Research that makes it clear what to do
We work out who your customer is, why they choose someone else and where there is room in the market. We run interviews, size the market, test hypotheses — and hand over not a report but a decision with the reasoning behind it.
A fixed price — we name it after a short meeting, once we understand the question.
When you need it
Six situations people come to us with most often.
You are launching a product and are not sure of demand
The team likes the idea, but there is no confirmation from outside. We check before money and half a year go into development.
Customers are leaving and the reason is unclear
The reports show churn, the explanations offer theories. We ask the people who left and bring back the real reason rather than the convenient one.
You are entering a new segment or region
You need to understand the size of the market, who is already there, what gives them the edge and whether any room is left. We size the market and analyse the competitors.
Sales are stalling even though the product is good
Perhaps you are saying the wrong thing to the wrong people. We look at how the customer makes a decision and who is actually involved in it.
You are about to change prices
We check what the customer is willing to pay for and where the line is beyond which they walk away.
You are preparing for a deal or an investment round
An investor needs not your feelings about the market but confirmed numbers and an understanding of the customer. We put together what will hold up under scrutiny.
What you get
Four artefacts. All of them stay with you whether or not we continue working together.
An answer to the original question
Not “research materials” but a direct answer to the question the whole thing was started for — with the reasoning and the limits of its applicability. If the data gives no unambiguous answer, that is exactly what we write.
A portrait of the customer and the logic of their choice
How a person or a company makes a decision: what triggers the search, who takes part, what criteria they compare on, what finally tips the balance. With quotes from the interviews.
A map of the market and the competitors
Who is in the field, what gives them the edge, where it is crowded and where it is open. A size estimate with the calculation shown openly: you can see what the figure is built from.
What to do with it
Conclusions translated into decisions: what to change in the product, in the price, in the communication, and in what order. Not wishes but specific steps.
How we work
Question
We formulate the main research question and agree what answer will count as sufficient. At the same point we settle which decisions you will make on the basis of the results. If the decision has already been made and only confirmation is needed, we say so honestly.
Design
We choose the methods to fit the question rather than the other way round: interviews, a survey, desk analysis, a price test or a combination of them. We agree the sample, the guide and the criteria.
Fieldwork
We collect the data. You get access to the recordings and transcripts — with nothing retold to you at second hand.
Analysis
We bring what was said together with the numbers, look for patterns and test how well they hold. Separately we record what was not confirmed — that is a result too.
Debrief
We go through the conclusions together, argue, answer questions. We record the decisions and the first steps. We hand the materials over to you.
Types of research
We choose the method to fit the question. These four work most often.
In-depth interviews
When you need to understand why the customer acts exactly as they do. It answers “why” and “how”, it does not answer “how many”. More about interviews →
Surveys and quantitative measurement
When the hypothesis is already formulated and you need to know how many people it holds for. It works after the interviews, not instead of them.
Desk analysis of the market
Open data, industry statistics, the players’ own reporting. A size estimate with a transparent calculation.
Testing solutions and prices
Tests of wording, packaging and price levels. We test them with customers before the launch, not after.
How this looked in practice
Three projects from our published cases where research was the method rather than an appendix.
The price was built around the price list rather than around value
We ran interviews with ten customers of different size and tenure: where the product saves time and money, what is considered mandatory and what people are ready to pay extra for. The single plan was broken down into three tiers. Case: pricing rebuild →
Three product lines were pulling in different directions
The customer interviews all showed the same thing: people come for one feature and talk about that same feature, and the word “ecosystem” was never once spoken. What the customers said matched the distribution of revenue — and that was enough for a decision. Case: fintech strategy pivot →
It was unclear which market to play in
We assessed five potential markets on size, growth rate, margins, competition and barriers to entry. Three candidates fell away on margins, one on certification. Case: entering a new market →
Being honest about the format
Research does not replace a decision. It removes part of the uncertainty and shows you what you did not know — but the choice is still yours, and we do not pretend that the numbers choose by themselves.
We do not take on research when the decision has already been made and what is needed is a defence of it. Work like that spoils both the result and the reputation — yours and ours.
Sometimes the honest answer to the original question is “there is not enough data, a different approach is needed”. We say it straight out at the debrief rather than hiding it in caveats on page ninety.
What this is not
Not a collection of opinions
People explain their decisions badly and invent them well after the fact. We ask about specific past experience, not about “would you like to”.
Not a report for the shelf
We do not produce materials that are long for the sake of length. If a conclusion does not lead to a decision, it does not go into the report.
Not machine processing
We speed up transcription and data processing with tools, but the conclusions are drawn by the partners, who answer for them with their own names. “Analysed by AI” is not a description of a method. A closer look →
Frequently asked questions
Related materials
The research series — open and with no registration.
Our clients and partners
Market leaders, state corporations and top business schools
Press about us
Our partners’ expertise in business and industry media.
Automating industrial plants: overcoming resistance
Thesis Partners partner Boris Kaptelov on why resistance to automation is an argument about the distribution of benefits and risks, who should own the outcome of a project and how not to get stuck in “pilot purgatory”.
Tell us what you need to understand — at a short meeting we will propose a method and name the price
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Contacts
We work directly with owners, chief executives (CEOs) and senior leadership.