At ERT, our Market Research & Consumer Survey services are designed to support businesses at every growth stage from understanding customer behavior and measuring brand awareness to evaluating store performance and testing new product concepts before scaling. We use a wide range of flexible research methods tailored to each client’s objectives and budget.
With a team of experienced researchers, a flexible multi-channel survey system, and the ability to adapt across sectors and price points, ERT delivers insightful, practical, and cost-effective research solutions across a wide variety of industries.
TYPES OF RESEARCH METHODS
1. Quantitative Research
Quantitative research is ideal when your questions begin with “how many?”, “to what extent?”, or “what’s the trend?”. This method provides measurable, large-scale data that can be clearly analyzed. Businesses can understand brand awareness, customer satisfaction, common behaviors, and repeat purchase likelihood across different segments.
Methods include:
- Online Survey (CAWI): Distributed via email, social media, or existing customer databases
- Point-of-Sale (CAPI): Conducted at stores, expos, showrooms, or shopping centers using handheld devices
- Telephone Survey (CATI): Conducted by trained interviewers, suitable for B2B or high-value targets
2. Qualitative Research
When businesses need to understand why consumers behave a certain way, or want to explore emotional drivers, unmet needs, and hidden barriers - qualitative research is the go-to method.
ERT uses methods such as:
- In-depth Interviews (IDI): One-on-one interviews with target customers, industry experts, or decision-makers
- Focus Group Discussions: 6–8 participants discussing products, ads, needs, or habits
- Diary Study: Participants record real-time usage behavior over 3–14 days
- Shadowing/Observation: Observing consumers at point-of-sale to detect unspoken behaviors.
3. Mixed Methods Research
In many cases, quantitative or qualitative data alone isn’t enough. Mixed methods combine the best of both worlds - wide-reaching statistics plus context behind the numbers.
This approach can be applied in two ways:
- Concurrent: Run both quantitative and qualitative methods in parallel to cross-validate findings
- Sequential: Start with qualitative to explore issues, then create a quantitative survey to measure them or vice versa
SAMPLE PROJECTS DELIVERED BY ERT
A fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) company wants to assess brand image in traditional retail: ERT conducts a nationwide POS audit to evaluate in-store visibility, followed by consumer interviews to measure loyalty and emotional connection. Results inform shelf display adjustments, POSM redesign, and promotion strategies.
A retail chain needs to assess service quality at physical outlets: ERT carries out mystery shopping and post-purchase customer satisfaction surveys.
An FMCG brand wants to understand why customers are switching to competitors: ERT organizes focus groups and analyzes social media feedback using social listening.
WHY CHOOSE ERT FOR MARKET RESEARCH?
1. Tailored Research Solutions – No One-Size-Fits-All
There’s no universal method for all businesses. Every industry, market, and growth stage requires different approaches. At ERT, we don’t offer cookie-cutter solutions. We work with your team from defining the research objective to choosing the right method (quantitative, qualitative, or mixed), selecting an appropriate sample size, designing the questionnaire, conducting the fieldwork, and delivering in-depth analysis.
Whether you need to test a campaign, uncover consumer insight, reposition your brand, assess sales channels, or test a new product — our team will recommend the most effective and cost-efficient approach to ensure your research results are practical and actionable.
Whether you’re a startup needing quick feedback on a tight budget or a large enterprise looking for deep data to guide expansion, ERT can deliver flexible, insightful, and reliable research solutions.
2. Actionable Results – Beyond Just Data
ERT doesn’t stop at data collection. With a seasoned analytics team and in-depth knowledge of both Vietnam and global markets, we help turn survey data into strategic insights.
Final reports are presented in clear, visual formats with executive summaries, deep-dive analysis, easy-to-read charts, and most importantly, actionable recommendations. Depending on your objectives, we can support:
- Brand positioning or message adjustments
- Product development and service innovation
- Prioritization of customer segments
- Pricing, channel, or market expansion strategy
3. Industry-Specific Customization
We understand every industry has unique characteristics. That’s why our questionnaires, sampling approaches, and survey channels are carefully tailored for maximum relevance and practical value.
4. Research Ethics & Data Confidentiality
ERT is committed to ethical research practices: transparency, data privacy, and respect for participants. All personal data is anonymized and used solely for approved research purposes. You can trust that our research processes meet professional and confidentiality standards.
TYPES OF RESEARCH OFFERED BY ERT
Customer Persona & Insights
Source: Boston Consulting Group
To develop the right product and target the right audience, identifying your "ideal customer" is the essential first step. ERT’s Customer Persona service helps businesses answer a fundamental question: Who are the people that will actually buy your product or service? What do they think, feel, and why do they make purchase decisions?
We apply the Usage & Attitudes (U&A) methodology, combining various quantitative and qualitative data sources to construct deep and accurate customer profiles. The research goes beyond basic demographics like age, gender, and income, delving into:
- Consumer behavior: Shopping habits, frequency of product usage, preferred purchasing channels (offline, online, e-commerce, etc.).
- Attitudes and motivations: Reasons for choosing brand A over brand B, key factors influencing purchase decisions (price, brand reputation, emotions, influencers, etc.).
- Customer journey: Touchpoints from initial brand awareness to purchase decision and repurchase behavior.
Ecommerce Market Research
Source: Shopee
As consumer behavior rapidly shifts toward online channels—especially on platforms like Shopee, Lazada, Tiki, and TikTok Shop, understanding how customers shop online becomes the key to optimizing sales strategies and driving revenue growth.
ERT’s Ecommerce Market Research service offers a comprehensive analysis of e-commerce performance, from buyer behavior to store operations, including:
1. Transaction & Buyer Behavior Analysis:
- Track the number of orders, revenue, and average order value (AOV) over specific periods (daily, weekly, monthly).
- Identify best-selling and low-converting products, reasons for purchases or cart abandonment.
- Assess key factors that influence purchase decisions such as pricing, promotions, and livestream campaigns.
2. Visibility & Content Performance:
- Review product visibility (organic & paid), placement in category listings, and click-through rates (CTR).
- Evaluate the quality of product content (images, descriptions, SEO keywords) and its appeal to customers.
- Analyze the effectiveness of advertising campaigns, both on-site (e-commerce platform ads) and off-site (TikTok, Facebook Ads, etc.).
3. User Experience & Feedback Evaluation:
- Analyze star ratings, customer reviews, and Q&A to understand actual user perceptions of the product/service.
- Identify recurring issues (e.g., late delivery, product not as described) and propose solutions to improve customer satisfaction.
- Measure satisfaction metrics and repurchase rates by SKU, product category, or specific campaigns.
4. Competitor & Industry Benchmarking:
- Benchmark key performance metrics against competitors: pricing, reviews, sales volume, promotions, keyword dominance.
- Detect white space opportunities within the category and recommend strategic positioning or new product development based on market gaps.
Offline Market Research
Although e-commerce is rapidly growing, offline retail remains a crucial part of the customer journey for many industries, especially in fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), food, fashion, electronics, and more. Conducting Offline Market Research at physical points of sale (POS), shopping malls, events, or via direct interviews with target customers allows businesses to gain practical, on-the-ground insights that complement and validate online data.
ERT’s Offline Market Research service focuses on gathering and analyzing field data from a wide range of sources, using the following methods:
1. Point-of-Sale (POS) Surveys:
- Quick surveys conducted at retail stores, supermarkets, shopping centers, or trade shows to collect customer feedback after interacting with a product/service.
- Measure brand visibility and effectiveness of in-store displays (shelves, banners, standees, booths, etc.).
- Benchmark pricing, promotions, and in-store offers against competitors.
2. In-person & Phone Interviews:
- One-on-one or small group interviews (focus groups) with consumers, sales staff, or distributors.
- Explore customer behavior, satisfaction levels, and factors influencing purchasing decisions.
- Interviews can be conducted at home, in stores, or via phone—depending on the research goals and customer profile.
3. Shopper Behavior Observation:
- Using observational methods to monitor real customer behavior in-store without disrupting the shopping process.
- Record key data such as time spent at displays, interaction levels, and buying triggers.
Distributor Market Research
Distributors play a vital role as the bridge between businesses and end consumers. Understanding their needs, experiences, and challenges not only enhances sales effectiveness but also strengthens long-term, sustainable partnerships.
ERT’s Distributor Market Research service focuses on surveying, analyzing, and synthesizing feedback from current or potential distribution partners to help companies improve their distribution policies, enhance engagement, and boost sales performance.
- Identify pain points that may impact loyalty and make timely adjustments to channel strategies.
- Barrier & Expectation Analysis
- Distribution Model Improvement Recommendations
Retail Audit
Whether online or offline, the point of sale is where customers directly interact with products. Conducting regular retail audits allows businesses to assess brand visibility, display effectiveness, and how well the product is being presented to end consumers.
ERT’s Retail Audit service helps businesses to:
- Evaluate product presentation at the point of sale: Assess display conditions, booth designs, shelf positioning, the completeness and accuracy of product information, and brand image consistency.
- Compare with competitors: Collect competitor data on pricing, promotions, and in-store campaigns to support strategic positioning and adjustment.
- Capture real-time customer feedback: Conduct quick in-store surveys or collect input from sales staff to understand customers’ reactions, concerns, and product selection behaviors at the moment of purchase.
Concept & Product Testing
Before officially launching a new product or marketing message, it’s crucial to validate consumer reactions to minimize risks and optimize return on investment.
ERT’s Concept & Product Testing service evaluates the suitability of a product or concept using the following methods:
- Monadic Testing: Assess each product/concept individually without comparisons, capturing unbiased, original consumer impressions.
- Comparative Testing: Compare multiple products or ideas to determine customers’ preferred choice.
- Sequential Testing: Introduce multiple products in a controlled sequence to reduce bias in consumer feedback.
Customer Panel
A Customer Panel involves monitoring the purchasing behavior of a representative group of customers over a long period or in repeated cycles, providing continuous, real-world, multi-dimensional insights.
This service allows businesses to:
- Track shopping frequency and brand loyalty
- Uncover the reasons behind customer choices and key influences on purchase behavior
- Analyze behavioral shifts due to seasonal changes, trends, or after marketing campaigns
- Insights from Customer Panels are especially valuable for forecasting demand, product development, and crafting marketing strategies grounded in real consumer behavior.
Market Environment Research
Sustainable growth cannot be achieved without a comprehensive understanding of the broader business environment. Market Environment Research helps businesses assess the external factors that may impact development, investment, or market expansion plans.
ERT supports analysis of factors such as:
- Demographics, population structure, income levels, and regional consumption trends
- Legal and regulatory environment, government policies, trade agreements, and market entry barriers
- Technology trends, digital transformation, and innovation within the industry
- Cultural and social factors, including region-specific consumer habits and preferences.
Brand Health Tracking
Source: B2B International
Brand health tracking is a vital tool that helps businesses understand how their brand is perceived in the market from brand awareness and favorability to credibility and mental image in consumers' minds. This is not just a one-time check-up of the brand, but a strategic indicator for long-term marketing, communication, and product development planning.
ERT applies a flexible, multi-channel research approach, including:
- Social Listening: Collecting and analyzing big data from social platforms (Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, forums, etc.) to assess discussion volume, consumer sentiment, and trending interests related to the brand.
- Consumer Surveys (online & offline): Designing in-depth questionnaires to measure brand recognition, satisfaction levels, repurchase intent, and reasons for brand preference or dissatisfaction.
- In-depth Interviews (IDIs): Engaging directly with customer representatives, partners, and business leaders to gain strategic perspectives and deep qualitative insights.
- E-commerce & Retail Performance Analysis: Evaluating brand performance across online platforms (Shopee, Lazada, TikTok Shop) and physical retail points for a comprehensive view based on real-world experiences.
WHY CHOOSE ERT FOR MARKET RESEARCH?
1. Tailored Research Solutions – No One-Size-Fits-All
Whether you need to test a campaign, uncover consumer insight, reposition your brand, assess sales channels, or test a new product — our team will recommend the most effective and cost-efficient approach to ensure your research results are practical and actionable.
Whether you’re a startup needing quick feedback on a tight budget or a large enterprise looking for deep data to guide expansion, ERT can deliver flexible, insightful, and reliable research solutions.
2. Actionable Results – Beyond Just Data
ERT doesn’t stop at data collection. With a seasoned analytics team and in-depth knowledge of both Vietnam and global markets, we help turn survey data into strategic insights.
Final reports are presented in clear, visual formats with executive summaries, deep-dive analysis, easy-to-read charts, and most importantly, actionable recommendations.
3. Industry-Specific Customization
We understand every industry has unique characteristics. That’s why our questionnaires, sampling approaches, and survey channels are carefully tailored for maximum relevance and practical value.
4. Research Ethics & Data Confidentiality
ERT is committed to ethical research practices: transparency, data privacy, and respect for participants. All personal data is anonymized and used solely for approved research purposes. You can trust that our research processes meet professional and confidentiality standards.