ISG
Information Specialists Group, Inc. (ISG) is an independently-owned, full-service custom market research firm in Bloomington, MN, founded in 1996, providing qualitative and quantitative research, data collection, and intercept services to B2B, B2C, non-profit, and public sector clients across ten verticals.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersBloomington, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What ISG does
Information Specialists Group, Inc. (ISG) is an independently-owned, full-service custom market research firm founded in 1996 and headquartered at 2626 E. 82nd St., Suite 220, Bloomington, Minnesota. The firm specializes in qualitative and quantitative market research, data collection, analytics, monitoring, and interception services, delivering project-based engagements to B2B, B2C, non-profit, and public sector clients across ten named verticals: Healthcare, Financial Services, Manufacturing, Agriculture, Education, Consumer, Technology, Advertising and Marketing, Legal, and Public Sector. ISG's stated scale metrics are 61,563 respondents recruited or surveyed for 63 clients across 38 countries in the past year.
The company's core offerings are Data Collection Services, connecting clients to hard-to-reach audiences via phone, online, in-person, and intercept methodologies, and Full-Service Research, providing turnkey support from study design through analysis and reporting. Methodological capabilities span qualitative techniques (focus groups, in-depth interviews, ethnography, shop-a-longs, video diaries, online bulletin boards with in-house recruiting) and quantitative techniques (brand assessments, conjoint analysis, customer satisfaction, pricing studies, segmentation and persona development). ISG operates a proprietary research panel (isgsurveys.com), uses Citrix ShareFile for secure file exchange, and maintains ISO 27001 certification for information security and ISO 13485/29001 certification for healthcare research, signaling compliance positioning in regulated verticals.
ISG generates revenue through project-based professional services rather than subscription or platform models, with quote-based pricing that is not publicly disclosed. The firm is privately held with no disclosed external investors, parent company, or funding rounds, and there is no public revenue disclosure. Distribution is direct to enterprise and institutional buyers through the firm's own advisory and project management teams, supported by earned media and the company website as the primary marketing surface.
ISG firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ISG
- Legal name
- Information Specialists Group, Inc.
- Website
- https://isgmn.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Information Specialists Group, Inc. (ISG) is an independently-owned, full-service custom market research firm in Bloomington, MN, founded in 1996, providing qualitative and quantitative research, data collection, and intercept services to B2B, B2C, non-profit, and public sector clients across ten verticals.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ISG industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Market Research Services
- NAICS
- Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910)
- SIC
- Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Survey, Panel & Fieldwork Services (BPAHALAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Industry & Sector Research (Syndicated/Custom) (BPAHALAE)
Keywords
Where ISG is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bloomington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
ISG business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Research Reports and Subscriptions: ISG generates revenue through subscription-based access to proprietary research reports including the ISG Provider Lens series covering technology and AI services markets globally.
- Advisory Services: Technology research and advisory consulting services provided to enterprise clients for vendor evaluation and technology strategy decisions.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
ISG product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ISG is an independently-owned, full-service custom market research firm that designs, executes, and reports on qualitative and quantitative research studies for clients across B2B, B2C, non-profit, and public sector segments. Its core offerings include Data Collection Services (phone, online, in-person, and intercept methodologies) and Full-Service Research (turnkey support from study design through analysis and reporting), applied across industry verticals such as Healthcare, Financial Services, Manufacturing, Education, Consumer, Technology, and Public Sector.
Product overview
ISG (Information Specialists Group) is an independently-owned, full-service custom market research firm offering strategic consulting and research capabilities. The company operates as a single integrated service offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Its core offerings include Data Collection Services (connecting clients to hard-to-reach audiences via phone, online, in-person, and intercept methodologies) and Full-Service Research (turnkey support from design through analysis and reporting). These services are applied across industry verticals including Healthcare, Financial Services, Manufacturing, Advertising and Marketing, Public Sector, Agriculture, Education, Consumer, Technology, and Legal. Methodological capabilities include Qualitative Research (focus groups, in-depth interviews, ethnography) and Quantitative Research (surveys, conjoint, segmentation).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Data Collection Services
Quantifiable outcome
- EMEA technology services market reached US $12.2 billion ACV in Q1, a 30 percent year-on-year increase
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use ISG
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
ISG technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature5 records
ISG partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- DXC TechnologycoreDXC Technology recognized as a leader and received 16 awards in the ISG Provider Lens AWS Ecosystem Partners study, acknowledged for its cloud transformation, AWS managed services, and AI solutions with over 10,000 AWS-certified professionals.
- TranscomcoreTranscom has been named a Leader in ISG Provider Lens report for Customer Experience Services for five consecutive years, recognized for strength in AI, automation, and analytics, and ability to deliver innovative digital and operational solutions at scale.
- AscendioncoreAscendion recognized as a Global Leader in Generative AI Services for 2025 in ISG Provider Lens report, marking second consecutive year of honors. Company's agentic AI platform AAVA helps enterprises improve efficiency and reduce effort in data analysis, automation, and software development.
- InvisorscoreInvisors, a Workday Services Partner, received top honors in ISG Provider Lens 2025 Workday Ecosystem report, earning Star of Excellence award for three consecutive years based on customer experience scores, recognized as a leader in multiple categories across U.S. and Europe.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
ISG competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- C+R Research: Chicago-based full-service custom market research firm of comparable size offering qualitative, quantitative, and multi-industry research including healthcare and consumer; matches ISG's boutique, custom, multi-method service model.
- Schlesinger Group: U.S. qualitative and panel-based market research firm with deep in-house recruitment and fieldwork capabilities across consumer and B2B audiences — directly comparable to ISG's phone/online/in-person/intercept data collection stack.
- Burke, Inc. Long-established full-service custom market research firm offering qualitative and quantitative research across industries; comparable in longevity, methodology mix, and custom-project orientation to ISG.
- Decision Point Research: Boutique custom market research firm specializing in B2B and hard-to-reach professional audiences — overlapping directly with ISG's healthcare, legal, and B2B research verticals.
- Savanta: Mid-size full-service research agency delivering custom qualitative, quantitative, and sector-specific studies across consumer and B2B; comparable scale and custom-research service model to ISG.
- Dynata: Large global online panel and data-collection platform serving research buyers worldwide — directly comparable to ISG's panel recruitment and survey data collection capabilities, though at significantly larger scale.
- Toluna: Global online consumer panel and survey technology provider serving market research clients — overlaps with ISG's online and panel-based data collection methods.
- Marketcast: Custom market research firm focused on entertainment, advertising effectiveness, and brand research — overlaps with ISG's advertising/brand research and qualitative methodologies.
Broad incumbents
- Ipsos: Global market research leader offering custom and syndicated research across all major verticals — serves many of the same enterprise buyer types as ISG but at multi-billion-dollar scale across a much wider portfolio.
- Kantar: Worldwide research and insights conglomerate covering consumer, retail, brand, and media research — overlaps with ISG's full-service custom research proposition from a global incumbent perspective.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
ISG social profiles
Digital presenceISG compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
ISG financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ISG leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
ISG funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ISG M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ISG
What does ISG do?
ISG is an independently-owned, full-service custom market research firm that designs, executes, and reports on qualitative and quantitative research studies for clients across B2B, B2C, non-profit, and public sector segments. Its core offerings include Data Collection Services (phone, online, in-person, and intercept methodologies) and Full-Service Research (turnkey support from study design through analysis and reporting), applied across industry verticals such as Healthcare, Financial Services, Manufacturing, Education, Consumer, Technology, and Public Sector.
Is ISG a public or private company?
ISG is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was ISG founded?
ISG was founded in 1996. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is ISG based?
ISG is headquartered in Bloomington, United States, in the North America region.
How does ISG make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Research Reports and Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are advisory Services.
Who are ISG's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are C+R Research, Schlesinger Group, Burke, Inc., Decision Point Research, Savanta, Dynata, Toluna and Marketcast. Broad incumbents are Ipsos and Kantar.
Does ISG have an API?
No public API is recorded for ISG.
What industry is ISG in?
ISG's product category is Market Research Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHALAJ, Survey, Panel & Fieldwork Services, with a secondary code of BPAHALAE, Industry & Sector Research (Syndicated/Custom). Its NAICS code is 541910 and its SIC code is 8700.