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Market Research Industry South Africa

The Market Research Industry in South Africa 2020

Kate Shand | South Africa | 15 September 2020

The Market Research Industry in South Africa 2018

Nina Shand | South Africa | 04 June 2018

The Market Research Industry in South Africa 2015

Tasara Mazorodze | South Africa | 28 July 2015

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Report Coverage

This report focuses on the market research industry and includes information on the state of the industry, major players and trends and the factors that influence the industry including the effect of the coronavirus pandemic There are profiles of 30 companies including local branches of multinationals such as Ipsos, Nielsen and Kantar, local companies such as Plus 94, Quest Research and Mictert and small companies including Khumbula Consulting and Thetha Insights.

Introduction

The annual turnover of the South African market research industry was R3.5bn in 2019, according to the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (Esomar). The most promising technological advancements driving the industry are being made in artificial intelligence, machine learning and automation. The efficient use of these tools is expected to reduce costs, increase efficiency and result in higher turnover. The Southern Africa Market Research Association (Samra) estimates that if the insights industry, which uses data to collect information, is included, the value of the industry would more than double to R7bn. It is difficult to predict how the coronavirus crisis will affect the industry.

Strengths

• Availability of infrastructure for marketing research.
• New, accessible technology such as smartphones supporting the industry.
• Strong professional trade organisation.

Weaknesses

• Domination by large multinational companies that get most of the research work available.
• Skills shortage of professional, experienced market researchers.

Opportunities

• Expansion into insights research and data science, along with adjacent marketing services such as customer engagement, enterprise feedback management and customer advocacy.
• Government recognition of the lack of research skills.
• High growth in market research industry in the rest of Africa.
• Use of new technology such as video analysis, eye tracking and voice recognition technology. Machine automation and artificial intelligence continue to develop.
• With smartphones proliferating, mobile market research becomes a viable research tool.

Threats

• Companies are noting decline in work commissioned due to coronavirus.
• Companies will have to make the shift from traditional to innovative (insights) approaches.
• Face-to-face interviews, the most used method in southern Africa and Africa, are threatened by coronavirus.
• Introduction of data protection regulations will make getting data more difficult.
• The emergence of user-friendly research tools which can result in market research clients conducting their own research.

Outlook

The South African market research industry is still largely traditional, and according to Ask Afrika’s CEO, Andrea Rademeyer, “data collection is still a large part of the industry”. To be competitive, research companies need to embrace digital transformation and fast turnaround times to factor in reduced client budgets and limited opportunity for face-to-face interviews since the outbreak of coronavirus. The Protection of Personal Information Act will have a significant impact on the collection of data. Rather than having a lengthy database of random contacts, companies will need to invest in smaller databases of specially recruited people. All research methods including the rapidly growing mobile market research sub-sector will be affected by the legislation. As technology advances, research opportunities in Africa continue to expand. However, the uncertainties around coronavirus make forecasting difficult.

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The Market Research Industry in South Africa 2020

Full Report

R 1 900.00(ZAR) estimated $100.08 (USD)*

Industry Landscape

R 1 330.00(ZAR) estimated $ 70.06 (USD)*

Historical Reports

The Market Research Industry in South Africa 2018-06-04

R 1 900.00(ZAR) estimated $100.08 (USD)*

View Report Add to Cart

The Market Research Industry in South Africa 2015-07-28

R 1 900.00(ZAR) estimated $100.08 (USD)*

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Table of Contents

[ Close ]
PAGE
1. INTRODUCTION 1
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE INDUSTRY 1
2.1. Industry Value Chain 4
2.2. Geographic Position 4
3. SIZE OF THE INDUSTRY 4
4. STATE OF THE INDUSTRY 5
4.1. Local 5
4.1.1. Corporate Actions 7
4.1.2. Regulations 8
4.1.3. Enterprise Development and Socio-Economic Development 9
4.2. Continental 10
4.3. International 12
5. INFLUENCING FACTORS 14
5.1. Economic Environment 14
5.2. Input Costs 15
5.3. Technology, Research and Development (R&D) and Innovation 15
5.4. Labour 16
5.5. Environmental Concerns 17
5.6. Coronavirus 17
6. COMPETITION 18
6.1. Barriers to Entry 19
7. SWOT ANALYSIS 19
8. OUTLOOK 20
9. INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS 20
10. REFERENCES 21
10.1. Publications 21
10.2. Websites 21
APPENDIX 1 22
Summary of Notable players 22
COMPANY PROFILES 25
ACNIELSEN MARKETING AND MEDIA (PTY) LTD 25
AFRICAN RESPONSE (PTY) LTD 27
ASKAFRIKA (PTY) LTD 29
BATELEUR BRAND PLANNING (PTY) LTD 31
BMI RESEARCH (PTY) LTD 33
BMI TECHKNOWLEDGE GROUP (PTY) LTD 35
BUREAU OF MARKET RESEARCH (THE) (DIVISION OF UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA) 37
COLUMINATE (PTY) LTD 40
CONSULTA (PTY) LTD 43
CONSUMER INSIGHT AGENCY (PTY) LTD 44
D MILLER 46
DATAORBIS (PTY) LTD 47
DUNNHUMBY SOUTH AFRICA (PTY) LTD 49
EYES AND EARS MARKETING SERVICES CC 50
FINDLAY RESEARCH ASSOCIATES (PTY) LTD 52
GFK SOUTH AFRICA (PTY) LTD 53
INSTANT GRASS INTERNATIONAL YOUTH AGENCY (PTY) LTD 54
IPSOS (PTY) LTD 56
KANTAR SOUTH AFRICA (PTY) LTD 58
KAUFMAN LEVIN ASSOCIATES (PTY) LTD 60
KHUMBULA CONSULTING (PTY) LTD 62
MARKETING SCIENCE (PTY) LTD 64
MERAKI RESEARCH (PTY) LTD 66
MICTERT MARKETING RESEARCH CC 68
PLUS 94 RESEARCH (PTY) LTD 70
QUEST RESEARCH SERVICES (PTY) LTD 72
RELX (PTY) LTD 74
THETHA INSIGHTS (PTY) LTD 76
TOPLINE RESEARCH SOLUTIONS CC 78
UCT UNILEVER INSTITUTE OF STRATEGIC MARKETING 80

Introduction

This report focuses on the market research industry in South Africa. Latest available statistics show that while the global revenue of the market research industry increased by 2.3% in 2016 to exceed US$44.5bn or approximately R560bn , the African market research industry demonstrated net growth of 22.7%. In the same year, data from the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR) indicated year-on-year growth for the South African market research industry, with value increasing by 17.3% to R2.39bn (US$190m) signalling an upward growth trend for the first time in five years.

Strengths

• Availability of infrastructure for marketing research.
• New, accessible technology such as smartphones supporting the industry.
• Strong professional trade organisation.

Weaknesses

• Domination by large multinational companies.
• Lack of professional, experienced market researchers.
• Lack of transformation.

Opportunities

• Expansion into insights research and data scientists, along with adjacent marketing services such as customer engagement, enterprise feedback management and customer advocacy.
• Government recognition of the lack of research skills and commitment to improve the situation.
• High growth in market research industry in the rest of Africa.
• Use of Machine Automation and Artificial Intelligence and new research methods such as mobile market research.

Threats

• Introduction of data protection regulations, South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information (PoPI) Act and the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).
• The emergence of user-friendly research tools which can result in market research clients conducting their own research.

Outlook

With the increasing number of small consultancy firms entering the market, confidence that the industry will continue its upward growth trajectory remains high. The South African market research industry seems to be on track as far as adapting to the demands of digital transformation and fast turnaround times demanded by client are concerned. The sector is also expecting a substantial increase in the amount of market research work from the rest of Africa given the rapid advances in technology. The introduction of data protection legislation with the Protection of Personal Information (PoPI) Act locally and the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) in Europe is likely to impact significantly on market research companies. Rather than having a lengthy database of random contacts, companies will need to invest in smaller databases of specially recruited people. Role players confirm that all research methods including the rapidly-growing mobile market research sub-sector will be affected by the legislation.

The Market Research Industry in South Africa 2018

Full Report

R 1 900.00(ZAR) estimated $100.08 (USD)*

Industry Landscape

R 1 330.00(ZAR) estimated $ 70.06 (USD)*

Historical Reports

The Market Research Industry in South Africa 2020-09-15

R 1 900.00(ZAR) estimated $100.08 (USD)*

View Report Add to Cart

The Market Research Industry in South Africa 2015-07-28

R 1 900.00(ZAR) estimated $100.08 (USD)*

View Report Add to Cart

Table of Contents

[ Close ]
PAGE
1. INTRODUCTION 1
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE INDUSTRY 1
2.1. Industry Value Chain 3
2.2. Geographic Position 4
3. SIZE OF THE INDUSTRY 5
4. STATE OF THE INDUSTRY 7
4.1. Local 7
4.1.1. Corporate Actions 9
4.1.2. Regulations 9
4.1.3. Enterprise Development and Social Economic Development 11
4.2. Continental 12
4.3. International 15
5. INFLUENCING FACTORS 16
5.1. Economic Environment 16
5.2. Government Initiatives 17
5.3. Protection of Personal Information Act 17
5.4. Rising Operating Costs 18
5.5. Technology, Research and Development (R&D) and Innovation 18
5.6. Labour Resources 20
5.7. Environmental Concerns 21
6. COMPETITION 22
6.1. Barriers to Entry 23
7. SWOT ANALYSIS 24
8. OUTLOOK 24
9. INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS 25
10. REFERENCES 25
10.1. Publications 25
10.2. Websites 26
COMPANY PROFILES 27
ACNIELSEN MARKETING AND MEDIA (PTY) LTD 27
AFRICAN RESPONSE (PTY) LTD 29
ASKAFRIKA (PTY) LTD 31
BATELEUR BRAND PLANNING (PTY) LTD 33
BMI TECHKNOWLEDGE GROUP (PTY) LTD 35
BUREAU OF MARKET RESEARCH (THE) (DIVISION OF UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA) 37
COLUMINATE (PTY) LTD 39
CONSUMER INSIGHT AGENCY (PTY) LTD 41
DUNNHUMBY SOUTH AFRICA (PTY) LTD 43
FINDLAY RESEARCH ASSOCIATES (PTY) LTD 44
GFK SOUTH AFRICA (PTY) LTD 46
INSTANT GRASS TREND FORECASTING CC 48
IPSOS (PTY) LTD 50
KANTAR SOUTH AFRICA (PTY) LTD 52
MARKETING SCIENCE (PTY) LTD 54
MICTERT MARKETING RESEARCH CC 56
PLUS 94 RESEARCH (PTY) LTD 58
QUEST RESEARCH SERVICES (PTY) LTD 60
RELX (PTY) LTD 61
UCT UNILEVER INSTITUTE OF STRATEGIC MARKETING 63
UM JWALI MARKET RESEARCH (PTY) LTD 65

Report Coverage

The report on the South African market research sector focuses on recent developments, the impact of digital technologies and factors influencing the success of the industry. The report profiles 19 companies based in South Africa, including market leader ACNielsen Marketing & Media (Pty) Ltd, which has seven branches countrywide and employs 335 permanent and 450 temporary staff, and South African company Bateleur Khanya Research Solutions (Pty), which has seven permanent employees and uses the services of 700 market researchers on a temporary basis.

Introduction

This report focuses on the market research industry in South Africa. While the global revenue of the market research industry exceeded US$40bn in 2013, the African market research industry’s contribution to the global market turnover dropped by 1.2% (US$382m), according to ESOMAR, the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research. In that same year, the year-on-year growth for the South African market research industry also dropped from 10.8% to 3.6% which turned into a net decline of 2% after adjustment for inflation. Nevertheless, confidence in the health of the South African market research industry remains high. According to Statista, the revenue of the South African market research industry is expected to exceed US$581.26m in 2015.

Strengths

• Availability of infrastructure for marketing research.
• Government recognition of the lack of research skills and commitment to improve the situation.
• High demand for market research.
• New, accessible technology such as smartphones supporting the industry.

Weaknesses

• Gender based barriers.
• Lack of cultural knowledge.
• New entrants have to compete with financially sound and internationally recognised firms.
• South Africa is still lagging behind as far as internet connectivity is concerned.
• The diversity of South African languages (11 official languages) is a challenge to field workers.

Opportunities

• Market research industry projected to grow in 2015.
• Number of people owning smartphones in increasing.
• Stable economy likely to result in high demand for market research.

Threats

• Load shedding.
• The emergence of user-friendly research tools which can result in market research clients conducting research on their own.
• Volatile exchange rate.

Outlook

With projected revenue of US$581.26m in 2015, the South African market research industry seem to be on track despite volatile exchange rates, government bureaucracy, rising taxes, load shedding and rising cost of technology. The commitment by the Ministry of Science and Technology to invest heavily in research and development is likely to increase the number of much needed researchers and enable market research clients to invest more in research thereby boosting the revenue of the market research industry. Due to the growth in smartphones and increase of undersea-cable capacity, the South African market research industry is slowly experiencing a methodological shift as online surveys are becoming the data collection mainstay. As a result, market research experts foresee a decline in demand for interviewers and this this will likely result in job losses. From a regional point of view, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Europe, Middle East and Africa remain optimistic about their future. In Africa, the major research markets, South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya are expected to grow by 6%, 5% and 16% respectively. While unstable economy and political instability remains a threat, African research markets are expected to benefit from technological developments, economic growth and increased spending.

Read More..
The Market Research Industry in South Africa 2015

Full Report

R 1 900.00(ZAR) estimated $100.08 (USD)*

Industry Landscape

R 1 330.00(ZAR) estimated $ 70.06 (USD)*

Historical Reports

The Market Research Industry in South Africa 2020-09-15

R 1 900.00(ZAR) estimated $100.08 (USD)*

View Report Add to Cart

The Market Research Industry in South Africa 2018-06-04

R 1 900.00(ZAR) estimated $100.08 (USD)*

View Report Add to Cart

Table of Contents

[ Close ]
PAGE
1. INTRODUCTION 1
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE INDUSTRY 1
2.1. Industry Value Chain 2
2.2. Geographic Position 3
3. SIZE OF THE INDUSTRY 4
4. STATE OF THE INDUSTRY 5
4.1. Local 5
4.1.1. Corporate Actions 7
4.1.2. Regulations and Government Programmes 7
4.2. Continental 8
4.3. International 9
5. INFLUENCING FACTORS 10
5.1. Economic Environment 10
5.2. Labour Resources 11
5.3. Information Technology 11
5.4. Environmental Concerns 12
5.5. Government Intervention 12
5.6. Rising Input Costs 13
5.7. Cyclicality 13
6. COMPETITION 14
6.1. General 14
6.2. Technology, Research and Development (R&D) and Innovation 14
6.3. Barriers to entry 16
7. SWOT ANALYSIS 16
8. OUTLOOK 17
9. INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS 17
10. REFERENCES 18
10.1. Publications 18
10.2. Websites 18
COMPANY PROFILES 19
ACNIELSEN MARKETING AND MEDIA (PTY) LTD 19
ADDED VALUE GROUP (PTY) LTD (THE) 22
AFRICAN RESPONSE (PTY) LTD 24
ASKAFRIKA (PTY) LTD 26
BATELEUR BRAND PLANNING (PTY) LTD 28
BMI TECHKNOWLEDGE GROUP (PTY) LTD 30
BUREAU OF MARKET RESEARCH (THE) (DIVISION OF UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA) 32
CONSUMER INSIGHT AGENCY (PTY) LTD 34
FINDLAY RESEARCH ASSOCIATES (PTY) LTD 36
INSTANT GRASS TREND FORECASTING CC 37
IPSOS (PTY) LTD 39
MARKETING SCIENCE (PTY) LTD 41
MARKINOR (PTY) LTD 43
MICTERT MARKETING RESEARCH CC 45
MILLWARD BROWN SOUTH AFRICA (PTY) LTD 47
TNS RESEARCH SURVEYS (PTY) LTD 49
UCT UNILEVER INSTITUTE OF STRATEGIC MARKETING 51
UM JWALI MARKET RESEARCH (PTY) LTD 53