Research Your Export Markets

6. Using an Agency

6.1 If you decide to use a research agency for all or part of the work, consider whether to use a UK-based organisation or a research agency in the country you're researching.

• A foreign research agency is likely to be able to get information faster and more easily. But it will be more difficult to keep tabs on the time your money has bought and feedback may be difficult to understand due to cultural differences.

6.2 The easiest way to find a research agency is to use an online database or ask business contacts to recommend one.

• The British Market Research Association has a searchable online directory of its members. Visit www.bmra.org.uk/selectline or call 020 7566 3636 for a CD-ROM of member companies.
• MR Web also lists homepages of market research agencies in many major markets. Visit www.mrweb.com.
• For research agencies outside the UK, visit www.esomar.org.