In the wake of the financial crisis there have been a growing number of companies which have merged with others so as to be able to stand up against the increasing pressure of competition. In order to manage these mergers as smoothly as possible it is advisable to conduct an M&A analysis as part of strategy research. But what exactly are strategy research and M&A analyses comprised of and who should conduct them in which situations?
Market research consists to a large extent of the gathering of data which are then analyzed. These data can be gathered in many different ways. Within secondary research already existing data are used, e. g. analysts' reports and other publicly available sources. A well-positioned market research company like Market Researchers, for example, is able to access data which are not publicly available as well.
Customer analysis deals with the collection of data and their subsequent analysis in order to gain a better understanding of the requirements of existing and new customers. Apart from that consumer and market trends can be identified within the framework of customer analysis.
Many companies are certain that they know their competitors very well and that they are able to assess their goals and predict their development. But in practice it turns out that this assumption is often based on subjective impressions and superficial information. A false assumption therefore, which can have fatal consequences for your company.
Many business owners believe they can assess their customers' behavior fairly adequately. They claim they know how regular customers behave, after all, and via the market segment which is served they think they are able to draw conclusions about potential customers. But is this really true?