Market Research for ecommerce / Online Business

Key Takeaways

$

Market Size & Sale Projections

$

Demand Analysis

$

Pricing Analysis

$

Competitor Analysis

$

TG/ Customer

$

Analysis Sales Data/ Market Cap of Competitors

$

Gap & Opportunity in market for your product/ services

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Objective of the service program

Market research is about finding out whether the selected market is congenial for a business idea or project and gaining meaningful insights and information to improvise the business decisions.

Some of the biggest challenges faced by eCommerce/online businesses in market research are comprehending what constitutes ‘value’ for customers, identifying and defining the target segments, assessing the intensity of competition in the market and adopting the right competitive stance, determining the market size and demand forecasting, pricing and margins, etc. Thus, a valid question that emerges is how to do market research for eCommerce or online businesses? On the part of novice entrepreneurs and businessmen, the lack of specific experience and expertise is a big constraint when it comes to market research for online business.

In this service program, DFX shall carry out market research for its eCommerce/online business clients.

Why market research for eCommerce/online businesses and the challenges involved

When the idea of an eCommerce business entity is being considered by an entrepreneur or an existing business enterprise is intending to start selling online or digitally, it is natural to have certain basic questions in mind about the viability of the online business project or the decision to go omnichannel or multichannel. If it is logically and practically certain to an entrepreneur/businessman that people would not buy a product/service via an online channel, then there is no point in further exploration. If the market is too competitive and there is no strong value offering, even in that case the online sales strategy will not work. These are just some of the instances, albeit on the extreme ends, that could help businesses decide if they should start or expand to the online channel of selling. These insights are revealed with the help of market research.

Experienced market analysis consultants would know that a good market research lets businessmen not only comprehend the target market but also provide meaningful insights and analyses for more effective and informed decision making in marketing. These assessments are most commonly about comprehending what constitutes ‘value’ for customers, the target segments, the intensity of competition in the market and adopting the right competitive stance, market size and demand forecasting, pricing and margins, etc.

The very first question that should ring an eCommerce entrepreneur/businessman is if there is a demand for the products/services being offered? If the same or similar products and services are already present in the market (selling and buying taking place), it establishes that there is a certain demand. But it does not answer the dimensions of the market size. Ecommerce market research could reveal this.

The next consideration is if certain people are buying the offering, who are these customers? In other words, we need to classify and define the customer segment. There are multiple ways in which a target segment could be defined. The better this definition is, the better shall be the understanding of customers and their values. For example, for an online luxury retail store, if it defines the target segment only with the income factor, that will leave a lot of room for uncertainty. If they add one more factor (say a few regions/states in a country), their circle of focus will further shrink and make it easier for them to understand their customers more specifically and channelize their efforts with higher efficiency. Online business market research helps in characterizing this digital customer base.

For eCommerce/online businesses, the presence, quality, accessibility, affordability, and usage of the relevant digital technologies is another big consideration. Without these factors marked yes, eCommerce/online trading is simply not possible. Most of the countries/regions where the digital environment is mature and advanced are also the places where eCommerce is doing extremely well. Determining the nature of these crucial factors of a target market region is covered in market research.

Despite having the right digital environment, the eCommerce market in a region or for certain product/service categories may still be non-existent or nascent. Market research attempts to figure out the online buying behaviour of customers in a market. Take the example of ice creams. The eCommerce channel is helpless here unless the business model or technologies are innovative enough. If a competitor is able to achieve this, it must be worthwhile to find out how they are working out the delivery model.

A big barrier to eCommerce sales is the lack of a strong digital payment system and customers’ attitude towards digital payments. The former raises genuine concern. Apprehensions towards digital payments can restrict the growth of eCommerce sales. To achieve volume sales, it becomes imperative for online businesses to try to assess the popularity of digital payments in a target market.

Competition analysis reveals a lot about a target market. A good assessment of the prevailing competition in a market gives new businesses a starting point to begin understanding how existing businesses are serving the market and how good they are at it. Availing the services of professional market research consulting companies could be of help here.

With the business idea in mind, new eCommerce players need to first assess how they will fare in the face of the existing competition or the competitive forces. You cannot start a social media network in 2021 and think of outplaying any of the existing giants any time soon. There will be a need to adopt the right competitive stance. Competing is not always about facing another business head-on. A thorough market research helps in assessing the prevailing state of competition, the strengths and weaknesses of the probable close competitors, and their marketing strategies.

Why DFX for market research?

DFX (Digital Finance Experts) has experience in conducting market research for online/ eCommerce businesses across a multitude of verticals. Our team of market research consultants shall bring to action their experience and expertise in comprehending your unique business requirements and come up with a curated market research plan. In carrying out market research, we follow a planned and systematic approach using advanced digital applications. Our experts shall also present CTAs (Call to Action) and recommendations to help you gain a meaningful overview and critical insights for better decision-making. With dedicated services and periodical reporting, you shall remain updated on the market research activities and developments being made. If you have any question on how to do market research for online business or if you want to know about our market research consulting services, drop us a message and we shall be happy to reach out to you.

Service Inclusion

Product/ Service Research

Objective is to understand product viability in terms the following factors:
  • Product Demand Study
  • Buying pattern and preference of our TG
  • Product/ Services Categories Demand Analysis
  • Keyword Analysis i.e. Online Search Analysis of our products: No. of searches per day/ week/ month in our target location

Competitor Research

Objective is to decode competitor strategies and decode what’s working for them? What strategies we can adopt and mistakes which we need to avoid.
  • Identify and benchmark the key players in a competitive set
  • Analyse the online best-sellers of your competitors
  • Competitors Policies adopted for online/ e-commerce sales

Price Feasibility Research

Objective is to understand the price range at which players are selling today. Which are the products where we can match the market expectations and where there is a gap?
  • Market Price Analysis (includes key competitors and market players)
  • Suitable Price Bracket (Min-Max range): as per your brand positioning

Marketing Strategy Research

Objective is to decode the Digital Marketing strategies of your competitors. Understand what’s working for them? What strategies we can adopt and mistakes which we need to avoid.
  • Evaluate the channels which is driving traffic to your competitors
  • Determine industry trends and strategies adopted by top market players
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of how competitors are acquiring customers
  • Traffic Channels: Direct/ Referring sites/ Social Media/ email/ Paid Ads/ Organic traffic
  • identify marketing channels that drive the highest conversion rates
  • Top Referring Sites & Top visiting pages
  • Social Media Leaderboard
  • Influencers Profiling
  • Trending Online Searches related to your Industry, products & services.

Market Overview

Objective is to understand the overall market opportunities and threats. Also identify our TG (i.e. target group/ customer)
  • TG Demographics (Total Market size in terms of: Age/ Gender/ Cities/ etc)
  • TG Profiling – 5W Analysis: Who, Where, What, When, Why
  • Market SWOT Analysis
  • Risk & Mitigation Factors

Operations Strategy Research

Objective is to understand the operations strategy adopted by competitors i.e. their overall team structure, head-office/ warehouse/ business locations, IT strategy, etc.
  • Infrastructure Strategy
  • Human Resource Strategy
  • Information Technology Strategy

Action Plan Recommendations 

Post Analysis and research, DFX team shall set recommendations for action plan which needs to be followed to achieve the desired objective.

Overall Duration

30 – 45 days.

FAQs

What are the types/ methodology of research included in this service? What will be the mode of research?
Secondary research is included, wherein parameters related to research are been analysed via various research tools, real-time data, government websites and globally reputed industry bodies, libraries, local councils, research papers, academic journals, etc. The research is performed online.
Will I get a ready available market research report? Or will it be custom built as per my requirements?
DFX does not provide ready available market research report. All research reports are custom-built, as per the requirements of the client.
Will my research report kept confidential?
Yes, absolutely!! DFX shall sign an NDA Agreement and ensure confidentiality of information. We are a custom-built and personalised consulting/ service company. DFX does not sell any ready-available market research reports nor share any client information.
Do we have to pay for research tools to DFX?
DFX market research consultants have numerous premium paid tools for which clients do not have to pay extra. These research tools are expensive for one-time use and needs technical expertise and training to use them, thus not recommended for clients to buy them for one-time research purpose.
What is the authenticity of research report given by DFX market research consultants?
DFX research experts analyse real-time data sets for research. These data sets are not created, sample data or assumptions based. DFX team has in-house research tools and software which gives an access to the real-time market data across the globe. Data related to generic market trends and analysis is gathered from government websites, globally reputed industry bodies, libraries, local councils, research papers, academic journals, etc.
Will this market research report help me for my startup?
Yes. Every research report is “objective-based”. Objective is research is well-defined by our market research experts before starting the research project.
Will this report help to attract investors for business?
Will this report help to attract investors for business? Market research shall clearly define the opportunities in your business model for investors. The key results of research is advised to be included in your Investor Pitch Deck. Data-driven Pitch Deck backed by research has proven to be 10 times more effective than a normal pitch deck.
Will there be meetings with DFX Research Experts to clarify doubts?
Will there be meetings with DFX Research Experts to clarify doubts? Yes. DFX market research consultants shall be conducting a “Need Analysis” and “Visioning” exercise before starting the research to define the expectations and objectives of research. After the research is completed, DFX team shall do meetings to explain the research report. Doubts/ queries related to research can be clarified during these sessions with DFX Experts.
How do I make the payment to avail DFX market research consulting services?
You can make the payment online through bank transfer and digital wallets. DFX team shall guide you with the payment procedures.
Can I cancel after paying for the market research service?
It is advised to take your final decision before making the payment. Once DFX team starts working on your research project, cancellation of services shall not be possible. If cancellation is requested within 24 hours after making the payment, we assure 100% money back into your original payment account within 72 working hours of your cancellation. Please note that few banks may take longer but from our side, it shall be processed and proofs shall be submitted.
Is this market research report relevant to my country, city or location?
Yes. You will have to notify your target market/ country/ region to be included in research report before the research work is started by DFX market research consultants.
How can I avail this service?
We have a 3-Step process to get started: Step 01 – Request for Quote Step 02 – Service Quote Finalization along with SLA (Service Level Agreement) Step 03 – DFX Experts start working on your business

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