Market Research

Hi Diane,

Your question is a bit vague, so forgive me if I have got it wrong, but it sounds like you are thinking about running a courier service for larger objects? If you are just starting out, you could try Gumtree and Craigslist to get you started. Depending on what areas you plan to cover, you could try advertising in all states, suburbs and towns in that area with a view to picking up backloads.

As you start to get some business though, I would strongly recommend setting up your own website so that you look more professional, then start marketing your business through social media, both free and paid ads. Hope that helps, but if I have got it wrong, just let me know with a bit more detail.

Regards,

Terry

In Australia, the ABS has some great stats. Some you have to pay for others not. Their help desk staff are awesome at helping you mine the information you are searching for too.

Industry organizations will generally have good stats around their members too - even if they are not 'formalised' . Sometimes making the call and asking is a great place to start.

Were you looking for something in particular?

In tour booking sites for Asia there are so many events and business like national or international level.In Asia Packages Best offers on Asia vacation tours & travel packages at MakeMyTrip. it is related to online booking and online marketing.

We are specialized in organizing package tours, day trips, and sightseeing in Thailand and Indochina countries - Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar.

We offer wide range of packages for Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar

I use LinkedIn also. You can check what groups people are following in specific roles and industries. I also subscribe to media alerts and specific industry publications. As an example, in the HR field it is AHRI, and HC Online. If the industry is construction for example, I would use media alerts, regulatory bodies' websites, and Tendering alerts.

There is Seek where you can see what is going on too, industry whitepapers and good old google. Try googling "industry trends" - Deloitte have research stats as does business government websites.

I hope this helps.

I think one of the most obvious trends that will continue to get bigger in 2015 is mobile commerce. I specifically mean shoppers buying things on mobile devices (smart phones, tablets, etc.).

I also see a need for the majority of retailers to create a better shopping experience across devices. Having a "mobile specific" version if your store isn't going to cut it. Usually a mobile specific site omits some functionality or some products or perhaps both. Neither is a good idea for keep customers engaged.

Retailers should consider using Responsive or Adaptive website frameworks such as Zurb Foundation or Twitter Bootstrap. You can create one experience that adapts to each device while not eliminating functionality. This should be at the top of the list for enhancements that will delight customers.

I would also say that looking back and going forward, stores with a specific target or niche seem to perform better than a store trying to please everyone. Don't let the numbers fool you, a larger customer base doesn't mean more money if they don't fit your product or market. Look for ways to grow within your existing demographic.

Longer term I think the following things should be kept on the radar for the end of 2015/2016:

• sales through social media
• online fitting rooms with augmented reality
• clothing custom made for individuals from 3D body scans

Market research is a critical tool for business yet often overlooked or underutilized.   Are real customers willing to pay real money for your product or service?  If so you have a real business.  Do not just ask your friends & family for feedback, they do not want to hurt your feelings and will not be objective.  Do market research with real customers.  Whether you conduct qualtitative (focus groups or a listening tour) or quantitative reseach using Zoomerang or Survey Monkey for example does not matter.  Just make sure you ask questions in an objective way so you get real feedback that is useful.   Unless you have expertise in house it makes sense to engage an indepeendent outsider who can help draft the questionaire otherwise it can be garbage in and garbage out wasting time with useless informtion.    Research does not require big budgets but it does need to be objctive to gain real customer insights.

This is a great question but one that is hard to answer without context. For example, here in the United States, I believe one of the most important industries that needs flipped is healthcare, specifically the standardizing the cost of identical medical procedures from one city to the next and affordable medications.

However, in underdeveloped countries, there needs to be a better answer for the largely unbanked masses. I'm not saying more banks are the answer, but a way for them to easy store and access said money, whether it is a digital coin, through SMS messaging or some yet undeveloped technology.

I typically review the major players and the industry and look at what they aren't doing well, or aren't doing at all. Those gaps are the best opportunities.

After that, I'll do research into how much a potential revenue / profit is happening within that industry. I'm essentially trying to determine if the gap is a large enough opportunity to pursue for the potential money it could generate.

Once I know that, it is one to researching the major demographics that are interested in those types of products and services. I can help narrow my target users as well as find out what is currently frustrating and delighting them.