16 Market research companies in Chicago for reliable consumer insights

Understanding your customers’ needs is key to creating a killer product that resonates with them. Market research companies help you discover these needs in target markets through things like surveys, focus groups and product testing. This deep understanding of customer behavior lets you deliver exactly what your audience expects (and hopefully what they’ll buy).

Market research also helps you create a marketing strategy and improve user experience with actionable insights into your target market. Plus, you it allows you to keep a finger on the pulse of constantly changing markets and consumer habits. These benefits sound appealing, but you can’t move in the right direction without the right market research firm by your side.

If you’re looking for the best market research companies in New York or Chicago, we’ve got you covered. Check out these 16 market research solutions and companies that can help you make smarter, data-driven decisions for your business.

Company	Best for	No. of employees	Key use cases	Pricing information (if available)
1. Attest	– Market researchers – Insights professionals	169	– Consumer profiling – Brand tracking – Creative testing – Market analysis	Free first survey, paid plans start from $0.44/response
2. C+R Research	Brand voice researchers	171	– Agile research – Communities and panels – Global research – Strategy workshops	Available on request
3. Curion	– Sensory performance researchers – Product marketers	174	– Agile research – Benchmark studies – Central location interviewing – Focus group facilities	Available on request
4. QualSights	Packaged goods consumption behavior researchers	69	– In-store shopping analysis – Online store trends – In-home usage test – Concept testing	Available on request
5. Fieldwork	Researchers and project managers	233	– Recruiting – Research venues – Global field management – Fieldwork anywhere	Available on request
6. Explorer Research	Shopper insights researchers	63	– Packaging research – Shopper behavior research – Planogram research – Signage and menu board research – Path to purchase research – Aisle of the future research	Available on request
7. Blending Views	Taste testers	3	– Focus groups – Mock juries – Commercial kitchen – Home-use tests – Taste tests	Available on request
8. Herron Associates, Inc.	Field researchers	33	– Field intercept – National recruiting and staffing – Field management – Usability labs – Bulletin boards	Available on request
9. Insights In Marketing	Consumer researchers	20	– Mobile research – Ethnographies – Brand equity testing – Consumer habits research	Available on request
10. Reach3 Insights	Conversational insights researchers	93	– Brand activation research – Community insights – Persona analysis – Emerging trend analysis – Digital health and wellness research	Available on request
11. Irwin Broh Research	Customer satisfaction researchers	13	– Custom research – Customer database management – Customer satisfaction surveys – Syndicated studies	Available on request
12. Consight™ Marketing Group, LLC	B2B researchers	1	– Customer satisfaction and loyalty – Channel strategy – Go-to-market research	Available on request
13. Customer Lifecycle, LLC	B2B and B2C researchers	4	– Executive interviewing – Industrial research – Market segmentation studies – User experience research	Available on request
14. P&K Research	Sensory and consumer researchers	104	– Product optimization – Product-market fit analysis – Package assessment – Needs exploration – Product optimization – Product claim validation – Concept screening – Sensory insights	Available on request
15. Blackstone Group	Brand researchers	298	– Survey development and design – Computer-assisted telephone interviews (CATI) – Online surveys including advanced, multivariate techniques – In-person interviews – Ethnographic and observational research	Available on request
16. Rabin Research Company	Marketing analytics researchers	7	– Custom research – Concept screening and testing – Package and use testing – Tracking and wave studies – Employee and customer satisfaction surveys	Available on request

If you’re still looking for the best market research company in Chicago, you’re not alone. It can be challenging to find the right research partner that understands your business needs. Get a demo to see how Attest lets you survey custom audiences and offers quality insights for faster decision-making.

1. Attest

Attest is a leading consumer research platform that makes it easy to reliably survey target customers on a global scale. The platform features an easy-to-use survey builder and their tool gathers insights from 125 million people in 59.

From Attest you get instant, actionable insights without having to wait weeks. This is because of Attest’s multi-panel approach to research audiences—they gather responses from several reliable sources, meaning you get a set of results that genuinely reflect your audience’s views. Attest also combines machine learning data checks with human reviews so you always get quality data when you run your market research.

So, what exactly can you use Attest for? For any market research activities, from brand tracking to creative testing, that require you to collect and visualize results from a diverse audience. Plus, you get extensive support and advice from the in-house Customer Research Team who can help you fine-tune strategy, set goals and analyze results.

Don’t just take our word for it. Let’s hear it from customers who’ve experienced Attest first-hand.

Organic Valley, the U.S. farming cooperative, was struggling to research and validate ideas for new product development. With Attest’s industry-leading self-service consumer survey platform, even non-experts can run quantitative analysis. 

We can use it for almost any type of quant analysis. We’re able to get a quick read so we know we’re on the right track as we’re moving through the phases.

Tripp Hughes, Senior Director of Consumer Strategy at Organic Valley

Organic Valley decreased new product development costs by 10x and enabled teams to access instant insights four times faster than before. 

So, if you’re still waiting for the right market analysis tools to collect or make sense of data, Attest fits the bill.  The easy-to-use interface, seamless data collection, and powerful analysis make it a great choice for companies that want to get market research right.

Location: London, England

Pricing: Free first survey, paid plans start from $0.50/response

Best for: 

• Brand tracking
• Consumer profiling
• Creative testing
• Market analysis
• New product development

Are you in the UK? Here’s our rundown of the top market research agencies in London.  

Sign up for a demo today to see how Attest can help you research markets and get high-quality insights.

2. C+R Research

C+R Research is a market research firm specializing in delivering custom qualitative and quantitative insights to companies in many different fields, like finance, health insurance, and more. This downtown Chicago market research consultancy is known for its competency in helping companies develop brand voices and understand the intricacies of new markets.

Besides quantitative and qualitative analysis, the C+R Research team is also efficient at conducting global research, panels and strategy workshops. Their custom solutions help you make data-driven decisions at different product lifecycle stages—from ideation to product launch to brand performance assessment.

Location: Chicago, Illinois

Pricing: Available on request

Best for:

• Qualitative research
• Quantitative research
• Agile research
• Communities and panels
• Global research
• Strategy workshops

3. Curion

Curion is a leading market research company helping brands drive innovation with deep customer insight. They’re experts in helping companies create engaging, comprehensive product and package narratives with qualitative, quantitative, sensory and agile insights. The team at Curion takes a no-size-fits-all approach to create custom solutions that aid brands innovating, assessing products and finding success in the market.

Besides advanced facilities and sensory booths, they use focus group areas and central location testing (CLT) rooms to discover insights from audiences. Curion’s proprietary product health score, the Curion Score, is a great way to measure the sensory performance of your product against the industry benchmark.

Location: Deerfield, Illinois

Pricing: Available on request

Best for:

• Agile research
• Benchmark studies
• Central location interviewing
• Focus group facilities
• Consumer research consultation
• Full-service market research
• Sensory research
• Package development research
• Package testing

4. QualSights

QualSights is a human insights platform offering market research services for qualitative studies and product usage analysis. Companies leverage the QualSights Mobile Qualitative Platform to find meaningful insights using synchronous and asynchronous methods. Their Product Consumption Intelligence TM platform lets you capture consumption behavior around packaged goods.

QualSights’ proprietary technology supports multiple research methodologies, including qualitative and quantitative. Plus, you get to analyze the data for insights with powerful artificial intelligence tools. QualSights also offers insights into customers’ behavior across channels and generates authentic insights for smart decision-making.

Location: Chicago, Illinois

Pricing: Available on request

Best for:

• In-store shopping analysis
• Online store trends
• In-home usage test
• Concept testing
• Category and brand preferences

5. Fieldwork

Fieldwork is a leading market research company that offers qualitative project management services to clients around the world. The team works with research providers in 50+ countries to deliver services like virtual research, focus groups, and medical device usability. They also specialize in hand-holding, transcription services, and recruiting.

Fieldwork’s global recruiting, venue, and field management services are ideal for companies looking to conduct research at a venue. They can help you with quality recruiting via focus group facilities across the U.S. You can also leverage Fieldwork’s online market research capabilities to conduct virtual research.

Location: Chicago, IL

Pricing: Available on request

Best for:

• Recruiting
• Research venues
• Global field management
• Fieldwork anywhere
• Virtual market research

6. Explorer Research

Explorer Research specializes in offering shopper insights with in-situation testing and biometrics. Their consultative approach combined with physical and digital shopper behavior lets you optimize shopper strategies for business growth.

The team can also help you with the shopper activation framework, usability testing, and packaging optimization. With their ExplorerEXPRESS service, you can easily validate consumer product packaging or discover the impact of shopper marketing programs. Explorer Research also specializes in eye tracking, virtual reality, and immersive qualitative research methods. Their shopper labs are perfect for measuring shopping activities in a traditional facility setting.

Location: Mississauga, Ontario

Pricing: Available on request

Best for:

• Packaging research
• Shopper behavior research
• Planogram research
• Signage and menu board research
• Path to purchase research
• Aisle of the future research

7. Blending Views

Blending Views is another top market research company that helps you conduct taste tests from their in-facility commercial test kitchen. The facility features walk-in coolers, commercial restaurant equipment, walk-in freezers, and ample counter space so you get the food and beverage insights you need. You can also conduct a focus group in their kitchen.

Besides kitchen testing, they also conduct teen studies, mock product placements, and mock juries. The experienced team at Blending Views ensures that you have everything you need to conduct a successful study.

Location: Mokena, Illinois

Pricing: Available on request

Best for:

• Qualitative and quantitative research
• Focus groups
• Mock juries
• Commercial kitchen
• Home-use tests
• Taste tests

8. Herron Associates, Inc.

Herron Associates, Inc. offers market research solutions for central location testing and commercial test kitchens. Their thoughtful and methodical qualitative and quantitative research approach lets you gain crucial consumer insights with focus groups, in-depth interviews, online surveys, and hybrid research. Besides offering modern research facilities, the team can also help you with panel recruitment and research consulting.

This market research firm also specializes in delivering custom and full-service market research solutions. They also conduct sensory research projects.

Location: Greenwood, Indiana

Pricing: Available on request

Best for:

• Qualitative recruiting
• Focus groups
• Field intercept
• National recruiting and staffing
• Field management
• Usability labs
• Bulletin boards

9. Insights In Marketing

Insights In Marketing is a strategy consulting firm helping brands in many industries with qualitative, quantitative, and quick-turn consumer research services. With their extensive experience in conducting in-field research, they can aid you in getting a deep perspective into brand positioning, product development, and target markets. They also offer competitive assessment and communication testing.

Whether you want to conduct qualitative ethnographic research, find quantitative brand awareness insights, or optimize pricing, they can help you with their experience and expertise. Other research services include consumer segmentation, attitudes research, concept screening, and more.

Location: Northbrook, IL

Pricing: Available on request

Best for:

• Same-day in-person and online research solutions
• Focus groups
• Online research
• Mobile research
• Ethnographies
• Brand equity testing
• Consumer habits research

10. Reach3 Insights

Reach3 Insights is a purpose-driven market research company that offers conversational insight solutions and agile research services to modern enterprises. Besides marketing activation strategies and omnichannel optimization, this full-service research consultancy specializes in delivering research solutions for brand positioning, product innovation, and user experience.

The company offers innovative insight solutions in different areas ranging from gaming to beauty to consumer trends. Their consumer illumination services help you create actionable personas for better product development and marketing strategies. With their groundbreaking Brand Experience Predictor (BXP), you can pre-test brand activations before taking products to the market.

Location: Chicago, Illinois

Pricing: Available on request

Best for:

• Brand activation research
• Community insights
• Persona analysis
• Emerging trend analysis
• Digital health and wellness research

11. Irwin Broh Research

Irwin Broh Research is a full-service market research firm offering custom research solutions, including syndicated studies, customer database management and customer satisfaction. Their custom research capabilities are ideal for brands looking to conduct in-depth studies on the web, face-to-face, or via focus groups. The team is also efficient at offering database services to help you with address standardization, sales tracking, and more.

Their customer satisfaction research solutions help you design, test, and implement surveys to gain insights into customers’ needs and desires to optimize customer acquisition strategies. You can also leverage syndicated reports to better understand the changing market landscape in your industry.

HealthFocus International, a branch of Irwin Broh Research, supports healthcare industries in discovering the science behind how consumers choose health and nutrition products.

Location: Des Plaines, IL

Pricing: Available on request

Best for:

• Custom research
• Customer database management
• Customer satisfaction surveys
• Syndicated studies

12. Consight Marketing Group, LLC

Consight Marketing Group, LLC is a leading market research company in the business-to-business (B2B) voice of the customer insights space. With their primary research services, you can develop a go-to-market strategy, validate new product ideas, or design channel strategies.

They use in-depth phone interviews to help you dive deep into qualitative and quantitative issues. Then they analyze the market research findings and suggest recommendations that you can easily implement in your business. The company also offers customer satisfaction and loyalty research services which can be key to finding the Net Promoter Score (NPS) at your organization.

Other research solutions include branding, repositioning and due diligence for merger and acquisition (M&A) projects.

Location: Chicago, IL

Pricing: Available on request

Best for:

• Customer satisfaction and loyalty
• Channel strategy
• Go-to-market research

13. Customer Lifecycle, LLC

Customer Lifecycle, LLC is a global research consultancy offering bespoke research solutions to B2B and B2C companies. This consulting firm provides quantitative and qualitative research services for measuring customer loyalty, wallet growth, and the internal performance of your organization.

With their strategic market research services, you can find and tackle the unique challenges of different customer lifecycle stages, such as acquisition, service, growth, and retention. The market research agency helps you reach three million respondents in more than 130 countries for quantitative and qualitative research.

Location: Bolingbrook, IL

Pricing: Available on request

Best for:

• Customer satisfaction studies
• Executive interviewing
• Industrial research
• Market segmentation studies
• User experience research

14. P&K Research

P&K Research is another end-to-end market research company that offers custom sensory and consumer research to help companies design the right consumer products. Organizations from different industries use their research services to gain insights for market assessment, product evaluation, and competitor analysis. The company leverages traditional and in-context research methods to help you find actionable insights from consumers.

The company also owns product testing and consumer research facilities that help you meet changing research needs. These facilities feature everything from semi-private sensory booths to discovery labs to commercial kitchens.

Location: Chicago, IL

Pricing: Available on request

Best for:

• Early-stage consumer research
• Competitive benchmarking
• Prototype screening
• Product optimization
• Product-market fit analysis
• Package assessment
• Needs exploration
• Product optimization
• Product claim validation
• Concept screening
• Sensory insights

15. Blackstone Group

Blackstone Group brings together committed international researchers who offer strategic consulting to help companies generate deeper insights in meaningful ways. With precision and quality market research, they help you access global markets for data collection and insight discovery. Their research services include market surveys, brand research, and interactive dashboard building.

Whether you’re an advertising company looking for consumer insights, an energy organization studying energy usage behavior, or a tourism agency analyzing travel preferences, Blackstone Group has the tools and expertise to help you discover the insights you need.

Location: Chicago, IL

Pricing: Available on request

Best for:

• Survey development and design
• Computer-assisted telephone interviews (CATI)
• Online surveys including advanced, multivariate techniques
• In-person interviews
• Ethnographic and observational research
• Focus group research
• Social media monitoring
• Coding unstructured verbatims
• Online data visualization
• Tablet in-person interviews

16. Rabin Research Company

Rabin Research Company offers database and analytics marketing services along with primary and secondary research services. They are a certified Women’s Business Enterprise and currently serve Fortune 500 companies and emerging businesses.

Apart from database cleanup and maintenance, this market research company can also help you with predictive analytics models and data-driven marketing strategy. Their secondary data research services are ideal for data collection from syndicated sources, government agencies, and media publications.

Location: Chicago, IL

Pricing: Available on request

Best for:

• Custom research
• Concept screening and testing
• Package and use testing
• Tracking and wave studies
• Employee and customer satisfaction surveys

Choose the best market research agency for you

Choosing the right market research agency can be daunting. While you want to spot future problems and discover insights faster, you can’t do this without the right research partner by your side.

Having a partner committed to delivering quality data and insights within your budget can make all the difference. It’s even better if your choice of market research company has reliable and robust respondent gathering processes to meet your research objectives and offers the scalability you need to solve business problems faster.

Attest is one of the top brand tracking companies that do all this and more. Their platform not only offers quality data from diverse audiences but also ensures data reliability and accuracy with human and AI checks. Plus, expert support is just a click away, whether you need help setting up a survey or interpreting data.

All of this makes Attest one of the top market research companies Chicago (and the world beyond) has to offer!

It’s not just us, our customers love Attest too! Check out what TrustPilot‘s Global Marketing Program Manager has to say about Attest:

We looked at three different areas within brand integrity to try to learn as much as we could. It was the first time I’d used Attest and I found it to be super intuitive and really easy to use. Our account manager was amazing too.

Want to seize opportunities like TrustPilot? Sign up for a demo to see how Attest takes time, stress, and cost out of market research.

Market Research Companies in Chicago FAQs