What Norstat Group does

Norstat Group is a Norwegian-headquartered data collection provider for the market research industry, founded in 1997 and operating offices in 22 countries across Europe and the Americas with stated coverage of respondents in 45 countries. Its core business is recruiting and managing consumer panels of more than 14 million members and providing verified B2B audiences, serving enterprise clients across market understanding, brand tracking, advertising effectiveness, customer experience, public opinion, and UX research. The company is led by CEO Knut Aasrud and combines a centralized technology platform with local country operations led by Managing Directors in Austria, Sweden, and the UK.

The technology stack centers on the MyNorstat intelligent workspace, supplemented by Norstat Live (self-service surveys), Norstat Express (rapid-turnaround insights within an hour), Norstat Dashboards (real-time reporting), Norstat WebUX (user experience research), Norstat Integrated Service (data integration), and the Norstat Expert Network (verified B2B audiences). TestingTime, acquired in September 2021, operates as a retained sub-brand for coordinated test user recruitment and adds roughly one million test users, while also providing entry into Switzerland and the DACH region.

Norstat monetizes through enterprise sales of full-service research support, sample-only panel access, and platform subscriptions on quote-based pricing tied to project scope and sample requirements. Distribution is primarily direct enterprise field sales, supplemented by self-service platform access for mid-market buyers and a content-led marketing approach featuring case studies, the Norstat Quarterly Data benchmarking product across 15 countries, and direct expert engagement. The company remains privately held with no disclosed ownership, funding history, or financial figures.

Name

Norstat Group

Legal name

Norstat Group

Website

https://norstatgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Norstat Group is a Norway-headquartered, privately held data collection provider for market research, operating consumer panels of 14 million members and verified B2B audiences across 45 countries, serving enterprise clients in media, automotive, advertising, and UX research with full-service, sample-only, and self-service platform offerings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Oslo

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices18 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Market Research Data Collection Services: Norstat generates revenue through providing access to consumer panels and B2B audiences for market research purposes. Services include sample-only access, full-service support, and self-service platforms. The company offers various solutions including Norstat Express for rapid insights and coordinated testing through TestingTime.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Norstat provides data collection services for professional market research users, operating a network of over 14 million consumer panelists and verified B2B audiences across 45 countries. Customers access this network through full-service research support, sample-only panel access, or self-service platforms such as MyNorstat, Norstat Live, and Norstat Express for rapid-turnaround insights.

Product overview

Norstat Group operates as a data collection platform for market research, offering a unified platform with specialized modules. The core offerings include Full Service for end-to-end research support and Sample Only for direct panel access. The MyNorstat intelligent workspace serves as the central platform for managing research operations, supplemented by specialized modules including Norstat Express (rapid turnaround), Norstat Dashboards (real-time reporting), Norstat WebUX (user experience research), Norstat Integrated Service (data integration), and Norstat Live (self-service). The portfolio also includes TestingTime (acquired 2021) for coordinated testing, Consumer Panels and B2B Audiences for targeted respondent recruitment, and Norstat Quarterly Data for cross-country benchmarking.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TestingTime: Coordinated testing platform for recruiting test users and study participants.
• Norstat Express
• Norstat Live
• Norstat Dashboards
• Norstat WebUX
• MyNorstat
• Norstat Expert Network

Products and services

• Full Service Full-service market research solution providing complete support through the research process, from design to delivery, for clients needing end-to-end assistance.
• Sample Only Direct access to Norstat's consumer panels for targeted respondent recruitment and data collection, for clients that manage their own research operations.
• MyNorstat Intelligent workspace platform providing centralized access to panel management, survey tools, and reporting capabilities for research professionals managing multiple projects.
• TestingTime Coordinated testing platform for recruiting test users and study participants; operates as a separate brand under Norstat Group following the 2021 acquisition.
• Norstat Express Rapid turnaround solution delivering insights within the hour for time-sensitive research needs.
• Norstat Dashboards Real-time reporting dashboard providing immediate overview of survey results and data visualizations for ongoing research.
• Norstat WebUX User experience research tool for enhanced website and application testing and optimization.
• Norstat Integrated Service Data integration service maximizing the value of client data through cross-platform analysis and insights.
• Norstat Live Self-service platform enabling users to create, manage, and analyze surveys independently for digital campaign testing and audience reach.
• Consumer Panels Network of over 14 million consumers across 45 countries providing responses for market research surveys.
• B2B Audiences Carefully verified business professionals for B2B market research and decision-maker insights, accessed via the Norstat Expert Network.
• Norstat Quarterly Data Quarterly benchmarking data enabling comparison across 15 countries for trend analysis.
• Norstat Expert Network Verified B2B audiences for expert-level research, providing access to business professionals and decision-makers for B2B studies.

Quantifiable outcome

• 19,000 projects completed last year
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• TestingTimecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 September 2021Norstat acquired TestingTime, a Zurich-based test user recruitment platform, on September 30, 2021. The acquisition adds nearly one million test users to Norstat's panels and marks Norstat's entry into Switzerland and the DACH region. TestingTime continues to operate as a separate brand but benefits from Norstat's larger presence and resources. The acquisition strengthens Norstat's technological capabilities and expands its footprint across Europe.

Scale indicators6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Cint: Cint operates a global marketplace for digital research respondents, connecting panel buyers and suppliers. It is the most direct comparable to Norstat because both companies monetize access to large consumer and B2B panels for market research data collection across multiple geographies.
• Dynata: Dynata is one of the world's largest first-party data and data collection platforms for market research, offering online sample, B2B audiences, and full-service solutions. It competes head-to-head with Norstat across consumer panels, B2B research, and self-service platforms.
• Toluna: Toluna provides an online survey and panel platform with global consumer and B2B audiences. It overlaps with Norstat's panel-based data collection, self-service tooling (Toluna Start), and end-to-end research services for enterprise customers.
• Bilendi: Bilendi operates proprietary consumer and B2B panels across Europe with a technology-driven data collection offering. It is a particularly close European-headquartered peer to Norstat, with similar panel-driven business model and focus on quality-assured online sample.
• Schlesinger Group: Schlesinger Group is a data collection company providing qualitative and quantitative research services, including panel-based and recruiting services. It overlaps with Norstat's full-service offering and TestingTime-style test-user recruitment capabilities.
• YouGov: YouGov runs a large opt-in consumer panel used for syndicated and custom research. While stronger on brand tracking and public opinion, YouGov's panel infrastructure and self-serve research tools make it a relevant comparable to Norstat's consumer panel business.

Regional players

• Netquest: Netquest is a leading online panel provider focused on Latin America and Iberia. While Norstat's footprint is concentrated in Europe, both companies compete for cross-regional research buyers needing high-quality digital consumer sample, making Netquest a regional rather than direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Ipsos: Ipsos is one of the world's largest full-service market research agencies. It is a buyer of data collection services like Norstat's at scale, and an indirect competitor when clients consolidate research buying with full-service incumbents rather than best-of-breed fieldwork providers.
• Kantar: Kantar is a global market research and consulting business with significant proprietary panel assets (including its Profiles division). It competes with Norstat both as a panel owner and as a full-service research provider to enterprise brand and marketing teams.
• GfK (Growth from Knowledge): GfK is a long-standing global market research firm with consumer panel operations in Europe. Post-NielsenIQ ownership changes it remains a broad incumbent that overlaps with Norstat on consumer panel data, retail and brand research, and European market coverage.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/33804
• Xx.com/norstatgroup
• Facebookfacebook.com/norstat

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Norstat Group