What Directresearch does

DirectResearch was a privately held, full-service market research firm headquartered in the Netherlands and founded in 2005. The company operated from two locations (Amsterdam and Eindhoven) with a headcount in the 11-50 range and delivered qualitative market research services to Dutch business clients. Its product offering centered on three pillars: qualitative insights (kwalitatieve inzichten) into consumer behavior and market trends, whitepapers providing in-depth research-based analysis, and custom research solutions (onderzoeksoplossingen) tailored to client briefs. The firm's go-to-market was direct, B2B research services sold to organizations seeking qualitative consumer and market intelligence, with the company website serving as the primary digital presence.

The underlying capability stack was traditional qualitative research expertise rather than a proprietary software or technology platform — no AI, ML, API, or integration footprint is documented. Pricing was not publicly disclosed, and no named customer logos, segments, or contract values are available in the source material. Funding history is absent; DirectResearch did not raise disclosed venture or growth capital based on available data.

On January 1, 2025, DirectResearch merged with fellow Dutch market research firm Markteffect, ceasing to exist as a separate brand and continuing all operations under the Markteffect name from the same Amsterdam and Eindhoven offices. The merger was framed by the parties as bundling complementary strengths into a single brand to deliver improved customer experience, with all prior DirectResearch content and contacts now hosted on markteffect.nl. The combined entity's financial scale, leadership, and AI/technology roadmap post-merger are not disclosed in the available sources.

Name

Directresearch

Legal name

DirectResearch

Website

https://directresearch.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

DirectResearch was a Dutch full-service market research firm offering qualitative insights, whitepapers, and custom research solutions from Amsterdam and Eindhoven before merging into Markteffect on January 1, 2025.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Core offering

DirectResearch was a full-service market research company providing qualitative insights, custom research solutions, and research-based whitepapers to business clients. Its service portfolio centered on qualitative consumer and market research methodologies, delivered as tailored studies and publications, and was offered from offices in Amsterdam and Eindhoven prior to the January 2025 merger with Markteffect.

Product overview

DirectResearch was a full-service market research company offering qualitative insights, whitepapers, and custom research solutions. As of January 1, 2025, DirectResearch has merged with Markteffect, operating as a unified brand from Amsterdam and Eindhoven. The product portfolio centered on qualitative research methodologies and research deliverables, with all services now accessible through the Markteffect platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Research Solutions (Onderzoeksoplossingen) Custom market research solutions tailored to client needs, delivered as bespoke studies on consumer behavior, market trends, and business decision-making. Offered to business clients in the Netherlands from offices in Amsterdam and Eindhoven; now continuing under the Markteffect brand following the January 2025 merger.

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• MarkteffectcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025DirectResearch and Markteffect merged effective January 1, 2025, continuing operations under the Markteffect brand. The partnership combined the strengths of both organizations into a single brand, operating from Amsterdam and Eindhoven locations, with the goal of delivering an improved customer experience through bundled capabilities.

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Markteffect: Dutch market research firm that merged with DirectResearch effective January 2025. Both offered full-service research and qualitative insights to Dutch clients, making it the most directly comparable peer and now the parent brand under which DirectResearch operates.
• MarketResponse: Netherlands-based market research agency offering consumer and B2B insights, brand and communication research, and analytics. Directly comparable to DirectResearch in geography, service mix, and target client base of Dutch consumer and enterprise buyers.
• Blauw Research: Dutch-headquartered research agency focused on consumer insights, brand experience, and product innovation research. Comparable as a domestic full-service research peer with overlapping qualitative and quantitative offerings for Dutch and European clients.
• Motivaction: Amsterdam-based market research agency specializing in consumer behavior, segmentation, and brand strategy. Overlaps with DirectResearch's qualitative insights and custom research solutions for Dutch marketing and innovation teams.
• Ruigrok | NetPanel: Dutch research firm combining qualitative and quantitative methods, panel research, and consulting for media, retail, and consumer brands. Directly comparable in scale and service mix to DirectResearch.

Broad incumbents

• GfK: Global market research incumbent offering consumer, retail, and technology insights across more than 60 markets. Comparable as a broad incumbent competing for the same Dutch and multinational client budgets, with overlapping qualitative and consumer research capabilities.
• Ipsos: Global research and consulting group with strong presence in the Netherlands providing brand, marketing, advertising, and public affairs research. Comparable as a broad incumbent that competes for the same enterprise clients as DirectResearch but at much larger scale.
• Kantar: Global data, insights, and consulting company with established Dutch operations covering brand, media, and consumer research. Comparable as a large incumbent with overlapping service lines and target buyers.
• NielsenIQ: Global consumer intelligence firm serving FMCG, retail, and media clients with measurement, analytics, and research. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the same buyer procurement lists as DirectResearch, though focused on syndicated and analytics rather than pure qualitative work.

Others

• Research Now (Dynata): Global online panel and data collection provider used by research agencies including Dutch firms. Comparable as an enabling ecosystem participant whose panels and sampling infrastructure compete with or are procured by DirectResearch.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/directresearch
• Facebookfacebook.com/directresearch

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Directresearch