Market research & personas
Some links on this page are affiliate links: we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Our approach
Market research is not for choosing a nice logo colour, but for avoiding investing tens of thousands of dirhams in an offer nobody is waiting for. It starts with a decision to settle and ends with recommendations the company applies. ## The market seen online Digital signals give a quick, low-cost reading of demand: search volume by city, prices displayed by competitors, customer reviews, active ads. These data do not replace fieldwork, but they let you prepare interviews with precise hypotheses rather than vague questions. ## Field research, where reality appears A questionnaire that promises a lot and collects twenty responses is worthless. Better to target two or three segments and get 200 useful responses, with questions about current behaviour (how does the customer already solve the problem?) rather than purchase intentions. ## From report to decision A useful study fits on one page of recommendations, then appendices. It must explicitly answer the starting question: chosen price, priority segment, acquisition channel and measurable success conditions.When this guide is for you
- You are launching a new product or service and want to know whether there is demand before spending the price of a website or stock
- Your business is established but you are preparing an expansion (new city, B2B to B2C, export)
- You need credible figures for a funding application or a partner
- You are multiplying marketing efforts without knowing which segment really responds
- A competitor is overtaking you and you do not understand why customers choose them
Step by step
- Define the question to settle — A useful study answers three or four specific decisions: is a price acceptable, which segment to target first, which channel generates leads, should you open in another city. Avoid research "to understand the market" with no decision behind it.
- Secondary research and competitor monitoring — Analyse available statistics (HCP, sector data, international reports), competitors' traffic and keywords, customer reviews and listed prices. That is already 60 % of the answers for a modest budget.
- Field research — Around ten qualitative interviews with potential customers, then a quantitative questionnaire (200 to 500 responses) distributed on the channels suited to the target audience. The form must be short and tested before distribution.
- Personas and segmentation — Describe 2 to 4 personas with their frustrations, buying triggers, channels and objections. A persona is built on collected verbatims, not hypotheses.
- Summary and decisions — Deliver a 10 to 20-page summary with costed recommendations on positioning, price, channels and timeline. Validate with the management and turn the conclusions into an action plan.
What it costs (in MAD)
| Service | Indicative price | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Full market study (SME) | 8,000 – 30,000 MAD (≈ 730 – 2,700 €) | Competitor monitoring, interviews, questionnaire and summary |
| Quick study (monitoring and competitors only) | 4,000 – 10,000 MAD (≈ 360 – 910 €) | Useful before a launch on a limited budget |
| Quantitative questionnaire | 6,000 – 20,000 MAD (≈ 550 – 1,800 €) | Drafting, distribution, cleaning and analysis of responses |
| Personas and empathy map | 3,000 – 8,000 MAD (≈ 270 – 730 €) | 2 to 4 documented personas with verbatims |
| Panel or paid interviews | 150 – 600 MAD / respondent | Variable depending on the profile and how hard it is to reach |
| Competitive price study | 3,000 – 9,000 MAD (≈ 270 – 820 €) | Price survey, rate cards, discounts and terms |
Indicative ranges for the Moroccan market in 2026, excluding tax. Prices vary with scope and provider.
Mistakes to avoid
- Doing a study for reassurance and ignoring conclusions that contradict the manager's idea
- Confusing the theoretical potential market with the market actually reachable with your marketing budget
- Interviewing only people you know, who are not representative of the target customer
- Launching a questionnaire on a channel that does not reach the target and concluding that nobody is interested
- Delivering an 80-page report with no costed recommendations or decision to take
Frequently asked questions
Can you do market research without a budget?
Partly. Free competitor monitoring (sites, reviews, prices, keywords) and around ten interviews with potential customers are often enough to rule out a bad idea or refine an offer. A reliable quantitative study, however, requires a budget and a minimum number of responses.
How long does market research take?
A quick study takes one to two weeks. A full study with interviews and a questionnaire generally takes three to four weeks, most of it spent collecting responses.
What is a persona really for?
For settling day-to-day decisions: what message to write, which channel to choose, what price to show, which objections to address. A persona is only valuable if it is used when designing the site, campaigns and offer.
Do you need a study to open a shop in another city?
Yes, at least local monitoring: competitors already established, prices, purchasing power, delivery channels and how people discover the neighbourhood. A light study costs far less than a failed location.
How do you check the reliability of Moroccan market figures?
Cross-reference at least three sources: official data (HCP), sector reports and online signals (searches, competitor traffic, reviews). When figures diverge, favour observed field data over global estimates.
Updated on
Related guides
Version française: /services/strategie-digitale/etude-de-marche/ · AR · NL