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research topics on retail marketing

  • 23 Jul 2024
  • In Practice

The New Rules of Trade with China: Navigating Tariffs, Turmoil, and Opportunities

Trade tensions between the US and China have continued well beyond the Trump Administration's tariffs. Harvard Business School faculty offer insights for leaders managing the complexities of doing business with the world's second-largest economy.

research topics on retail marketing

  • 13 May 2024
  • Research & Ideas

Picture This: Why Online Image Searches Drive Purchases

Smaller sellers' products often get lost on large online marketplaces. However, harnessing images in search can help consumers find these products faster, increasing sales and customer satisfaction, finds research by Chiara Farronato and colleagues.

research topics on retail marketing

  • 01 Apr 2024

Navigating the Mood of Customers Weary of Price Hikes

Price increases might be tempering after historic surges, but companies continue to wrestle with pinched consumers. Alexander MacKay, Chiara Farronato, and Emily Williams make sense of the economic whiplash of inflation and offer insights for business leaders trying to find equilibrium.

research topics on retail marketing

  • 17 Jan 2024

Psychological Pricing Tactics to Fight the Inflation Blues

Inflation has slowed from the epic rates of 2021 and 2022, but many consumers still feel pinched. What will it take to encourage them to spend? Thoughtful pricing strategies that empower customers as they make purchasing decisions, says research by Elie Ofek.

research topics on retail marketing

  • 05 Dec 2023
  • Cold Call Podcast

Tommy Hilfiger’s Adaptive Clothing Line: Making Fashion Inclusive

In 2017, Tommy Hilfiger launched its adaptive fashion line to provide fashion apparel that aims to make dressing easier. By 2020, it was still a relatively unknown line in the U.S. and the Tommy Hilfiger team was continuing to learn more about how to serve these new customers. Should the team make adaptive clothing available beyond the U.S., or is a global expansion premature? Assistant Professor Elizabeth Keenan discusses the opportunities and challenges that accompanied the introduction of a new product line that effectively serves an entirely new customer while simultaneously starting a movement to provide fashion for all in the case, “Tommy Hilfiger Adaptive: Fashion for All.”

research topics on retail marketing

  • 05 Jul 2023

How Unilever Is Preparing for the Future of Work

Launched in 2016, Unilever’s Future of Work initiative aimed to accelerate the speed of change throughout the organization and prepare its workforce for a digitalized and highly automated era. But despite its success over the last three years, the program still faces significant challenges in its implementation. How should Unilever, one of the world's largest consumer goods companies, best prepare and upscale its workforce for the future? How should Unilever adapt and accelerate the speed of change throughout the organization? Is it even possible to lead a systematic, agile workforce transformation across several geographies while accounting for local context? Harvard Business School professor and faculty co-chair of the Managing the Future of Work Project William Kerr and Patrick Hull, Unilever’s vice president of global learning and future of work, discuss how rapid advances in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and automation are changing the nature of work in the case, “Unilever's Response to the Future of Work.”

research topics on retail marketing

  • 25 Apr 2023

How SHEIN and Temu Conquered Fast Fashion—and Forged a New Business Model

The platforms SHEIN and Temu match consumer demand and factory output, bringing Chinese production to the rest of the world. The companies have remade fast fashion, but their pioneering approach has the potential to go far beyond retail, says John Deighton.

research topics on retail marketing

  • 11 Apr 2023

Is Amazon a Retailer, a Tech Firm, or a Media Company? How AI Can Help Investors Decide

More companies are bringing seemingly unrelated businesses together in new ways, challenging traditional stock categories. MarcAntonio Awada and Suraj Srinivasan discuss how applying machine learning to regulatory data could reveal new opportunities for investors.

research topics on retail marketing

  • 04 Apr 2023

Two Centuries of Business Leaders Who Took a Stand on Social Issues

Executives going back to George Cadbury and J. N. Tata have been trying to improve life for their workers and communities, according to the book Deeply Responsible Business: A Global History of Values-Driven Leadership by Geoffrey Jones. He highlights three practices that deeply responsible companies share.

research topics on retail marketing

  • 03 Mar 2023

When Showing Know-How Backfires for Women Managers

Women managers might think they need to roll up their sleeves and work alongside their teams to show their mettle. But research by Alexandra Feldberg shows how this strategy can work against them. How can employers provide more support?

research topics on retail marketing

  • 27 Feb 2023

How One Late Employee Can Hurt Your Business: Data from 25 Million Timecards

Employees who clock in a few minutes late—or not at all—often dampen sales and productivity, says a study of 100,000 workers by Ananth Raman and Caleb Kwon. What can managers do to address chronic tardiness and absenteeism?

research topics on retail marketing

  • 06 Dec 2022

Latest Isn’t Always Greatest: Why Product Updates Capture Consumers

Consumers can't pass up a product update—even if there's no improvement. Research by Leslie John, Michael Norton, and Ximena Garcia-Rada illustrates the powerful allure of change. Are we really that naïve?

research topics on retail marketing

  • 29 Nov 2022

How Much More Would Holiday Shoppers Pay to Wear Something Rare?

Economic worries will make pricing strategy even more critical this holiday season. Research by Chiara Farronato reveals the value that hip consumers see in hard-to-find products. Are companies simply making too many goods?

research topics on retail marketing

  • 21 Nov 2022

Buy Now, Pay Later: How Retail's Hot Feature Hurts Low-Income Shoppers

More consumers may opt to "buy now, pay later" this holiday season, but what happens if they can't make that last payment? Research by Marco Di Maggio and Emily Williams highlights the risks of these financing services, especially for lower-income shoppers.

research topics on retail marketing

  • 18 Oct 2022

Chewy.com’s Make-or-Break Logistics Dilemma

In late 2013, Ryan Cohen, cofounder and then-CEO of online pet products retailer Chewy.com, was facing a decision that could determine his company’s future. Should he stay with a third-party logistics provider (3PL) for all of Chewy.com’s e-commerce fulfillment or take that function in house? Cohen was convinced that achieving scale would be essential to making the business work and he worried that the company’s current 3PL may not be able to scale with Chewy.com’s projected growth or maintain the company’s performance standards for service quality and fulfillment. But neither he nor his cofounders had any experience managing logistics, and the company’s board members were pressuring him to leave order fulfillment to the 3PL. They worried that any changes could destabilize the existing 3PL relationship and endanger the viability of the fast-growing business. What should Cohen do? Senior Lecturer Jeffrey Rayport discusses the options in his case, “Chewy.com (A).”

research topics on retail marketing

  • 06 Sep 2022

Reinventing an Iconic Independent Bookstore

In 2020, Kwame Spearman (MBA 2011) made the career-shifting decision to leave a New York City-based consulting job to return to his hometown of Denver, Colorado, and take over an iconic independent bookstore, The Tattered Cover. Spearman saw an opportunity to reinvent the local business to build a sense of community after the pandemic. But he also had to find a way to meet the big challenges facing independent booksellers amid technological change and shifting business models. Professor Ryan Raffaelli and Spearman discuss Spearman’s vision for reinventing The Tattered Cover, as well as larger insights around how local businesses can successfully compete with online and big box retailers in the case, “Kwame Spearman at Tattered Cover: Reinventing Brick-and-Mortar Retail.”

research topics on retail marketing

  • 26 Jul 2022

Burgers with Bugs? What Happens When Restaurants Ignore Online Reviews

Negative Yelp reviews hold more sway with consumers than restaurateurs might think. A machine learning study by Chiara Farronato reveals how online platforms amplify the customer voice, and why business owners should listen.

research topics on retail marketing

  • 22 Mar 2022

How Etsy Found Its Purpose and Crafted a Turnaround

Etsy, the online seller of handmade goods, was founded in 2005 as an alternative to companies that sold mass-manufactured products. The company grew substantially, but remained unprofitable under the leadership of two early CEOs. Ten years later, Etsy went public and was forced into a new arena, where it was beholden to stakeholders who demanded financial success and accountability. Unable to contain costs, the company was almost bought out by private equity firms in 2017—until CEO Josh Silverman arrived with a mission to save the company financially and, in the process, save its soul. Harvard Business School professor Ranjay Gulati discusses the purpose-driven turnaround Silverman and his team led at Etsy—to make the company profitable and improve its social and environmental impact—in the case, “Etsy: Crafting a Turnaround to Save the Business and Its Soul.” Open for comment; 0 Comments.

research topics on retail marketing

  • 05 Nov 2021

Is the Business World Finally Ready for the Wisdom of Shibusawa?

Legendary financier Eiichi Shibusawa advocated for business prosperity that would also benefit society. One hundred years after his death, his message is resonating with a new generation of leaders, say Geoffrey Jones and Rei Morimoto. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

  • 19 Oct 2021

Fed Up Workers and Supply Woes: What's Next for Dollar Stores?

Willy Shih discusses how higher costs, shipping delays, and worker shortages are putting the dollar store business model to the test ahead of the critical holiday shopping season. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Retail Market Research: Specifics, Challenges, and Tips

  • by Alice Ananian
  • May 29, 2024

Retail Market Research

The retail industry is a bustling marketplace where competition is fierce and customer preferences are constantly evolving. To thrive and grow in such a dynamic environment, market research is not just beneficial – it’s a necessity. Retail market research involves gathering, analyzing, and interpreting data related to consumer behavior, market trends, and competitor strategies. For entrepreneurs, market analysts, and small business owners within the retail sector, understanding the specifics and best practices of retail market research can be a game-changer.

This comprehensive guide looks at the power of retail market research, how to approach it effectively, tools to simplify the process, featuring a case study, and tackle the challenges head-on.

What Makes Market Research for Retail Unique?

Market research in the retail industry is marked by several distinct features that set it apart from other sectors. Understanding these unique aspects is crucial in conducting research that yields actionable insights.

1. Hyper-focus on the Customer

Retailers are laser-focused on understanding their target customers . This goes beyond demographics to encompass shopping habits, preferences, and even emotional drivers behind purchases.

2. The Competitive Landscape

The retail world is crowded and fiercely competitive. Market research helps identify what competitors are doing well (or poorly) and allows retailers to differentiate themselves [4].

3. The Importance of Experience

In today’s retail world, the customer experience is paramount. Retail research goes beyond product desire and explores factors like store layout, online usability, and even employee interaction.

4. Keeping Up with Trends

Retail is a dynamic industry, and what’s hot today can be yesterday’s news tomorrow.  Market research helps retailers identify emerging trends and adapt their offerings accordingly.

5. The Blend of Online and Offline

Modern retail isn’t just about brick-and-mortar stores or websites anymore. It’s a seamless blend of the two.  Retail research needs to consider how these channels interact and how customers navigate between them.

By considering these unique aspects, retailers can leverage market research to make smarter decisions about everything from product selection to store layout and marketing campaigns.

How to Conduct Market Research for Retail Businesses [Step-by-Step Guide]

Effective retail market research is a systematic process that involves several key steps. By breaking down the process, you can conduct thorough research that informs smart business decisions.

Step 1: Define Your Research Goals & Target Audience

Goal Setting: What do you want to learn? Is it understanding customer preferences for a new product line, analyzing competitor strengths, or gauging interest in a new store location? Clearly defined goals will guide your research methods.

Target Audience: Who are you selling to? Define your ideal customer profile by demographics (age, income, location), interests, and shopping habits. This helps tailor your research methods to reach the right people.

Example:   A clothing boutique wants to launch a new activewear line. Their target audience might be young professionals (22-35) who are health-conscious and shop online and in-store.

Step 2: Develop Your Research Plan

Primary vs. Secondary Research: As with any industry, primary research involves collecting your own data (surveys, interviews). Secondary research involves leveraging existing data (industry reports, government statistics).

Example: For the yoga wear example, primary research could involve focus groups with potential customers to understand their preferences for materials, styles, and price points. Secondary research might involve looking at industry reports on the growth of the eco-friendly clothing market.

Pro tip: Gathering primary research can cost you a lot of time and money. To better coordinate your efforts, make sure you use tools that do the leg work for you. For example, instead of creating templates and funneling all your findings manually into an Excel sheet, consider launching your product.

Prelaunching, i.e., creating a landing page with Prelaunch , opens up a world of insights into your target audience, best iterations of your product, and price point. All this information is neatly collected in a Dashboard, so all you have to do is analyze your data.

Step 3: Gather Your Information – Primary Research Methods

Surveys & Online Polls: Develop targeted online surveys or polls to gather customer opinions on product ideas, pricing, and brand perception. Tools like Google Forms or SurveyMonkey can help create and distribute these.

In-Store Observations: Observe how customers interact with your products or competitor products in physical stores. Note what attracts them, what they try on, and where they spend time.

Focus Groups: Conduct small group discussions with potential customers to gain deeper qualitative insights into their needs, motivations, and pain points.

Action Step:   Merge the processes of surveys, online polls, and focus groups with a singular platform that helps you do it all. Setting up a concept-validating landing page on Prelaunch gives you access to real-time insights. Surveys are an embedded part of Prelaunch’s funnel.

Prelaunch Research Survey

For instance, the Reservation Survey is displayed on the Thank You page following a potential customer’s reservation of the product. This enables you to pose questions aimed at enhancing the product and identifying the customer profile.

The Cancellation Survey is presented when someone selects the “No, thanks” option on the Reservation page. This offers insights into their reasons for not reserving the product and what changes could potentially change their mind.

The Prelaunch platform is also set up to conduct focus groups which can be organized remotely and from a group of potential buyers that have already confirmed their purchase intent. The result is the most accurate data you could ever wish for.

Step 4: Gather Your Information – Secondary Research Methods

Industry Reports: Look for reports from market research firms or industry associations that provide data on retail trends, consumer behavior, and market size for your specific niche.

National Retail Federation (NRF) : Publishes annual reports on retail industry trends, consumer spending, and economic forecasts. They also offer specific reports on various retail sectors like grocery, apparel, or electronics.

Euromonitor International : Provides market research reports on various consumer goods sectors, including retail. Their reports offer in-depth analysis of market size, growth projections, and consumer trends across different regions.

McKinsey & Company : Produces research reports on retail industry disruption, e-commerce trends, and the future of shopping. Their insights are valuable for understanding the broader forces shaping the retail landscape.

Trade Publications: Stay updated on industry trends and competitor news by following relevant publications and websites.

Retail Dive : A leading online publication that covers retail news and trends across all sectors, from e-commerce to brick-and-mortar operations. They offer insightful articles, data analysis, and interviews with retail industry leaders.

Chain Store Age : A trade publication focused on news and strategies for multi-location retail chains. Their content covers topics like store operations, merchandising, and supply chain management.

STORES Magazine : Published by the National Retail Federation, STORES Magazine covers retail technology, marketing trends, and omnichannel strategies.

News Articles

  • The Wall Street Journal – Retail & Wholesale : This section of the Wall Street Journal features news articles on major retail companies, industry mergers and acquisitions, and the impact of economic factors on the retail sector.
  • Reuters Retail : Reuters provides breaking news and analysis on retail companies, consumer spending patterns, and global retail trends.
  • Local Business Journals: Many local business journals (e.g https://www.bizjournals.com/ ) have sections dedicated to retail news within their specific metropolitan areas. These can provide valuable insights into consumer trends and local retail developments.

Action Step: Subscribe to newsletters from industry research firms like Nielsen or Euromonitor . Look for government data on the US Census Bureau website or your national statistical office.

Step 5: Analyze Your Findings

Organize your data: Put all your research findings (surveys, reports, observations) in a central location for easy analysis.

Identify trends and patterns: Look for recurring themes across your data sets.

Example: Analyze survey data to see if the price is a major concern for eco-conscious yoga wear consumers. Combine this with industry report data on the growing market for premium eco-friendly clothing.

Step 6:  Present Your Findings and Take Action

Create a clear and concise report: Summarize your research methods, key findings, and actionable insights.

Develop a plan: Based on your research, decide what to stock, how to price products , and how to market your eco-friendly yoga wear line.

Example: Your research might reveal a strong demand for high-quality, ethically sourced yoga wear at a premium price point. This can guide your product selection, marketing message, and in-store presentation.

Pro tip: Actionable insights are easier to arrive at when you have Customer Personas. On Prelaunch, these are AI-developed personas based on the customer profiles that your campaign has provided. Simply put, when potential customers interact with your landing page, they provide clues and insights into the best way to market your product (e.g. what pain points they have, what features really make a difference.)

Based on these insights Prelaunch builds customer personas which give you a clear idea of who and how to target your marketing efforts.

Tools and Resources for Retail Market Research

Retailers today have an array of tools and resources at their disposal to carry out comprehensive market research. From traditional methods to cutting-edge analytics, choosing the right tools can make a significant impact on the quality and efficiency of your research.

Primary Research Methods

Surveys & Questionnaires:   Gather a large pool of data on customer demographics, shopping habits, and brand preferences.

Tools: SurveyMonkey, Typeform, Google Forms

Focus Groups: Conduct guided discussions with a small group of customers to gain deeper insights and understanding of their motivations.

Tools: Prelaunch.com : This concept validation platform is a one-stop-shop for marketers. By creating a landing page with your concept and gauging customer response, you gain real-time insights into demand, iterate on your design based on feedback, and avoid investing heavily in an idea that might flop. This direct interaction with potential customers makes pre-launching a powerful primary research tool.

In-Store Observations: Observe how customers interact with your store or competitor stores. This can reveal product placement issues or areas where customer service can be improved.

Unfortunately, there aren’t many tools that can help optimize this process, which is why it’s imperative to optimize as many primary research methods as possible. (See pro tip above☝)

Secondary Research Methods

Industry Reports: Published by research firms or industry associations, these reports provide valuable data on market size, trends, and competitor analysis.

Resources: Euromonitor , Gartner L2 , IBISWorld

Government Statistics: Government websites often provide demographic and spending data that can be helpful in understanding your target market.

Resources: US Census Bureau , UK Office for National Statistics

Competitor Analysis: Research your competitors’ offerings, pricing strategies, and marketing campaigns.

Tools: Similarweb , SEMrush

Social Media Listening: Monitor online conversations to understand customer sentiment and identify emerging trends.

Tools: Brandwatch , Sprout Social

Additional Resources

Retail Trade Associations: Many retail trade associations offer resources and research specific to your industry segment.

  • National Retail Federation (NRF) : The world’s largest retail trade association, offering resources and research on various retail sectors.
  • Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) : Represents leading retailers in the US, providing insights on public policy, consumer trends, and emerging technologies .
  • International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) : Focuses on shopping centers and real estate, offering data and reports on shopping center performance and consumer behavior.
  • Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) : Represents the food, beverage, and consumer product industry, providing insights on consumer trends and purchasing habits in the grocery sector.

News and Publications: Stay up-to-date on industry trends by following relevant publications and news websites.

  • Retail Dive : Provides news and analysis on the retail industry, covering trends in e-commerce, omnichannel retailing, and technology.
  • Chain Store Age : Offers news and insights for retail executives, covering topics like store operations, marketing, and technology.
  • Supermarket News : Focuses on the grocery industry, providing news and analysis on trends, consumer behavior, and supply chain issues.
  • Women’s Wear Daily (WWD) : Covers the fashion and beauty industry, offering insights on consumer trends, fashion weeks, and retail strategies.

By combining these tools and resources, you can conduct comprehensive retail market research that empowers you to make strategic decisions and gain a competitive edge.

Case Study: Home Depot Leverages Market Research to Drive In-Store Tech Adoption

Home Depot , a leading home improvement retailer, recognized the growing importance of technology in the customer journey.  However, they needed to understand how customers interacted with technology in-store and how to encourage its adoption.

Research Methods

In-Store Observations: Researchers observed how customers navigated stores, interacted with kiosks and digital signage, and sought assistance from employees.

Customer Surveys: Surveys were conducted to understand customer attitudes towards technology in-store, their preferred ways to access information, and any pain points they encountered.

Focus Groups: Focus groups with DIY enthusiasts explored their comfort level with technology and their ideal in-store tech experience.

Key Findings

Customers were receptive to using technology in-store, especially for tasks like product research, checking inventory, and accessing project guides.

Traditional methods of getting help, like flagging down employees, were still important, but customers appreciated the ability to access information independently through kiosks and digital signage.

There was a gap between customer needs and existing technology offerings. The in-store tech felt clunky and not user-friendly for some customers.

Actions Taken

Improved In-Store Kiosks: Home Depot upgraded their kiosks with a more intuitive interface and a wider range of functionalities, allowing customers to browse products, compare features, and access how-to videos.

Enhanced Digital Signage: Digital signage was revamped to display targeted product information, special promotions, and DIY project inspiration, aligned with the customer’s location in the store.

Employee Training: Employees were trained on the new technology and empowered to guide customers towards using the kiosks and digital signage for a more efficient shopping experience.

Increased Customer Satisfaction: Surveys showed a significant increase in customer satisfaction with the in-store shopping experience, particularly regarding ease of finding information and getting help.

Improved Sales Conversion: Data indicated that customers who interacted with the in-store technology were more likely to purchase.

Enhanced Brand Image: Home Depot positioned itself as a leader in integrating technology to improve the customer experience in the home improvement sector.

Lessons Learned

This case study highlights the importance of market research in understanding customer needs and effectively integrating technology in a traditional retail setting.  By actively listening to their customers, Home Depot identified opportunities to bridge the gap between traditional and digital shopping experiences, ultimately leading to increased customer satisfaction and sales.

Cracking the Code: Overcoming Challenges in Retail Market Research

Retail market research is essential for staying ahead of the curve in this dynamic industry. However, gathering valuable customer insights can be tricky. Here, we explore some common challenges and how to overcome them:

Challenge 1: Capturing Elusive Customers

The Problem: Today’s consumers are busy and have short attention spans. Traditional methods like in-person surveys can have low response rates.

The Solution: Embrace online research tools like Prelaunch.com’s Idea Validation feature . The tool allows you to put together a sharable page that sums up and presents your product to an audience. The process takes less than 10 minutes and lets you capture your idea in a way that’s short, sweet and to the point. Based on how they engage with the page, you’ll be able to know whether your idea is valid or not.

Challenge 2:  Keeping Pace with Change

The Problem: Retail trends evolve rapidly. Research based on outdated data can lead to missed opportunities.

The Solution: Build a culture of continuous research. Conduct regular pulse surveys to track changing preferences and use social listening tools to monitor online conversations about your brand and industry.

Challenge 3:  Omnichannel Mystery

The Problem: The retail journey spans multiple channels – online stores, physical stores, and mobile apps. Understanding customer behavior across these touchpoints can be complex.

The Solution: Employ a mix of research methods. Combine online surveys with website behavior tracking and in-store observation to get a holistic view of the customer experience.

Challenge 4:  Data Overload & Analysis Paralysis

The Problem: With so much data available, it can be overwhelming to analyze it effectively and translate insights into actionable steps.

The Solution: Invest in data analytics tools. These tools can help you categorize, visualize, and identify key trends within your data sets. Focus on creating clear research questions to guide your analysis and prioritize actionable insights.

By understanding these challenges and implementing the suggested solutions, you can ensure your retail market research delivers valuable insights that drive better business decisions and keep your brand at the forefront of the ever-evolving retail landscape.

Prelaunch Submission

Retail market research is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor. It requires adaptability, creativity, and a commitment to understanding the intricate interaction between markets and consumers. By following the steps provided in this guide and combining it with the right tools and resources, you can unlock invaluable insights that will drive your retail business forward.

Remember that conducting comprehensive retail market research is an investment, not an expense. It is the foundation upon which successful retail strategies are built. By immersing yourself in the data and understanding the unique characteristics of retail market research, you are taking the first steps towards securing your position in the competitive retail industry.

Emerge as a leader in your segment by harnessing the power of retail market research. Your strategies should not only reflect market realities but should also anticipate and shape them. Take the time to master this critical component of retail, and watch as your business flourishes in response. Happy analyzing!

What is retail market research?

Retail market research is the systematic process of gathering information about the retail industry, specifically focusing on your target market and competitors. It helps you understand what customers want and need, how they shop, and what influences their buying decisions.

Who should conduct retail market research?

Ideally, anyone involved in making strategic decisions for a retail business can benefit from market research. This can include:

  • Business Owners and Managers: Gain insights to improve product selection, pricing strategies, marketing campaigns, and overall customer experience.
  • Marketing and Sales Teams: Understand customer needs and preferences to develop targeted marketing initiatives and improve sales conversion rates.
  • Product Development Teams: Inform product development decisions based on real customer needs and emerging trends.

While some larger companies might have dedicated market research teams, smaller retailers can still conduct valuable research using a mix of free and paid tools and resources.

What types of market research are most appropriate for the retail industry?

Retail market research can leverage various methods, but some are particularly well-suited for the industry:

Primary Research: This involves collecting your own data directly from your target audience.

Examples: Customer surveys and questionnaires to understand shopping habits and preferences. Focus groups to gain deeper insights into customer motivations and product perceptions. In-store observations to analyze customer behavior and identify areas for improvement.

Secondary Research: This involves leveraging existing data collected by others.

Examples: Industry reports on market size, trends, and competitor analysis. Government statistics on demographics and spending habits in your target market. Competitor analysis to understand their offerings, pricing strategies, and marketing tactics. Social media listening to monitor online conversations and identify customer sentiment towards your brand and industry trends.

By combining primary and secondary research methods, retailers can gain a well-rounded understanding of their market and make informed decisions for long-term success.

research topics on retail marketing

Alice Ananian

Alice has over 8 years experience as a strong communicator and creative thinker. She enjoys helping companies refine their branding, deepen their values, and reach their intended audiences through language.

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Retail Market Research: Benefits, Trends & 5 Real-Life Examples

Headshot of Cem Dilmegani

Figure 1. Popularity of retail market research on Google search engine in the US between 2016-2023

A recent McKinsey report highlights a dramatic shift in customer behavior, with 50% of customers changing their brand preferences in 2022, and 90% indicating they’ll continue to switch brands. 1 This trend points to a volatile retail market, where some brands may decline while others rise, underlining the importance for retailers to adapt and innovate to maintain customer loyalty. With evolving consumer preferences, conducting market research through customer surveys becomes increasingly critical.

This article highlights the importance of market research for retail business, methods, trends, and some real-life examples.

If you wish to use a market research tool, here is a guide comparing the top tools on the market .

Why is market research important for retail companies?

1- better understand your target market and customers.

Market research provides retailers with insights into customer behavior, enabling them to adapt their products, services, and marketing to align with market trends. This knowledge is essential for everything from product development to pricing and even store design, ensuring that retailers can create an experience that truly connects with their customers.

Real-life example

research topics on retail marketing

Source: Statista 2

Figure 2. Crocs YoY revenue growth between 2017-2022

Crocs has experienced a nearly 200% increase in sales since 2019, outperforming other brands that peaked during quarantine. 3 Emphasizing digital marketing, market research, and celebrity endorsements, Crocs continues to adapt to consumer preferences, moving towards a more fashion-forward market and maintaining relevance despite changing trends.

2- Increase product launch success

Introducing a new product to the market is a high-stakes endeavor, often accompanied by considerable financial risk. Conducting thorough market research is key to mitigating these risks. By delving into consumer desires, market trends, and unmet needs, retailers can gain valuable insights that guide product development.

A recent survey by the Toy Association found that more than 40% of adult parents are buying toys for themselves. 4 This trend, known as the “kidult” market, has seen growth, particularly during the pandemic. Retailers like Walmart are responding by marketing toys and games directly to adults, tapping into this nostalgic consumer segment.

3- Stay informed about and ahead of competitors & retail industry trends

Staying abreast of industry trends and understanding what rivals are doing is crucial in retail. Retailers must be aware of their competitors’ offerings and identify areas where they can differentiate themselves, be it in product characteristics, customer experience, or communication strategies.

Home Depot identified a trend towards convenient and seamless shopping experiences and responded by integrating advanced technologies. 5 They developed a versatile mobile app that facilitates price comparison and in-store pickups, augmented reality for visualizing products in a space, and location-based services within the app to enhance in-store navigation and offer real-time deals to customers.

4- Improve marketing messaging and customer relationships

Through market research, retailers can gain insights into consumer behaviors, preferences, and purchasing motivations. This information is invaluable for developing targeted marketing campaigns that resonate with consumers, enhancing the overall customer experience, and building lasting relationships. Understanding customer needs and preferences allows retailers to communicate more effectively, personalize their marketing efforts, and align their products and services with consumer expectations, thereby fostering customer loyalty and driving sales.

McDonald’s responded to customer feedback about the lack of healthy and organic options on its menu. 6 As a result, McDonald’s introduced healthier items like apple slices and launched an advertising campaign to highlight the real meat content in its chicken nuggets and patties, demonstrating its commitment to addressing customer concerns​.

5- Validate product idea(s)

Market research helps in understanding whether there is a real demand for the product and if it meets the needs and expectations of potential customers. By effectively analyzing market trends, consumer behaviors, and preferences, retailers can reduce the risk of introducing products that may not resonate with the market.

Quibi, a mobile-focused streaming service, shut down after just six months due to its failure to attract a significant audience, despite raising $1.8 billion and being positioned as the next big service company in modern entertainment. 7 The company’s leaders later acknowledged that the idea behind Quibi wasn’t strong enough to justify a stand-alone streaming service. This highlights how even well-funded ventures can falter without adequate market research to validate the product’s fit and demand in the market.

Primary vs. secondary research

In retail market research, primary and secondary research serve distinct yet complementary purposes. This distinction ensures a holistic approach to the market research process to understand both the micro (customer-specific) and macro (industry-wide) aspects of the retail market.

Primary research

Primary research is essential for obtaining fresh, direct feedback from customers. Through methods like surveys and interviews, retailers can gain valuable insights into consumer preferences, purchasing habits, and attitudes. This firsthand information is crucial for grasping customer behavior nuances and shaping product and marketing strategies accordingly.

Secondary research

Secondary research plays a key role in comprehensively understanding the retail sector. By analyzing existing data from sources like trade journals, government reports, and consumer studies, retailers can identify current trends, challenges, and potential opportunities for growth within the industry.

Market research methods for the retail industry

1- customer surveys.

These are questionnaires designed to collect feedback from customers about their experiences, preferences, and opinions. Surveys can be conducted online, in-store, or via email and are useful for collecting quantitative data. They help retailers understand customer satisfaction, product preferences, and areas for improvement.

2- Sentiment analysis

Sentiment analysis often uses natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning to categorize opinions as positive, negative, or neutral. This method is particularly useful in understanding how customers feel about a brand or product and can be instrumental in identifying areas for improvement, gauging customer satisfaction, and monitoring the impact of marketing campaigns or new product launches.

Check out our research on retail sentiment analysis for more information.

3- In-depth customer interviews

This method involves conducting one-on-one interviews to gain detailed insights into customer attitudes, experiences, and behaviors. These interviews can uncover deeper insights than surveys, as they allow for more nuanced discussions and exploration of topics.

4- Social media monitoring

By observing and analyzing conversations and trends on social media platforms, retailers can gauge public sentiment about their brand, competitors, and the industry at large. This method provides real-time feedback and insight into emerging trends and customer preferences.

5- Focus groups

Focus groups involve gathering a small, diverse group of people to discuss and provide feedback on products, services, or marketing campaigns. This method allows for interactive discussions and can provide rich qualitative data about consumer attitudes and behaviors.

6- Sales records

Reviewing and analyzing sales data helps retailers understand which products are selling well and which are not. This method provides concrete evidence of consumer purchasing patterns and preferences, helping retailers make informed decisions about inventory, pricing, and promotions.

Retail market trends

Retail market trends are currently shaped by several factors that companies should keep in mind when they conduct market research Here are a few:

Use of AI and technology

Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing inventory management , customer service (through chatbots ), and personalized shopping experiences (through NLP). Retailers are also experimenting with augmented reality (AR/VR) to enhance product visualization online.

Omnichannel retailing practices

The line between online and offline shopping is blurring in the digitalized age. For instance, 70% of millennials and Gen Z customers rely on social channels for shopping. 8 Besides, 500+ million people engage with Nike through the apps.g. 9 Retailers are integrating their online and physical stores to provide a cohesive customer experience. This trend includes features like buy-online-pick-up-in-store (BOPIS) and the use of digital tools in physical stores.

Sustainable products & ethical practices

Increasingly, consumers are gravitating towards brands that demonstrate environmental responsibility and ethical business practices. This shift is leading retailers to adopt more sustainable practices , from sourcing to packaging, and transparently communicate their efforts to consumers.

Personalized products & services

With access to more customer data, retailers are tailoring shopping experiences to individual preferences. This trend involves using data analytics to offer personalized product recommendations, targeted marketing, and customized shopping experiences.

If interested, here is our data-driven list of survey participant recruitment services and survey tools .

For those interested, here is also our data driven list of market research tools .

If you need guidance in vendor selection, feel free to reach us:

External Links

  • 1. “ Retail reset: A new playbook for retail leaders “. McKinsey . July 10, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  • 2. “ Year-on-year revenue growth of Crocs worldwide from 2017 to 2022 “. Statista . February, 2023. Retrieved December 2,2023.
  • 3. “ People Started Buying Crocs During the Pandemic. They Can’t Stop “. The New York Times . March 27, 2023. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  • 4. “ Halloween Is for Kids. ‘Kidults’ Too. “. The New York Times . Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  • 5. “ The Meaning of Digital Transformation in the Retail Industry: Examples, Benefits & Trends “. ionic . Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  • 6. “ 6 Famous Brands That Depend on Market Research “. DriveResearch . September 14, 2023. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  • 7. “ Testing Business Ideas With Market Validation “. Antler . April 18, 2023. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  • 8. “ Turning consumer and retail companies into software-driven innovators “. McKinsey . September 6, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  • 9. “ NIKE, INC. Reports Fiscal 2023 Fourth Quarter and Full Year Results “. NIKE . September 29, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2023.

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  • Global Consumer Trends
  • Key Business Trends
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In 2024 retail brands need to be able to connect with consumers across multiple channels. And provide them with the personal shopping experiences they crave.

It’s a tall task, but tech solutions (like AI) are making these efforts a bit easier.

In this guide, we'll outline how consumer behavior, emerging technology, and economic conditions are impacting retailers.

Here are the top 11 retail trends you need to know.

1. Retailers Use AI to Boost Sales and Efficiency

Artificial intelligence and machine learning solutions are impacting nearly every industry, but according to IDC, these technologies are especially prevalent in the retail sector.

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IDC’s data ranks the retail sector as second among all industries when it comes to spending on AI technologies.

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Notably, this increase in AI spending is paying off.

A recent study showed that retailers using AI/ML solutions saw sales grow by 2.3x and profits grow 2.5x that year compared with their competitors who had not adopted the technology.

The study predicted a similar performance for 2024 with a 2.4x growth in sales and 2.6x growth in profits compared to retailers that are not using AI/ML.

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So exactly how are these AI/ML solutions helping retailers drive growth?

One way is using AI to offer personalized product recommendations.

Personalized recommendations are important to customers— 65% say they’ll remain loyal to a retailer that offers a more personalized experience and 33% say they’re frustrated by irrelevant product recommendations.

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A Deloitte survey showed that half of retail executives are planning to prioritize this strategy in 2024.

These AI-powered recommendation engines analyze a consumer’s previous behaviors, purchases, and search queries in order to specifically highlight products the consumer is most likely to buy.

It’s no surprise that Amazon is already a leader in this type of technology.

Salesforce reported that a significant amount of sales during Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days in the fall of 2023 were prompted by AI recommendations.

In both the handbags and active apparel categories, 15% of sales were driven by AI.

Another major way in which retailers are utilizing AI is to increase operational efficiency.

More than 70% of retailers that have adopted AI already say they’ve seen a decrease in operating costs. That’s according to a survey from Nvidia.

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These organizations use AI to manage inventory, enhance loss prevention efforts, analyze store analytics, and provide adaptive pricing.

AI is also instrumental in improving supply chains .

The technology can predict surges in demand and guide retailers to optimize inventory in advance of sales and promotions.

Fashion retailer ASOS began using AI to forecast demand in 2023.

Company officials say the technology provides them with “granularity and accuracy” that wasn’t available before they implemented AI.

2. Increasing Consumer Demand for Same-Day Delivery

Speedy shipping continues to be a top priority for retail consumers.

Same-day delivery is moving from a nice-to-have feature to a must-have feature for retailers.

Nearly 70% of customers say the speed of delivery is an important factor when it comes to buying products online.

Nearly 25% like to see next-day shipping availability and 17% want same-day delivery options.

Same-day delivery is most important to young generations , McKinsey reports.

20% of Gen Z expects same-day delivery and nearly 60% of Gen Z is willing to pay for same-day delivery.

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Some big-box retailers are offering expanded delivery options in hopes of luring customers based on convenience.

In March 2024, Walmart announced they’d start making deliveries to customers’ homes as early as 6 a.m . In the past, their earliest deliveries were scheduled at 8 a.m.

That follows the retailer’s announcement from September 2023 that late-night deliveries would go out as late as 10 p.m. at nearly 4,000 stores.

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Target has followed suit by announcing a new Target 360 loyalty program. Free same-day delivery is one perk of membership.

On a broader scale, DoorDash is continuing to position itself as a retail delivery platform .

Company officials said they delivered for just a few dozen retailers three years ago, but they’ve now become a delivery provider for hundreds of retailers.

And very soon, retailers could be delivering products in a whole new way: via drones.

Amazon has been piloting a drone program for a few years now.

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Amazon recently expanded the program to include pharmacy orders. These drones are delivering medications to customers in College Station, Texas, in 60 minutes or less .

Walmart is testing a program in Texas, too.

The retailer says that 75% of the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area will be eligible for drone deliveries by the end of 2024.

3. Retailers Attract Shoppers with Entertaining Experiences

Just 23% of Americans say they’re “very” or “extremely” loyal to brands.

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But retailers are trying to change that.

One strategy is offering experiential retail, a shopping experience that’s memorable enough to develop customer loyalty.

More than half of consumers say they’ll return to a brand that offers a positive shopping experience online or in-store.

In addition, more than 60% of shoppers say they want brands to give them a multisensory shopping experience.

Aldo, a shoe retailer, leaned into this trend in late 2023 when they hosted a unique pop-up store in New York’s Astor Place .

The pop-up shop celebrated the retailer’s Pillow Walk technology and the structure was fittingly designed like a large pillow.

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Customers could walk through the entire structure, check out Aldo’s shoes, and enjoy branded cotton candy snacks.

Aldo says they’ll be hosting popups throughout 2024 with the next locations being in other major cities like Chicago and Los Angeles.

Other retail experiences in the summer and fall of 2023 piggybacked on the success of the Barbie movie.

Bloomingdale’s was one retailer.

Along with Barbie-licensed apparel and accessories, Bloomingdale’s used their pop-up experience to promote the in-house brand Aqua.

The pop-up shop also featured complimentary hair styling and special events.

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4. U.S. Social Commerce Grows But Still Lags Behind China

Social commerce revenue around the world amounted to nearly $1 trillion in 2023.

Predictions show the market will continue to grow at a CAGR of more than 30% through 2030.

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Social commerce is the clear leader in China, making up more than 46% of all ecommerce in the country.

Worldwide, nearly 60% of individuals have bought a product via social media.

And the amount these individuals are spending on social media continues to increase.

In 2020, the average sales per buyer sat at about $340. By 2027, that number is predicted to grow to more than $1,200 .

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Beauty and personal care products are responsible for about 25% of social commerce purchases while apparel purchases make up another 24% of the market.

Tarte , which has 1.3 million followers on TikTok, has seen a triple-digit increase in sales of certain products since joining TikTok Shop in mid-2023.

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The brand has also released product sets that are exclusive to TikTok Shop.

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Of the nearly 102 million users on TikTok in 2023, 35.3 million became social buyers.

In 2024, TikTok’s user base is predicted to reach nearly 108 million and there could be as many as 40.7 million social buyers.

But, the platform is still lagging behind Facebook and Instagram in the social commerce space in the U.S.

Facebook’s 2024 social commerce revenue is predicted to hit $56.8 billion and Instagram’s social commerce revenue could top $37 billion.

TikTok comes in behind these two leaders at $20.2 billion.

Taking a look at the global landscape, these three platforms are dwarfed by Chinese giants like Douyin, Wechat, and Little Red Book.

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5. Private Labels Drive Record Revenue

Far from the low-quality generics of years past, private labels and store brands are poised to move to the forefront of retail sales in the coming years.

Surveys show that 36% of shoppers actively seek out private label brands.

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Nearly 65% of consumers have purchased a private label product within the past six months.

The majority of those, 71% of consumers, had made private label purchases in the food and beverage category, but 48% have purchased private label beauty products and 41% have purchased private label fashion items.

In the consumer packaged goods (CPG) sector , private label products are now responsible for more than 20% of all unit sales .

Some grocery retailers are pushing even harder on their private label products.

At Aldi, Trader Joe’s, and Costco, private labels make up more than 50% of the total product count.

Albertsons has also invested heavily in private label development and marketing in recent months.

In 2023, the grocer announced plans to consolidate a few of their private brands under a new name: Signature Select .

The lineup features more than 8,000 products.

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Company officials say the grocer’s private labels are valued at $16.5 billion .

Another retailer that’s found success with private labels is Target.

With more than 45 private labels , the retailer has garnered a cheap-chic perception from consumers and developed brands that offer everything from premium luggage to value-priced home organization pieces.

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And, the private labels keep coming.

In March 2024, Target announced a new value-based brand called Dealworthy.

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In all, Target’s private labels surpass $30 billion in annual revenue.

6. Resale Becomes Fashion’s Biggest Trend

Financial woes and sustainability concerns are leading retail consumers to shop resale marketplaces more frequently than ever before.

The founder of Recurate , a platform that helps brands build their own resale marketplaces, says that the resale market is growing 11x faster than regular retail.

Nearly 75% of consumers around the world say they shop resale.

And, the number of brands offering branded resale platforms grew 3.4x from 2022 to 2023.

That means the global market could be worth as much as $350 billion by 2027 according to ThredUp, a fashion resale marketplace. They predict $70 billion of that would come from the U.S.

Clothing and shoes were the top resale categories of 2023.

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Carhartt, famous for their durable jackets, is one of the latest fashion retailers to offer resale options .

They launched a resale pilot called “ Carhartt Reworked ” in early 2023 and started accepting trade-in items at 35 of their stores in July.

In early 2024, Carhartt also began accepting mail-in trade-ins.

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The backend of their program is run by Trove , a resale-as-a-service company based in California.

Trove operates more than 20 branded resale platforms like those from Patagonia, Lululemon, and Elieen Fisher.

The company’s business grew 50% year-over-year in the fourth quarter of 2023.

ThredUP, which operates their own online resale site, is another leader in the resale-as-a-service market.

The company added 11 brands in Q2 of 2023 alone and now operates more than 50 branded resale platforms.

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ThredUP’s revenue increased 8% year-over-year in Q2 of 2023.

But it’s not just online resale that’s booming. Resale shops with physical locations are growing too.

The Winmark Corporation operates several secondhand retail stores like Once Upon a Child, Play It Again Sports, and Music Go Round. In total, they have 1,300 franchised stores.

The company brings in more than $39 million per year in net income .

Across the country there are approximately 25,000 second hand stores bringing in a total of $15 billion per year.

The National Association of Resale Professionals say that revenue could double this year.

7. The Shifting Role of Brick-and-Mortar Locations

The prevalence of in-person shopping has been in flux in recent years.

Before the pandemic, the popularity of ecommerce was already growing and brick-and-mortar stores were already closing at alarming rates. The term “ retail apocalypse ” was used as early as 2010.

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More than 9,300 major retail stores closed in 2019 and another 12,000 locations shut down in 2020.

Predictions show that 23,500 of the nation’s brick-and-mortar retail locations will close by 2026.

The role of physical retail locations is in jeopardy, but does that mean there’s no future for brick-and-mortar?

Not necessarily.

A recent survey found that 61% of Gen Z , a generation with a combined total of $360 billion in disposable income, are more likely to shop at a brick-and-mortar store than online.

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The Pew Research Center took a look at adults of all ages and found that 57% of adults prefer buying in-person versus online.

And, in 2022, there were more store openings than store closings for the first year since 2016.

Revenue at many in-person retailers is picking up too.

Ecommerce is responsible for just 15% of total retail sales .

And, revenue at malls grew 11% in 2022.

JCPenney is one mall retailer that’s investing in its physical stores.

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The company plans to spend more than $1 billion by the end of 2025 in order to boost business.

A major part of that plan is remodeling its stores, a move that’s desperately needed as traffic at JCPenney stores is down 24% year-over-year.

On the other hand, dollar stores are seeing growth in both traffic and revenue.

In 2021, almost 50% of all new retail openings were openings of chain dollar stores.

Combined, Dollar General and Dollar Tree operate more than 34,000 stores in the U.S.

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With those numbers, there are 6x more dollar stores than Walmarts in America.

Traffic at these stores is surging.

Dollar Tree brought in 4.3 million new customers from September 2022-2023.

8. Balancing Personalized Experiences with Privacy Concerns

90% of retailers say hyper-personalization is a must-have capability in today’s retail landscape.

In addition, 90% of retailers believe that hyper-personalized offers will take the place of store-wide sales events within the next three years.

This type of personalization goes beyond special discounts and offers, too.

It encompasses tailored shopping experiences and personalized customer service.

Today’s shoppers expect retail brands to give them what they want exactly when they want it. This boils down to understanding and predicting the customers’ wants and needs.

In fact, more than one-quarter of Gen Zers and millennials in the U.S. say they can envision a time in the future where they won’t even have to shop—AI will do it for them.

Retailers aren’t at that level yet, but personalized marketing is already impacting costs and revenue for brands.

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McKinsey reports that personalization can cut customer acquisition costs in half and boost revenue by as much as 15%.

But personalization at scale isn’t easy to achieve.

Many retailers are turning to AI/ML solutions to improve the speed and agility of their strategies.

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In a survey conducted by BCG, nearly 70% of CMOs said they’re looking into using generative AI for personalization.

At the same time, consumers are concerned about the data that’s feeding those AI/ML solutions.

79% of consumers across the world are concerned with data privacy.

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There’s strong reasoning behind that fear—an IBM report listed the retail and wholesale industry as the fifth-most targeted industry by cybercriminals.

Beyond privacy, some consumers think personalization has simply gone too far— 46% think it’s “creepy” when they see promotions related to a website or app they’ve visited within the past two minutes.

9. Consumers Demand Sustainable Practices

KPMG reports that 72% of consumer and retail company CEOs say they’ve been facing increased demands for ESG reporting and transparency.

Research from Deloitte echoes those feelings.

Their research shows that retail executives face pressure from customers, board members, and regulators.

The sustainability-oriented attitudes of consumers can make or break a brand.

An analysis from McKinsey showed that consumer products with ESG-related claims on the label grew 6.4% over the course of five years while products without these types of claims grew only 4.7%

In addition, having more than one ESG claim on the label resulted in 2x greater growth than products with just one ESG claim.

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ESG concerns are especially prevalent among younger generations like Gen Zers.

A survey from EY found that 31% of Gen Z consumers have stopped purchasing from a brand or bought less from that brand because they believe it's not doing enough for the environment.

In the face of demands from consumers and regulators, Deloitte reports that 65% of brands have begun using more sustainable materials and 62% have invested in efficient energy usage.

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However, many brands are forgoing more serious actions like holding senior leaders accountable for sustainability goals.

For example, only 43% of brands are requiring suppliers to meet sustainability criteria but the retail supply chain accounts for 25% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.

Ship It Zero , an organization advocating for zero-emissions shipping by 2030, recently released a shipping report card that assessed major retailers.

IKEA was the clear winner with 89/100 points.

The company reduced its climate footprint by 12% year-over-year in 2023.

Fashion retailers, especially those considered fast-fashion retailers, have been heavily criticized for their emissions and the situation is predicted to get worse.

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By 2030, the fashion industry’s emissions are predicted to increase by 50% .

Companies like Patagonia are long-standing champions of sustainable fashion , but a few other notable brands have joined them in the past year.

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Gucci’s Denim Project will be released in 2024. The lineup features clothing made with 74% regeneratively grown cotton and 26% post-consumer recycled fibers .

There’s also Girlfriend Collective , a sustainable brand of activewear.

Their products are made from a blend of organic cotton and several types of recycled materials like water bottles, fishing nets, and fabric scraps.

The brand also launched their own resale site in the summer of 2023.

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10. Luxury Segment Faces Declining Sales

The luxury goods market proved to be resilient during the pandemic, but experts say this may be the year it slams back to reality.

During the past three years, sales of luxury goods were up 20% on average.

But in 2024, estimates show the market will grow just 4%-6% , barely enough to cover the rising costs of doing business.

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Spending on luxury goods was down 15% year-over-year in November 2023.

Luxury fashion retailer Burberry reported revenue was down 7% year-over-year in December 2023.

Kering, the luxury conglomerate that owns Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, and others, reported a sales drop of 23% in mid-2023.

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Demand and sales of luxury watches are down as well.

The Bloomberg Subdial Watch Index has dropped 30% since 2022.

This loss of revenue is putting some luxury retailers in the red.

Hudson’s Bay Co., which owns brands like Saks Fifth Avenue, was reportedly months behind on vendor payments in late 2023. The company sold $340 million worth of real estate in order to stay afloat.

There is an exception to this downturn, however.

Many luxury beauty brands are continuing to see increased demand and sales.

For example, prestige brands saw gains across product categories in 2023. Makeup sales rose 15%, skincare sales were up 14%, and fragrance sales were up 12%.

All of these gains were substantially higher than gains for mass market brands.

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11. Making the Checkout Process More Convenient

In today’s marketplace, any type of friction at checkout can lead to customer frustration and lost sales.

One way retailers are looking to appease customers is by offering a variety of payment options.

This obviously means contactless payment options —more than half of Americans want to tap to pay or use their mobile wallet.

But for consumers who either don’t want to use a credit card or have reached their credit limit, buy now pay later (BNPL) options are a must-have checkout option.

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46% of shoppers in the U.S. have used BNPL and many of them, especially consumers under the age of 40, are now relying on this payment method.

Nearly 30% of these younger shoppers say they’d abandon a purchase if they couldn’t use a BNPL payment option.

This trend has been gaining momentum online for the past few years, but now it’s also working its way into physical stores.

In December 2023, Affirm announced its BNPL service would be available at self-checkout kiosks in Walmart stores.

Other retailers are reimagining the entire self-checkout process in order to lessen frustration among customers.

RFID tags are one way retailers are doing it.

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This process begins with retailers attaching an RFID tag to every price tag. This means consumers don’t need to scan each individual barcode at checkout.

Instead, they simply place the items into a bin and the computer scans the RFID tags. The prices then automatically register on the self-checkout screen.

Fashion retailer Uniqlo has enabled RFID checkout at all 47 of their stores in the United States.

They credit this new system with reducing customer wait times by 50%.

Amazon is also using an RFID-powered checkout for their apparel and softlines merchandise at their Just Walk Out stores.

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Customers can simply carry their items through the exit gate. On their way out, they tap their credit card and the gate reads the RFID tags on their items. They’re automatically charged as they walk out.

Amazon piloted the program in 2023 at stadium stores in Climate Pledge Arena and in Lumen Field in Seattle.

That's it for this report on the top retail trends set to impact the industry in the next few years.

Many retailers are leveraging innovations like AI to improve the way they communicate with their customers and understand their preferences. But those preferences are undergoing major shifts. Sustainability, convenience, and memorable experiences are now some of the most important factors for shoppers.

The industry is also seeing dramatic changes in consumer spending. As economic hardships continue to impact shoppers, private labels are likely to stay popular and the luxury market is likely to face at least a subtle downturn.

Stay tuned into the retail landscape to see how these trends impact brands of all sizes moving forward.

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research topics on retail marketing

The Complete Guide to Market Research for Your Retail Business

Long gone are the days when price was a leading factor in consumers’ purchase decisions. While price still plays a role, today multiple factors are at play such as brand differentiation, reputation, and customer-centric return policies. But how do those considerations drive the purchase decision? It’s hard to read a customer’s mind, and it’s challenging for retailers to figure out where they fit when compared with their competition. Especially for retailers just starting out, it may feel like a lot of decisions are made on guesswork or instinct. Market research can remove much of this uncertainty by helping you understand your industry, your target customer, your competition, and your product. When you understand all that, your chances of success are a lot greater. There are many agencies that perform market research, and you can always get help from them. If you’re on a budget, however, you can do the research yourself. In this guide, we’ll show you how.

retail market research

Long gone are the days when price was a leading factor in consumers’ purchase decisions. While price still plays a role, today multiple factors are at play such as brand differentiation, reputation, and customer-centric return policies.

But how do those considerations drive the purchase decision? It’s hard to read a customer’s mind, and it’s challenging for retailers to figure out where they fit when compared with their competition. Especially for retailers just starting out, it may feel like a lot of decisions are made on guesswork or instinct.

Market research can remove much of this uncertainty by helping you understand your industry, your target customer, your competition, and your product. When you understand all that, your chances of success are a lot greater.

There are many agencies that perform market research, and you can always get help from them. If you’re on a budget, however, you can do the research yourself. In this guide, we’ll show you how.

Table of contents

What is market research?

Why is market research important.

  • How to do market research for your retail business

Primary market research methods

Secondary market research methods.

Market research is the study of a target market, including companies and people involved, to understand its needs and preferences.

Essentially, it gives you an understanding of the cultural, societal, socioeconomic, geographic, and personal makeup of your target customers. It will help you understand whether there’s a demand for your product, how big that demand is, and who is generating the demand. It’ll also help you understand the competitive landscape.

Market research, in other words, is research about the world of your retail business. Among other essential details, it will provide you with data on your target shopper’s buying power, shopping preferences, and relationship with competitors.

With this information, you’ll be able to create products that provide solutions, market to consumers effectively, and increase your chances for success.

Put simply, retail market research tells you who your target consumers are and why they’d want to buy from you.

The 2022 Shopify Future of Commerce report reveals that availability of marketplaces and advancements in technology have lowered the barrier to entry. As more retailers enter the market, competition is only going to grow.

Fortunately, market research can help you not just effectively grow brand awareness but also stand out and make loyal customers .

Here are some things it can help you do:

Better understand your target market

Market research gives you insights on the size of the market you’re targeting, how competitive it is, and where there’s room for improvement. This information can help you create a SWOT analysis , which in turn helps you devise strategies to penetrate the market effectively .

Get a strong grip on your target buyer

With market research, learn where and how to find your customers and how to present your product to them. With the insights that you gather, you can work out audience-resonating smart product pricing , and effective brand positioning.

Validate product idea(s)

By digging into consumer shopping preferences and interests, you can validate and refine your ideas. Consumer feedback on sample products and new concepts can help you launch products already proven to succeed.

Stand out from competitors

Competitor analysis as part of retail market research tells you how fierce the competition is and what others are doing to market and retain their buyers.

It also reveals your competitors’ product quality and shortcomings, helping you design better product and customer experiences.

Understanding the competition, then, helps you figure out how to differentiate your brand and develop a unique selling proposition to stand out from the crowd and attract customers.<

How to do market research for your retail business (+ tools)

While some business owners opt to hire a market research firm or consultant, it’s entirely possible to conduct this research yourself. In fact, many retailers prefer to own the market research process as they enjoy spending time with customers and learning more about how consumers view their businesses.

If you’re wearing the researcher’s hat yourself, know that there are two elements of market research: primary and secondary research. We encourage you to begin your research by reviewing secondary research materials: industry reports, trends, and case studies. By starting with this established data that someone else has collected, you’ll learn more about how you’d like to conduct your lengthier, more expensive primary research.

Here are some tools and sources for secondary market research:

Nielsen : Nielsen has research reports and studies on consumer behavior across more than 100 countries.

Pew Research Center : Pew also conducts scientific studies, many of which provide insight into consumer behavior and trends.

D&B Hoovers : You can purchase reports from D&B, a company which has researched over 85 million corporations, 100 million people, and 1,000 industries. Expect to find insights ranging from consumer behavior to competitive analysis and industry trends.

MarketResearch.com : Much like D&B, MarketResearch.com has tons of independently conducted research and analysis reports you can purchase. Retailers can start by checking out their list of consumer goods reports .

US Census Bureau : The US Census Bureau provides a holistic look at the American economy. Use it in your market research to understand the state of your industry both in the United States and internationally (they have a whole section on retail trade .

US Small Business Administration : The SBA offers resources to help American-based retailers understand their target market and current economic conditions. The SBA’s free SizeUp tool is a great way to see how you stack up against your competition.

Bureau of Labor : The Bureau of Labor has an abundance of resources to help you learn about employment in the U.S. They provide employment rates and statistics on topics like occupational employment and wages, labor demand and turnover, and the dynamic state of the labor market.

Office for National Statistics : UK-based retailers can use the numerous resources here to learn about their industry, the economy, employment information, and consumer demographics.

FedStats : This is another great US-based resource for statistics and trends that cover a variety of topics and findings from trusted sources.

Consumer Price Index : The Consumer Price Indexes (CPI) program produces monthly data on changes in the prices paid by urban consumers for a representative basket of goods and services. This is a great way to learn how to set prices for your products.

Consumer Spending : The US Bureau of Economic Analysis has personal consumption expenditures (PCE) resources that you can use to learn about how to price your products, similar to the CPI.

American FactFinder : The US Census Bureau has a whole library of facts that can be especially helpful in researching the demographics of your target customers.

Consumer Product Safety Commission : This US agency reports injury statistics based on product category and by hazard category. It helps estimate how many injuries caused by products will be treated in the emergency room each year. You can use this information in a variety of ways, from determining your selling proposition as a safe product provider to understanding how to communicate the safety of your product to customers.

Next, go down into the trenches and study the market directly. Use the following methods for primary research:

1. Customer surveys

Customer surveys are a way to gather data on your target market. Depending on the questions you ask in your survey, you can not only understand your target market and its competitiveness but also get feedback on your product.

Several free tools such as Google Forms and SurveyMonkey are available to help you conduct customer surveys. Use them if you already have an engaged audience, such as an active email list or social following.

Don’t have an audience yet? Share the survey in relevant Facebook Groups, online forums, and Slack channels.

If you need to get the survey out to more people, pay for a service like Google Surveys , which also allows you to add targeting parameters to get more specific and relevant insights.

💡 PRO TIP: Sending digital receipts via email is a great way to organically collect customer contact information at checkout and build an email list to fuel your retention marketing. Just make sure they’ve opted in to hearing from you before sending them anything.

2. In-depth customer interviews

Customer interviews are one-on-one interviews with customers. You can conduct video chats or meet customers in person or over the telephone.

Since customer interviews are direct conversations, they provide unparalleled insights about your consumers, their shopping motivations, and feedback on your brand and product(s).

Customer interviews can help you make smarter business decisions. For example, paying attention to the language your target shoppers use during the interview can help you create audience-resonating marketing copy and store layouts.

The key is to ask open-ended questions that encourage interviewees to give longer responses instead of plain “yes” and “no” answers. For example, instead of asking whether they prefer to tap or insert their card when paying, ask them what they think about contactless payments .

market research

Making this kind of subtle change in the way you frame your interview questions will get the interviewee thinking, getting you excellent insights.

Keep in mind that customer interviews don’t have to be long. Also, you can incentivize consumers with something valuable for taking the time to talk to you. This could be anything from a gift card to a free product or lifetime membership.

3. Customer reviews

Customer reviews can offer a treasure trove of actionable consumer insights.

You don’t have to stop at studying your own business: analyzing competitor reviews can tell you what customers like and dislike the most about them, what they commonly complain about, and how those retailers handle negative reviews.

What’s more, the insights you uncover here can guide your product creation and give you ideas for improving the customer experience.

Make sure you gather reviews from various channels such as social media and review sites (think: Yelp, Amazon, and Google).

Having a large and diverse pool of customer reviews coming from people who represent your customer base helps reduce the odds of bias in review analysis.

It’s also helpful to study reviewer profiles. Record reviewers’ age, location, gender, items purchased, and date of purchase. This extra layer of data will help you identify trends based on customer profiles.

4. Contextual inquiry

Contextual inquiry is a user research technique that involves observing and interviewing people while they perform tasks in context. It helps validate product ideas and improve prevailing user journeys such as how customers navigate your store layout .

By observing how participants complete a task—ask them, for example, to describe how they navigate your point-of-sale (POS) system —you can easily learn how consumers use and feel about your store, products, and purchase processes.

Don’t forget to carefully observe participants’ nonverbal cues such as their body language. This helps you track and understand their habits and how their mood changes as they interact with a product display or in-store event

The best part? Contextual inquiries aren’t very formal, which helps you get your hands on more realistic data.

5. Mystery shopping

Another useful market research method is to send undercover researchers as customers to stores—yours or your competitors’—to evaluate store operations and customer experience.

Secret shopping gives you the benefit of learning from interacting with store employees in real time. It also helps you study your competition and access information only available to their customers.

market research

Most important of all, mystery shoppers can study any and every aspect of the customer experience, including:

  • Greeting and wait times
  • Staff knowledge and helpfulness
  • Product variety and availability
  • Store design including cleanliness, product display, and window display

You can always pre-script the visit (ask researchers to evaluate specific details) or keep it open, encouraging researchers to share whatever they experienced.

Secret shopping isn’t limited to store visits. Mystery shoppers can buy and return merchandise to understand how a store handles return exchanges . They can also make phone calls or contact specific departments via website forms or emails to evaluate performance.

6. Focus groups

Focus groups bring together a group of 6-10 people to gather feedback on a product, service, idea, or marketing campaign from them.

People interviewed in focus groups are systematically selected based on their demographic traits. The questions are scripted beforehand, and the interviewer’s role is to elicit responses from all participants.

Focus group sessions are a low-cost, high-accuracy market research method, delivering insights in the respondents’ own words.

You can hire an agency to conduct in-depth research via focus groups. Or create an online focus group for learning consumers’ thoughts on whatever you want.

Hair care brand Ceremonia's founder, Babba Riversa, created an online community of influencers for planning her brand launch. Initially, the group met in person to give Riversa feedback on products. Later, when the pandemic hit, the group went virtual, meeting weekly on Geneva .

7. Sales records

This involves studying customer and sales information already available, and works best for established retail stores.

These sales records, covering customer purchase dates, amount, payment method, returns, and other information, provide a goldmine of data. The data is also proprietary and unique to your business—no one else has that information.

Analyze it to identify your loyal customers and customer-favorite products, and use the insights you gain to plan marketing approaches that will most likely resonate with these customers.

💡 PRO TIP: Only Shopify POS unifies your online and retail store data into one back office–customer data, inventory, sales, and more. View easy to understand reports to spot trends faster, capitalize on opportunities, and jumpstart your brand’s growth.

8. Employees

Finally, ask sales associates for their findings on the floor, whether it’s commonly asked questions from customers or observations in customer behavior.

Staff research can uncover insights that not only help you better understand your customers but also learn how effective your visual merchandising , store layout, and sales promotions are.

By asking staff to observe customer motivations and what products they frequently buy together, you can train them to upsell and create hot-selling product bundles .

Improve your retail business with market research

In a nutshell, market research is essential. It can show you how to create customer-favorite products, beat your competitors, and provide an exceptional customer experience.

Market research also never ends. You should conduct market research on an ongoing basis: the market changes frequently, and you need to be on top of those changes to stay ahead of the curve.

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Market research FAQ

What are the 4 types of market research.

  • Primary Research: This type of research involves collecting data directly from the source, such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, and observation.
  • Secondary Research: This type of research involves collecting data from existing sources such as books, magazines, newspapers, and online sources.
  • Qualitative Research: This type of research involves collecting data in the form of opinions, beliefs, and attitudes. It is used to gain insight into customer behavior.
  • Quantitative Research: This type of research involves collecting data in the form of numbers and statistics. It is used to measure the size, location, and distribution of a target market.

What do you mean by market research?

What is an example of market research, what are the 4 main purposes of market research.

  • Identifying and understanding customer needs and preferences: Market research can help companies identify and understand customer needs, preferences, and trends, as well as their buying behavior and habits.
  • Tracking customer satisfaction: Market research can also be used to track customer satisfaction and loyalty. This can help a company determine whether customers are happy with its products and services, and if not, what changes can be made to improve them.
  • Measuring the effectiveness of marketing campaigns: Market research can be used to measure the effectiveness of marketing campaigns and determine what strategies are working and which ones are not.
  • Improving product development and innovation: Market research can help a company to better understand customer needs and preferences, which in turn can help it develop new products and services that meet those needs. It can also help a company to better understand the competitive landscape and what its competitors are offering.

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How To Conduct Market Research for the Retail Industry

Learn how to conduct market research specifically for the retail sector to understand consumer preferences when shopping, buying trends, and more.

mrx glossary market research for retail

Jan 29, 2024

quantilope is the Consumer Intelligence Platform for all end-to-end research needs

This blog explores how market research can benefit businesses in the retail industry - informing them of industry trends, consumer sentiments, and product preferences. 

Market research is crucial for any retail business. The retail industry’s main challenge is to find the right products and present them in a way that will encourage purchase, so listening to consumers is central to understanding what motivates their choice. From product to packaging , pricing to advertising, or store layout to web design, retail market research helps guide retail decisions that will appeal to consumers and maximize sales for businesses.

Table of Contents: 

Why is market research important for retail companies.

  • How to perform market research for retail 

Market research methods for the retail industry

Grow your retail business through market research.

Retail is an ever-evolving industry. As retail stores compete for consumers’ dollars in an age of high inflation, stocking the right products at the right price creates a competitive advantage. To know which products and price points are right, businesses need to be aware of what their customers are looking for as well as what the competition is offering. Market research is the link connecting businesses to consumer insights - such as who a business’s target market is, where those people are shopping, the latest trends, consumer spending habits, what consumers want from the purchase experience, and so on. A clear knowledge of these issues will feed into a strong marketing strategy for retail companies. Contrarily, a brand that opts not to keep up with its consumers will quickly lose its market position.

Below are just a few reasons why market research is so imperative for retail companies:

Back to Table of Contents

Clarifies the target audience

Brands can’t be everything to everyone, so making sure you are resonating with your specific target audience is crucial. Retail market research will allow you to continually keep an eye on which demographic groups and customer segments react most positively towards your products. Though many types of research can achieve this, a brand tracker is a great tool for retail companies. This tracker can be run at different intervals (quarterly, yearly, etc.) and can let you know which brands from your portfolio (or competitors’) consumers are most often purchasing, why they choose those products, the associations they have with each brand, and which audience segments respond most favorably to your offering. As trends evolve, a brand tracker allows you to monitor that evolution over time.

Improves customer experience 

The most direct way to learn how consumers experience your brand and your store experience is to ask them directly. Whether you have brick-and-mortar stores or e-commerce sites, studies can easily be crafted to find out exactly how consumers rate their experience with each. Brands might ask: Are there pain points in the layout of the store or website?; Do people find it difficult to find sales associates or online customer support?; Are customers walking out of the store or dropping off a website at certain points because they can’t find what they are looking for? Learnings from these types of studies go a long way toward improving the overall customer experience.

Helps launch new products 

The budget required to launch a new project can be substantial, so how can you be sure that the product will succeed? Consumer feedback will provide the confidence you need to launch something new to your brand portfolio. Tracking methodologies help keep an eye on trends and needs, but developed product concepts can also be presented to consumers for feedback. Methods like MaxDiff can be beneficial to see what colors, styles, looks, etc., are most/least favorable to an audience. Meanwhile, using a TURF method will allow you to create a product range that will reach the highest possible number of people in your target audience; this helps determine if your product ideas have the potential to earn a place in your consumers’ shopping cart.

Market research can also help create benchmarks against which to compare new product concepts. Testing new products or product ideas against previous ones (in a benchmarked study that can be continually referenced over time) reveals what level of success you can predict for a new launch, based on historical results.

No matter which method you use, market research can help improve your market share and make sure you are maximizing the number of your products in your customers’ baskets at checkout. Back to Table of Contents

How to perform market research for retail

How you go about organizing market research for your retail business depends on what aspect or area you are keen on understanding more closely. This is covered in more detail in the research methods section below. However, there are three broad areas for research that will provide fundamental knowledge of the marketplace within which you operate. Collecting market research data in these key areas will give a good sense of the landscape in which you can design, develop and promote your offer.

1. Gather information about your industry

First and foremost, understanding what characterizes your industry, and particularly the area of retail in which your company works, is essential information for creating a relevant offer. You’ll need to know whether your sphere of retail is in growth or decline, the challenges it faces, and the opportunities to leverage. Secondary research - such as trade journals, government data, or other publicly available consumer research studies - can be useful here.

2. Understand your customers

In the end, whether your business succeeds or fails will come down to your customers and their response to your products. If you don’t please them, you’ll lose them. Know what makes consumers happy: why they buy from a retailer like you; what sort of in-store experience they are looking for; when and why they use online retail stores; which retail and product features make the difference between purchase and rejection; and how to keep their attention in the long term.

Primary research is key here as it involves gathering up-to-date insights from your specific target audience. This is where online survey platforms come into play for quick, reliable, advanced insights into your consumers and their needs.

3. Analyze the competition

Before focusing on what makes you unique as a retailer, you need to know what you’re up against. What do your competitors offer that you don’t? What do they do well? Where could you create an edge against them? It might be product based, it might have to do with the user experience, or it could come down to messaging. Whatever it is, you’ll need to keep an eye on the competition to stay competitive in your field.

There are many research methodologies and types of studies to choose from when it comes to doing market research for the retail sector. Given the many options and the unique benefits of each, you might even want to select a combination of methodologies to cover all the research questions that you need to ask.

Surveys can be conducted in person either while shopping in-store or as a customer is leaving a store. These are called intercept surveys, as they stop the respondent at the time of browsing, purchase, or post-purchase to understand what drove their decision-making on that occasion. You may have seen these types of surveys at store exits or public restrooms asking how your experience was - choosing from a scale of buttons (Great to Poor). An online version of this type of survey can be conducted too - usually a pop-up set of questions that asks a website visitor about their experience on the site.

More commonly, surveys are conducted outside of the shopping experience - sent to respondents via email, text, or on social media. These online surveys include more detailed usage and attitude metrics such as customer satisfaction, loyalty, and net promoter score (NPS - how likely consumers are to recommend your business). When running online quantitative surveys, be sure to interview enough respondents for the results to be highly reliable so that business decisions can be backed up with numerical data. And to track your retail metrics over an extended period of time, consider a brand health tracking approach: 

better brand health tracking webinar

Focus groups

Focus groups bring a qualitative approach to research. Together, a group of consumers join to discuss topics that will answer the research objectives, such as likes and dislikes with regard to specific retailers, which aspects are most important to them when they are shopping, and specific factors related to retail (e.g. pricing, the feel of a store or website, the importance of delivery options, the product range, etc.). In a focus group, a group moderator makes sure that all topics are covered during the discussion and that each respondent gets a fair say. The main advantage of focus groups is that the most pertinent issues relating to the subject arise naturally in conversation so that the researcher can identify which factors a retailer should focus on when improving the customer experience. On the downside, the results are indicative in nature rather than quantifiable.

In-depth interviews

In-depth interviews focus on just one respondent, which is useful for a deeper understanding of the issues that occur spontaneously to consumers, and great for understanding an individual’s purchase journey. As with focus groups, respondents are asked to give their thoughts on various retail issues, and questions are open-ended, giving respondents the freedom to raise all opinions they would like to without being restricted by yes/no scales or rating-type questions. In-depth interviews can be conducted in person or online, and an ethnographical dimension can be included for greater authenticity. For example, the interview can happen while the respondent is in a store or browsing a website, or respondents can use products in their own home to demonstrate the kind of thing they like or dislike.

Social media monitoring

Customer opinion is everywhere these days, and smart companies will opt to make the most of it. It’s worth having a colleague within the business dedicated to reading online reviews and monitoring chats to see what consumers are talking about, which trends are hot, and what they dislike when it comes to retail.

No retail business can succeed without keeping a finger on the pulse of consumer opinion. Whether you work for a department store or a small business, understanding consumer needs is key to delivering an offer that consumers seek.

quantilope’s platform captures a real-time pulse on your customers to establish what’s motivating their purchases. All research is conducted online on quantilope’s end-to-end platform. Surveys are quick and easy to create, with useful survey templates to make sure your survey covers all issues related to your topic and methodology. Surveys are then automatically sent out to respondents using the field management tab where you can see responses in real-time, and you can begin to craft charts in the analyze tab which automatically update with new data as it’s available. These charts come together into a beautifully designed dashboard that provides a focal point for all your research and is shareable with a single link so that all stakeholders can be involved in the research findings.

In addition to the ease and speed of one end-to-end platform, quantilope offers a suite of thirteen advanced AI-driven methodologies to help uncover insights in your area of retail. Among these thirteen methods are Key Driver Analysis (establishing the main drivers of purchase or brand appeal), MaxDiff (pinning down which features of a brand or offer are most/least important), Price Sensitivity Meter (to determine optimal price points) and A/B Testing (to find out which form or content of communication, such as elements of a marketing campaign, is most effective).

For retail brands seeking qualitative research, quantilope’s video research solution, inColor, provides a way to capture video responses from consumers, bringing their insights to life in their own words. inColor responses are also automatically analyzed for a variety of different sentiments: emotions, keywords, and sentiments, through the use of AI.

To find out more about how quantilope can give your retail business the boost it needs with high-quality, engaging, and actionable online market research, get in touch below:

Get in touch to learn more about market research for retail!

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How to Conduct Retail Market Research Like a Pro

retail market research

That is because, in today’s age of mass information circulating at speed, we exist in a market jungle, as market trends oscillate and customer expectations sway, while your competitors are becoming more adaptable.

To stay ahead and survive this market jungle, you need to get acclimated to performing the correct form of market research.

Let’s learn how to conduct market research for the retail sector.

The Makeup of Market Research

Market research , as we’ve covered aplenty, is a wide umbrella term that pertains to studying several facets of a particular market to gauge the profitability and success of your product or service.

This includes gathering information on the following:

  • Trends in the sector, vertical and niche
  • Your target market
  • Segmentation within your target market
  • Your competitors (tactics, launches, performance, etc.)
  • The sector at large

retail market research

It is made up of two sets of research: primary and secondary. The former deals with gathering research that you, as a business, conduct yourself. The latter involves consulting with information that has already been researched and is publicly available (not always for free).

Primary research requires using the following methods to collect information:

  • Surveys on your target market and closely situated markets
  • Interviews (in-person or over the phone)
  • Consumer reviews
  • Focus groups
  • Sales records
  • Employee feedback

Secondary research has a more encompassing set of documents and sources:

  • Trends sites ( Google Trends , Google Alerts )
  • Keyword searching and SEO platforms
  • Research agencies
  • Statistics sites
  • Market research sites
  • Competitor sites
  • Case studies

Techniques Particular to Retail Research

retail research

The above provides fundamental information about performing market research — in a general, all-purpose sense.

Since you would need to turn to both primary and secondary data throughout the market research process, you should be able to detect and distinguish these resource types, whenever you come upon them.

Above all, you need to know which exact platforms, websites and tools to use for collating information on the sector of retail. In market research, you move from the general to the specific fairly quickly, and you’ll need information specific to your vertical.

This is especially important if you serve a niche market.

Primary research techniques speak for themselves, as you would need to gather original insights and data from those mentioned above. Secondary sources particular to the retail sector, on the other hand, need to be laid out.

Secondary Research Sources for Retail

Here are a few secondary sources for market research on the retail vertical. Note that many of these platforms aren’t free, but their intel is indispensable.

  • For understanding the retail industry: MarketResearch.com , specifically the Retailing Market Research Reports & Industry Analysis page, which links to a wide variety of internal research reports. These reports cover the many sub-sectors of the sweeping retail vertical, such as the clothing market, department stores and other related topics such as market analytics.
  • For understanding customer personas: MakeMyPersona You should constantly be up to date on your buyer personas. This free tool from HubSpot generates personas; all you have to do is answer some questions about your ideal customers. The tool then creates a detailed document on your target market.
  • For economic data in the retail sector: Business Dynamics Statistics (BDS) A division of the US Census Bureau, this program provides economic data on employment, job expansions/ contractions, number of establishments, number of startups and more. This platform supplies annual measures on different business subsectors.
  • For competitor analysis: County Business Patterns (CBP) Another division of the US Census Bureau, this program presents subnational economic data based on various retail industries. This includes the number of establishments, employment, annual payroll and more to analyze economic changes over time.
  • For understanding your customer base: Facebook Audience Insights If your business has a Facebook business page, this tool will provide demographic information, along with some behavioral insights into your followers. It shows you their age, location, income, employment type, spending behaviors and even lifestyle (Facebook’s category).
  • For multipurpose research: Think with Google An all-in-one market research platform providing guides, data reports, infographics and content to reap insights on the retail industry and your target market. You can use specific tools to grow your store, find your audience and stay up to date with the latest research within your particular retail subsector.
  • For keyword research, SEO and competitor analysis: SEMrush This platform offers over 30 tools to analyze 3.7 billion keywords and 4 trillion backlinks. It allows retailers to find new organic competitors, as well as those in Google AdWords and Bing ads, to analyze their competitors’ budgets, strategies, ad copy, display ads and keywords.

Wrapping Things Up

Retail is one of the most expansive verticals, as it can include virtually any business that sells products to consumers. It requires both primary and secondary research methods for a thorough analysis and interpretation.

Secondary research for the retail sector involves a distinct set of secondary sources for quality research campaigns. A successful research endeavor will allow you to provide meaningful products and experiences for your customers, communicate with them more productively and improve your standing within your submarket.

Although the above examples of secondary research are invaluable, there are many other online tools for your disposal. Social media, for example, is excellent for market research, as it can connect you with your customers to get their perspectives firsthand, along with their data. 

Frequently asked questions

What is retail market research.

Retail market research is the process of gathering information about target customers and markets to determine or improve upon the success of a retail venture.

What types of primary research are useful in retail market research?

The most relevant types of primary research for the retail sector are surveys, consumer reviews, focus groups, feedback from employees, and sales reports.

How is secondary research performed?

Secondary research is performed by gathering and reviewing previously published information in order to gain insights to support a market research project.

How are buyer personas used in retail market research?

Buyer personas are a good way to define and understand the various customer segments that are likely to purchase from your retail store.

What information can Facebook Audience Insights provide about your retail business?

A shop’s Facebook business page can provide a wealth of information about its followers, including age, location, employment, income, spending behaviors, and lifestyle preferences.

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71+ Research Paper Topics & Ideas for Marketing Students  

research topics on retail marketing

As a marketing student, you probably have access to a plethora of resources such as your college library and of course, the internet, to come up with great research paper topics.

However, the thought of writing your research paper can be daunting, especially if you’re still brainstorming and don’t know what to write about.

Just like any other piece of writing, start by keeping your audience in mind. Then, make a list of research paper topics that are more relevant to your interests, or a new under-developed field (for example; augmented reality, or people sentiments towards Artificial Intelligence), or a unique research topic that intrigues your audience.

But if you’re still struggling to pin down one out of the many research paper topics for your program, we’ll suggest a number of them for you to either choose from; or for you to take inspiration from and come up with your own.

Table of Contents

How to Choose the Best Research Paper Topics

Before we dive into the details, you’ll have to familiarize yourself with the basics. For starters, pick up a pen and paper and brainstorm different topics that you’d like to write about.

While personal interest is definitely important, we also suggest you opt for a topic that will intrigue your readers.  Here are a couple of factors you ought to keep in mind while selecting a topic:

Keeping your personal interest in mind

You probably won’t be able to write a stellar research paper if you’re not interested in the topic. Sit down with your peers and advisors to discuss possible ideas. It will be easier for you to discuss different themes once you’ve written down all your ideas in one place. If you’ve decided on a specific keyword for instance “consumer behaviour”, you can look for similar research papers on the internet.

A research paper isn’t a descriptive essay which you can drag aimlessly. Your research paper needs to be based on factual data and that’s only possible if you’ve conducted thorough research. While jotting down points for your first draft, ensure your statements are supported with references or examples citing credible academicals and research work.

Don’t leave it till the last day

A lot of students tend to undermine the writing process and leave for the last few days. Bear in mind that you can’t possibly write your entire research paper overnight. In order to succeed, you’ll have to devote sufficient amount of time to research.

Also, be prepared to schedule meetings with your advisor on a regular basis as you’re bound to require help along the way. At this point, make sure you only rely on credible sources that will support your dissertation.

Examples & List of Research Paper Topics

If you’re still unable to decide a topic of your interest, here is a list of 70 unique marketing research topics that you can use as marketing project topics for your MBA, or any other marketing course:

  • How do organizations use CSR ( corporate social responsibility ) to reinforce brand equity?
  • What manipulation tactics do brands use to get more customers?
  • How can brand image be communicated via social media marketing?
  • How can social media impact the buying choices of shoppers?
  • Are consumers equipped to shield themselves from direct marketing strategies?
  • Determine and analyze consumer buying behavior for [product name]
  • How does advertising impact consumer behaviour?
  • How does family orientation impact marketing communications?
  • What characteristics do buyers look for when purchasing a product online?
  • How does global marketing incorporate standardization?
  • What attributes do consumers look for when comparing products online?
  • How do financial institutions differentiate their goods and services on the basis of social class?
  • Is direct marketing really the most effective form of marketing?
  • What internet marketing trends can be expected for the future?
  • How to marketing strategies differ across different cultures?
  • Can brand advertising impact political campaigns?
  • How do brands exploit impulsive buying?
  • How does loyalty cards encourage sales and boost customer loyalty?
  • Can well-marketed brands get away with selling substandard quality products?
  • How is globalization having on impact on consumer behaviour?
  • Impact of brand image on customer loyalty
  • Brand attributes that lead to an increase in customer loyalty
  • Successful marketing approaches that helped break through strong market monopoly
  • Impact of cause marketing on brand affinity with young mothers
  • Effect of consumer promotions and discount offerings on brand equity
  • The outcomes of advertising in a recession
  • Influence on Social Media advertising on consumer behaviour
  • Effect of TV advertising on top of mind awareness
  • Understanding customer perceptions around event sponsorships
  • Does corporate social responsibility translate into sales?
  • Canadians perspective on being targeted with mobile ads based on their browser history
  • Is direct marketing welcomed by people?
  • Are customers able to differentiate between various mortgage offering by competing banks?
  • Does social media influence buying behaviour
  • Do people like being click baited into sponsored posts?
  • Understanding the impact of celebrity endorsements on ROI for CPG brands
  • Women’s sentiments around comparison advertising
  • How effective is comparison advertising to build brand equity?
  • Do consumers prefer purchasing routine grocery products online?
  • Is earned media perceived to be as important as it appears to be?
  • What makes people want to share content to their friends?
  • Understanding why content goes viral
  • Marketing challenges around the evolving family structures
  • Are we losing the emotional value and significance of money being in a cashless society?
  • Is centralized global marketing a good idea for brand health in local markets?
  • How is augmented reality going to enhance marketing experiences?
  • How will artificial intelligence support in making better marketing decisions?
  • Is immersion marketing through virtual reality technology going to be accepted?
  • What does the luxury auto buyer look for in a car?
  • How to instill a desire to purchase for customers in the luxury category
  • Harmful effects of advertising to kids
  • Impact of in-store branding on brand salience
  • Effect marketing strategies for restaurant businesses
  • Habit formation and ways to integrate new products in consumer lifestyles
  • Is display advertising going to die?
  • Can Snapchat help small business grow?
  • How do customers perceive the brand who advertise on Instagram?
  • The impact of humour in advertising
  • Do customers pay attention to nutrition labels?
  • What triggers impulse buying behaviour
  • Essentials to sky rocket a new brand to heights of awareness
  • The factors that lead to customer satisfaction in young adults
  • Elements that help build an emotional connection with your audience
  • How do males and females differ in their buying behaviour of mobile phones
  • Does language targeting help in ethnic advertising?
  • Customer Perceptions: Are well known brands good in quality?
  • Is radio still an effective method of advertising?
  • Rural vs Urban marketing challenges to be mindful of
  • Impact of internal branding on employee retention and turnover
  • An in-depth analysis of political marketing in Canada

More Categories of Research Topics

Still in need of some inspiration? Here are a few research paper areas that you can explore:

  • Distribution
  • Consumer Behavior
  • Relationship Marketing
  • Brand Management
  • Nonprofit Marketing
  • Market Segmentation & Targeting
  • Internet Marketing
  • Marketing Planning & Forecasting
  • Product Design & Positioning
  • Direct Marketing
  • Advertising
  • Purchasing & Materials Management

Hopefully, these marketing thesis topics will help you come up with a few topics of your own. If you’re still confused about which area, you’d like to work with, we suggest you consult your advisor for some additional help. Good luck!

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Top Marketing Research Topics: Strategies for Competitive Advantage

Explore the dynamic landscape of Marketing Research and discover key strategies for gaining a competitive advantage in this insightful blog. From consumer behaviour analysis to emerging trends, delve into the latest methodologies and innovative approaches that can elevate your marketing efforts. This blog unlocks the secrets to staying ahead in the ever-evolving business world through practical Marketing Research Topics.

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Marketing Research is essential for any business that wants to understand its customers, competitors, and market trends. Marketing Research Topics are the specific questions that guide the collection and analysis of data to provide insights and recommendations for various marketing decisions.

These topics cover a wide range of areas, such as product development, pricing, promotion, distribution, customer satisfaction, loyalty, segmentation, branding, and more. In this blog, we will discuss some of the top Marketing Research Topics that can help marketers achieve their goals and gain an edge over their competitors.   

Table of Contents 

1) Best Marketing Research Topics list 

     a) Digital Marketing Topics 

     b) Content Marketing Topics 

     c) Strategic Marketing Problems 

     d) Social Media Marketing Research Topics 

     e) Exceptional Marketing Research Topics 

     f) Unique Marketing Research Topics 

    g) Premium Marketing Research Topics 

    h) Interesting Marketing Research Ideas.  

    i) Current Marketing Research Topics 

    j) Impressive Marketing Research Topics 

2) Conclusion 

Best Marketing Research Topics list 

Here, we explore various Marketing Research Topics to uncover insights and strategies for informed decision-making and business success.  

Best Marketing Research Topics list 

1) Digital Marketing Research Topics 

Listed below are some of the best Digital Marketing Research topics: 

a) Digital Marketing's influence on brand recognition  

b) Social Media's function in Digital Marketing  

c) Efficiency of digital advertising  

d) Mobile technology's influence on Digital Marketing  

e) Search engine optimisation's role in Digital Marketing  

f) Utilisation of Big Data in Digital Marketing  

g) Digital Marketing's impact on customer engagement  

h) Content Marketing's position in Digital Marketing  

i) Effectiveness of strategies in Digital Marketing  

j)  Digital Marketing's impact on shopping behaviour  

k)  Artificial intelligence's role in Digital Marketing  

l)  Video usage in Digital Marketing  

m) Digital Marketing's impact on Sales  

n) Influencer Marketing's role in Digital Marketing  

o) Email Marketing's effectiveness  

p) Digital Marketing's impact on customer loyalty  

q) Social Media analytics in Digital Marketing  

r) Integration of Voice Search in Digital Marketing  

s) Digital Marketing's Effect on Return on Investment (ROI)  

t) Automation's Role in Digital Marketing  

Marketing Research Masterclass 

2) Content Marketing Research Topics 

Listed below are the top Content Marketing topics: 

a) Building brand identity through Content Marketing  

b) The social media landscape in Content Marketing strategies  

c) Evaluating the impact of content advertising effectiveness  

d) Mobile technology's influence on Content Marketing strategies  

e) Search engine optimisation's significance in Content Marketing  

f) Harnessing Big Data for informed Content Marketing decisions  

g) Customer engagement strategies in Content Marketing  

h) The crucial role of Content Marketing in digital strategies  

i) Assessing the effectiveness of Content Marketing strategies  

j) Content Marketing's influence on consumer shopping patterns  

k)  Artificial intelligence: A catalyst in Content Marketing innovation  

l) Video content strategies for effective Content Marketing  

m) Driving sales through strategic Content Marketing  

n) Influencer collaboration's impact on Content Marketing success  

o) Email marketing: A pillar of effective content distribution  

p) Fostering customer loyalty through tailored content experiences  

q) Social media analytics for informed Content Marketing insights  

r) Integrating voice search into Content Marketing strategies  

s) Measuring Content Marketing ROI: A comprehensive analysis  

t) The role of automation in optimising Content Marketing effort 

Elevate your marketing prowess with our Marketing Research Masterclass for comprehensive training and strategic insights. Join now!  

3) Strategic Marketing Research Topics  

Here’s a list of Strategic Marketing Research Topics: 

a) Strategic Marketing Research's influence on brand positioning  

b)  The role of market segmentation in Strategic Marketing Research  

c) Evaluating the effectiveness of competitive analysis in Strategic Marketing  

d) Technological innovations and their impact on strategic Marketing Research  

e) Consumer behaviour studies: Informing strategic marketing decision-making  

f) Strategic Marketing Research in the era of Big Data analytics  

g) Customer journey mapping: A strategic approach in Marketing Research  

h) The positioning of brand equity in Strategic Marketing Research  

i)  Assessing the effectiveness of pricing strategies in Strategic Marketing  

j)  The impact of environmental scanning on strategic Marketing Research  

k) Artificial Intelligence's integration in strategic Marketing Research  

l) Utilising surveys and feedback loops in strategic Marketing Research  

m) Strategic Marketing Research's influence on market penetration  

n) Stakeholder analysis: A key component of strategic Marketing Research  

o) Email surveys and their role in strategic Marketing Research  

p) Building customer retention strategies through strategic Marketing  

q) Social Media monitoring in strategic Marketing Research  

r) The integration of Voice of the Customer (VOC) in Strategic Marketing  

s) Assessing ROI in strategic Marketing Research initiatives  

t) The role of automation in enhancing Strategic Marketing Research. 

4) Social Media Marketing Research Topics 

Here’s a list of Social Media Marketing Research Topics: 

a) Exploring Social Media's impact on brand recognition  

b) The role and function of Social Media in Digital Marketing  

c) Measuring the effectiveness of Social Media advertising  

d) Influence of mobile technology on Social Media Marketing  

e) Optimising Social Media presence through SEO strategies  

f) Leveraging Big Data for insights into Social Media Marketing  

g)  Enhancing customer engagement through Social Media Marketing  

h) Positioning Content Marketing within Social Media strategies  

i) Evaluating the effectiveness of Social Media Marketing strategies  

j) Understanding Social Media's influence on consumer shopping behaviour  

k) The integration of Artificial Intelligence in Social Media Marketing  

l) Utilising video content for effective Social Media Marketing  

m) Analysing the impact of Social Media Marketing on sales  

n) Role and impact of Influencer Marketing in Social Media  

o) Effectiveness of Email Marketing in Social Media context  

p) Fostering customer loyalty through Social Media Marketing  

q) Utilising Social Media analytics for strategic insights  

r) Integrating voice search in Social Media Marketing strategies  

s) Measuring Social Media Marketing's Return on Investment (ROI)  

t) The role of automation in Social Media Marketing 

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5) Exceptional Marketing Research Topics 

Given below are Research Topics for Exceptional Marketing: 

a) Offshore marketing and evaluating optimal distribution strategies for new companies 

b)  Marketing distribution channels and potential mistakes to avoid 

c) Examination of online shopping in China, discussing its influence and opportunities 

d) Explanation of the concept of Artificial Intelligence in marketing 

e) Discussion of the components of a competitive marketing strategy 

f) Impact assessment of augmented reality on the marketing experience 

g) Pricing and positioning strategies for marketing effectiveness 

h) Description of the role of Social Media in lead generation 

i) Development and execution of investment banking in developing markets 

j) Impact analysis of European financial supervision on cross-border financial investment 

k) Consumer purchase decision and the influence of e-marketing 

l) Customer buying behaviour and the role of sensory marketing 

m) Gender influence on business startups 

n) Analysis of the significance of leadership and culture in organisational change 

o) Case study of Nike, evaluating the role of CSR 

p) Analysis of the use of Omni-channel tracking in marketing 

q) Comparison of Augmented Reality (AR) and Immerse Technologies in Marketing 

r) Comparison of the use of User-Generated Content and Content Mapping in Marketing 

s) Application of Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) in marketing 

t) Pros and cons of using Predictive Analytics and Browser Push Notifications in marketing 

6) Unique Marketing Research Topics 

Here’s a list of unique Marketing Research Topics: 

a) Analysing the impact of cultural shifts on consumer behaviour  

b) Unveiling the power of neuro-marketing in understanding consumer choices  

c) The role of augmented reality in enhancing market research  

d) Green marketing: sustainability as a critical factor in consumer preferences  

e) Cross-cultural marketing: navigating diverse global markets  

f) The influence of gamification on market research strategies  

g)  Ethical considerations in contemporary market research practices  

h)  Examining the role of blockchain in revolutionising marketing data security  

i) VOC analysis: Strategies for effective implementation  

j) The impact of virtual events on market research dynamics  

k) Harnessing the potential of chatbots in gathering customer insights  

l) Understanding the psychology of brand loyalty in changing market landscapes  

m) Market research in the age of privacy concerns: navigating regulatory challenges  

n) Evaluating the effectiveness of experiential Marketing Research  

o) Innovations in mobile market research: adapting to the smartphone era  

p) The intersection of market research and artificial intelligence  

q) Measuring emotional engagement in Marketing Research  

r) The role of predictive analytics in anticipating market trends 

7) Premium Marketing Research Topics 

Here, we discuss the premium Marketing Research Topics in the contemporary world: 

a) Crafting an exclusive brand experience: Beyond digital channels 

b) Strategic utilisation of luxury influencers in marketing 

c) Innovative approaches to premium Content Marketing 

d) Augmented reality in premium branding strategies 

e) Customised user journeys: Personalisation in Premium Marketing 

f) Blockchain technology in ensuring brand authenticity for premium products 

g) Neuro-Marketing: Understanding the premium consumer's mind 

h) Exclusive partnerships and collaborations in premium branding 

i) Data privacy and security concerns in premium customer relationships 

j) Sustainability as a premium brand value: Strategies and challenges 

k) The role of experiential marketing in premium product launches 

l) Psychological pricing strategies for premium goods 

m) Virtual reality experiences for premium brand engagement 

n) Ultra-personalisation: Tailoring premium services to individual needs 

o) Emerging trends in premium customer retention strategies 

p) Cultivating a sense of exclusivity: Membership programs in premium marketing 

q) The impact of limited-edition releases on premium brand image 

r) Luxury branding in the digital age: balancing tradition and innovation 

s) Premium market positioning: Differentiating in a crowded landscape 

t) Strategies for niche market penetration in premium sectors 

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8) Interesting Marketing Research Ideas 

Discussed below are a few interesting Marketing Research ideas: 

a) Utilising pillar content for sales growth: An exploration of effective strategies 

b) Examining the roles of Mobile Marketing in driving business success 

c) The intersection of internet security and its implications for online marketing 

d) Determining the optimal social media platform for marketing baby products 

e) The role of social media in business survival and growth 

f) The importance of competitor analysis in shaping brand marketing strategies 

g) Political campaigns as a factor in brand marketing dynamics 

h) Assessing the viability of centralised marketing for international brands 

i)  Exploring brand salience and its impact on in-store branding 

j) Social class distinctions and their influence on company service perception 

k) Exploring commonly used methods for predicting consumer behaviour 

l) Investigating the influence of advertising during economic recession periods 

m)  Strategies employed in the marketing landscape of the fashion industry 

n) In-depth exploration of targeted marketing using paid search engine ads 

o) Assessing the impact of television advertisements on consumer moods 

9) Relevant Marketing Research Topics 

Here’s a list of relevant Marketing Research Topics: 

a) Impact of Covid-19 on the marketing initiatives of the organisation 

b) Effect of the Covid-19 emergence on business communities 

c) Influence of the Covid-19 emergence on marketing operations 

d) Examination of the impact of brand promotion and celebrity usage on ROI 

e) Analysis of how lockdown situations impact an organisation's PR activities 

f) Significance of the marketing mix on organisational performance 

g) Discussion on the importance of STP analysis for any business entity 

h) Analysis of the impact of Covid-19 and subsequent lockdown on the hospitality sector 

i) Effects of Covid-19 and subsequent lockdown on the aviation industry 

j) Importance of an environmental audit for formulating effective marketing strategies 

k) Impact of Covid-19 and the subsequent lockdown on the service sector 

l) Exploration of the impact of Covid-19 and the subsequent lockdown on the sports industry 

m) "Just Do It" - one of the most successful environmentally conscious advertising taglines 

n) Examination of the successful marketing strategies of Apple, Southwest Airlines, and Budweiser 

o) Importance of personalisation in marketing 

10) Impressive Marketing Research Topics 

Listed below are some of the impressive Marketing Research Topics: 

a) Impact of consumers' implicit and explicit knowledge on their purchasing behaviour 

b) Implementation of centralised global marketing 

c) Integration of IoT, wearables, or smart devices for automated customer service 

d) Definition and application of e-CRM in marketing 

e) Interconnection between brand awareness and repeat purchases 

f) Establishing a company's brand image through Guest Blogging 

g) Strategies for managing marketing and company reputation effectively 

h) Examination of Corporate Social Responsibility as a marketing tactic 

i) Optimal social media approaches to enhance customer engagement 

j) Analysis of social media marketing's influence on customer behaviour 

k) Relationship dynamics between influencer marketing and lifestyle branding 

l)  Technologies pivotal in improving customers' online decision-making processes 

m) Exploring efficient marketing strategies to mend a damaged reputation 

n) Human Resource Management and the motivational factors crucial for future leaders 

o) Influence and importance of performance management in large and diverse organisations 

Conclusion 

Marketing Research Topics vary from how Digital Marketing influences what we buy to whether traditional methods still work. You can also explore Social Media's role, how online ads perform, and the impact of loyalty programs. Other areas include product placement, celebrity endorsements, and how pricing affects what consumers choose. Regardless of the topic, thorough and organised research is crucial for accurate and reliable findings. 

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research topics on retail marketing

Research Topics & Ideas: Marketing

50+ Marketing Research Topic Ideas To Fast-Track Your Project

Marketing and advertising-based research topics

Finding and choosing a strong research topic is the critical first step when it comes to crafting a high-quality dissertation, thesis or research project. If you’ve landed on this post, chances are you’re looking for a marketing-related research topic , but aren’t sure where to start. If so, you’ve come to the right place.

Here, we’ll explore a variety of marketing-related research ideas and topic thought-starters, covering both traditional marketing (offline media) and digital marketing (including social media marketing, content marketing and the like). We’ll also look at actual dissertations and theses from marketing students to give you a view of what a well-defined research topic looks like.

NB – This is just the start…

The topic ideation and evaluation process has multiple steps . In this post, we’ll kickstart the process by sharing some research topic ideas within the marketing domain. This is the starting point, but to develop a well-defined research topic, you’ll need to identify a clear and convincing research gap , along with a well-justified plan of action to fill that gap.

If you’re new to the oftentimes perplexing world of research, or if this is your first time undertaking a formal academic research project, be sure to check out our free dissertation mini-course. In it, we cover the process of writing a dissertation or thesis from start to end. Be sure to also sign up for our free webinar that explores how to find a high-quality research topic. 

Overview: Marketing-Related Topics

  • How to find a research topic (video)
  • Traditional (offline) marketing topics/ideas
  • Digital (online) marketing topics/ideas
  • Examples of actual dissertation topics
  • Free Webinar : Topic Ideation 101
  • Where to get extra help

How To Find A Research Topic

Before we look at specific research ideas and topics, it’s useful to first understand what the topic ideation process entails and how to go about finding and refining viable topic ideas. In the video below, we cover exactly that. So, if you’re a first-time researcher, be sure to watch this tutorial before jumping into the collection of marketing research topics we present below. 

Research topic idea mega list

Now that you’ve got a big-picture view of the topic ideation process, we can dive into a few research ideas to get your creative juices flowing. Please note that these research topic ideas are intentionally broad and generic, so you will need to refine them a fair deal using the techniques we discussed in the video above.

To make life a little easier for you, we’ve grouped the topic ideas based on two main categories – traditional marketing and digital / online marketing . For the latter, we’ve divided it up into a few subcategories, including social media marketing, content marketing and search marketing. That said, there is naturally some overlap between topics, so keep this in mind.

Research Ideas: Traditional Marketing

  • The perceived effectiveness of different types of direct mail campaigns (e.g., postcards, catalogues, brochures) among small business owners in New York
  • The perception and use of traditional marketing in creating and nurturing customer loyalty and retention among UK Financial Firms.
  • The impact of demographic targeting on traditional marketing performance among green businesses
  • The perception of different types of sales promotion (e.g., discounts, coupons, contests) among GenZ consumers
  • The continued use of celebrity endorsements in traditional marketing campaigns, post-2020.
  • Exploring factors related to outdoor advertising recall in India
  • Measuring the ROI of traditional marketing efforts: a review of current methods
  • Comparing the effectiveness of different traditional media channels (e.g., television, radio, print) in driving engagement and conversions among established brands
  • The use of public relations in traditional marketing campaigns among large insurance companies
  • The role of event marketing in building brand awareness and engagement: perceptions among marketing professionals in the UK

Free Webinar: How To Find A Dissertation Research Topic

Research Ideas: Digital/Online Marketing

Social media marketing

  • The use of artificial intelligence in social media marketing among online fashion companies in Sweden
  • The impact of social media on public relations and media relations: a Case Study of Nandos
  • The role of Twitter in crisis communication and reputation management: a discourse analysis
  • The impact of social media influencer presence on brand loyalty and customer retention among Gen X.
  • The use of social media for market research and consumer insights among SMEs in Kenya
  • The impact of social media on consumer buying behaviour of fast food in Italy
  • The challenges and opportunities of social media in global and multicultural marketing: perceptions of marketing departments in large corporations
  • The relationship between social media engagement and website traffic: an analysis of fitness brands
  • The effectiveness of influencer marketing on social media platforms for household cleaning products in the UK
  • The perceptions and understanding of paid vs organic social media advertising among Gen Z consumers in San Francisco

Content marketing

  • The use and understanding of micro-moments in creating personalized content experiences among content creators in the USA
  • Comparing the effectiveness of methods of personalization of content marketing: an evaluation of best practice
  • The experiences and use of SEO in content marketing strategy among small online businesses
  • The use of social media influencers in content marketing campaigns: a Case Study of Hello Fresh
  • Comparing different content distribution channels for different types of content: perceptions of best practices among content marketing experts
  • The use of user-generated content in building brand trust and engagement among green companies in the UK
  • Measuring the ROI of content marketing efforts among luxury brands
  • The perception and use of Chat GPT in content creation among small online businesses
  • The perceptions of interactive and immersive content formats (e.g., virtual reality, augmented reality) in marketing among consumers: an experimental study
  • Comparing image and text-based content formats in driving engagement and conversions on social media: a multi-case study of NGOs

Research topic evaluator

Search engine marketing

  • The effectiveness of different ad formats (e.g., text ads, shopping ads, video ads) in Search Engine Marketing for tourist destinations
  • The impact of search engine algorithm updates on Search Engine Marketing performance – who are the winners and losers?
  • The perception and use of AI and machine learning in Search Engine Marketing strategy and bidding optimization within a UK marketing agency
  • The use of voice search and its impact on Search Engine Marketing among food retailers in Switzerland
  • The role of local SEO in driving brick-and-mortar sales: a case study of a local fashion outlet in France
  • The impact of mobile optimization on Search Engine Marketing performance and conversion rates in Nigeria
  • Comparing analytical tools for measuring ROI of Search Engine Marketing campaigns
  • The effectiveness of different types of keywords and search queries in driving traffic towards restaurants in Italy
  • The use of remarketing and retargeting in search engine marketing campaigns among marketers
  • The understanding and use of schema markup and structured data in improving Search engine marketing performance among Start-Ups

Research Topic Kickstarter - Need Help Finding A Research Topic?

Email marketing

  • The perception and use of AI and machine learning in email marketing among NGOs: a focus on personalized content and dynamic segmentation
  • The effectiveness of email subject line strategies in driving open and click-through rates: an experimental study
  • Comparing A/B testing and multivariate testing in improving email marketing performance: a case study
  • The use of personalization on email marketing performance among craft bloggers
  • The impact of automated email marketing among local online retailers on customer loyalty and retention
  • The use of automation and triggered emails in increasing engagement and conversion rates for online courses
  • The perception and understanding of GDPR and other data privacy regulations on email marketing among SMEs
  • The role of mobile optimization in email marketing targeting Gen Z consumers
  • The challenges of measuring the ROI of email marketing campaigns: perceptions of SMEs
  • The effectiveness of different email formats (e.g., text-based, HTML, interactive) in driving engagement: A/B testing for a small online retailer

Marketing-Related Dissertations & Theses

While the ideas we’ve presented above are a decent starting point for finding marketing-related research topic, they are fairly generic and non-specific. So, it helps to look at actual dissertations and theses to see how this all comes together.

Below, we’ve included a selection of research projects from various marketing-related degree programs to help refine your thinking. These are actual dissertations and theses, written as part of Master’s and PhD-level programs, so they can provide some useful insight as to what a research topic looks like in practice.

  • The Influences of Brand Personality, Culture, and Social Media on Iconic Brand Preferences (Whelan, 2021)
  • Customer Success and the Transformation of Customer Relationships (Raines, 2022)
  • The Effects of Online Incentivized Reviews on Organic Review Ratings (Jeong, 2020)
  • Are You For Real? The Consumption-Driven Self-Authentication Process And Its Effects On Perceived Brand Authenticity (Kuchmaner, 2020)
  • You Are What You Eat: How Food Texture And Packaging Influence Consumer Well-Being (Ning, 2020)
  • Social Dialogic Listening: Connecting Marketing Activity To Strategy (Collins, 2020)
  • Millennials’ Attitudes Towards Influencer Marketing And Purchase Intentions (Yu, 2019)
  • Cannibalization between Two Mercedes-Benz Models and Consumer Behavior (Ma, 2020)
  • Selling and Buying Aspects of Used Products That Are Brand Anthropomorphized (Kim, 2019)
  • Global Identity: Conceptualization, Measurement, And Implications For Marketing Strategy (Yoruk, 2022)
  • The Intersection of Organizational Frontline Marketing and a High-Tech World (Krotz, 2021)
  • The Unexplored Impacts of Communication Elements in Marketing (Trinh, 2022)
  • Founder Social Identity As A Predictor Of Customer And Competitor Orientation In Small And Medium-Sized Enterprises (Rutherford, 2021)

Looking at these titles, you can probably pick up that the research topics here are far more specific and narrowly-focused , compared to the generic ones presented earlier. This is an important thing to keep in mind as you develop your own research topic. That is to say, to create a top-notch research topic, you must be precise and target a specific context with specific variables of interest . In other words, you need to identify a clear, well-justified research gap.

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If you’re still feeling a bit unsure about how to find a research topic for your marketing dissertation or thesis, check out our 1-on-1 private coaching services below.

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While these resources are generally the most relevant, there may be other resources available. If you are looking for something in particular or cannot find a lot of information about a niche segment, please Ask Us .

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The following databases contain demographic profiles such as age, gender, income etc., and also offer data on consumer behavioral characteristics towards purchasing (e.g. brand preference, expenditure habits, popularity trends, etc.). By using the suggested resources, you can identify your target markets and create socio-demographic profiles of your target consumers.

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In addition to industry and market reports, there are many other ways to analyze an industry, gain insights, and find relevant statistics and data.

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These databases contain industry statistical data in tables or charts. They're a good place to start as they collect information from many sources.

  • RKMA Market Research Handbook Series This link opens in a new window Use these market research handbooks for quick facts and to find more sources. Covers U.S. industries like restaurants, healthcare, sports, and travel. For : Current Stanford faculty, staff, and students. Temporarily unavailable. For updates, please check System Status -->

U.S. Government Statistical Resources

  • U.S. Census Bureau | Monthly Retail Trade Data Monthly sales data by industry, including an experimental quarterly e-commerce report.
  • U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retail Trade. Current and historical statistics on workforce in retail trade as a whole and in its 12 individual subsectors, e.g. gasoline stations, Food and Beverage Stores, etc.

Industry Associations 

Industry associations often have great information. Look for sections on their websites like "Resources", "Publications", or "Data," but note some resources may be restricted to members.

  • American Apparel and Footwear Association Industry research available to non-members, includes latest hot-topic reports, industry norms and guidellines. From the top menu on right, select Solutions > Tools & Research .
  • International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) The content of interest available to non-members is Industry Benchmark Report, which is a latest month statistics on the state of marketplace industry. Form the top menu, go to News & Views > Industry Insights .
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These resources focus on a specific industry which includes a retail component, or analyse the retail industry for specific markets.

  • WWD.com (Women's Wear Daily) This link opens in a new window Online site that provides information and news about the fashion industry. Subscription covers recent 12 months only. Includes access to the Digital Daily newsletter . For : Current Stanford faculty, staff, and students. Access : 3 simultaneous users. Temporarily unavailable. For updates, please check System Status -->
  • Sourcing Journal This link opens in a new window Global apparel and textile industry news and analysis. For : Current Stanford faculty, staff, and students. Remote access temporarily unavailable. For updates, please check System Status -->
  • EMIS Intelligence This link opens in a new window If you can't connect and see "Inquire about additional products", use an incognito/private browser. -->Global and emerging market information and market reports for countries or regions worldwide. For : Current Stanford faculty, staff, and students. Remote access temporarily unavailable. For updates, please check System Status -->

These databases focus on the technological aspects of the retail business, such as creating digital infrastructure, using AI, automating store activities both in-store and online, business analytics, and more.

For research on retail industry, from the top tabs select Solutions > Industry Insights > IDC Retail Insights .

  • Top 100 Retailers Annual list of top 100 retailers by sales from the National Retail Association.
  • Hot 25 Retailers Annual list of the 25 fastest growing retail companies from the National Retail Federaion.
  • DSN: Direct Selling News The notable feature is Digital Momentum Index that represents a quarterly ranking of top direct selling companies based on their social media and online presence. Find it under the Research tab.
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370+ Best Marketing Research Topics & Ideas for Students to Consider

Marketing Research Topics

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Ever had that brain-freezing moment where you're staring at a blank page, desperately hunting for that perfect marketing research topic? We've all been there. Welcome to your new cheat-sheet – a collection of unique, compelling, and downright cool marketing research paper topics. 

This isn't your standard list. We've gone beyond the beaten track, exploring the wild frontier of marketing, from neuromarketing mysteries to influencer insights. We've broken it down into digestible sections, so you can dive straight into your area of interest or academic level. Go ahead, check out these marketing research topics for papers and dissertations to make your next project shine!

What Are Marketing Research Topics?

In its simplest form, marketing is all about telling a compelling story to your audience. It's how businesses communicate the value of their products or services to customers, intending to promote and sell them. Yet, it's not just about selling. Marketing also involves understanding customer needs, crafting solutions to meet these needs, and building relationships that result in customer loyalty.

Now, when it comes to marketing research topics, you'll find an expansive universe of possibilities, each as diverse as the next. You might explore how to position your product to maximize impact or delve into the powerful online strategies that can make your brand viral. Or, you could examine the psychology behind consumer behavior, understanding what drives people to buy one product over another. 

These are just a handful of the abundant marketing topics you can encounter. Now let’s see what branches they are divided into.

Branches of Marketing Topics

Before you choose any marketing research topic idea, let’s figure out the main branches of this field. Here are the buckets they fall into:

  • Strategic marketing: This is the art of planning with a long-term view. Topics here could cover competitive positioning, market segmentation, or establishing a unique selling proposition.
  • Digital marketing: This direction is all about reaching customers online. You might explore search engine optimization, email marketing campaigns, or the effectiveness of different digital advertising strategies.
  • Social media marketing: This branch leverages social platforms to engage customers. Marketing topics here could revolve around the role of influencers, the power of user-generated content, or the impact of social media on brand perception.
  • Content marketing: This revolves around creating valuable content for customers. Here, you could delve into the importance of storytelling, how to create compelling blog posts, or the effectiveness of video marketing.
  • Consumer behavior: This branch focuses on understanding what drives consumers. You might examine factors influencing buying decisions, the psychology of consumer choice, or trends in consumer behavior.

How to Choose a Marketing Research Topic?

Choosing the right marketing research paper topic is crucial for a couple of reasons. Firstly, a good topic can keep you motivated throughout your study. It can be the difference between seeing your research as a chore or an adventure. Secondly, a well-chosen topic can contribute to the field, spark discussions, or even influence marketing strategies.

So, what makes a marketing research topic good? Most importantly, it should be an area of interest that excites you and piques your curiosity. Researching something you don't care about won't bring out your best work. Also, make sure the topic is relevant – check if it fits into the current research landscape or challenges existing knowledge. Last but not least, ask yourself if the topic is manageable within the scope of your assignment and resources. 

With these criteria in mind, let's see how to select the right marketing research topic. Below are some valuable suggestions from our thesis writing service :

  • Begin research Get familiar with the field by reading up on the latest publications and material. Note down all ideas for later reference.
  • Identify your interest area Start by asking yourself what aspect of marketing excites you most. Is it the psychology of consumer behavior, the analytics of digital marketing, or the creative aspects of content marketing?
  • Examine current trends Stay updated with the latest developments in the marketing field. Read industry reports, blogs, or news to identify hot topics or emerging trends.
  • Find a gap Look for questions that haven't been sufficiently answered or areas that need more exploration. This could be a unique perspective on an existing topic or an entirely new question.
  • Consider practicality Make sure your topic is feasible to research. Do you have access to the necessary resources, data, or tools?

Remember, choosing the right topic is a journey, one that requires time, exploration, and sometimes, a bit of trial and error. Don't rush it, savor the process, and you'll end up with a great topic. But in case you are stuck, we developed a list of potential research topics in marketing – all worth attention.

List of Marketing Research Topics & Ideas 

We've collated a captivating list of marketing research paper topics, perfect for igniting your curiosity and sure to impress your professors. Remember to align your chosen topic with your course requirements to ensure it's the perfect fit. Let's dive in!

  • Engaging Gen Z through social media marketing.
  • Challenges and opportunities in influencer marketing.
  • Ethical boundaries in digital advertising.
  • Rise of voice search: Impact on SEO.
  • Sustainable marketing: Beyond a trend?
  • Navigating cultural differences in international marketing.
  • AI and personalization in digital marketing.
  • Consumer behavior in online vs. offline shopping.
  • Impact of viral marketing on brand awareness.
  • Neuromarketing: Exploring the consumer's mind.
  • The role of AR and VR in enhancing consumer experience.
  • Branding in the age of social movements.
  • Efficacy of content marketing in B2B sectors.
  • Emotional marketing: Manipulation or genuine connection?
  • Privacy concerns in data-driven marketing.

Good Marketing Research Topics

Eager to dive deeper into the world of marketing? Here are more fresh and exciting marketing project topics. Each is poised to offer intriguing insights and comes with plenty of data to fuel your arguments. Get ready to explore!

  • Measuring the impact of customer reviews on sales.
  • Gamification as a marketing strategy: Pros and cons.
  • How color psychology influences branding?
  • Experiential marketing: A new customer engagement strategy.
  • How does social responsibility improve brand image?
  • Celebrity endorsements: Effective or outdated?
  • Ethical implications of neuromarketing.
  • Green marketing: Just a trend or a sustainable strategy?
  • Impact of humorous advertising on brand recall.
  • Local SEO strategies for small businesses.
  • How storytelling boosts content marketing success?
  • Role of AI in predicting consumer behavior.
  • Effects of scarcity tactics in e-commerce.
  • Mobile marketing trends shaping the future.
  • Impact of data privacy regulations on digital marketing.

Interesting Marketing Research Topics

Looking for a theme to add a dash of intrigue to your research? Explore this list of market research topics guaranteed to spark curiosity and foster insightful discussions.

  • Using virtual reality for product demonstrations.
  • Impact of emotional appeals in advertising.
  • How does nostalgia influence consumer choices?
  • Role of chatbots in improving customer service.
  • Leveraging user-generated content for brand promotion.
  • Social media's role in crisis management.
  • Role of big data in personalized advertising.
  • Is there a backlash against intrusive online ads?
  • Psychology behind successful loyalty programs.
  • Impact of culture on global advertising strategies.
  • Influencers vs. celebrity endorsements: Which is more effective?
  • Ethical implications of predictive analytics in targeting consumers.
  • Effectiveness of cause marketing in boosting sales.
  • Role of augmented reality in enhancing shopping experiences.
  • Strategies for improving online customer engagement.

Best Marketing Research Topics

What sets outstanding marketing research projects apart? They should be relevant, intriguing, and offer new insights. With that in mind, we've compiled the best research topics in marketing that tick all these boxes. Ready to make your research truly outstanding? Dive in!

  • Influence of virtual reality on consumer experiences.
  • Power of storytelling in brand building.
  • How does sustainability shape consumer choices?
  • Impact of memes on online brand promotion.
  • Role of blockchain in ensuring ad transparency.
  • Emotional intelligence in customer service: Is it crucial?
  • Does user-generated content boost trust in brands?
  • Social media's impact on body image: A concern for advertisers?
  • Role of data analytics in shaping promotional strategies.
  • Ethics in advertising: How far can shock tactics go?
  • Evolving consumer expectations in the era of personalization .
  • What drives the success of viral ads?
  • How does color influence brand recognition ?
  • Impact of artificial intelligence on consumer data collection.
  • Strategies to counter negative publicity on social media.

New Research Topics in Marketing

As an ever-evolving field, marketing constantly introduces new areas to investigate. It's vital to keep abreast of the latest trends to discover untapped research topics. To help you stay ahead of the curve, here are brand new marketing research topic ideas, each one reflecting innovations in the field.

  • Role of voice assistants in shaping buyer behavior.
  • Exploring the ethics of using AI in advertising.
  • Omnichannel retailing: A shift in consumer shopping experience?
  • Role of podcasts in influencing consumer behavior.
  • How does virtual reality reshape shopping experiences?
  • Personalization vs. privacy: A growing concern in digital advertising?
  • Use of drone technology for product delivery.
  • Impact of artificial intelligence on customer segmentation.
  • Role of WhatsApp chatbots in e-commerce: Do they enhance customer satisfaction?
  • How does mobile payment influence consumer buying behavior?
  • Influencer marketing in the age of fake followers.
  • The rise of shoppable posts in social media.
  • Exploring the potential of augmented reality in product visualization.
  • How do data breaches affect brand trust?
  • Impact of social media algorithms on content visibility.

Controversial Topics in Marketing

Struggling to come up with an interesting research topic on marketing? Consider exploring controversial marketing ideas. These themes can help you to spark heated debates and draw attention from your tutor. Below are a few fantastic controversial marketing topics to write about. 

And don't forget, you can pick a topic and entrust it to a professional essay writer online . Our experts can conduct thorough research and deliver top-quality work, no matter how complex the subject. Take your pick and let our professionals do the heavy lifting for you!

  • Has the rise of ad-blockers signified failure in digital advertising?
  • Deceptive marketing tactics: Where is the line drawn?
  • Does native advertising compromise journalistic integrity?
  • Ethical dilemmas of data mining in personalized marketing.
  • Use of sexual imagery in advertising: Effective or exploitative?
  • Neuromarketing: Intriguing science or manipulative strategy?
  • Are shock tactics in advertising crossing the line?
  • Role of consumerism in environmental degradation.
  • Negative impacts of beauty standards perpetuated by ads.
  • Is manipulation an inherent part of marketing?
  • Stereotypes in advertising : Harmless categorizing or dangerous bias?
  • Social media marketing to children: Ethical or exploitative?
  • Are privacy concerns leading to a decline in personalized advertising?
  • Does influencer marketing promote unrealistic lifestyle expectations?
  • Is greenwashing a consequence of sustainability trends in marketing?

Marketing Topics & Ideas for Students

Are you searching for marketing topic ideas tailored to your academic level? You're in the right place! In the following sections, you'll discover multiple marketing essay topics and research ideas organized according to various levels of study. Scroll down, find your academic level, and start exploring!

Marketing Research Topics for College Students

College is a time for exploration and growth, and what better way to study this niche than with some thought-provoking marketing research ideas for college students? Take a look at these titles suitable for a college-level understanding, yet engaging enough to fuel your curiosity.

  • Subliminal advertising : Myth or reality?
  • Impact of music in retail environments on consumer behavior.
  • The role of humor in successful ad campaigns.
  • Exploring the 'Fear of Missing Out' (FOMO) effect in event marketing.
  • Push vs. pull marketing strategies : Which works better?
  • Marketing campaigns that changed public opinion.
  • Celebrity scandals: A death knell for brand image?
  • Influence of packaging design on purchase decisions.
  • The role of color psychology in food marketing.
  • Impact of customer relationship management (CRM) on customer loyalty.
  • Are loyalty programs effective in retaining customers?
  • The role of social proof in online sales.
  • How cultural factors influence buying decisions.
  • Word-of-mouth marketing in the digital age.
  • The effect of customer service quality on brand loyalty.

Marketing Research Topics for University Students

As a university student, you're expected to tackle more complex tasks. So, we've curated a list of advanced marketing research ideas, perfect for a university level understanding.

  • How globalization shapes brand strategies.
  • Is corporate social responsibility just a trend or a necessity?
  • The influence of economic downturns on consumer behavior.
  • Emotional connections: Are they key in fostering customer loyalty?
  • Understanding the ' Halo Effect ' in brand perceptions.
  • Lessons learned from cross-cultural promotional blunders.
  • Exploring the psychology behind pricing strategies.
  • The role of neurolinguistic programming in persuasive messaging.
  • How sensory experiences enhance customer interactions.
  • Nudging consumer behavior: Is it ethical?
  • The impact of data analytics on strategic decision-making.
  • Unraveling the gender stereotypes present in commercials.
  • Assessing the effectiveness of ambush promotional strategies.
  • How does ethical branding improve a company's image?
  • Tracing the evolution and impact of guerrilla promotional strategies.

Marketing Research Topics by Category

As promised, we've meticulously organized an array of marketing topics for a research paper into specific categories for your convenience. Whether you're interested in digital marketing, consumer behavior, or any other subfield, just scroll down. Below, you'll find our comprehensive collection, each with a selection of field-specific marketing research paper ideas.

Digital Marketing Research Topics

Digital marketing revolves around promoting and selling products or services using digital platforms. As this domain continues to grow, it opens up a multitude of unique research avenues. Let's uncover some digital marketing topics to discuss:

  • Role of artificial intelligence in customer segmentation.
  • Does video content really boost online engagement?
  • Potential of augmented reality for product visualization .
  • Understanding consumer trust in online reviews.
  • Effectiveness of mobile apps in customer retention.
  • Future of email promotion in social media era.
  • Role of SEO in driving organic traffic.
  • Impact of page loading speed on bounce rates.
  • Online sales: Does free shipping enhance conversion rates?
  • Influencer collaboration vs paid advertising : What offers better ROI?
  • Impact of personalization on e-commerce conversion rates.
  • Importance of responsive design in user experience.
  • Is social proof essential for online sales conversion?
  • Podcasts as a promotional tool: How effective are they?
  • Evolution of privacy laws and its impact on online data collection.

Strategic Marketing Research Problems Topics

Global brand strategies with setting goals, deciding on actions to achieve these goals, and mobilizing resources to execute the actions. It requires a thorough understanding of market trends, competitive landscapes, and consumer behavior. Take a glance at these topics in marketing that explore various problems and challenges in this subfield:

  • Impact of poor internal communication on marketing strategy.
  • Aligning brand identity with customer perceptions.
  • Challenges in establishing a global brand strategy .
  • Role of competitive intelligence in shaping business strategy.
  • Impact of poor customer service on brand loyalty.
  • Mergers and acquisitions.
  • Role of organizational culture in strategy implementation.
  • Navigating the risks of product diversification.
  • Coping with increased price competition in saturated markets .
  • Impact of supply chain disruptions on product availability.
  • Overcoming barriers in implementing green business practices.
  • Strategies for maintaining brand relevance in fast-paced markets.
  • How does a changing regulatory environment impact strategy formulation?
  • Importance of innovation in maintaining a competitive edge.
  • Balancing profit margins and customer satisfaction in pricing strategy.

Social Media Marketing Research Paper Topics

It’s hard to imagine our life without social media. It has revolutionized the way we communicate and interact with one another. In this regard, there are a bunch of research topics on marketing for students who need to write a social media essay or paper.

  • The rise of TikTok: Understanding its business appeal.
  • How does Instagram's 'Shop Now' feature affect consumer behavior?
  • The role of LinkedIn in B2B lead generation.
  • Assessing the influence of Twitter's character limit on message effectiveness.
  • Exploring Facebook's 'Reactions' and their impact on brand engagement.
  • Potential of Pinterest for visual brand storytelling.
  • Snapchat's 'Story' feature: A boon for experiential branding?
  • The impact of YouTube influencers on purchase decisions.
  • Understanding the role of social listening in reputation management.
  • Virality on social platforms: A calculated strategy or pure luck?
  • Live streams as a tool for real-time audience engagement.
  • The ethics of social media data mining.
  • User-generated content: An untapped branding tool?
  • Role of social platforms in crisis communication.
  • Analyzing the popularity of unboxing videos on social media.

>> More ideas: Social Media Research Paper Topics

Content Marketing Research Topic Ideas

Content marketing is all about creating, publishing, and distributing content for a targeted audience. It's about storytelling, providing valuable information, and building relationships with customers. Here are some fascinating content marketing topics for research:

  • Evaluating the impact of blog posts on SEO.
  • Long-form vs short-form content: What's more engaging?
  • Infographics: A tool for simplifying complex information.
  • Podcasts: A rising star in information dissemination?
  • Understanding the role of eBooks in lead generation.
  • Is interactive content the future of customer engagement?
  • Webinars: Are they still relevant in the age of short videos?
  • White papers: Their influence on decision-making in B2B.
  • How does user-generated content shape brand perception?
  • The rise and role of meme culture in content strategy.
  • Storytelling in branding: Fad or fundamental?
  • Exploring the trend of episodic content in audience retention.
  • Role of content curation in demonstrating industry thought leadership.
  • Using case studies as social proof in conversion strategy.
  • The impact of voice search on content creation.

Marketing Research Topics in Consumer Behavior

Consumer behavior explores how individuals, groups, and organizations select, use, and dispose of goods, services, or ideas. It seeks to understand the decision-making processes and what influences them. Consider these topics of marketing and consumer behavior:

  • Environmental concerns and their role in purchase decisions.
  • Family influence on children's brand preferences.
  • Celebrity endorsements and their impact on consumer trust.
  • Psychological triggers and implications of impulse buying.
  • Loyalty programs and their influence on repeat purchases .
  • Brand image and its effect on product evaluation.
  • Role nostalgia plays in purchase decisions.
  • Psychology behind buying 'limited edition' items.
  • Color and its impact on consumer perceptions and behaviors.
  • Music's influence on shopper mood and behavior in stores.
  • 'Made locally' label's effect on consumer choice.
  • Fear of missing out (FOMO) in online buying.
  • Customer reviews and their impact on online shopping behavior.
  • Social media's influence on body image and related product choices.
  • Paradox of choice: More selection leading to less satisfaction?

B2B Marketing Project Topics

Business-to-business (B2B) marketing focuses on selling products or services to other organizations. This subfield offers a range of topics related to marketing research. Take a look at some of our suggestions:

  • Impact of digital transformation on business sales.
  • LinkedIn's role in lead generation for businesses.
  • Efficacy of email marketing in business transactions.
  • Chatbots: Enhancing customer service in business marketing?
  • Necessity of personalization in business marketing.
  • Influence of webinars in generating leads for businesses.
  • Understanding influencer marketing in a business context.
  • Ethical issues in data collection for business marketing.
  • A deep-dive into account-based marketing strategies .
  • Role of predictive analytics in business marketing.
  • Marketing strategies designed for small businesses.
  • Overcoming challenges in business branding.
  • Efficacy of content marketing in a business context.
  • Implications of GDPR on business marketing.
  • Emerging trends in business marketing.

>> View more: Business Topics to Write About

International Marketing Research Topics

International marketing focuses on understanding and responding to global opportunities. It requires a more extensive research approach with an eye towards cultural, political, and economic developments outside the home country. Explore these international market research ideas for papers:

  • Cultural nuances and their impact on advertising strategies.
  • Cross-border e-commerce: Growth and challenges.
  • Exploring the role of localization in global branding.
  • Understanding tariff wars and their impact on marketing strategies.
  • Influence of political climate on international marketing decisions.
  • International public relations: A comparative study.
  • Social media and its role in global product launches.
  • A study of emerging markets and their attractiveness for marketers.
  • International consumer behavior: Similarities and differences.
  • Localization vs. standardization in global marketing.
  • Case study: Successful global rebranding campaigns.
  • Impact of Brexit on European marketing strategies.
  • Green marketing practices across the globe.
  • International market segmentation and targeting strategies.
  • International marketing ethics: A cross-cultural analysis.

Real Estate Marketing Research Topics

Real estate marketing involves understanding and responding to the needs of potential buyers, sellers, and investors in the property market. Go through these project topics in marketing related to real estate research:

  • Marketing luxury apartments: Challenges and solutions.
  • Selling residential properties in a buyer's market.
  • How social media influences property buying decisions.
  • Effectively marketing rental properties in competitive markets.
  • Marketing strategies for eco-friendly homes.
  • Role staging plays in promoting properties.
  • Drones: The new trend in real estate showcasing.
  • Advertising strategies in rapidly urbanizing areas.
  • Promoting properties through influencer partnerships.
  • Customer reviews' impact on online property listings.
  • Neighborhood branding's influence on real estate sales.
  • Online vs offline property promotion: A comparative study.
  • Comparing marketing strategies: Luxury versus budget properties.
  • Marketing properties during economic downturns.
  • Digital marketing best practices for property agents.

Marketing Research Paper Topics in Distribution

The world of distribution is multi-layered and complex, intertwined with other key areas like logistics, supply chain management, and marketing. It's about ensuring products get into the hands of customers efficiently. Investigate this exciting area with these research topics in marketing field.

  • Impact on sales: Direct vs indirect distribution methods.
  • Influencing factors in selecting distribution channels.
  • E-commerce's revolutionizing role in product distribution.
  • Case study: Successful distribution strategies in retail.
  • Drones and future delivery systems: A feasibility study.
  • Role big data plays in optimizing distribution channels.
  • How sustainable practices influence distribution strategies.
  • Importance customer convenience plays in distribution planning.
  • Overcoming distribution challenges in rural areas.
  • Examining the relationship: Distribution strategies and market share.
  • AI's role in streamlining distribution processes.
  • Omnichannel distribution: A necessity or a luxury?
  • Importance distribution planning plays in new product launches.
  • Distribution's role in creating a competitive advantage.
  • Changes in distribution strategies due to the pandemic.

Neuromarketing Research Topics

Neuromarketing focuses on how psychological, cognitive, and emotional processes affect consumer behavior. It combines neuroscience with traditional marketing research for a deeper understanding of decision-making processes. Here are some interesting neuromarketing topics:

  • Influence of colors on consumer decision making.
  • How product placement impacts buying behavior.
  • Emotional triggers in advertising: An analysis.
  • Consumer responses to sensory branding .
  • Impacting purchase decisions with visual illusions.
  • Role of auditory cues in product preference.
  • Influence of olfactory cues on consumer behavior.
  • Celebrity endorsements and neural responses.
  • Comparing digital vs. physical shopping experiences: A neuromarketing perspective.
  • Effects of negative emotion on impulse buying .
  • Role neurolinguistics plays in shaping consumer opinions.
  • Neuromarketing strategies for personalized advertising.
  • Video vs. image ads: A comparative neuromarketing study.
  • Assessing effectiveness of humor in ads: A neuroscientific approach.
  • How storytelling in marketing sways the consumer's brain.

>> View more: Psychology Paper Topics

Influencer Marketing Topics for Research

Influencer marketing blends social media and advertising. It's an evolving field, ripe for research. We invite you to check these compelling research paper topics about marketing and influencers:

  • Measuring return on investment in influencer marketing.
  • How micro-influencers impact small business growth.
  • Authenticity versus promotion: Striking a balance.
  • Ethics in influencer marketing: A critical review.
  • Power social media influencers hold over consumer behavior.
  • Video blogging and brand visibility.
  • Effect of influencer-led contests on audience engagement.
  • Does influencer reputation affect brand perception?
  • Celebrity versus non-celebrity influencers: Who wins?
  • Impact of influencer gender on audience engagement.
  • Fashion influencers and their role in brand awareness.
  • Fitness influencers: Inspiring or creating pressure?
  • Role influencers play in promoting sustainable products.
  • Influencers and crisis management: A case study approach.
  • Influencer partnerships: Temporary boost or long-term gain?

Ethical Marketing Research Paper Topics

Ethical marketing revolves around the principles of honesty, fairness, and responsibility in advertising practices. With an increasing emphasis on business ethics, research in this area can yield insightful findings. Consider these awesome research paper topics related to marketing and ethics:

  • Honesty in advertising: A lost art?
  • Exploring fairness in competitive marketing practices.
  • Corporate social responsibility: Marketing strategy or ethical obligation?
  • Greenwashing: Misleading environmental claims in advertising.
  • Privacy and data collection: An ethical debate.
  • Ethical implications in children's advertising.
  • Body positivity and marketing: Strides and stumbles.
  • Cultural sensitivity in international marketing campaigns .
  • Animal rights and marketing: Exploring ethical considerations.
  • Influence of ethical claims on consumer perception.
  • False advertising: Consequences and solutions.
  • Ethical dimensions in influencer partnerships.
  • Human rights issues in marketing.
  • Health claims in food advertising: Fact or fiction?
  • Role of ethics in pharmaceutical marketing.

Integrated Marketing Communication Research Topics

Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) blends different promotional tools to deliver clear, consistent, and compelling messages. IMC is crucial for brands to create unified customer experiences. Here are original, attention-grabbing integrated marketing communication topics for research :

  • Role of social media in IMC strategy.
  • IMC impact on customer loyalty.
  • Public relations in an IMC context.
  • Online-offline IMC strategies: A comparative study.
  • Influencer endorsements in IMC: Effectiveness assessment.
  • IMC in non-profit organizations: An exploratory study.
  • Impact of IMC on brand equity.
  • Event sponsorship in IMC plans.
  • IMC strategy for launching new products.
  • Role of IMC in crisis management.
  • Digital transformation and its influence on IMC.
  • IMC in enhancing customer relationships.
  • AI and IMC: A synergy exploration.
  • IMC for sustainable product marketing.
  • Evaluating IMC success: Metrics and measurement methods.

Marketing Analytics Research Topics

Marketing analytics employs data and metrics to measure the success of marketing initiatives, enabling informed business decisions. Here are groundbreaking topics that offer intriguing insights into marketing analytics:

  • Social media data: A gold mine for marketers?
  • Predictive analytics in customer retention strategies.
  • Quantifying influencer marketing: Metrics that matter.
  • Role of big data in personalized branding.
  • Real-time analytics in optimizing marketing campaigns.
  • Analytics in content marketing: Determining success.
  • AI-powered marketing analytics: Boon or bane?
  • Sentiment analysis in brand perception.
  • Location-based analytics in mobile branding.
  • Web analytics: Decoding customer online behavior.
  • Customer segmentation through data analytics.
  • ROI calculation in digital marketing.
  • Analyzing customer journey with cross-channel analytics.
  • Leveraging analytics for email marketing.
  • Voice search analytics: Future brand promotion tool?

Sport Marketing Topics to Write About

Sport marketing involves promoting teams, games, and related products to fans and broader audiences. It's an exciting field, mixing passion, business, and competition. Explore these sports marketing related topics if you are interested in this field:

  • Social media's role in popularizing sport events.
  • Fan engagement in a digital age.
  • Impact of athlete endorsements on brand perception.
  • Sustainability initiatives in the sports world.
  • Leveraging virtual reality for improved fan experiences.
  • Esports' influence on traditional sports promotion.
  • Strategy shifts for supporting women's sports leagues.
  • Analyzing the dynamics of sports sponsorship deals.
  • Successful merchandising tactics for sports teams.
  • Team performance and its influence on merchandise sales.
  • Sports events as a tool for promoting tourism.
  • Accessibility in sports venues: Implications for fan inclusion.
  • Personal branding strategies for athletes.
  • Controversy's role in athlete endorsements.
  • Mobile trends shaping the sports industry.

Extra Marketing Research Paper Topics

Couldn't find a fitting topic in marketing? Don’t worry! We added some more ideas to choose from. Below are some additional topics you might like. Let’s continue your research on marketing topics together.

Marketing Presentation Topics

Presentations on marketing concepts can illuminate the strategies behind successful advertising campaigns, brand positioning, and customer engagement. These unique and original topics will provide an interesting spin on conventional marketing subjects:

  • Humanizing artificial intelligence in customer relations.
  • Role of silent films in modern advertising.
  • Using quantum computing to optimize marketing efforts.
  • Neural networks in predicting consumer behavior.
  • Astral marketing: Leveraging astrology in branding.
  • Biophilic elements in retail space design.
  • Gamification in non-gaming brand experiences.
  • Marketing possibilities in metaverse.
  • Cybersecurity's influence on digital consumer trust.
  • Marketing potential of brain-computer interfaces.
  • Implementing circular economy principles in product promotion.
  • Micro-moments: Capitalizing on instant decision making.
  • Haptic technology's potential in experiential marketing.
  • Role of digital twins in customer profiling.
  • Impact of space tourism on brand partnerships.

Marketing Thesis Topics

Are you about to write a thesis or dissertation? Consider these pro-level marketing topics for thesis and dissertations:

  • Emotional algorithms: Predicting consumer behavior through AI.
  • Phygital retail : Blending physical and digital shopping experiences.
  • Impact of blockchain technology on consumer trust in digital marketing.
  • Sensory branding in virtual reality environments.
  • Leveraging neuromorphic engineering for personalized marketing.
  • Ethical implications of using deepfake technology in advertising.
  • Quantum computing's potential impact on big data analytics.
  • The role of immersive technology in shaping luxury brand experiences.
  • Micro-personalization: Exploring marketing's hyper-customized future.
  • Bio-adaptive marketing: The next frontier in personalization?
  • Implications of facial recognition technology on privacy and marketing ethics.
  • Exploring the marketing potential of Internet of Behaviors (IoB) .
  • Edge computing's influence on real-time marketing strategies.
  • Use of augmented intelligence in predicting consumer life cycle.
  • Leveraging satellite technology for geolocation-based marketing.

Bottom Line on Marketing Topics for Research Papers

The marketing research paper topics and ideas attached above provide a great starting point for your project. But don't be afraid to address other angles related to the subject. Whatever you choose to study, make sure you draw clear connections between your sources and your argument. And if you need any help with writing or research, remember to contact our professional academic assistants.

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100 best marketing research topics for all.

marketing research topics

Because of the many aspects of marketing, choosing marketing topics to write about may put one in a dicey situation. This article provides some hot topics in marketing that will help you select an area of focus and select relevant topics from that niche. From marketing research topics for college students to social issues in marketing, we have got you covered! So sit down and relax as we take you through the list of marketing research topics our professional writers prepared just for you!

Marketing Thesis Topics

Are you in need of well-thought-out marketing thesis topics and marketing dissertation topics? Then you’re in the right place! This list of marketing paper topics presented will give you a distinct thesis/dissertation.

  • Analysis and determination of consumer buying behavior for Coca-Cola
  • A study on famous well-marketed brands that got away with selling substandard quality products
  • A study showing the impact of advertising on consumer behavior
  • Brand advertising and political campaigns: a possible interwoven impact?
  • A review of the outcomes of advertising in a recession
  • Exhaustive research on how brands exploit impulsive buying
  • A study of how celebrity endorsements on ROI affect CPG brands
  • A survey of the impact of augmented reality on marketing experiences
  • Critical research on how AI will help make better marketing decisions
  • A study of the perspective and reception of Americans to targeted ads based on their browser history

Current Marketing Issues

There are numerous marketing issues around the world today. These global marketing issues threaten the survival of many businesses and the economy at large. Here is a list of current marketing issues!

  • A decline in organic reach on social media platforms
  • Difficulty in building a well-recognized brand name
  • Getting readers to see content
  • Understanding marketing results
  • Marketing budgets included by BREXIT
  • Optimizing business for voice search
  • Bridging the technology gap
  • Ensuring compliance with GDPR
  • Overdependence of potential customers on amazon
  • The effect of COVID-19 on the global economy

Marketing Research Topics

Getting marketing topics for research has been made considerably more comfortable with this list of marketing research paper topics. Ready to explore the marketing research topics we have, let’s delve right in!

  • Exploring how organizations use corporate social responsibility (CSR) to reinforce brand equity
  • The effect of social media on buying choices
  • Online purchasing: a study of the product characteristics buyers look for
  • An exploration of the differences in marketing strategies across cultures
  • Manipulation tactics: how brands can get more customers
  • A study of how customer loyalty is affected by brand image
  • Analyzing how TV advertising affects the top of mind awareness
  • Do people appreciate being click baited into sponsored posts?
  • A study on how to make customers purchase goods and services in the luxury category

Digital Marketing Blog Topics

Digital marketing remains a very important aspect of marketing in the world today. Here are some very juicy digital marketing topics you can write a great blog on!

  • 10 insightful differences between paid search and organic search
  • Tips for promoting content on Pinterest
  • SEO tactics to avoid like the plague
  • How to increase your followers on social media
  • Best tips to help you grow your paid social ROAS
  • Why should you follow your competitors on social media?
  • Dos and don’ts of social media marketing
  • How to create content your audience will be eager to share

Marketing Essay Topics

  • What is the most effective form of marketing?
  • Internet marketing trends to expect in the future
  • What important brand attributes lead to an increase in customer loyalty?
  • A look into marketing approaches that broke through strong market monopoly
  • The impact of social media on consumer buying behavior
  • Comparison of advertising versus building brand equity
  • Rebuilding trust in influencer marketing
  • How to generate leads effectively

Content Marketing Topics

  • 10 biggest graphic design mistakes companies make in their marketing pieces
  • How to create captivating e-newsletters that people will pay attention to
  • Repurposing marketing content for small businesses
  • Working more micro-content into marketing efforts
  • Multi-step versus one-step content marketing campaigns
  • The five Cs when creating content marketing copy
  • Creating compelling content marketing campaigns in 10 steps
  • Content marketing: how to generate more leads and close sales

Strategic Marketing Problems

There are many marketing problems in companies and businesses that threaten to cripple the advancement of the industry. Here is a list of some marketing problems you may be willing to proffer solutions to.

  • Inability to explain products or services delivered
  • Not clearly defining a company’s market segment
  • Lack of innovating commercial department
  • Lack of business visibility
  • Missing links between sales and marketing departments
  • Lack of marketing plan
  • Lack of personal branding, brand image, and professional reputation
  • Thinking the company or business can survive without marketing

Marketing Blog Topics

  • Facebook advertising: pros and cons
  • 10 benefits of inbound marketing
  • The most frustrating problems faced in inbound marketing
  • How to generate subscribers for your blog faster than ever!
  • 10 benefits of content marketing lead magnets
  • Five video content marketing myths you must discard
  • 30 social media campaign ideas from big brands

Controversial Marketing Topics

  • Does google give preferential treatment to big brands?
  • Does social media affect SEO ranking?
  • Are grey SEO techniques safe?
  • Are YouTube videos more engaging than TV ads?
  • Are building e-mail lists still one of the best ways to sell?
  • Will immersion marketing through VR technology to be accepted?

Sport Marketing Research Topics

Sports marketing continues to remain a significant source of revenue. Hence, research in this area will continue to stay relevant. Here are some sport marketing topics you could consider working on.

  • How the extraordinary content offered by intelligent chatbots can help sports teams strengthen fan loyalty
  • Emerging opportunities in sports marketing and how to capitalize on them
  • How to effectively capitalize on the wearables market
  • Should more women and children get into sports?
  • Should seniors be allowed to participate in some games?

Marketing Presentation Topics

  • Mastering in-house SEO
  • The path to gaining and building customers trust
  • Brand awareness versus ROI
  • Effectively personalizing customer communications
  • The best SEO strategies that increase site traffic

International Marketing Topics

Marketing connects the global world, and this is why it is essential to marketing development. Here are some international marketing topics to consider!

  • The effect of globalization on consumer behavior
  • How do international brands compare to local brands?
  • Do international brands always have advantages over a local brand?
  • Creating brand awareness by utilizing global event marketing
  • How to market products on an international level

Marketing Plan Topics

  • The importance of a marketing plan to the success of a business or product launch
  • Building a tactical marketing plan
  • How is a marketing strategy different from a marketing plan?
  • Indispensable parts in writing a marketing plan

Ethical Issues In Marketing

  • Targeted Ads based on browser history
  • Immersion marketing through virtual reality
  • The exploitation of impulsive buying
  • Click baiting into sponsored posts

Affiliate Marketing Topics

  • How to find profitable niches in affiliate marketing
  • How to get readers interested in what you market
  • How to build a personal website: the ultimate guide

Congratulations! We hope you have been able to guide you in choosing your desired topic in marketing successfully. Alo, you can check out our business topics. We wish you the best in your research!

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Best Ever 111+ Research Topics for Marketing By Experts

Research Topics for Marketing

Are you struggling to find a well-thought marketing research topic for your thesis? Finding a research topic for marketing can give hard times. Marketing students spend a lot of time doing assignments. But they also have the opportunity to utilize their time and discover their true interests. Marketing has a wide range of aspects.

Therefore it is sometimes difficult to find the perfect topic for your thesis. In such a time, this article is your savior. In this article, we brought you some research topics that are interesting and equally unique. We have tried to cover every niche in this blog which is research topics for marketing. From marketing research topics to social issues.

If you have any pending marketing essays, then don’t worry. We are here to help you with your marketing essay. However, you can get the best marketing essay help from us. So, don’t waste your time get marketing essay help now.

Below is the List of All Interesting Research Topics for Marketing for Your Thesis

Table of Contents

  • A study on consumer buying behavior for Coca-Cola.
  • The distribution system in small-scale companies and multinational companies. Compare.
  • Business marketing paradigms and tactics in the modern market.
  • Use of CPR (Corporate social responsibility) by companies to build their brand.
  • Marketing research and business sales. Define the relationship between them, their need, and their importance.
  • Different market segments.
  • Impact of globalization on consumer behavior.
  • Covid-19 and its effect on the global economy. 
  • How does advertisement on TV affect consumers’ top mood?
  • Impact of advertising in the recession period.
  • Marketing strategy in the fashion industry.
  • Using Starbucks as an example. Explain International Market Entry.
  • Views on celebrities promoting brands. Result and impact on return on investment.
  • Artificial Intelligence.
  • Conversational Marketing.
  • A new trend of marketing- Video Marketing.
  • Digital Marketing and Search engine optimization.
  • The strongest form of marketing strategy- The influencer market.
  • Marketing and Social media management.
  • Importance of email in the market: Email Marketing.
  • How important is information and computer technology (ICT) in Supply Chain Market?
  • Impact of ICT on Supply Chain Market.
  • Importance of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Describe it with the example of Adidas.
  • Content promotion on Pinterest. Briefly explain.
  • How can you boost followers on Instagram?
  • How to organically increase Return on ad spend.
  • Advantages of following your competitor on social platforms.
  • Social Media Marketing Strategy: Dos and don’ts.
  • How to create content that is engaging? 
  • The most successful and powerful form of promotion.
  • Social media and consumer behavior. Their relationship and impact on each other.
  • Effective ways of generating leads.
  • Expected trends in the future for marketing. 
  • Methods of creating a captivating e-newsletter for the public’s attention.
  • Importance of Brand name, Brand image, and reputation.
  • Thought of running a business without marketing. Views, pros, and cons.
  • Facebook advertisement promotion: effective or not.
  • How often a business should launch new campaigns?
  • Are giveaways on social media worth it?
  •  How huge a Giveaway should be according to the business scale?
  • The whole strategy for making content go viral.
  • Is Snapchat capable of effectively advertising?
  • Effective and unique campaign ideas.
  • Difference between the quality of small business products and well-known business products.
  • Should radio still be preferred as an advertising option?
  • Facebook versus Instagram: which is best for marketing?
  • Difference between leads generated from Facebook and leads generated from Instagram.
  • Click-baited sponsored content. Impression on the consumer.
  • Social media marketing, advertising, and business-to-consumer marketing. Advantages and disadvantages.
  • Influence of BREXIT on UK financial institutions.

List of Popular Marketing Research Topics

  • Personalization is essential in marketing.
  • The impact of the marketing mix on organizational performance.
  • The significance of STP analysis in any corporate organization.
  • What effect does television advertising have on the customer’s overall mood?
  • How can lockdown scenarios affect the organization’s public relations efforts?
  • The significance of environmental auditing in developing efficient marketing strategies.
  • One of the most popular green advertising taglines is “Just Do It.”
  • Apple, Southwest Airlines, and Budweiser all have excellent marketing techniques.

Content Marketing Topic Ideas

  • What is pillar content, and how can it help you increase sales?
  • Marketing content repurposing for startups.
  • The most important elements of every effective content marketing.
  • When should you use micro-content in content marketing campaigns?
  • The most powerful content promotion techniques. 
  • The advantages of one-step vs. Multi-step content marketing campaigns.
  • Lead generation content marketing strategies.
  • How to increase email subscription rates using content.
  • As an emerging content marketing strategy, interactive content marketing.
  • Canva’s design school content marketing strategy in action.

Strategic Marketing Topic Ideas

  • Lack of business visibility.
  • There is no marketing strategy.
  • Inconsistencies in the value communication of products or services.
  • Innovative marketing solutions are not worthwhile to invest in.
  • Market research that could have been better executed.
  • The departments of marketing and sales need to be linked.
  • A company does not keep track of its customers’ past interactions.
  • My company is too small to succeed without marketing.
  • The marketing department relies on traditional marketing strategies.
  • The company’s target market segment is unknown.

Marketing Research Topics in Distribution In 2023

  • Evaluating the effectiveness of online distribution channels for small businesses.
  • Understanding the impact of delivery speed and convenience on consumer buying decisions.
  • Analyzing the role of social media in driving online sales for distributors.
  • Assessing the impact of new payment methods on distribution channels.
  • Examining the effect of personalized marketing on customer loyalty for distribution companies.
  • Investigating the role of packaging and branding in influencing consumer purchase decisions in retail distribution.
  • Understanding the importance of data analytics in optimizing distribution strategies for retailers.
  • Analyzing the impact of e-commerce on traditional distribution channels.
  • Evaluating the effectiveness of loyalty programs in retaining customers for distribution companies.
  • Investigating the role of influencer marketing in promoting new products for distributors.
  • Examining the impact of online reviews on consumer trust and purchase decisions in distribution channels.
  • Understanding the role of customer service in enhancing the customer experience for online shoppers.
  • Investigating the effectiveness of cross-channel marketing strategies in reaching new customers.
  • Analyzing the impact of global trade and tariffs on distribution channels for multinational companies.
  • Evaluating the importance of supply chain management in ensuring timely delivery of products to customers.
  • Understanding the impact of demographic changes on distribution channels, such as the rise of millennial consumers.
  • Investigating the effectiveness of subscription-based models in increasing customer loyalty for distributors.
  • Analyzing the role of data privacy and security in building trust with customers in online distribution channels.
  • Understanding the impact of sustainability and eco-friendliness on consumer purchasing decisions in retail distribution.
  • Evaluating the effectiveness of in-store promotions and displays in driving sales for physical retail distribution channels.

Digital Marketing Blog Topics In 2023

  • The Future of SEO: How Artificial Intelligence Will Change the Game
  • Personalization in Digital Marketing: Strategies to Reach Your Target Audience
  • The Rise of Voice Search: How to Optimize Your Content for Voice Assistants
  • Social Media Marketing Trends: What to Expect in the Next Five Years
  • The Importance of Video Marketing in 2023: Tips for Creating Engaging Content
  • The Ethics of Digital Marketing: Balancing Privacy and Personalization
  • The Power of Influencer Marketing: How to Collaborate with Influencers in Your Niche
  • The Future of Email Marketing: Automation and Personalization
  • Emerging Technologies and their Impact on Digital Marketing
  • The Role of Data Analytics in Digital Marketing: Leveraging Insights for Business Growth.

List of Best Research Topics for Marketing for You in 2023

If you are still in need of some inspiration regarding marketing research topics, then here are a few marketing research topics that you can explore:

  • To examine the factors that are influencing customer loyalty by brand image. A case of Adidas.
  • To assess the marketing approaches that influence consumer buying behavior.
  • The impact of inorganic over organic reach on several social media platforms.
  • To identify how brands exploit impulsive buying.
  • To Identify How Internet Marketing Has Changed the Lives of Consumers and Brands.
  • To examine the difference between advertising & creating brand equity.
  • The impact of brand strategies and advertising on youth.
  • To identify which social media platforms are used most by brands to reach their customers for create awareness
  • To determine the factors and elements that emphasize the development of emotional connection with the customers.
  • To Analyse the Effect of Emotional Targeting of the Brand on Customers.

Hopefully, this list of the best marketing research topics will help. If you’re still confused about which area you’d like to work in, below are some more topics related to the Pandemic. 

3 Pandemic Related Research Topics for Marketing (COVID-19)

Below are the top 3 pandemics related marketing research topics:

  • Marketing shift in the retail sector – A case of Covid – 19
  • Vaccine Access & Inequality
  • “Common Good” vs Medical Privacy
  • How to choose right topics for marketing
  • The Importance of marketing in today’s life
  • How to create an effective marketing presentation

What Should a Marketing Thesis Structure Look Like?

After you find the perfect marketing research topic, you may struggle with how you should outline it on paper. Therefore, we brought you this ideal outline for your thesis that you can use or change here and there to make it more like you. 

INTRO: Foundation of the thesis

Background.

Stating the purpose.

Stating the thesis.

MAIN BODY: Argument 1: Precise explanation.   

Support evidence. 

Argument 2: Precise explanation.   

Conclusion.

Argument 3: Precise explanation.   

CONCLUSION:

Restate the argument. and summarize everything 

Slightly conclude everything.

Tips and Tricks to Choosing the Best Research Topics for Marketing

Firstly, you’ll have to be familiar with the basics before we even deep dive into the details. If you want to start, pick up a pen and paper and then write about different topics that you’d like to write about. 

Here are some of the factors that you want to keep in mind while selecting research topics for marketing:

Try To Keeping Your Personal Interest In Mind

You won’t be able to write a research paper if you are not interested in the topic. Sit down and relax. Try to think about topics in which you’re interested.

It will be a lot easier for you to discuss different themes once you’ve written down all your ideas in one place. 

Don’t Leave It In The Middle

More than 50% of the students start the writing process, but they are not able to complete it and leave it in the middle. Just keep in mind that you’re not able to write an entire research paper overnight.

In order to succeed, you’ll have to give a sufficient amount of time to research.

If you want some help, get some advice from your advisor daily.

A research paper is not something into which you can drag something aimlessly. On the other hand, your research paper needs to be based on actual data, which is only possible if you conduct thorough research. 

While writing a note for your research, make sure your statements are supported with references or examples. Above all three tips that you have to keep in mind while selecting research topics for marketing.

All of these are unique research topics for marketing students. And they are perfect for college students to write their marketing thesis because the internet has plenty of information on each one of them. Make sure to read enough about the selected topic before starting to write. And also make an outline of the thesis at the start, so that you have a reason to get going with the thesis.

Once finished, make sure to ask for feedback from your instructor. And cross-check for spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, and any sort of mistake. if you need an assignment of marketing , then contact our marketing assignment writer .

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. how to select the best research topic for a marketing thesis.

Whatever topic you decide to go with. Just make sure that you’re interested in it. Because being interested in what you write makes the whole process go a lot smoother and easy. Sit back and think of the possible ideas that excite you and you can write about them. And write down a bunch of ideas before you select the main one. Because it is good to select from a long list rather than just going with the first topic that came into your mind. This might take time. But that is what this article is for, above 45 different topics on different aspects of marketing are given. You can go through it, we’re sure there will be one that might interest you.

Q2. How to make your marketing thesis sound more realistic?

A marketing thesis is totally different from one that is an essay. So you can not aimlessly ramble on it. You need to add facts to it to support your main argument. And also make sure that your facts are very well supported by examples and references. That can only be done when you have thoroughly searched through the subject. The Internet has an abundance of information on the topics discussed above. Make sure to acknowledge enough information before starting the thesis.

Q3. What are the different types of Research Papers?

Here we listed the top 7 different types of research papers:

1. Report Paper 2. Survey Research Paper 3. Cause and Effect Research Paper 4. Experimental Research Paper 5. Analytical Research Paper 6. Argumentative Research Paper 7. Problem-Solution Research Paper

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215 Retailing Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best retailing topic ideas & essay examples, 🔎 good essay topics on retailing, 💡 interesting topics to write about retailing, ⭐ simple & easy retailing essay titles, ✍️ retailing essay topics for college, 📌 most interesting retailing topics to write about, 👍 good research topics about retailing.

  • Cotton On: Growing Retail Brands The economy of Australia is sophisticated and modern and the country is incorporated into the global economy as it is center for commerce and finance in the region.
  • Harvey Norman Company Retail Marketing The immense success of the pair resulted in the firm going public in 1987 in the Australian Stock Exchange. In 1999, the retailer expanded its international growth further by entering the Singaporean market through a […]
  • Analysis of the Department Store Retail According to Angeleette, at Marks and Spencer, the merchandise and the assortment is put in such a way that foodstuffs are placed far from apparels.
  • Key Ethical Issues in Retailing and Distribution As Barnett et al.observed empirically, there are several self-evident dimensions to ethical consumerism which players in retail and distribution function should comprehensively be aware of, for these dimensions may act in an organized and collective […]
  • Evaluation of Retail Marketing To ensure success in the retail business, retailers should acknowledge the fact that it is the customers and not the demand that lies at the center of a retail business.
  • Macy’s Retail Store Marketing The objective of a marketing strategy is to enhance penetration of athletic shoes into the competitive market and maintain their dominance as a feasible brand of Macy’s.
  • The Retail Grocery Market Structure in Australia The influence that organizations in an oligopoly market structure have is very similar to the influence of a monopoly organization because the few organizations in oligopoly have full influence on prices. In an oligopoly market […]
  • Zara, H&M, Benetton and Gap Firms’ Retail Strategy Comparison of the manufacturing, pricing, and merchandise strategy of Zara, H&M, Benetton, and Gap. Merchandise Strategy: The merchandising strategy of retail strategy indicates the market segment to which the product is to be sold and […]
  • Integrated Marketing Communications: Microsoft Retail Stores Marketing This should include the use of Microsoft website to publicize the entrance of retail stores in the United Kingdom market. To increase awareness of the retail stores and Microsoft products, there will be need for […]
  • Retail Sales Associate’s Organizational Behavior It is generally expected that a sales associate in our retail store will realize that he or she is the face of the store.
  • Ethical Approaches in the Retail Clothing Industry Clothing industries have adopted ethical and sustainable fashion, which maximizes the benefits to industry and society and minimizes the negative impact on the environment.
  • The Home Depot’s Omni-Channel Retailing Strategy In order to manage the stiff competition in the market, the management has considered the use of the Omni-Channel Retailing and distribution strategy.
  • Mobile Phone Retail Company’s Business Plan My goal is to start a company that transforms the lives of the greatest number of people. My followers will follow the code of conduct and uphold the outlined values.
  • Impact of COVID-19 on the Retail Industry Another feature is the presence of a certain place where the exchange of goods and money, in most cases, it is a store. This is due to the need for security and convenience of customers […]
  • IKEA Company: Retail Internationalisation Development It is clear that with an ambitious growth plan like this, the choice of the entry modes and strategies is of great strategic significance and can define the overall success of the business in regional […]
  • Information Communication Technology in Retail Logistics The use of ICT by firms that are involved in logistics operations is necessitated by the need of these firms to integrate a number of logistical activities, the need to manage information effectively, as well […]
  • Marks & Spencer’s E-Retailing: Advantages and Disadvantages This is a temporary issue as the evolution of the web continues. This is a temporary issue as the evolution of the web continous.
  • Retailing in Saudi Arabia Another method of fixing the prices of the goods in the retailing market is through suggested pricing that is commonly done by the manufacturers and is characterized by the price of the commodity being marked […]
  • Victoria Secret: Strategies and Tactics to Successful Retail Operation During the 1980s, Victoria’s secret expanded to most of the malls in the amalgamated States. One of the financial ratios carried out in the company is the price earning ratio which is about the earnings […]
  • Total Quality Management in Retailing and Services In many scenarios, TQM is viewed simply as a tool to improve the quality of services and products rather than a philosophy that motivates both managers and employees to improve on their work.
  • Apple’s International Retail Strategy In the global marketplace, Apple must improve its products and review prices in order to cater for various segments of the market.
  • The Analysis of Wal-Mart’s Retailing Strategy To analyze the corporation’s retailing strategy and to state the perspectives for the corporation’s future development, it is necessary to focus on examining the Wal-Mart strategy’s strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities.
  • Cross-Docking Adoption: Challenges and Improvement of the Distribution Center in the Retail Industry Whether the changes in the structure and culture of the company are communicated to the suppliers; Do the suppliers in turn communicate the changes in their organizations to the company?
  • Kering Company’s Retail Strategy Principles Nonetheless, an assessment of the company’s brand presentation shows that it is true to its luxury brand appeal. For example, according to the company’s 2016 financial report, its luxury, sports, and lifestyle segments have reported […]
  • Nine West Retail Stores Merchandising The success of the retail stores is attributed to the company’s merchant organization and incentives. NWRS’s structure and the organization have scaled it to what it is today, one of the best lifestyle stores in […]
  • The Global Sports Retail Industry Improved economies: Another major factor supporting the rate of growth in the sports retail industry is the trend of economies in various parts of the world.
  • Retail Marketing of Best Buy Most of the existing and emerging retailers are venturing into the technology field to offer computing products so as to take advantage of the advancement in technology. That is, the company stands the chance to […]
  • 2012 London Olympic Games: Ticket Retailing Challenges The Olympic Games performance in the UK depends highly on the sales of the ticketing for the four main types of events and the other events.
  • Reporting to the Director of Retail Operations That is to say, to arrive at a comprehensive picture of the management situation, managers need to take into account the context of a task, the demands of the management role, and the personalities of […]
  • Personal Business Plan for a Retail Store The retail store will be keen and emphasize the sale of a full assortment of children’s, women’s, and men’s official and athletic clothing and accessories.
  • Employee Management in the Retail Business Another issue in the area of operations that needs to be articulated is the use of retail business assets. Take the time to offer your assistance to employees, and you will see it is worth […]
  • Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons at Dubai Retail Market The retail market is one of the largest ones presented in Dubai and the UAE. Although the complete classification of the types of stores present in Dubai is unavailable, it is possible to analyze the […]
  • Changing Nature of Retail and the Rise of Commerce In order to dig further into the outlook of retail and how it is changing, I spoke to a couple of experts to gain insight into the retail sector, what strategies are retailers using to […]
  • Marketing Intermediaries in the Retailing Sector Nowadays, nonstore retailing is becoming more and more popular, and the growing number of customers prefer this type to the previous one.
  • Developing Retail Packaging for a New Product One of the crucial stages of packaging development is printing design, and the overall success of the product in the market may significantly depend on the quality of operations at this phase of package manufacturing.
  • Benetton’s, H&M’s, and Zara’s Design and Retail This essay compares and contrasts three different companies in the fashion industry namely Benetton, H&M and Zara on aspects of design, manufacturing, distribution, and retail.
  • Wet Seal Clothing Retail Merchandising Strategies Provided that, the prices are higher, the clients of Wet Seal may not be ready to buy these products. This is one of the points that can be singled out.
  • Macy Company’s History and It’s Current Retail Stratagy A case in point is Macy’s, which is a leader in the American retail industry and is also one of the top performing retailers globally.
  • Retailing Event Concept Plan The image below has is one of the images developed for use in the media campaigns and will appear next to the event them of ‘casual is a look’.
  • Designer Clothing Market in the UK Fashion Retail Industry The fashion industry first started in England after which it slowly spread to the rest of the world.”In the UK and in the United States, the fashion industry has been one of the largest employers”.
  • Retail Stores Managerial Aspects The three retail stores operating in major economies including the United States and the United Kingdom and other parts of the European continent belong to the fashion and design industry, an internationally acknowledged industry that […]
  • Food Retailing Industry in Turkey: Self-Sufficient Economics Therefore this paper will largely investigate and evaluate how the food retail industry in Turkey specifically paying attention to the food retail structure, the transformation of Turkey’s economy that in turn has led to growth […]
  • Expansion Plan of the Retail Store The major resources required and costs that will be incurred by the store are summarized in the table below: From the table above, the overall monthly cost of setting up the new retail store is […]
  • Optimum Nutrition Product: E-Retailing Plan Supplements allow for the body to recover to its maximum potential. Unfortunately in our everyday foods we do not have the recommend nutrients and vitamins that is required for our bodies to fully recover.
  • Burberry Group Plc’s Fashion and Retailing In a larger sense, SWOT analysis will assist in the comprehension of the fashion market and the place of Burberry Company within it.
  • Role of Technology in Retail Sector The present paper attempts to discuss how technology is utilized in the retail sector, how it has impacted the retail business and its customers, and the critical technologies found in the retail industry.
  • H&M Company Retail Market In the United Kingdom, the company has numerous stores located in the UK and the main purpose of these is to take the latest fashion clothing closer to the consumer.
  • Leadership in the Retail Industry It is argued that leaders of the young generation need to adopt a leadership approach which is proactive and sensitive to the changes in the business environment in the retail industry.
  • The Effect of Retail Service Quality and Product Quality on Customer Loyalty The link between product quality and customer loyalty is evident: when a product satisfies customer’s needs, and thereafter, a customers communicates the positive aspect of that products to others, thus showing a high degree of […]
  • Small Retail Business: Impact of COVID-19 For this, we hang declarations asking clients to be aware of the health risks and not to take anything they were not willing as to buy.
  • Baman’s Strategies for Restaurant and Retail Supply Chains Therefore, the following discussion analyzes Baman’s restaurant and retail supply chains based on the segmentation, uncertainty, and product demand and supply viewpoints.
  • SME Retail Business Owners, Operators, and Management During the COVID-19 Pandemic Semi-structured interviews allow you to see the chain of thought of the interviewee and what worries him about the topic under discussion since the interviewer only sets the initial tone of the conversation and corrects […]
  • Retail and Automotive Industries: The Use of Artificial Intelligence Discovery analytics utilization involves the creation, adoption, and implementation of new and advanced technologies that use artificial intelligence systems to address existing shortcomings in the provision of superior customer experience.
  • Book Retail Industry: Buyer Power Then and Now In summary, the book retail industry has significantly evolved since 1995, as online retail represents nearly half of the market share, with Amazon at the vanguard, leading to the downfall of brick-and-mortar stores.
  • Finances of Pearl Retail Website in Switzerland A detailed consideration of the aspects of purchases, expenses, and income for various periods makes it possible to use different financial instruments that show the liquidity of assets and the soundness of the idea as […]
  • MINI Brand Case Study: Retailing and Consumer Services High brand equity means that customers are willing to pay large sums of money for the purchase of a particular product of the company.
  • The Gourmet Food Retail Store’s Business Plan In the first quarter, the retail store will not be expected to make a profit, but the expectation and second short-term goal are that in the second quarter, it will break even and begin making […]
  • Sustainability in Coffee Retail Business The paper contributes to the improved understanding of the current state of the coffee retail business regarding sustainability and community issues.
  • Walmart’s Marketing Amidst Global Retail Changes This is one of the largest discount stores in Canada and provides similar items to Walmart, making it a major competitor for the global store.
  • Multi-Brand Retail Online Store Business Plan This framework of organizing the work of an online store is suitable for starting a business in trade, does not require large investments, and also allows testing the market and products.
  • Artificial Intelligence in Social Networks for Retail The use of social medial for retail is one of the most mature sectors of the economy in terms of the use of AI.
  • Social Media: Impact on the Retail Business This article compares the situation in the field of retail before the introduction of artificial intelligence software and after the adaptation of social media for this purpose.
  • Chaos Theory in Dillard Retail Store To achieve this, the retail store has invested in the most fundamental levels of operations including technology and engineering processes. For instance the retail store key strengths are the customer relations capability and abundant knowledge […]
  • Analysis of the Retail Clothing Industry Economic uncertainties in have the potential of leading to weaknesses of the currency. This would affect the price of products at Nordstrom retail outlets, and ultimately the profitability of the company.
  • Addressing the Impact of Showrooming on the Retail Industry Essentially, when a customer browses a store to examine the merchandise and then purchases the intended product online, the online store grows at the expense of the resources of the brick-and-mortar shop.
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  • Anthropologie in Thailand’s Retail Industry Thailand is a growing economy with the increasing tourism activities, and represents the pattern in the current economic trend and therefore requires aggressive retail investment that is likely to take into account the growing demand.
  • Performance of Retail Businesses in Christmas Season The dissertation undertakes a study that compares the sales/ marketing strategies and the performance of the retail businesses during the Christmas season in UK.
  • Correlation Between Retail Online and Total Sales First thing to do is to input the data provided by United States Department of Commerce for the total retail sales in one column and that of the e-commerce sales in another column.
  • Strategic Management Process of Major Players in the Retail Industry Therefore, it becomes necessary for fashion designers and providers to keep their fingers on the pulse of the merchandising market and to be on the right side of fashion trends, both current and future.
  • Australian & Singapore Retail Industries Comparison The global economy slowed down in the year 2011 in a number of leading economies in the world. 6 percent, this is because of expansion in both the wholesale and retail segments.
  • Car Retail Price and Car Mileage in Dubai Market Correlation and regression analyses were performed to determine the relationship between car retail price and car mileage in Dubai market. 19% of the variations in the car retail prices were accounted for by the car […]
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  • RFID Technology in Retail Business In today’s global market where there is great deal of competition, businesses have to speedily react to the needs of customers, offer added-value product and services, and be able to maintain consistency in technology in […]
  • The Retail Method of Pricing Inventories This would make the retail inventory method not work well therefore if combined with the first in first out method for inventory costing since in times of inflation, the price would be high at the […]
  • Fashion Retail Trends In the modern age, traditional advertising is becoming obsolete, and distributors are forced to find new ways to connect with their audience.
  • Internet Retail: Economy and Future Trends The primary function of the internet is to share information. The penetration of the internet to many parts of the world has not bolstered competition due to these factors.
  • E-Retailing in Saudi Arabia Given the popularity of online medium of retailing, the government in Saudi Arabia has also taken steps such as establishing cybercrime laws to make e-commerce related transactions safe, reliable and secure.
  • The Retail Textile Industry in Argentina and Brazil Increase in consumption took place due to the improvement of purchasing power of the local population and the steady growth of tourist purchases. The overall worth of textile industry is U.S.$63 billion.
  • The Adoption of Multi-Channel Retailing In conclusion, Marketing plays a great role in brand development and the success of a company but is not everything in business.
  • Retailing and Wholesaling: Costco, Warehouse Club In addition, the popularity of these clubs is associated with the fact that they have integrated the ‘no-frills concept. The entire operations of the franchisee are subject to the franchisor.
  • Retailing Lessons From Loyalty Programs Around the Globe This is because the different teams identify the different groups of customers in the same way, that is, according to their needs.
  • Logistics in E-Retailing Industry The prices and buy deals offered to customers online are more attractive as businesses tend to save on this offerings because of the factors mentioned previously. The category management minimizes stocks and speed of response […]
  • Work-Life Balance Development in the UK Retail Stores But, at the same time, the eternal desire to work and the necessity to do it in order to satisfy one’s personal needs and the needs of people that a certain person is responsible for, […]
  • Gap Inc.’s Key Performance Indicator and Retail Strategy In the next two years, the sales began increasing due to the appearance of the new director, Paul S. The company was able to recover in 2001, and the new CEO, Paul S.
  • Off Season Fashion Sales: Procurement in Retail Karakul’s 2008 article “Joint Pricing and Procurement of Fashion Products in the Existence of a Clearance Market published in the International Journal of Production Economics, cites that in the apparel industry, the dilemma of always […]
  • Crude Oil as a Global Commodity: Logistics & Retail Thus, it ensures the transportation of crude oil to various parts of the world but destroys natural sceneries in places where they are installed. In this case, boats are used for the transportation of oil […]
  • Preventing Employee Turnover in Retail The problem of high turnover rates of retail employees is a widely discussed topic in scholar and professional literature due to its considerable implications for a company’s performance. The aim of the analysis was to […]
  • Walmart in the Indian and Brazilian Retail Markets Thus, the organization should strive to integrate into the promising environment of the Brazilian and Indian retail markets, simultaneously adjusting its corporate philosophy and marketing approach to meet the requirements of the new setting and […]
  • Strategic Marketing Planning in UK Retail This paper aims to examine the retail industry in the UK and Huddersfield and present a marketing plan for H&M. This is part of the optimisation strategy that will affect branches in the US and […]
  • Retail Store Communication and Its Specifics In a large retail department store, the role of a communicator would fall to a communications officer or manager that has the direct responsibility of managing internal and public communication channels of the company.
  • Retail Store Audit: Points for Improvement The audit of any retail store needs to consider a variety of factors to make the assessment accurate and meaningful. Even if the evaluation team did everything correctly due to high levels of mutual respect […]
  • Amazon: Transnational Corporation in Online Retail The fact that the corporation involves its clients in the process of production of content is also worth noting, and it differentiates the enterprise from many others.
  • Wanamaker’s Store: Retail Reinvention Project The store was set up after serious scrutiny of the market trends and this was a major contributor to the fact that it survived for so long.
  • Marketing: Retail Advertising and Celebrity Endorsement To stand up in the crowd, the marketers’ of the product using brand endorsers” “According to McCracken, endorsers can leverage their own popularity to create positive associations for brands in the minds of consumers.
  • Turkey as a Business Environment for Fashion Retailing The vision of the company is to be the preferred brand among Muslim women in the Middle East, Asia, and Europe.
  • The Use of Online Advertising and Online Retailing Hence, online grocery delivery is expected to act as a marketing strategy for Amazon’s line of products and also improve the competitive potential of the company.
  • Ambient Conditions: Design and the Retail Environment In the paper, the author provides a detailed explanation of how the ambient conditions reviewed so far help in the creation of hedonic experience.
  • Best Buy Inc. as the Largest Retail Company The bargaining power of its suppliers is forcing the company to utilize the best business practices. Most of the competitors in the consumer electronics industry are marketing the same products to the existing consumers.
  • Questions Concerning Retailing One of the reasons why an individual would prefer buying men’s suits from a specialty store to buying from a departmental store is the trust that the specialty store offers quality and customized products.
  • IKEA Company’s Future: In-Store or Online Retailing As evident from its mission, one of the unique traits that make IKEA distinct from the rest of the companies in the industry is the pricing of its products.
  • Restaurant Launch: Strategic Retail Planning Process First, I have to define the mission of my restaurant, i.e.to develop a statement, which describes the function and advantages of my organization, such as the following.
  • Poundland Retailing Company’s Success Factors The shrinking idea was effective and led to the success of the business. The launch of the Visa Card was a sudden success for the company.
  • Retail Banking Products and Services Using the examples and contrasting the products and services of Emirates NBD and Bank of Singapore will assist in understanding the key problems and consequences of the global business environment.
  • Retail and Service Marketing Understanding The signing of a deal between Amazon and Morrison, which is among the biggest supermarkets in the UK, has evidenced one of the sporadic efforts by supermarket chains in the western nations to engage in […]
  • Athleta Company’s Retail Marketing Plan It also outlines present dynamics in the Canadian domain of clothing retail and provides readers with the insight, as to what should account for the company’s marketing strategies in the targeted market. As of 2015, […]
  • The Dubai City’s Governance and Economy In conclusion, the Dubai Emirate is a symbol of the unique governance and Law enforcement mechanisms compared to all other major global cities.
  • Online Shopping Impact on the Global Retail Industry While the significance and the convenience of e-commerce are indisputable, it is important to study its impact on the traditional retail industry around the world to identify the challenges, which it has to withstand.
  • Giant Annual Sales and Retailing Strategies The following list shows the prices of items given by various stores on Black Friday against the prices of the same items on other days of the year.
  • UAE Food & Clothes Retail and Restaurant Business In my paper, I will explore the validity of this suggestion, regarding the three segments of the Emirati retailing industry, concerned with the selling of food/clothes and with serving meals at a restaurant.
  • Value Creation in Luxury Brands Retailing The majority of experts have inclined to the statement that a key factor in the success of the most luxury brands is a loyalty of consumers.
  • Internet Retail Service Quality and Consumer Repurchase The study focused on determining the influence of internet retail-service quality on the ability of consumers to make a repeat purchase.
  • E-Retail Consumption Rate Increase and Its Causes The paper will focus on the cause behind the emergence of e-retailing and the likely future trend that is expected to be observed in e-retailing.
  • Retail Industry and Government Contracting The advantage of such a form of retail business ownership is that the foundation is already laid, and lots of time need to build a customer base and maintain other primary activities can be saved.
  • Customer Engagement in the Greek Retail Banking Sector In this regard, the article’s discussion of Social CRM is relevant to marketing as many enterprises pursue CRM as a primary source of customers’ satisfaction and loyalty.
  • Business in the US Cosmetic Retailing Industry US cosmetics retailing industry tends to expand within the domestic and international markets because of the rising level of discretionary income in the developed and developing countries.
  • Digital Technologies in Retail Trends of 2025 As a result, when the goods are delivered to the stores by trucks, the vehicles would have to pass through special scanning frame that will capture the information on all the stickers inside of the […]
  • Retail Service and Manufacturing Logistics: Comparison Manufacturing logistics looks into the initial process of production of goods while retail logistics involves the division of the distribution channels so as to avail the goods to different locations.
  • What Are the Most Likely Logistics for Multi-Channel Retailing? Supply chain management refers to the organization of a set of connections of interconnected business activities which are involved in the process of providing goods and services to consumers.
  • Technologies in the US Retail Industry According to Farfan, the size of the US retail industry has been boosted by four and a half percent from 1993 to 2015; however, such a conclusion has been drawn by considering the units of […]
  • Hickory Outdoor Retail Store Marketing Moreover, they will learn ways through which data mining can be beneficial, and the marketing programs that can be formulated from the data.
  • H&M Company Retail Channel Analysis The most interesting thing about the company is its ability to meet the diverse needs of women, men, teenagers, and children in the contemporary world.
  • Loss Prevention in a Retail Chain Loss Prevention involves formulation of policies, procedures and practices in organizations to prevent possible losses of inventory and other assets in a retail chain.
  • Retail in 2025: Physical and Digital Spaces This is where technology will help the physical retailers to provide what the digital retailers provide to their customers and more.
  • Clothing Retail Store’s Promotional Plan Therefore, it is important to develop certain strategies to communicate with the participants of the program. The second step is sending e-mails to top- and mid-management of the companies that can be potential customers.
  • Information Systems for Brotherhood of St Laurence and Somerville Retail Services The management of the organization usually monitors the operation of the IS plan to ensure that its implementation is in accordance to the needs of the company.
  • The Effect of Retail Store on Students Champion et al.highlight that, in a situation of high involvement in the decision making process, there is a high correlation of store image and perspective of the consumer on the quality of the product.
  • Branding in Retail Sector: Marks and Spencer This rapid growth of the company’s services can be attributed to several factors, but since the company has a well established brand, it would be worthwhile to establish if the company’s brand played a strategic […]
  • Retail Clinics: An Evolving Trend As indicated, the key stakeholders who hold strong interest in the legal and regulatory standards in a retail clinical setting include the nurses, physicians and patients.
  • Clothing and Footwear Retail Sector in the United Kingdom The reason for this is that the distinction between the brands is created by the quality of services and not by the tangible products offered to the consumers.
  • RFID in the Retail Supply Chain: Issues and Opportunities Reid notes that innovation in the field of electronic induction by Faraday and the explanation put forward in the operation of electromagnetism using equation by James Maxwell laid the basis for RFID growth during the […]
  • The Impact of Radio-Frequency Technology on Retailing and Wholesaling The deployment of the RFID technology has assisted retailers and wholesalers to identify cases of theft and diversion across the supply chain, including at the factory floor, the warehouse, the shelf and points of sale.
  • How Did Retail Giants Reshape the Canadian Society by the Book of Donica Belisle? The ideas are brought out clearly and help the reader to view the kind of business that was taking place in Canada, as well as the efforts that the characters put in to change the […]
  • The Australian Retail Grocery Market This paper thus discusses the grocery retail market of Australia by looking into the problem of market dominance and unhealthy competition in the market. Market concentration in the grocer market of Australia has resulted in […]
  • Retail Business Analysis: Wal-Mart Stores Incorporation In an effort to understand how firms in the retail industry incorporate generic strategies, the researcher has taken into account a real business by conducting a study on Wal-Mart Stores Incorporation which operates in the […]
  • Retail Business Market Strategies The high value products on the other hand attract a warranty in the alternative of a discount due to their nature and disposable life.
  • Reasons and Obstacles for Women to Penetrate Retail Industry in Saudi Labour Market The culture of Saudi Arabia is dominated by the Muslims; the religion can be seen as one of the main hindrance to low women participation in the retail industry.
  • Retail Combinations Yet Undeveloped The future of this form of retail enterprise is bright is this commodity is easily available to consumers and more awareness created.
  • “Fashion retailing, marketing, and merchandising” by John Major
  • The Whole Foods Market: Retail Grocery Industry 2010
  • Retailing in the UK
  • Retail Management in UK
  • Dollar General: Retail Outlet’s Success
  • Retail Marketing Methods and Results: Clothes, Models, and Self-Image
  • Retail Services Marketing: McDonalds
  • Generic Strategies Model of Three Retail Firms
  • UK Food Retailing Industry
  • Retail and Supply Chain Management
  • How Big Banks Can Attract Small Retail Customers
  • What Makes a Fashion Retail Brand, and One That Can Be Trusted: Zara?
  • Industry Analysis: Bicycle Retail Shop
  • Organizational Development in the Retail Store
  • A Comparative Analysis of Apple & Sony Retail Stores
  • E-tailing: Selling Retail Goods and Services
  • The Retail Side of ExxonMobil
  • Shopping: Retailing and Smaller Self-Service Shops
  • Relationship Marketing Approach and Strategies in Retailing
  • Productivity Dynamics and the Role of ‘Big-Box’ Entrants in Retailing
  • Industry Analysis: Automotive Retailing and Trade in the Philippines
  • Online Fashion Retailing and Retail Geography: The Blogshop Phenomenon in Singapore
  • Furniture and Floor Coverings Retailing in Canada 2020
  • What Are the Cultural Factors Which Make Expansion Abroad in Retailing Difficult
  • The Differences Between Multi-Channel Retailing And Omni-Channel Retailing
  • Stockout Compensation: Joint Inventory and Price Optimization in Electronic Retailing
  • Retailing and Large Online Retailers
  • Explaining Cross-Country Productivity Differences in Retailing
  • Reconciling Attitudes And Behavior In Organic Food Retailing
  • Organic Food Retailing and the Conventionalization Debate
  • When Retailing and Las Vegas Meet: Probabilistic Free Price Promotions
  • Understanding Consumer Preferences for Nutritious Foods: Retailing Strategies in a Food Desert
  • What Affect Has the Outward Movement of Retailing Office
  • The Australian Furniture Retailing Industry and the Strategic Marketing Approach of IKEA
  • The Functions And Features Of Retailing Marketing
  • How Technology Has Changed The World Of Retailing
  • Retailing Lessons from Loyalty Programs Around the Globe
  • The Robinson-Patman Act and Vertical Relationships in Food Retailing
  • Online and Offline Information for Omnichannel Retailing
  • The Internationalization And Globalization Of Retailing Marketing
  • History, Status, and Outlook of the Discount Retailing Industry
  • The Shift from Old Store Bases Retailing to the Electronic Home Shopping
  • Obesity Epidemics: The Potential Role of Retailing Sector in Promoting Fruit and Vegetable Consumption
  • Food Retailing: Mergers, Leveraged Buyouts, and Performance
  • Multichannel Retailing and Consumer Behavior: Strategy Design and Implementation
  • The Industrial and Social Dynamics of Retailing, and Effects of Opening Hours
  • The Internet Will Soon Make Store Based Retailing Obsolete
  • Retailing and Foreign Direct Investment
  • Variety and the Cost of Search in Supermarket Retailing
  • Retailing and Predominant Age Group
  • Marketing: Retailing and Heterogeneous Shopping Product
  • Internet Retailing: The Past, the Present and the Future
  • Social Networking Atmosphere and Online Retailing
  • Walmart, Amazon, and eBay: Who Will Dominate Internet Retailing?
  • Which Marketing Mix Element Deals Specifically With Retailing
  • How Social Media Contributes To Retailing Marketing
  • Sustainable Retailing Influencing Consumer Behavior on Food Waste
  • Amazon Topics
  • Consumer Protection Questions
  • Brand Titles
  • Customer Service Essay Titles
  • Franchising Essay Topics
  • Target Market Topics
  • Woolworths Research Ideas
  • Nike Topics
  • Chicago (A-D)
  • Chicago (N-B)

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Sporting goods retail in India - statistics & facts

Small businesses meet global sporting goods supply, as global as possible, as local as necessary, online retail revolution feeding sports, key insights.

Detailed statistics

Sales growth of retail industry in India 2023, by category

Market value of sports and athleisure retail in India FY 2015-2025, by type

Global sales of the top performance apparel, accessories, and footwear companies 2023

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

International Trade

Export value of toys, games and sports equipment from India FY 2004-2016

Volume in the sneakers segment of the footwear market India 2018-2028

Consumer Goods & FMCG

Per-capita volume sales in the sports & swimwear market worldwide by country in 2023

Further recommended statistics

  • Premium Statistic Sales growth of retail industry in India 2023, by category
  • Premium Statistic Market size of apparel industry in India FY 2015-2025
  • Premium Statistic Volume in the Footwear market India 2018-2028
  • Premium Statistic Market size of the sports industry India 2017-2023

Sales growth of retail industry in India from June 2022 to June 2023, by category

Market size of apparel industry in India FY 2015-2025

Market size of apparel industry in India from financial year 2015 to 2021, with an estimate for financial year 2025 (in trillion Indian rupees)

Volume in the Footwear market India 2018-2028

Volume in the Footwear market for different segments India from 2018 to 2028 (in million pairs)

Market size of the sports industry India 2017-2023

Market size of the sports industry across India from 2017 to 2023 (in billion Indian rupees)

Sports goods retail market

  • Premium Statistic Revenue in the sports equipment segment of the toys & hobby market India 2019-2029
  • Premium Statistic Revenue in the sports & swimwear for women segment India 2018-2028
  • Premium Statistic Revenue in the athletic footwear segment of the footwear market India 2018-2028
  • Premium Statistic Revenue in the sneakers segment of the footwear market India 2018-2028

Revenue in the sports equipment segment of the toys & hobby market India 2019-2029

Revenue in the sports equipment segment of the toys & hobby market India from 2019 to 2029 (in billion U.S. dollars)

Revenue in the sports & swimwear for women segment India 2018-2028

Revenue in the sports & swimwear for women segment of the apparel market India from 2018 to 2028 (in billion U.S. dollars)

Revenue in the athletic footwear segment of the footwear market India 2018-2028

Revenue in the athletic footwear segment of the footwear market India from 2018 to 2028 (in million U.S. dollars)

Revenue in the sneakers segment of the footwear market India 2018-2028

Revenue in the sneakers segment of the footwear market India from 2018 to 2028 (in billion U.S. dollars)

International players in India

  • Premium Statistic Revenue of Puma India FY 2021-2023
  • Premium Statistic Revenue of Decathlon India FY 2021-2023
  • Premium Statistic Revenue of Adidas India FY 2019-2023
  • Premium Statistic Revenue of Nike India FY 2019-2023
  • Premium Statistic Revenue of Skechers India FY 2019-2023
  • Premium Statistic Revenue of Asics India FY 2019-2023

Revenue of Puma India FY 2021-2023

Revenue of Puma India from financial year 2021 to 2023 (in billion Indian rupees)

Revenue of Decathlon India FY 2021-2023

Revenue of Decathlon India from financial year 2021 to 2023 (in billion Indian rupees)

Revenue of Adidas India FY 2019-2023

Revenue of Adidas India from financial year 2019 to 2023 (in billion Indian rupees)

Revenue of Nike India FY 2019-2023

Revenue of Nike India from financial year 2019 to 2023 (in billion Indian rupees)

Revenue of Skechers India FY 2019-2023

Revenue of Skechers India from financial year 2019 to 2023 (in billion Indian rupees)

Revenue of Asics India FY 2019-2023

Revenue of Asics India from financial year 2019 to 2023 (in billion Indian rupees)

Domestic players

  • Premium Statistic Revenue of Cosco India Limited from FY 2019-2023
  • Premium Statistic Operating income of Freewill Sports Private Limited FY 2020-2024
  • Premium Statistic Revenue from operation of Campus Activewear FY 2018-2023
  • Premium Statistic Operating income of Sanspareils Greenlands Private Limited FY 2020-2022

Revenue of Cosco India Limited from FY 2019-2023

Revenue of Cosco India Limited from financial year 2019 to 2023 (in billion Indian rupees)

Operating income of Freewill Sports Private Limited FY 2020-2024

Operating income of Freewill Sports Private Limited from financial year 2020 to 2024 (in billion Indian rupees)

Revenue from operation of Campus Activewear FY 2018-2023

Revenue from operation of Campus Activewear Limited from financial year 2018 to 2023 (in billion Indian rupees)

Operating income of Sanspareils Greenlands Private Limited FY 2020-2022

Operating income of Sanspareils Greenlands Private Limited from financial year 2020 to 2022 (in billion Indian rupees)

Exports from India

  • Basic Statistic Value of sport goods export value from India FY 2015-2022
  • Premium Statistic Export volume of selected sporting equipments from India FY 2024, by type
  • Premium Statistic Export volume of sports balls from India FY 2024, by type
  • Premium Statistic Total export value of sports balls from India FY 2020-2024

Value of sport goods export value from India FY 2015-2022

Value of sport goods exported from India between financial year 2015 and 2022 (in million U.S. dollars)

Export volume of selected sporting equipments from India FY 2024, by type

Export volume of selected sporting equipments from India in financial year 2024, by type (in 1,000s)

Export volume of sports balls from India FY 2024, by type

Export volume of sports balls from India in financial year 2024, by type (in 1,000s)

Total export value of sports balls from India FY 2020-2024

Total export value of sports balls from India from financial year 2020 to 2024 (in trillion Indian rupees)

Purchasing preferences

  • Premium Statistic Most popular categories for online purchases in India 2024
  • Premium Statistic Purchase intention by category in India 2024
  • Premium Statistic Interest in product categories in India 2024
  • Premium Statistic Most common offline purchases by type in India 2024

Most popular categories for online purchases in India 2024

Most popular categories for online purchases in India as of June 2024

Purchase intention by category in India 2024

Purchase intention by category in India as of June 2024

Interest in product categories in India 2024

Interest in product categories in India as of June 2024

Most common offline purchases by type in India 2024

Most common offline purchases by type in India as of June 2024

Further reports

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Potatoes USA

Research Reports

Total potato retail sales july 2023–june 2024.

Topic: Retail Sales

Summary of total potato sales from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024.

Highlights:

U.S. retail sales of potatoes increased by both volume and dollar sales in July 2023-June 2024.

research topics on retail marketing

Additional Retail Sales Reports

research topics on retail marketing

Fresh Potato Retail Sales July 2023–June 2024

Summary of fresh potato sales from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024

research topics on retail marketing

Fresh Potato Retail Sales January–March 2024

Dollar sales of fresh potatoes increases; fresh sales volume increased for most types.

research topics on retail marketing

Total Potato Retail Sales January–March 2024

Volume and dollar sales increased for all categories of potatoes, including fresh, frozen, chips, dehydrated, canned, refrigerated, and deli-prepared sides.

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AQA GCSE Business complete lesson 3.5.3 The purpose  and methods of market research

AQA GCSE Business complete lesson 3.5.3 The purpose and methods of market research

Subject: Business and finance

Age range: 14-16

Resource type: Lesson (complete)

Revisionstation's Shop

Last updated

25 August 2024

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research topics on retail marketing

This is a complete lesson which includes a teacher PowerPoint and a student worksheet written by Sarah Hilton for Revisionstation and it covers the following topics:

Purpose of market research To collect information Why businesses conduct market research Methods of market research to include primary and secondary Uses of market research information that may help decision making Qualitative and quantitative market research manipulate and interpret data from tables and charts identify market size and market share

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IMAGES

  1. What Is Retail Marketing? Strategies, Types, & Examples [Updated 2024]

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  2. (PDF) Introduction of a new method for retailing and marketing research

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  3. Top 50 Best Ever Research Topics for Marketing By Experts

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  4. 150+ Unique Marketing Research Topics for Your Upcoming Projects

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  5. Marketing Research Paper Topics

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  6. How to Conduct Retail Market Research Like a Pro

    research topics on retail marketing

COMMENTS

  1. Retail Market Research: The Ultimate Guide (2024)

    For Topics/Markets: Market spend: Many research companies provide free market reports on various industries with data like estimated market size, compounding annual growth rate (CAGR), and other critical retail market research statistics.A few of the most popular ones include Allied Market Research and Grand View Research, though the easiest ways to uncover these reports is usually a quick ...

  2. Retail Industry Research from Harvard Business School

    Retail. New research on the retail industry from Harvard Business School faculty on issues including online and brick-and-mortar strategies, consumer behavior, and use of technology. Page 1 of 189 Results →. 23 Jul 2024.

  3. Retail Market Research: Specifics, Challenges, and Tips

    Retail is a dynamic industry, and what's hot today can be yesterday's news tomorrow. Market research helps retailers identify emerging trends and adapt their offerings accordingly. 5. The Blend of Online and Offline. Modern retail isn't just about brick-and-mortar stores or websites anymore.

  4. Retail Insights

    McKinsey experts discuss the latest trends and the most pressing challenges for leaders in the retail and consumer-goods industries. Hear about the immediate and longer-term moves that matter most for business success. Topics covered include strategy, technology, marketing, operations, and organization.

  5. Retail Market Research: Benefits, Trends & 5 Real-Life Examples

    Figure 1. Popularity of retail market research on Google search engine in the US between 2016-2023. A recent McKinsey report highlights a dramatic shift in customer behavior, with 50% of customers changing their brand preferences in 2022, and 90% indicating they'll continue to switch brands. 1 This trend points to a volatile retail market, where some brands may decline while others rise ...

  6. Top 11 Retail Trends (2024 & 2025)

    Here are the top 11 retail trends you need to know. 1. Retailers Use AI to Boost Sales and Efficiency. Artificial intelligence and machine learning solutions are impacting nearly every industry, but according to IDC, these technologies are especially prevalent in the retail sector.

  7. The past, present, and future of retail analytics: Insights from a

    1 INTRODUCTION TO RETAIL ANALYTICS: DEFINITION AND CLASSIFICATION. The retail industry is a major contributor to global economies (Mou et al., 2018), employing a substantial portion of the labor force in many nations.Given the importance of this industry to economic growth, Fisher et al. call for an infusion of "rocket science" into retail, citing the need for improved analytical decision ...

  8. The Retailer's Guide to Market Research

    Market research is the study of a target market, including companies and people involved, to understand its needs and preferences. Essentially, it gives you an understanding of the cultural, societal, socioeconomic, geographic, and personal makeup of your target customers. It will help you understand whether there's a demand for your product ...

  9. How To Conduct Market Research for the Retail Industry

    Collecting market research data in these key areas will give a good sense of the landscape in which you can design, develop and promote your offer. 1. Gather information about your industry. First and foremost, understanding what characterizes your industry, and particularly the area of retail in which your company works, is essential ...

  10. How to Conduct Retail Market Research Like a Pro

    Primary research requires using the following methods to collect information: Surveys on your target market and closely situated markets. Interviews (in-person or over the phone) Consumer reviews. Focus groups. Sales records. Employee feedback. Secondary research has a more encompassing set of documents and sources:

  11. 71+ Research Paper Topics & Ideas for Marketing Students

    Nonprofit Marketing. Market Segmentation & Targeting. Internet Marketing. Marketing Planning & Forecasting. Product Design & Positioning. Direct Marketing. Advertising. Purchasing & Materials Management. Hopefully, these marketing thesis topics will help you come up with a few topics of your own.

  12. Retail marketing: A novel research agenda

    This allows a research agenda to be established which could lead to radical shifts in theory and practice in retail marketing. It is critical to understand that novel research thinking in this paper is not simply new extensions of current themes - it is a leap or break from the current to different scenarios or approaches.

  13. Top Marketing Research Topics: A Guide for Marketers

    Here's a list of Social Media Marketing Research Topics: a) Exploring Social Media's impact on brand recognition. b) The role and function of Social Media in Digital Marketing. c) Measuring the effectiveness of Social Media advertising. d) Influence of mobile technology on Social Media Marketing.

  14. Research Topics In Marketing (+ Free Webinar)

    Here, we'll explore a variety of marketing-related research ideas and topic thought-starters, covering both traditional marketing (offline media) and digital marketing (including social media marketing, content marketing and the like). We'll also look at actual dissertations and theses from marketing students to give you a view of what a ...

  15. Market & Industry Resources

    For research on retail industry, from the top tabs select Solutions > Industry Insights > IDC Retail Insights. Gartner Research This link opens in a new window Reports relevant to technology, marketing, communications, and HR professionals.

  16. Analysis of retail sector research evolution and trends during COVID-19

    The purpose of this study is to analysis the evolution of the retail sector during the COVID-19 period and to identify future research issues. Scopus databases were searched for articles published in English between 2020 and 2022 to discover current trends and concerns in the retail industry. A total of 1071 empirical and nonempirical studies ...

  17. Research Topics for Retail Marketing

    Published on 26 Sep 2017. Research into retail marketing analyzes consumers' buying patterns and preferences, identifies potential new markets or investigates new marketing strategies for the retail world. Market research is essential to marketing departments everywhere. They use research results to better market their products and entice ...

  18. 370+ Marketing Research Topics & Ideas for Your Paper

    We invite you to check these compelling research paper topics about marketing and influencers: Measuring return on investment in influencer marketing. How micro-influencers impact small business growth. Authenticity versus promotion: Striking a balance. Ethics in influencer marketing: A critical review.

  19. Augmented Reality in Retail and Its Impact on Sales

    These findings provide converging evidence that AR is most effective when product-related uncertainty is high, demonstrating the technology's potential to increase sales by reducing uncertainty and instilling purchase confidence. To encourage more impactful research in this area, the authors conclude with a research agenda for AR in marketing.

  20. Top 100 Marketing Research Topics For Your Paper

    The effect of social media on buying choices. Online purchasing: a study of the product characteristics buyers look for. An exploration of the differences in marketing strategies across cultures. Manipulation tactics: how brands can get more customers. A study of how customer loyalty is affected by brand image.

  21. Best Ever 111+ Research Topics for Marketing By Experts

    Hopefully, this list of the best marketing research topics will help. If you're still confused about which area you'd like to work in, below are some more topics related to the Pandemic. 3 Pandemic Related Research Topics for Marketing (COVID-19) Below are the top 3 pandemics related marketing research topics:

  22. 215 Retailing Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

    Benetton's, H&M's, and Zara's Design and Retail. This essay compares and contrasts three different companies in the fashion industry namely Benetton, H&M and Zara on aspects of design, manufacturing, distribution, and retail. Designer Clothing Market in the UK Fashion Retail Industry.

  23. A Study on Retailing in India: Growth and Challenges

    Retailing in India has sever al outstanding achievements as well as i mpressive. growth during last few decades. Indian retail market is one of the top five retail. markets in the world b y ...

  24. Sporting goods retail in India

    Market value of sports and athleisure retail in India FY 2015-2025, by type Leading athletic, apparel, accessories, and footwear company worldwide Nike

  25. Total Potato Retail Sales July 2023-June 2024

    Market Insights; Retail Sales; Retail Insights; Marketing. Overview; ... Research Reports. Market Insights; ... Total Potato Retail Sales July 2023-June 2024. Topic: Retail Sales. Objective: Summary of total potato sales from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024. Highlights: U.S. retail sales of potatoes increased by both volume and dollar sales in ...

  26. AQA GCSE Business complete lesson 3.5.3 The purpose and methods of

    This is a complete lesson which includes a teacher PowerPoint and a student worksheet written by Sarah Hilton for Revisionstation and it covers the following topics: Purpose of market research To collect information Why businesses conduct market research Methods of market research to include primary and secondary