What Sparks Research does

Sparks Research is a full-service marketing research firm founded in 1971 and headquartered in Clemson, South Carolina. The company serves Fortune 100 global companies and leading national and regional organizations across 15 industries, including financial services, healthcare, higher education, retail, consumer packaged goods, automotive, utilities, and manufacturing. Its core offerings span four service pillars: Customer (experience, satisfaction, loyalty, lifecycle), Consumer & Market (brand equity, segmentation, advertising effectiveness, pricing), Concepts/Products/Services (concept testing, usability, product optimization), and Employee/Associate/Organizational (engagement, voice of employee, organizational effectiveness), supplemented by Business Intelligence & Analytics and Qualtrics-based managed services.

The company's technical approach centers on a proprietary Bayesian Feedback Loop methodology combining Discovery, Design, Execution, and Delivery phases, utilizing Bayesian principles for hypothesis testing and predictive modeling. Methodologies include online, telephone, mixed-mode, and QRE onsite surveys, as well as qualitative research such as focus groups, in-depth interviews, and mystery shops. The analytics stack encompasses CX/CES benchmarking, conjoint analysis, pricing elasticity modeling, and segmentation analysis.

Sparks Research operates a B2B professional services model with 60+ team members across two locations, generating revenue through project-based engagements. Business development is driven by senior principals and CEO Rich Groom via regional and national strategic partnerships, with executive-level consultative selling targeting enterprise clients. The company holds HUBZone certification (obtained 2021), enabling pursuit of government contracts. There is no public pricing disclosure; engagements are quote-based and project-specific. The firm is privately held with no institutional investors, venture capital backing, or parent company.

Name

Sparks Research

Legal name

Sparks Research

Website

https://sparksresearch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Sparks Research is a full-service marketing research firm founded in 1971 in Clemson, South Carolina, serving Fortune 100 global companies and leading national/regional organizations across 15 industries using its proprietary Bayesian Feedback Loop methodology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marketing Research Services

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191)

SIC

Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Product & Innovation Research (Concept, Pricing, Packaging, Conjoint) (MPAAALAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Marketing research services
• Customer experience research
• Consumer market insights
• Brand equity analysis
• Concept testing research

Headquarters

HQ city

Clemson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Marketing Research Studies: The company generates revenue through marketing research studies and analytical services falling into four primary categories: Customer (customer experience, satisfaction, loyalty, lifecycle), Consumer & Market (brand equity, profiling, segmentation, advertising effectiveness), Concepts/Products/Services (concept testing, pricing, positioning, usability), and Employee/Associate/Organizational (voice of employee, engagement, organizational effectiveness).
2. Analytical Services: Analytics offerings including CX/CES benchmarking and drivers analysis, new product development through conjoint analysis, pricing elasticity modeling, and segmentation analysis for defining brand personas.
3. Managed Services: Managed services including Qualtrics programming expertise and data collection operations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Sparks Research is a full-service marketing research firm that designs, executes, and delivers quantitative and qualitative research studies and analytics for enterprise clients. Its offerings span customer experience, consumer and market insights, concept/product/service testing, branding and positioning, and employee/organizational research, all delivered through a proprietary Bayesian Feedback Loop methodology combining Discovery, Design, Execution, and Delivery phases. Revenue is generated through project-based marketing research studies, analytical services, and managed data collection operations including Qualtrics programming.

Product overview

Sparks Research is a full-service marketing research firm offering six integrated core solutions delivered through their Four Pillars methodology: Customer, Consumer & Market, Concepts/Products & Services, and Employee/Associate & Organizational. Their services span quantitative research (online, telephone, mixed-mode surveys, QRE onsite surveys) and qualitative research (focus groups, intercepts, mystery shops, in-depth interviews). The company employs a proprietary Bayesian Feedback Loop methodology combining Discovery, Design, Execution, and Delivery phases to translate research findings into marketplace solutions. Analytics offerings include CX/CES benchmarking, conjoint analysis for new product development, pricing elasticity modeling, and brand segmentation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Customer Experience Strategy Research solutions focused on customer satisfaction, loyalty, lifecycle analysis (CLV), onboarding, lost customer analysis, voice of the customer, customer intention, attitude formation, usage/habitual behavior, touchpoint effectiveness, and customer service, designed to help enterprise clients optimize customer relationships.
• Consumer & Market Insights
• New Concepts, Products & Services Research
• Employee, Associate & Organizational Research
• Branding & Positioning Research
• Business Intelligence & Analytics

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,400 completed projects
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• C+R Research: Chicago-based full-service marketing research firm of similar mid-size scale, offering consumer insights, product testing, CX, and custom research to enterprise clients across multiple verticals. Highly comparable operating model to Sparks Research with similar methodology breadth and customer mix.
• Bellomy: Mid-size full-service market research firm serving enterprise clients with custom quantitative and qualitative research, including concept testing, CX, and brand health. Comparable size, methodology stack, and Fortune 100-style client base to Sparks Research.
• PSB Insights: Full-service consumer insights and strategy firm offering qualitative and quantitative research, segmentation, and concept testing to global brands. Directly comparable scope of services and enterprise client focus to Sparks Research.
• Ironwood Insights Group: Mid-size full-service market research firm providing custom qualitative and quantitative research, CX, and strategic insights to enterprise clients. Comparable scale and full-service offering to Sparks Research.
• Schlesinger Group: Data collection and full-service research firm offering qualitative and quantitative research, panel management, and analytics to enterprise clients. Comparable service mix including managed research services and multi-mode data collection.

Broad incumbents

• Ipsos: Global market research and analytics leader offering the same suite of brand, customer experience, product testing, and segmentation services as Sparks Research, but at much greater scale across 90+ markets. Represents the incumbent competitor Sparks competes against for enterprise RFPs.
• Kantar: World's largest marketing data and analytics company offering brand equity, consumer insights, CX, and product research. Overlaps with all of Sparks Research's core pillars but operates at vastly greater global scale and with proprietary syndicated data assets.
• Mintel: Global market intelligence firm providing syndicated and custom research on consumers, markets, and product innovation across CPG, retail, and financial services. Overlaps with Sparks Research's consumer & market insights and concept testing pillars.
• The NPD Group (Circana): Global market research and advisory firm providing consumer and retail insights, demand forecasting, and product testing services. Overlaps with Sparks Research's retail/CPG and pricing/forecasting offerings but at significantly greater scale.
• Qualtrics: Experience management and survey technology platform whose XM platform competes directly with traditional full-service MR firms on CX, employee engagement, and brand tracking. Currently a tool/partner for Sparks Research (Qualtrics programming services) but increasingly a competitor as DIY research platforms expand.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Sparks Research