market research

¹ American  

noun

1. the gathering and studying of data relating to consumer preferences, purchasing power, etc., especially prior to introducing a product on the market.

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market-research ² American  

[mahr-kit-ree-surch, -ri-surch] / ˈmɑr kɪtˈri sɜrtʃ, -rɪˈsɜrtʃ /

verb (used with object)

1. to conduct market research on.

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market research British  

noun

1. the study of influences upon customer and consumer behaviour and the analysis of market characteristics and trends

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Etymology

Origin of market research¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Origin of market-research²

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

That shift is already large enough to show up in market research.

From Barron's • Apr. 11, 2026

PetTV is available to paid subscribers of Tencent Video, which said its market research found that 66 per cent of dog owners leave the television on for their pets when they are out.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

“These verdicts mark an unsurprising breaking point. Negative sentiment toward social media has been building for years, and now it’s finally boiled over,” said Mike Proulx, a director at Forrester, a market research company.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 28, 2026

U.S. companies spent an estimated $23.5 billion on call and contact center outsourcing in 2025, according to market research firm Precedence Research.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

“The market research from Zach and Mrs. Hodges indicates that fifty-nine percent of the contributors to GoFundMe are now young women ages twenty-four and under.”

From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti