Harris Interactive - Competitors

Harris Interactive Competition

Now Viewing Harris Interactive's competition in: Market Research Services (primary)

Recent Developments

Weak Economy Impacts US Market Research Firms - US economic weakness is hurting business for market research companies, according to the Marketing Research Association. The proportion of firms reporting a decrease in projects or booked revenue increased to 30 percent in first quarter 2008 from 19 percent in fourth quarter 2007. Staffing levels at market research firms surveyed rose just 1 percent during first quarter 2008 compared to 5 percent during fourth quarter 2007.

Many Organizations Exempted from Canada "Do-Not-Call" List - Lobbying efforts by a variety of interest groups has led to many exemptions from Canada's "Do-Not-Call" list, according to the Toronto Star. Political parties, survey companies, charities, newspapers, and any business with a prior relationship may call Canadians on the list at least once. Over 90 percent of Canadians surveyed by Industry Canada favor the list.

Group Seeks Image Change for Industry - The Advertising Research Foundation (ARF) is encouraging ad agencies to expand recruitment efforts to the psychology departments of colleges to change the image of market research. Market research professionals traditionally have a finance background, according to ARF, which discourages other professionals who may be suited to work in the industry. Emphasizing aspects of market research like ethnographics, which doesn't require advanced math skills, may also increase interest in the industry.

Competitive Landscape

Demand is driven primarily by the health of the US economy and corporate profits. The profitability of individual companies depends on the quality of the research services delivered and the ability to manage costs. Large companies have advantages in providing a variety of research and ancillary services to large customers, and achieving economies of scale in marketing and computerized operations. Small companies can compete successfully by specializing in a research methodology or in emerging niche knowledge areas. The industry is labor intensive: annual revenue per employee is less than $100,000.

Full Industry Overview For Market Research Services

Market Research Services Industry Forecast

from Hoover's/D&B subsidiary First Research

The output of US miscellaneous professional and technical services, an indicator for market research services, is forecast to grow at an annual compounded rate of 5.7 percent between 2007 and 2012.

Professional Services Growth Strong but Slowing

First Research forecasts are based on INFORUM forecasts that are licensed from the Interindustry Economic Research Fund, Inc. (IERF) in College Park, MD. INFORUM's "interindustry-macro" approach to modeling the economy captures the links between industries and the aggregate economy.