What Blue Yonder Research does

Blue Yonder Research Ltd is a UK-based, B2B professional services firm specializing in R&D and innovation insight for enterprise consumer goods companies. Headquartered in Leeds with a 50-person workforce, the company structures its offering around a three-phase innovation cycle — Ignite, Develop, and Deliver — covering category and market needs assessment, product and pack testing, claims development, qualitative research, and shopper insights. It serves enterprise clients across FMCG, personal care and beauty, food and beverage, healthcare, retail, household care, ingredients and flavors, gaming, education, energy, automotive, and consumer electronics, with named customers including Unilever, L'Oreal, Reckitt, SCJohnson, Bayer, International Flavors & Fragrances, Kimberly-Clark, Quorn, Arla, McCain, Molson Coors, and SharkNinja. Over half of engagements are international, and the firm operates multi-year contracts with project-based, quote-driven pricing.

The company's technology stack combines proprietary methodologies with an in-house data science team. Proprietary assets include SprintAI (automated agile research), Clickscape (digital shelf and eye-tracking), Intercept (AI-supported in-the-moment behavioral capture), Shopper:lab (physical retail simulation facility with 360-degree body cameras), Sense:lab (sensory testing facility in Leeds), and AlertYa (a mobile app for study participants). The Oracle team deploys traditional and advanced analytics using Python, SQL, JavaScript, and Power Query, and the firm holds ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 certifications. Blue Yonder is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Curion, a strategic operating parent. AI is used as an assistive layer for data analysis and behavioral capture, with human approval required on all outputs. The company has been recognized as a GRIT Global Top 50 Innovative Company and a Research Live finalist for Agency of the Year and Best Place to Work.

Name

Blue Yonder Research

Legal name

Blue Yonder Research Ltd

Website

https://blueyonder.agency

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Blue Yonder Research is a Leeds-based B2B professional services firm specializing in R&D and innovation insight for global FMCG, personal care, beauty, healthcare, and consumer goods brands. It delivers qualitative, quantitative, sensory, and shopper research across the full innovation lifecycle.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Market Research Services

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541)

SIC

Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

B2B / Industrial Market Research (MPAAALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Industry & Sector Research (Syndicated/Custom) (BPAHALAE), Competitive & Market Intelligence (Competitive Tracking, TAM/SAM/SOM) (MPAAALAL)

Keywords

• R&D insight services
• Consumer product testing
• Shopper behavior research
• Claims development research
• Qualitative market research

Headquarters

HQ city

Leeds

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Market Research Services: Professional services revenue model providing R&D insight services including product testing, consumer research, shopper insights, and claims development. Project-based engagements with enterprise clients globally. Revenue generated through research project fees, testing services, and consulting engagements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Blue Yonder Research is a specialist R&D and innovation market research agency that delivers precise consumer and shopper insight to enterprise FMCG, personal care, healthcare, and retail clients across three innovation phases: Ignite (category and market needs, experience mapping), Develop (SprintAI, product testing, pack development, qualitative research), and Deliver (claims development, shopper insights). The firm operates proprietary tools (SprintAI, Clickscape, Intercept, Shopper:lab) backed by an in-house Oracle data science team, the Sense:lab testing facility, and ISO-accredited global delivery, with over half of its work conducted internationally.

Product overview

Blue Yonder Research is a market research agency specialising in R&D and innovation insight, operating as a single integrated service rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Their portfolio centres on three innovation phases: Ignite (examining markets and experiences), Develop (testing products through SprintAI, Product Testing, Claims Development), and Deliver (building claims and shopper propositions). Key proprietary offerings include Intercept (AI-powered in-the-moment insight tool), AlertYa™ (mobile app for study participants), Shopper:lab™ (physical testing facility), and Clickscape® (digital shelf testing technology). The Oracle data science team provides advanced analytics and automation. Core methodologies span qualitative research, quantitative surveys, home usage testing, central location testing, shopper insights, and sensory/fragrance testing. All solutions are delivered through their own experts and facilities, supplemented by Sense:lab research facility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SprintAI: Automated agile research methodology for rapid insight generation
• Shopper:lab
• Clickscape
• Sense:buds
• Campaign for Real Innovation (C4RI)
• Beyond the Yonder
• Sprint Qual
• Oracle

Products and services

• SprintAI An automated agile research solution for R&D insight, combining AI efficiency with human expertise to generate faster insight for enterprise FMCG and consumer goods clients.
• Product Testing Industry-leading product testing service conducted in homes or facilities worldwide, covering home usage testing (HUT) and central location testing (CLT) across multiple markets for enterprise CPG clients.
• Claims Development Service to generate, refine, and validate product claims, including sequential monadic testing and claims research, building robust claims trails for enterprise FMCG, healthcare, and OTC clients.
• Shopper Insights Category and retail insight service combining Shopper:lab physical testing and virtual shelf testing to help brands win at the moment of truth, for FMCG and retail clients.
• Qualitative Research Technical qualitative research and experience mapping service including focus groups, in-depth interviews, and experience mapping methodologies for enterprise insight teams.
• Shopper:lab Physical shopper research facility simulating real retail conditions, using 360-degree body cameras and first-person perspective recording to deliver high-fidelity shopper behaviour research for enterprise clients.
• AlertYa Mobile application that supports participants in market research studies by reminding them to complete specific tasks such as questionnaires after a designated period, available on Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
• Intercept AI-supported, in-the-moment insight method that captures behaviour as it unfolds in real life, revealing unfiltered moments that shape how people feel about a product or experience.
• Sprint Qual Agile qualitative research methodology offering clients a faster, smarter way to gather deep qualitative insights, complementing the firm's broader R&D insight offering.
• Experience Mapping Experience mapping service examining experiences in precise detail as part of the Ignite phase, mapping consumer touchpoints and emotional drivers for product and service innovation.
• Video Insight Video-based research service including video pre-tasks, in-home video diaries, and real-time video capture to support qualitative insight gathering for enterprise clients.
• Data Science and Analytics Service delivered by the Oracle team of analysts, data scientists, and coders who deploy traditional and cutting-edge treatments to extract insights from research data, including advanced statistics, automation, and bespoke JavaScript methodologies.
• Pack Development Testing Pack development and testing service to optimise packaging for shelf stability, consumer appeal, and retail performance for FMCG and consumer goods clients.
• Sense:lab Physical R&D testing facility in Leeds offering sensory testing, qualitative viewing facilities, field and tab services, and panel recruitment, available for hire by enterprise research teams.

Quantifiable outcome

• Client achieved leading UK market growth in 2024 following segmentation research
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers25 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

Integration1 record

AI capability5 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Curionparent companyOthersBlue Yonder is owned by Curion, a Curion company. This appears to be a parent-subsidiary relationship where Blue Yonder operates as part of the Curion group of companies.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• C Space: Consumer-led growth research firm serving global brands with customer community and innovation research. Comparable to Blue Yonder in delivering brand-led innovation insight and consumer co-creation work.
• Bellomy: Consumer insights and analytics firm serving FMCG, retail, and consumer goods with proprietary research technology. Comparable to Blue Yonder in combining proprietary technology platforms with consumer research services for CPG clients.
• Material: Consumer insights and strategy consultancy serving global brands with behavioral science and innovation research. Comparable to Blue Yonder in applying specialist consumer insight methodologies to FMCG and consumer goods innovation.
• Hotspex: Consumer insights agency specializing in FMCG and consumer goods using proprietary emotion and decision-making frameworks. Comparable to Blue Yonder in serving large CPG brands with consumer insight and innovation research.
• MMR Research Worldwide: UK-based sensory and consumer product testing agency serving global FMCG brands. Directly comparable to Blue Yonder in product testing, sensory research, and central location testing services for similar enterprise CPG clients.
• Kadence International: Global market research firm with strong FMCG, consumer goods, and shopper insights practices. Comparable to Blue Yonder in delivering multi-market consumer research for enterprise CPG and personal care clients.

Broad incumbents

• Kantar: World's largest market research firm with deep FMCG and consumer goods expertise. Comparable to Blue Yonder as a broad incumbent offering overlapping product testing, claims development, and shopper insights, but at significantly larger scale and global reach.
• NielsenIQ: Global consumer measurement and analytics firm serving CPG and retail. Comparable to Blue Yonder as a broad incumbent serving enterprise FMCG clients with consumer data, though NielsenIQ focuses more on measurement than innovation research.
• Ipsos: One of the world's largest market research firms serving global brands across all major verticals. Comparable to Blue Yonder as a broad incumbent offering consumer insight services including product testing and innovation research as part of a wider portfolio.

Emerging players

• GutCheck: AI-powered consumer insights platform serving brands with agile research solutions. Comparable to Blue Yonder as an emerging player using AI to accelerate consumer research, focused on similar CPG and consumer goods verticals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/blue_yonder?lang=en
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCWyixcc2iyQtSLaEssC-SZw/videos
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/blue-yonder-research
• Instagraminstagram.com/blueyonderresearch/?hl=en

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries3 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 Blue Yonder Research