We have done everything that can be possibly covered in market research. Below is a shortlist of projects we have carried out.

Brand awareness and perception

Our client is South East Asia’s largest provider of interior wallcoverings, carpets, fabrics, and laminated floorings. The company’s focus was on B2B, supplying interior design products to hotels, property developers, shopping malls, etc. To grow further, the company wanted to expand into the B2C segment and go direct to consumers. The problem with that strategy is that awareness in the consumer market is very low because the products are sold via distributors. BDM was commissioned to conduct a year-long research study to understand consumers buying behaviour, perceptions and awareness of the client. It also involved an element of advertising recall and brand indexing to understand how effective the client’s marketing and branding activities were in generating greater awareness (pre/post campaign awareness). Moreover, a customer service audit via mystery shopping was conducted to assess whether customer service staffs have the skill sets to cope with in a B2C environment.

Customer satisfaction and balance score card

Our client is an arts organisation that aims to be internationally recognised as an industry leader in setting exceptional standards of service. BDM was engaged to conduct about 100,000 surveys with various target groups throughout the year and understand areas where the client can improve their offerings, processes and services. Respondents were given 3 channels by which they can respond to the survey – on site with our surveyors, online through our website, or by mailing back the questionnaire.

Employee satisfaction

Our client is a large industrial equipment manufacturer employing more than 10,000 people around the world. The company has a diverse manpower of 2,000 in Singapore and BDM was engaged to conduct an employee satisfaction survey to assess whether the company HR policies are effective in retaining its employees across different levels. The questionnaire was translated into 5 different languages to ensure that respondents are clear about what they were asked and the survey was conduct face-to-face.

Customer experience management

BDM was engaged to conduct a large CEM study for a popular consumer brand. A CEM model was devised by our analysts to understand and measure customer experience across all customer contact points such as distribution outlets, online, on the phone, etc. several focus groups were conducted where the product was tested for its taste, smell, packaging, price, gap, consumer needs, etc. the after effect was the launch of several new products by the client.

Product concept testing

A large music company wanted to test whether a there is a demand for home, on-demand karaoke music box where people can sing Karaoke at their leisure in their home as opposed to going to commercial outlets. This new product will come with different price plans and from the study, BDM was required to profile the target market and advise whether a subscription-based, pay per use or any other combination pricing plan would suit the market.

Market expansion

BDM was engaged by the largest cookware maker in China to conduct a market study to help their expansion in Singapore and Malaysia. They have been present in both markets but have seen little success due to a lack of consumer understanding and low brand awareness. The study was to cover the types of cookware people use, their usage and cooking habits, their purchase cycle, their brand preferences, etc. In phase 1 of this project, several households were selected to test several our client’s cookware by actually getting people to cook using their cookware over a period of one week. Households were then required to note in a diary their cooking experience using both the client’s and competitors’ cookware. I n phase 2, we conducted several focus groups to understand people cooking and cookware habits. A quantitative consumer survey was conducted in phase 3 to validate the qualitative findings and draw definite hypotheses.

Market entry

A large auto part distributor wanted to expand into Vietnam and Thailand and BDM was engaged to conduct a comprehensive study on both markets and provide a detailed assessment of macro and micro conditions such as business costs, risk factors, competition, legal and political framework, supply and demand, pricing, market forecasts, consumer behaviour, etc. PESTLE and SWOT analysis were carried out. In phase 2, we conducted blinded face-to-face interviews with our client’s main competitors to understand their business strategy and success factors.

New product launch

BDM was commissioned by a large paint manufacturer to understand the consumer perceptions of paints (buying behaviour, usage, pricing, demand for alternative products such as wallpapers, etc) and to determine whether the introduction of an odourless paint all-in-one would be receptive by the target audience. Two focus groups were conducted to gauge consumers’ reaction and interest to the new odourless paint and understand how much they would be willing to pay.

Advertising recall

BDM was engaged to conduct a series of tracking studies for outdoor ad campaigns (bus, taxi, mrt, underpass, street side, etc) for several advertised brands. BDM was required to measure opportunity to see (OTS) and hence, the effectiveness of the campaigns.

Pre campaign idea generation

BDM was commissioned by a foreign tourism board to conduct a large market study to generate ideas as to what travellers’ want and appreciate most about the country. The questionnaire was design by BDM and a sample size of 10,000 traveller surveys were conduct across 13 airports in Asia gather consumer feedback. After which, BDM worked closely with the client’s PR and Ad agencies to devise a communication plan to rebrand the country.

Competitive intelligence

BDM was commissioned to gather information on our client’s competitors’ business strategy and their customers. The aim was to know the direction of these competitors, who their major customers are and how our client can win these customers from their competitors. We approached this regional study with blinded interviews and mystery shopping.

Online content redevelopment

BDM was engaged by a government agency looking after the growth of aspiring entrepreneurs and SMBs in Singapore to redevelop the content on their site. 16 focus groups were conducted to understand what content, features and tools entrepreneurs and business across different industries and sizes would like to see and use. In phase 2, a quantitative validation survey was conducted online with a representative sample size to prioritise which content, tools and features to develop and a blue print report was compile to set out the evolution of the site over the next 7 years.

Competitive positioning

Our client is a global leader in communication systems, applications, and services. The company wanted to conduct a comprehensive market study targeting 7 countries: Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, India, China, Indonesia and Thailand. In phase 1, the client wanted to understand the market profile of the above markets covering: analysis of the IT industry, analysis of the call center industry, market trends, size-bands, verticals, and IP-architecture. The next phase was to understand the competitive positioning of the client in that space via a brand perception survey with companies that are potential users of our client’s solutions. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 150 companies per market.

With a clear understanding of its position the client launched a PR and integrated marketing campaign addressing the market gaps and competitive position.

Readership survey

We have conducted several readership surveys for publications in the technology, lifestyle, business, and travel spaces. Magazine inserts and online channels were used for such exercises.