What is B2B research?
Business-to-business (B2B) customer research, more commonly referred to as B2B research, focuses on understanding the dynamics, needs and preferences of businesses as customers. It involves the systematic collection, analysis and interpretation of data to inform strategic decision making. B2B customer research encompasses:
- Analysis of business insights: Evaluating business needs, pain points and decision-making processes to uncover actionable B2B customer insights.
- Product and service testing: Conducting product and service testing and gathering feedback from businesses to assess performance, value proposition and alignment with business objectives.
- Market trends and industry analysis: Monitoring shifts in market trends, industry dynamics and emerging technologies to anticipate changes and opportunities in the B2B landscape.
- Business segmentation: Identifying distinct business segments based on industry, size and specific needs to tailor offerings and marketing strategies effectively.
Some of the main benefits of B2B research are:
Gain insights into business customer behaviour and preferences
Identify market opportunities and emerging B2B trends
Inform strategic decision making and product/ service development
Enhance client satisfaction and loyalty among business customers
Optimise marketing strategies and resource allocation
Key questions that are answered by B2B research
B2B research aims to answer several key questions to guide strategic decision making:
- What are the specific needs, pain points and preferences of businesses within our target B2B market?
- What are the emerging trends and technological advancements shaping the B2B landscape?
- How can our products or services be tailored to better meet the needs and preferences of B2B clients?
- What channels and platforms are most effective for reaching and engaging with our B2B target audience?
- How does our brand perception among B2B clients compare to competitors, and what factors influence their purchasing decisions?
In On Africa’s B2B research services
Over the past +15 years, In On Africa (IOA) has built up an extensive range of experience in B2B research and business market research, spanning various industries, such as banking, healthcare, ICT, insurance, law, logistics, retail, security and technology. These projects have involved a variety of B2B customer research methodologies, both quantitative (e.g. web surveys) and qualitative (e.g. in-depth interviews) ‒ all aiming to guide our clients in their understanding of business customers to inform their strategic planning and decision making.
Our team has the expertise, experience and dedication to not only answer our clients’ research questions through targeted B2B research but to also work with our clients in the refinement of their marketing strategies, product development plans and market expansion ambitions.
In addition, IOA specialises in various other highly complementary research and advisory services, adding unrivalled depth to B2B research through industry, sector and marketing intelligence. We also ensure that the value of research findings and strategic recommendations are fully maximised through expert business development and strategic support.
Business-to-business project case study:
Benchmarking study focused on property loans and investments
Client:
Multinational financial services company
Country:
South Africa
Methodology:
Desktop research for product benchmarking and a range of online surveys with 75 affluent clients and 50 business clients
IOA was contracted by one of the largest banks in Africa to provide benchmarking research focused on property loans, personal loans, credit cards and investments among affluent and business customers in South Africa.
Business clients that were surveyed for the study (50 businesses in total) had annual revenue ranging between R1 million and R30 million per annum, with our questions primarily oriented around the businesses’ current business property loans. All respondents were business leaders (MDs, CEOs, CFOs, etc.).
This B2B survey covered a variety of topics, such as business property loan details and application processes that were followed in taking out the loan, as well as onboarding, maintenance and loan cancelation processes.
Key project outcome:
IOA provided our client with a detailed, analytical report on the findings of the desktop and primary research, which helped to inform our client’s planning for their loan and investment product offerings for affluent and business customers.
Find out more about how IOA can help you with your B2B research needs.
Read more about IOA’s various service offerings and examples of our past work.