Market & Consumer Research
Know what your customers think before you bet on it.
Research Stake designs and runs the studies behind product, pricing and positioning decisions — focus groups, online surveys and moderated video interviews, fielded to participants we have verified ourselves.
- Method
- Online focus groups (4 sessions)
- Audience
- Primary grocery shoppers, 25–54
- Sample
- n = 32 · 4 US markets
- Screening
- Identity + attention verified
- Fielding
- 9 business days
- Deliverable
- Topline + full report + reel
38 recruited against 32 seats — standard over-recruitment.
Illustrative study brief — every engagement is scoped to your decision.
Research programmes across
- Studies fielded since 2016
- 1,400+
- Screened US panel members
- 3.2M
- States covered
- 50
- Client retention rate
- 96%
What we do
Three ways to hear from your market — and one team running all of them.
Most questions need more than one method. We design the mix, recruit the right people for each, and keep the analysis in one place so the qualitative and the quantitative actually speak to each other.
How an engagement runs
From open question to defensible answer, in four stages.
Every study we run follows the same spine. You always know what stage you are in, what is coming next, and what you will have in hand when it ends.
- 01
Scope & design
We start with the decision, not the method. In a kick-off session we define what the business needs to know, what evidence would change the decision, and which method can realistically produce it. You get a written design covering objectives, audience, sample, timeline and deliverables before anything is fielded.
- 02
Recruit & verify
We write the screener, set quotas, and recruit from our own panel plus targeted external sourcing. Every profile passes identity checks, duplicate detection and attention screening. Participants are re-confirmed within 24 hours of their session.
- 03
Field & observe
Groups and interviews run with a senior moderator and a live client backroom, so your team can watch, react and send questions in the moment. Surveys soft-launch to a 10% cell that we review before full release.
- 04
Analyse & deliver
Two researchers code independently and reconcile, so findings survive more than one reading. You receive a topline within 48 hours of fielding, a full report with the evidence behind every claim, and a working session to turn findings into decisions.
Data quality
Bad data is worse than no data. So we spend most of our effort upstream.
A study is only as good as the people who answered it. Before anyone reaches your questionnaire or your discussion guide, they have passed through a screening process built to remove the fraudulent, the duplicated and the disengaged.
- Identity, device and geo verification at panel registration
- Duplicate and repeat-respondent detection across every study
- Attention, trap and speeding checks inside every instrument
- Open-end quality review by a human before delivery
- Permanent removal of any profile that fails a check
Verified sample
Every participant is checked for identity and eligibility before they ever qualify for a study.
Statistically sound
Sample sizes, quotas and weighting are set to the precision your decision actually requires.
Fully auditable
Screener logic, dispositions, raw data and analysis are retained and available on request.
Fast without shortcuts
Topline within 48 hours of fielding, full reporting within two weeks — on a documented schedule.
Industries
Category knowledge, not just method knowledge.
Our researchers specialise. That means less time spent explaining your category to us and more time spent on the question that matters.
Consumer Packaged Goods
Concept and pack testing, flavour and format screening, shelf and claims research, price sensitivity.
Healthcare & Life Sciences
Patient journey research, HCP interviews, treatment perception, message and material testing.
Financial Services
Product and fee perception, trust and switching drivers, digital banking usability, advisor research.
Technology & SaaS
Buyer journeys, positioning and messaging tests, onboarding usability, feature prioritisation.
Retail & E-commerce
Path-to-purchase mapping, assortment and merchandising research, checkout usability, loyalty drivers.
Automotive & Mobility
Purchase consideration, in-vehicle experience, EV adoption barriers, dealer and service perception.
Media & Entertainment
Content and pilot testing, subscription pricing, audience segmentation, advertising response.
Energy & Utilities
Rate plan comprehension, program participation drivers, customer communication testing.
Client perspective
What research leaders say about working with us
The recruit was the difference. We had spent two rounds with another vendor talking to people who did not match our buyer at all. Research Stake screened them out before we ever sat down.
They pushed back on our questionnaire, and they were right. The study we ended up running answered a sharper question than the one we walked in with.
We watched every session live and had a working topline in two days. That turned a quarter-long decision into a three-week one.
For participants
Get paid for your opinion.
Research Stake pays people to share honest feedback on products, services and ideas — in online surveys, video interviews and focus groups. Joining the panel is free, your data is never sold, and you choose which studies you take part in.
- Studies typically pay $5–$50 for surveys and $75–$350 for interviews and groups
- Paid by digital gift card, prepaid Visa or bank transfer
- No fees, ever — we will never ask you to pay to participate
- Leave the panel at any time, with your data deleted on request
What participation looks like
- 1
Create your profile
A few minutes of background questions so we only contact you about relevant studies.
- 2
Get matched
When a study fits your profile, we email you the topic, format, length and compensation up front.
- 3
Complete a short screener
A handful of questions confirms you match the study criteria. Places are limited.
- 4
Take part and get paid
Join your session or survey, and your incentive is issued within 5–10 business days.
Common questions
What clients ask before they start.
If your question is not here, write to us — we answer scoping questions directly, without a discovery call first.
For general-population audiences, most focus groups and surveys are in field within 7 to 10 business days of the approved design. Low-incidence B2B, healthcare professional and patient audiences typically need 2 to 4 weeks of recruiting.
Cost is driven by method, audience incidence, sample size and market count — not by a rate card. A four-group qualitative study, a 600-respondent online survey, and a 15-interview B2B depth study are all common starting points, and we will price your specific design in a written proposal within two business days.
Yes. Every focus group and depth interview includes a client backroom. Your team can watch in real time and send questions to the moderator during the session without the participant seeing you.
Panel members pass identity verification, device fingerprinting and geo-consistency checks at registration. Within each study we apply duplicate detection, attention and trap questions, speeding checks and open-end quality review. Anyone who fails is removed from the panel permanently.
The United States only. We field in all 50 states, with in-person facilities in every major metro and remote coverage everywhere else. Focusing on one market is deliberate — it is why our panel, our screening and our category knowledge hold up. If your study needs international coverage, we will tell you honestly that we are not the right firm for it.
You do. All raw data, recordings, transcripts and reports produced for your study are your property, delivered to you at the end of the engagement, and never resold or reused for another client.
Start a study
Tell us the decision you are trying to make.
Send us the question in front of your team. We will come back within two business days with a recommended method, a realistic timeline and a written cost estimate — no obligation, no sales cycle.