this section may help you decide. Compared to other jobs, market research managers have a growth rate described as "much faster than average" at 20% between the years 2018 - 2028, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In fact, the number of market research manager opportunities that are predicted to open up by 2028 is 139,200.

On average, the market research manager annual salary is $89,450 per year, which translates to $43.0 an hour. Generally speaking, market research managers earn anywhere from $56,000 to $141,000 a year, which means that the top-earning market research managers make $76,000 more than the ones at the lower end of the spectrum.

Once you've become a market research manager, you may be curious about what other opportunities are out there. Careers aren't one size fits all. For that reason, we discovered some other jobs that you may find appealing. Some jobs you might find interesting include a product specialist , marketing associate , marketing specialist , and marketing internship .

Market Research Manager Jobs You Might Like

5 market research manager resume examples.

Build a professional market research manager resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 5 + resume templates to create your market research manager resume.

Market Research Manager Skills and Personality Traits

We calculated that 6 % of Market Research Managers are proficient in PowerPoint , SPSS , and Data Analysis . They’re also known for soft skills such as Detail oriented , Analytical skills , and Communication skills .

We break down the percentage of Market Research Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

Analyzed nuclear and diagnostic imaging secondary data and published written and PowerPoint reports.

Assisted in analyzing and interpreting quantitative and qualitative data using SPSS.

Utilized data analysis proprietary databases to quantify, and define consumer behavior to determine advertising strategies.

Introduced online data collection for custom research and conducted online survey programming and data collection services for small-scale internal projects.

Conducted interviews with technology leaders, financial heads and other managers of major healthcare organizations regarding administrative and information technology issues.

Developed research design, managed tactical execution and reconciled budget trade-offs within and across research projects.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Market Research Manager Resume templates

Market Research Manager Resume

Some of the skills we found on market research manager resumes included "powerpoint," "spss," and "data analysis." We have detailed the most important market research manager responsibilities below.

See the full list of market research manager skills.

Before becoming a market research manager, 69.4% earned their bachelor's degree. When it comes down to graduating with a master's degree, 23.8% market research managers went for the extra education. If you're wanting to pursue this career, it may be impossible to be successful with a high school degree. In fact, most market research managers have a college degree. But about one out of every ten market research managers didn't attend college at all.

The market research managers who went onto college to earn a more in-depth education generally studied business and marketing, while a small population of market research managers studied economics and psychology.

Once you've obtained the level of education you're comfortable with, you might start applying to companies to become a market research manager. We've found that most market research manager resumes include experience from Deloitte, G2 Partners, and Pwc. Of recent, Deloitte had 226 positions open for market research managers. Meanwhile, there are 50 job openings at G2 Partners and 42 at Pwc.

If you're interested in companies where market research managers make the most money, you'll want to apply for positions at Credit Karma, Apple, and PayPal. We found that at Credit Karma, the average market research manager salary is $184,845. Whereas at Apple, market research managers earn roughly $164,416. And at PayPal, they make an average salary of $158,875.

View more details on market research manager salaries across the United States.

If you earned a degree from the top 100 educational institutions in the United States, you might want to take a look at Lieberman Research Worldwide, The Kraft Group, and Nielsen Holdings. These three companies have hired a significant number of market research managers from these institutions.

For the most part, market research managers make their living in the professional and media industries. Market research managers tend to make the most in the pharmaceutical industry with an average salary of $122,973. The market research manager annual salary in the health care and manufacturing industries generally make $109,325 and $104,518 respectively. Additionally, market research managers who work in the pharmaceutical industry make 44.3% more than market research managers in the professional Industry.

Build a professional resume in minutes.

Our AI resume builder helps you write a compelling and relevant resume for the jobs you want. See 10+ resume templates and create your resume here.

Don't Have A Professional Resume?

What Product Specialists Do

A product specialist is required to have excellent knowledge about a product and work with a business unit to ensure excellent product delivery. Product specialists perform product demonstrations to customers and other stakeholders and assist in their promotions and product releases. To gain increased revenue, product specialists must be able to identify new market opportunities. They are required to conduct product and sales training for the marketing team. They must also provide reports about their product-related activities to the management.

In this section, we take a look at the annual salaries of other professions. Take product specialist for example. On average, the product specialists annual salary is $3,518 lower than what market research managers make on average every year.

While their salaries may differ, one common ground between market research managers and product specialists are a few of the skills required in each craft. In both careers, employees bring forth skills like powerpoint, market research, and project management.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. A market research manager responsibility is more likely to require skills like "spss," "data analysis," "data collection," and "healthcare." Whereas a product specialist requires skills like "customer service," "product knowledge," "sales floor," and "patients." Just by understanding these different skills you can see how different these careers are.

Product specialists really shine in the technology industry with an average salary of $92,638. Whereas market research managers tend to make the most money in the pharmaceutical industry with an average salary of $122,973.

The education levels that product specialists earn is a bit different than that of market research managers. In particular, product specialists are 16.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a market research manager. Additionally, they're 1.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What Are The Duties Of a Marketing Associate?

A marketing associate's responsibility is to perform comprehensive market research to identify the latest trends that would provide opportunities to improve the business' marketing strategies. A marketing associate's duties also include creating sales reports and advertising materials, coordinating with the sales team for promotional events, assists with the planning and execution of marketing strategies, evaluating customer satisfaction, and handling administrative tasks as needed. Marketing associates must also have excellent communication skills to help in managing client inquiries and resolve complaints immediately.

The next role we're going to look at is the marketing associate profession. Typically, this position earns a lower pay. In fact, they earn a $36,292 lower salary than market research managers per year.

Not everything about these jobs is different. Take their skills, for example. Market research managers and marketing associates both include similar skills like "powerpoint," "market research," and "project management" on their resumes.

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, several resumes showed us that market research manager responsibilities requires skills like "spss," "data analysis," "data collection," and "healthcare." But a marketing associate might use skills, such as, "customer service," "marketing campaigns," "email marketing," and "email campaigns."

On average, marketing associates earn a lower salary than market research managers. There are industries that support higher salaries in each profession respectively. Interestingly enough, marketing associates earn the most pay in the finance industry with an average salary of $56,474. Whereas, market research managers have higher paychecks in the pharmaceutical industry where they earn an average of $122,973.

On the topic of education, marketing associates earn lower levels of education than market research managers. In general, they're 15.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

How a Marketing Specialist Compares

A marketing specialist's primary responsibility revolves around conducting thorough market research and analysis to acquire extensive knowledge and understanding of a brand and how it will work in the consumer market. They must determine and come up with strategies and utilize this to develop various programs or campaigns that would be vital in bringing more awareness to the brand, thus boosting sales and improving client base. Furthermore, a marketing specialist must also use their expertise to figure out new opportunities and trends that will work for the company.

The marketing specialist profession generally makes a lower amount of money when compared to the average salary of market research managers. The difference in salaries is marketing specialists making $34,508 lower than market research managers.

Using market research managers and marketing specialists resumes, we found that both professions have similar skills such as "powerpoint," "market research," and "project management," but the other skills required are very different.

Some important key differences between the two careers are a few of the skills necessary to fulfill responsibilities. Some examples from market research manager resumes include skills like "spss," "data analysis," "data collection," and "healthcare," whereas a marketing specialist might be skilled in "marketing campaigns," "email marketing," "customer service," and "strong project management. "

Interestingly enough, marketing specialists earn the most pay in the technology industry, where they command an average salary of $64,666. As mentioned previously, market research managers highest annual salary comes from the pharmaceutical industry with an average salary of $122,973.

When it comes to education, marketing specialists tend to earn lower education levels than market research managers. In fact, they're 14.8% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 1.6% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Description Of a Marketing Internship

Marketing interns are usually marketing students or fresh graduates who are interested in getting actual work experiences before taking on a full-time job. They usually have an interest or academic background related to marketing. They assist marketing teams in most of their daily activities, sit in their meetings, record minutes of these meetings, take note of action plans, and attend other events related to marketing. They also assist in preparing collateral and other marketing materials, join brainstorming sessions, or any other activity that will help enrich their experience.

The fourth career we look at typically earns lower pay than market research managers. On average, marketing interns earn a difference of $59,190 lower per year.

While their salaries may vary, market research managers and marketing interns both use similar skills to perform their jobs. Resumes from both professions include skills like "powerpoint," "data analysis," and "market research. "

Even though a few skill sets overlap, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a market research manager might have more use for skills like "spss," "data collection," "healthcare," and "research design." Meanwhile, some marketing interns might include skills like "facebook," "marketing campaigns," "press releases," and "twitter" on their resume.

Now, let's take a closer look at the financials in each career. The technology industry tends to pay more for marketing interns with an average of $33,333. While the highest market research manager annual salary comes from the pharmaceutical industry.

In general, marketing interns reach lower levels of education when compared to market research managers resumes. Marketing interns are 17.8% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 1.7% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

What Similar Roles Do

Market Research Manager Related Careers

Market Research Manager Related Jobs

Common Market Research Jobs and Career Paths

Market research professionals are typically concerned with the potential sales of a product or service. Collecting statistical data on competitors and examining prices, sales, and methods of marketing and distribution, researchers predict future sales. Collectively, market researchers devise methods and procedures for obtaining the data they need--often designing telephone, mail, in-person or online surveys to understand consumer preferences.

Once the data is collected, researchers interpret the results and make recommendations based upon their findings. Typically, researchers provide a company’s management with information needed to make decisions on the promotion, distribution, design, and pricing of products or services. The information also may be used to determine the advisability of adding or modifying product lines, approaches to advertising and sales or other critical business decisions.

Most career professionals within the industry began with a market research job as a Project Director. The graphic below shows the traditional career path within the industry.

Below are example marketing research job descriptions and the typical salary range for common positions within the market research industry.

*Excludes bonuses, commissions or other non-salary compensation

According to the United States Bureau of Labor and Statistics , employment opportunities are expected to grow faster than average for all market research positions. Job growth will be driven, in part, by retiring workers, shifting of job skills toward computers and quantitative methods, a growing economy and the need for companies to operate in an increasingly competitive global marketplace.

PB

IMAGES

  1. Market Research Project

    market research project director

  2. Future hires market research director

    market research project director

  3. Market research project

    market research project director

  4. Video of market research director

    market research project director

  5. To Know About Us

    market research project director

  6. Director Of Market Research Company Puts Down Roots In The Big City Thanks To Shared Ownership

    market research project director

VIDEO

  1. Market Research

  2. Market leading research

  3. In conversation with William 'Bill' Schlackman

  4. Any Large Investment Project Engineering Economic Analysis Explained with Example Using MS Excel

  5. 4 Market Research Intro

  6. Solar Cooker Manufacturing Business

COMMENTS

  1. Market Research Project Director jobs

    Market Research Project Director jobs Sort by: relevance - date 15,296 jobs Director of the Lycoming College Clean Water Institute (CWI) Lycoming College 3.9 Williamsport, PA 17701 Washington Blvd & College Pl Estimated $53.6K - $67.9K a year Full-time Experience as a teacher or research mentor.

  2. Salary: Market Research Project Director (March, 2023)

    The estimated total pay for a Project Director, Market Research is $98,260 per year in the United States area, with an average salary of $70,507 per year. These numbers represent the median, which is the midpoint of the ranges from our proprietary Total Pay Estimate model and based on salaries collected from our users.

  3. Project Director, Marketing Research Salary

    Marketing research project directors are in charge of gathering information about current and/or potential customers, analyzing data, and presenting it to relevant individuals within their...

  4. Project Director: Job description from MarketResearchCareers

    The Market Research Project Director is responsible for the overall execution of the fieldwork surrounding a research initiative. The Project Director works directly with the client to develop the project schedule, define the research instrument (moderator's guide, questionnaire, etc.), develop an analysis plan and coordinate all communications.

  5. Market Research Project Director $100,000 jobs

    8,258 Market Research Project Director $100,000 jobs available on Indeed.com. Apply to Market Researcher, Senior Director, Director of Strategy and more!

  6. Salary: Market Research Project Manager (February, 2023)

    Possible Range. The estimated total pay for a Project Manager, Market Research is $69,995 per year in the United States area, with an average salary of $65,312 per year. These numbers represent the median, which is the midpoint of the ranges from our proprietary Total Pay Estimate model and based on salaries collected from our users.

  7. What Does a Market Research Project Manager Do?

    Market research project managers' salaries vary depending on their level of education, years of experience, and the size and industry of the company. They may also earn additional compensation in the form of bonuses. Median Annual Salary: $72,500 ($34.86/hour) Top 10% Annual Salary: $122,000 ($58.65/hour)

  8. Director (Market Research and Project Management)

    Director (Market Research and Project Management) Lambert St. Louis, MO (Onsite) Full-Time Apply on company site Job Details favorite_border Company Overview Lambert is a strategic communication, capital markets and integrated marketing firm known for making its clients seen and understood in a hyper-connected world.

  9. Project Management in Market Research

    The project objective was twofold: (1) gather market data to validate the value proposition for a new line of products; and (2) provide a vehicle to aid the product development community in making more informed, customer-driven design trade-off decisions.

  10. Market Research Director Salary

    The average Market Research Director salary in the United States is $187,120 as of January 26, 2023, but the range typically falls between $169,554 and $207,250. Salary ranges can vary widely depending on many important factors, including education, certifications, additional skills, the number of years you have spent in your profession.

  11. Touchstone Research names senior project director

    US - Marketing research and consumer insights business Touchstone Research has promoted Alexis Warnick to senior project director within the company's qualitative research division. In her new role, Warnick (pictured) will oversee Touchstone Research's core media, entertainment and technology work, as well as youth and family client ...

  12. 294 Market Research Project Manager Jobs in United States ...

    294Market Research Project Manager Jobs in United States(10 new) Market Research Project Manager/Director Market Research Project Manager/Director TideWatch United States Actively...

  13. Market Research Project Manager Job Description

    The career outlook for Market Research Project Managers in the Marketing industry over the next five years is great. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for Marketing Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists, which includes Project Managers, is projected to grow 18% from 2019 to 2029.

  14. Project Director: Job description from MarketResearchCareers

    The Market Research Project Director is responsible for the overall execution of the fieldwork surrounding a research initiative. The Project Director works directly with the client to develop the project schedule, define the research instrument (moderator's guide, questionnaire, etc.), develop an analysis plan and coordinate all ...

  15. Qualitative Market Research Project Manager

    Title: Project Manager, Qualitative Services FLSA Classification: Salaried, exempt Supervisor: Director, Qualitative Job Purpose: The Qualitative Project Manager is responsible for...

  16. How To Hire A Director, Market Research

    Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile. Step 3: Make a budget. Step 4: Writing a director, market research job description. Step 5: Post the job. Step 6: Interview process. Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new director, market research. Step 8: Go through the checklist for the hiring process. 1.

  17. Project Manager, Market Research Hourly Pay

    An early career Project Manager, Market Research with 1-4 years of experience earns an average total compensation (includes tips, bonus, and overtime pay) of $18.00 based on 6 salaries.

  18. Market Research Project Manager Job Description

    A research project manager in the United States is expected to make $82,000 in 2010. The average salaries for research project managers are 27 percent higher than average salaries for all job postings nationwide, as of 2010, according to national income trends from Indeed.com.

  19. A Beginner's Guide to Market Research

    Market research is a project, and projects need tools to manage them. ProjectManager is a cloud-based project management software that has a robust dashboard that can collect, crunch and deliver the market research you gather in easy-to-read and share charts and graphs. Plus it features task management tools like Kanban boards and task lists to ...

  20. Market Research Manager: Job description from MarketResearchCareers

    The Research Manager works closely with vendors or Market Research Project Directors ensuring the successful execution of the fieldwork. Upon completion, the Market Research Manager reviews the collected data, authors reports and makes business-oriented recommendations to the sponsoring client. Responsibilities: Communicating with clients to ...

  21. Market Research Project Director Jobs

    Apply to Market Research Project Director jobs now hiring on Indeed.com, the worlds largest job site.

  22. Market Research Project Manager Jobs

    Research Manager PSB Insights London SE1 £37,000 - £47,000 a year Full-time Monday to Friday You will work closely with senior staff, research and statistical analysis specialists, and field operations to implement all phases of market research and… Posted 30+ days ago · More... 1 2 3 4 5

  23. What Does a Market Research Manager Do?

    A market research manager is responsible for identifying goals, products, or services through market research. You will lead and oversee a team of researchers, collecting information and data about market segments and reporting them to marketing managers.

  24. Common Market Research Jobs and Career Paths

    Career paths and salary ranges for project directors, market research analysts and account executives. MarketResearchCareers helps you post your resume, get contacted by recruiters and find market research jobs ... Senior Research Manager / Senior Research Director: $60,000 to $90,000. Statistician: $90,000 to $110,000. Account Executive ...