Barlow Research Associates

What Barlow Research Associates does

Barlow Research Associates, Inc. is a privately held market research firm founded in 1980 by John Barlow and headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The company specializes exclusively in voice-of-the-customer research for the business banking sector, operating four flagship syndicated programs: the Small Business Banking Program (quarterly, ~7,000 companies annually with $100K to less than $10MM in revenue), the Middle Market Banking Program (quarterly, ~3,000 companies annually with $10MM to less than $500MM in revenue), the Digital Business Banking Program (annual, including the Digital Business Banking Test Drive competitive intelligence tool benchmarking 14 providers), and the Business Banking Blueprint Program (bi-annual, targeted at mid-size/regional banks and credit unions). Each program is delivered as an annual enterprise-wide membership license with unlimited seats. Sub-products including the Customer Relationship Audit, Flash Panels, and CX Lab Evaluations extend the platform into proprietary custom research and benchmarking, and the firm operates an annual Business Banking Conference as both a recurring revenue stream and a client engagement channel.

The firm's underlying technology is a proprietary research panel and longitudinal database covering more than 20 years of trending data on product usage, channel usage, and loyalty in U.S. business banking. The platform combines recurring surveys (quarterly and annual cadences), weighting by geography and sales size, and benchmarking tools such as the behind-the-password Digital Business Banking Test Drive. The firm complements its syndicated products with custom research solutions (CX Lab Evaluations, Brand & Advertising Tracking, Concept & Name Testing, Special Reports) and multi-client topical studies sold to any financial service provider. Go-to-market is sales-led and enterprise-focused, primarily through direct outreach to financial institutions including national banks, regional and community banks, credit unions, and fintechs, with distribution amplified through a partner ecosystem (RelPro, IBISWorld, Vertical IQ, Visa, Capital Performance Group, St. Meyer & Hubbard).

The firm operates as a subscription-and-services platform-plus-services model. Revenue streams consist of annual syndicated research program memberships (recurring subscription), multi-client studies, custom research engagements (professional services), and conference registration and sponsorship. Pricing is not publicly disclosed but is structured as annual enterprise-wide licenses with unlimited seats, suggesting tiered or negotiated pricing tied to institution size. Customers include national banks, large regional banks, community banks, credit unions, and non-bank financial service providers, with documented client relationships of 10+ years. Barlow Research is founder-controlled (John Barlow as President, Kathy Barlow as Vice President), with approximately 15-20 employees and a Managing Partner leadership cohort including Youa Yang (COO), Sandy Hanson (Small Business Program Director and Treasurer), and Joel Mueller (Research Director).

Name

Barlow Research Associates

Legal name

Barlow Research Associates, Inc.

Website

https://barlowresearch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Barlow Research Associates is a privately held, Minneapolis-based market research firm founded in 1980 that provides voice-of-the-customer syndicated research, custom studies, and competitive intelligence exclusively to U.S. financial institutions serving small business and middle market banking segments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Market Research Services

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191), Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Syndicated Market Research (Panels, Omnibus, Tracker Studies) (MPAAALAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Industry & Sector Research (Syndicated/Custom) (BPAHALAE)

Keywords

• Market research services
• Business banking research
• Syndicated research programs
• Voice of customer research
• Financial services insights

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Syndicated Research Program Memberships: Annual license subscriptions to membership-based programs including Small Business Banking Program, Middle Market Banking Program, and Digital Business Banking Program. Provides enterprise-wide unlimited seat access with continuous data flow throughout the year.
2. Multi-Client Studies: Specialized topical studies exploring hot-button business banking topics in-depth. Available to any financial service provider for one-time purchase.
3. Custom Research Solutions: Full-service custom research including CX Lab Evaluations, Brand & Advertising Tracking, Concept & Name Testing, Quantitative & Qualitative Studies, and Special Reports. Proprietary to each institution.
4. Business Banking Conference: Annual in-person conference with registration fees for banking professionals. Includes networking, sessions, and innovation showcase opportunities for sponsors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Barlow Research Associates provides membership-based syndicated research programs, custom research solutions, and an annual business banking conference for financial institutions. Its core offerings are quarterly studies of small business and middle market banking relationships, an annual digital business banking program with competitive intelligence tools, and a suite of custom research services including flash panels, customer journey evaluations, and loyalty audits.

Product overview

Barlow Research Associates offers a suite of membership-based syndicated research programs combined with custom research solutions for financial institutions. The core portfolio consists of four flagship programs: the Small Business Banking Program (quarterly study of $100K-$10MM companies), Middle Market Banking Program (quarterly study of $10MM-$500MM companies), Digital Business Banking Program (annual competitive intelligence subscription), and Business Banking Blueprint Program (bi-annual study for mid-size/regional banks). These programs deliver ongoing data through reports, dashboards, and benchmarking tools including the Digital Business Banking Test Drive. The portfolio is supplemented by topical Multi-Client Studies, Custom Research Solutions (encompassing Flash Panels, CX Lab Evaluations, Customer Relationship Audits, and Brand Tracking), and an annual Business Banking Conference. The company operates as a platform-plus-services model where syndicated programs form the foundation, with custom solutions and conferences serving as complementary offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Customer Relationship Audit (CRA): Proprietary customer survey used to provide objective feedback that can be compared to normative benchmarking data
• Digital Business Banking Test Drive
• iDatabase
• CX Lab Evaluations
• Flash Panels

Products and services

• Small Business Banking Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 41% of small businesses anticipate an ownership change in the next five years
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Capital Performance Group, LLC (CPG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCPG is a management consulting firm specializing in serving the financial services industry, delivering Strategy, Marketing, Branch/Digital Channel Planning, and Finance and Risk Management consulting services. The partnership provides strategic consulting capabilities to complement Barlow's research insights.
• IBISWorldcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIBISWorld is the largest publisher of industry benchmarking and forecasting data to the financial services sector. Banks and credit unions utilize IBISWorld in lending, business banking, underwriting, and portfolio credit risk functions. The partnership enables integrated industry intelligence.
• RelProcoreTechnology or IntegrationRelPro is a data and analytics solution used by Business and Commercial Bankers to acquire new clients and engage existing customers. Used by more than 50% of top 50 U.S. banks. The partnership integrates business intelligence data with Barlow's customer research capabilities.
• St. Meyer & HubbardminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSt. Meyer & Hubbard provides trust-based sales training and performance coaching to the banking industry for more than 25 years. Their AI Navigator program helps bank sellers create strategic call plans. Partnership enhances Barlow's sales training content and methodology.
• Vertical IQcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVertical IQ is a leading provider of Industry Intelligence created by bankers for bankers, covering more than 97% of U.S. economic revenue through 970+ Industry Profiles. Partnership provides industry-specific data to complement Barlow's voice of customer research.
• VisaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVisa is a trusted network and world leader in digital payments. Partnership provides digital payment industry intelligence and connects Barlow's research with Visa's payment network insights.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Coalition Greenwich (formerly Greenwich Associates): Long-established provider of research and benchmarking to the financial services industry, including commercial and business banking. Directly comparable to Barlow in serving institutional financial clients with syndicated and custom research.
• Keynova Group: Competitive intelligence and benchmarking firm focused specifically on online and mobile banking user experience across financial institutions. Closely comparable to Barlow's Digital Business Banking Test Drive product and competitive intelligence offerings.
• Corporate Insight: Provides competitive intelligence, CX benchmarking, and product research to financial services firms, including banks, credit unions, and fintechs. Comparable to Barlow in delivering subscription-based, voice-of-customer and competitive benchmarking research to financial institutions.
• The Shullman Research Center: Specialized market research firm focused on the financial services industry, providing customer experience and loyalty research to banks and other financial providers. Directly comparable in serving the same financial institution client base with syndicated-style research.
• Curinos: Banking-specific data, analytics, and research provider formed from the combination of Novantas, The Quaestor Group, and other banking analytics firms. Highly comparable as a research and benchmarking provider to retail and commercial banks.
• Novantas: Provider of research, analytics, and advisory services to retail and commercial banks. Comparable to Barlow in delivering benchmarking and competitive intelligence to financial institutions, with overlap in commercial banking research.

Broad incumbents

• BAI (Bank Administration Institute): Industry organization and research provider offering benchmarking, thought leadership, and conferences to the financial services industry. Comparable in serving banks with research and benchmarking content, though broader in scope than Barlow's business banking focus.
• J.D. Power: Large-scale customer satisfaction and research firm with a financial services practice covering retail and business banking. Comparable as a customer experience benchmarking provider to financial institutions, though part of a much broader portfolio.
• Forrester Research: Large research and advisory firm covering financial services among many other industries. Comparable in delivering syndicated research and advisory to enterprise clients, but operating at a much broader industry and geographic scope than Barlow.

Emerging players

• Mintel: Global market research firm with some financial services coverage including consumer banking trends. Partial overlap with Barlow in syndicated market research methodology, though much broader in verticals and less specialized in U.S. business banking.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BankingResearch

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Barlow Research Associates