One of the perks of Market Research and Competitive Intelligence is the opportunity to learn about new technologies, new competitors, changing market demands and what people in different localities think about the world they live in.

Here is a sampling of some insights that surprised our clients:

FINDING A NEW COMPETITOR

During a project for a technology firm in 2003, it was discovered that China had become a source of serious competition for the type of hardware and software the client was manufacturing. The client was taken completely by surprise but, as a result of the research provided by Customer Foresight Group, the client was able to take actions to counteract the new and unexpected threat.

NORTHERNERS SEE THINGS DIFFERENTLY

A socio-economic study of Canadians living in the Arctic revealed that, as a result of a young population, the residents of Nunavut were aggressively pro-development – more so than their counterparts in the Northwest Territories and the Yukon. Also, many people in the Arctic are critical of claims of global warming/climate change affecting their environment: they have seen fluctuations in temperatures before, and, they say, tourists from the south are still astonished at the amount of ice and snow even during the summer.

COMPETITOR OUTSOURCES SERVICE AND LOSES CLIENTS

During a project for a banking client, it was discovered that a major banking competitor ceased to provide a specific electronic banking service and had actually sub-contracted it out, leading to customer dissatisfaction. The client was able to use this intelligence to target the competitor’s clients.

A NEW TECHNOLOGY STAR IS FOUND

During a 2005 research project on security software, a relatively unknown company called Kaspersky was found. Further research indicated that this company could soon become a dominant provider of security software. The rest, as they say, is history.