$1.3bn
$XXX.Xm
6,825
2,534
$XXX.Xm
Market research operators in Canada endured wild swings in revenue growth due to a sharp incline in economic volatility and dampened demand for market research services. Between 2018 and 2019, operators endured a decline amid mixed economic conditions and a changing media landscape. In 2020, COVID-19 presented an additional disruption to demand for operators' services, as uncertainty clouded the outlook. Although the economy reopened, a spike in inflationary pressures severely harmed revenue in 2021 and 2023, as corporate clients endured volatility across their balance sheets, which dampened demand for operators' services. This economic volatility also dampened profit for operators, with lower consumer confidence playing a key role in this trend. Through the end of 2023, IBISWorld projects revenue to fall at a CAGR of 3.2% to an estimated $1.3 billion, including an estimated 10.3% fall in 2023 alone, as demand for operators' services remains uncertain.As the popularity of digital media and e-commerce has risen, operators have adapted their services to provide up-to-date and more granular analysis reflecting the data available from these channels. Smaller, less costly single-operator companies flooded the industry amid low barriers to entry and improving economic conditions. However, the shifting media landscape and rapidly changing consumer trends have encouraged some operators to consolidate and streamline their operations, which is expected to lead to increased competition among existing companies. As corporations endured upticks in sales, they have sought the expertise of market research companies to expand operations and revamp their product and service offerings.Over the next five years, Canadians' consumption activity will continue to change significantly, requiring more consumer research and new research methods. Operators are in a position to capitalize on emergent trends and business structures. Those that succeed in evolving alongside the ever-changing landscape will find new verticals and horizontals to grow into. As new technologies and innovations are introduced to society, market research will remain a central pillar of business strategy, ensuring revenue growth. These trends are expected to cause revenue to grow at a CAGR of 4.9% to an estimated $1.6 billion over the next five years.
Industry revenue has declined at a CAGR of 3.2 % over the past five years, to reach an estimated $1.3bn in 2023.
Market size is projected to grow over the next five years.
Company | Market Share (%)
2023 | Revenue ($m)
2023 | Profit ($m)
2023 | Profit Margin (%)
2023 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ipsos Group SA | 195.9 | 23.8 | 12.1 | |
Nielsen Holdings NV | 181.9 | 28.6 | 15.7 | |
Leger Marketing Inc. | 54.4 | N/A | N/A |
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Industry revenue is measured across several distinct product and services lines, including Quantitative market research services, Qualitative market research services and Other research methods. Quantitative market research services is the largest segment of the Market Research in Canada.
Consistent growth in online research enhances revenue generated via quantitative market research services
The Market Research industry in Canada comprises operators that systematically gather, record, tabulate and present marketing and public opinion data. Examples of industry-relevant services include political polling, sampling and statistical services, broadcast media ratings and market analysis. Operators that conduct experimental or scientific research in fields such as economics or engineering are not included in this industry.
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NAICS 541910 - Market Research in Canada
Get an indication of the industry's health through historical, current and forward-looking trends in the performance indicators that make or break businesses.
Sharp plunge in economic activity harms market research demand. The negative effects of COVID-19 forced many core clients to cut back research and development (R&D) expenditu...
Learn about an industry's products and services, markets and trends in international trade.
Robust usage strengthens demand for quantitative market research services. Most research usage is geared toward quantitative analysis, as clients will look to measure consume...
Discover where business activity is most concentrated in an industry and the factors driving these trends to find opportunities and conduct regional benchmarking.
Large population saturation incentivizes establishment growth. Provinces that house a significant chunk of the domestic population will become an attractive area for market r...
Get data and insights on what's driving competition in an industry and the challenges industry operators and new entrants may face, with analysis built around Porter's Five Forces framework.
Establishing competitive pricing enhances internal competition. Operators that are able to incorporate client-friendly pricing can attract more customers and gain a competiti...
Learn about the performance of the top companies in the industry.
Name recognition benefits larger companies. Prominent market research companies, such as Nielsen Holdings NV, benefit from favourable name recognition and customer favourabil...
Understand the demographic, economic and regulatory factors that shape how businesses in an industry perform.
Sharp decline in consumer confidence dampens operator growth. The impact of inflationary pressures severely ate away at consumer confidence, hampering demand for market resea...
View average costs for industry operators and compare financial data against an industry's financial benchmarks over time.
High economic uncertainty dampens profit. Many core clients serviced by operators endured significant volatility during COVID-19, which caused them to cut back on research se...
Including values and annual change:
IBISWorld has been a leading provider of trusted industry research for over 50 years to the most successful companies worldwide. With offices in Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and China, we are proud to have local teams of analysts that conduct research, data analysis and forecasting to produce data-driven industry reports.
Our analysts start with official, verified and publicly available sources of data to build the most accurate picture of each industry. Analysts then leverage their expertise and knowledge of the local markets to synthesize trends into digestible content for IBISWorld readers. Finally, each report is reviewed by one of IBISWorld’s editors, who provide quality assurance to ensure accuracy and readability.
IBISWorld relies on human-verified data and human-written analysis to compile each standard industry report. We do not use generative AI tools to write insights, although members can choose to leverage AI-based tools within the platform to generate additional analysis formats.
Each industry report incorporates data and research from government databases, industry-specific sources, industry contacts, and our own proprietary database of statistics and analysis to provide balanced, independent and accurate insights.
Key data sources in Canada include:
Analysts also use industry specific sources to complement catch-all sources, although their perspective may focus on a particular organization or representative body, rather than a clear overview of all industry operations. However, when balanced against other perspectives, industry-specific sources provide insights into industry trends.
These sources include:
Finally, IBISWorld’s global data scientists maintain a proprietary database of macroeconomic and demand drivers, which our analysts use to help inform industry data and trends. They also maintain a database of statistics and analysis on thousands of industries, which has been built over our more than 50-year history and offers comprehensive insights into long-term trends.
IBISWorld’s analysts and data scientists use the sources above to create forecasts for our proprietary datasets and industry statistics. Depending on the dataset, they may use regression analysis, multivariate analysis, time-series analysis or exponential smoothing techniques to project future data for the industry or driver. Additionally, analysts will leverage their local knowledge of industry operating and regulatory conditions to impart their best judgment on the forecast model.
IBISWorld prides itself on being a trusted, independent source of data, with over 50 years of experience building and maintaining rich datasets and forecasting tools. We are proud to be the keystone source of industry information for thousands of companies across the world.
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The market size of the Market Research industry in Canada is $1.3bn in 2024.
There are 2,534 businesses in the Market Research industry in Canada, which has grown at a CAGR of 2.6 % between 2018 and 2023.
The market size of the Market Research industry in Canada has been declining at a CAGR of 3.2 % between 2018 and 2023.
Over the next five years, the Market Research industry in Canada is expected to grow.
The biggest companies operating in the Market Research market in Canada are Ipsos Group SA, Nielsen Holdings NV and Leger Marketing Inc.
Quantitative market research services and Qualitative market research services are part of the Market Research industry.
The company holding the most market share in Canada is Ipsos Group SA.
The level of competition is high and steady in the Market Research industry in Canada.