B2B Research

B2B research generally falls into two broad categories: quantitative and qualitative research.

Quantitative research uses surveys to gather feedback from a sufficiently large sample of your target audience, allowing you to draw conclusions about the wider market. It helps answer questions such as what people think, how they behave, how priorities differ between audiences, and how attitudes are changing over time. We offer a range of methodologies and will recommend the approach best suited to your objectives.

Qualitative research explores the thinking behind the numbers. Through in-depth interviews or focus groups, it helps uncover the motivations, experiences and decision-making processes that influence behaviour. Our Research Directors are experienced at  putting participants at ease and encouraging open, honest discussion.

The most effective B2B research programmes often combine both approaches. Survey data can identify patterns and trends across a market, while qualitative research provides the context needed to understand what is driving them. Together, they provide a richer picture of your audience and help ensure decisions are based on both evidence and understanding.

It is important to work with a reputable B2B market research agency to conduct your campaign, and not just the least expensive. When dealing with businesses, researching them without the required skill, expertise, experience or knowledge of industry codes and standards is a big risk. Here are our top tips when choosing a B2B market research agency for your next project:

• Expertise: does the B2B market research agency have expertise in your chosen methodology? Are they full-service or do they only do online polls?
• Relationship: B2B research is a collaborative process and successful research depends on relationships and expertise. Ask them questions. What value can they add? Do they push and challenge you or just take what you give them? Are they constantly looking for ways to improve the project? Ensure that the team is senior enough to maximise insights from the results.
• Sample: what is the source of the B2B sample? In a B2B context, it is vital that you have a high-quality sample, that respondents are genuine and that they answer questions accurately.
• Knowledge: does the agency understand the sector you work in? Do they understand the world in which you exist, the terminology and technology? Can they demonstrate they have worked on similar projects?
• Recommendations: can anyone in your network who you trust recommend an agency? Are any people or brands you respect using a specific agency? Look on independent review sites such as Clutch to read what others have said and see who most closely fits your needs.
• Clients: ask any potential agency to demonstrate their experience and expertise. Do they have case studies that show how they have worked on similar projects to yours with similar target audiences?

Every member of our team has a minimum of 20 years’ industry experience and is director-level. This means you can benefit from our extensive expertise when designing your research from sample design to final reporting. The Arlington Research team adds value every step of the way:

• Producing questionnaires and discussion guides
• Conducting the fieldwork within your set time and budget parameters
• Analysing the results and presenting the deliverables in a visually engaging and thought-provoking way

Every example of B2B research we engage with is reliable, robust, delivered efficiently, and analysed to ensure it is both accurate and designed for maximum impact. More importantly, it ensures that business narratives are still every bit as engaging as in a consumer context, thanks to our story-first philosophy. Our scope of work is broad, and we have a B2B research portfolio made up of numerous leading brands and organisations from multiple sectors as a result.

In each case, we have helped bring their stories to life through business-led insight and a multi-sector reach. We would love to do the same for you!