Scotinform

What Scotinform does

Scotinform Ltd is a privately held, Edinburgh-based independent market research company founded in 1984 and operating as Scotland's longest-established firm in its category. The company delivers bespoke market research services to cultural, heritage, charity, government and visitor-attraction organisations, with named clients including Scottish Opera, National Trust for Scotland (across multiple properties), V&A Dundee, Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, Age Scotland, Dynamic Earth, OnFife, Surgeon's Hall Museums, Edinburgh Print Makers, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Musselburgh Racecourse and SEPA. Its service portfolio spans focus groups, depth interviews, surveys (online and paper), market assessments, visitor observation, mystery shopping and full evaluation programmes, with delivery formats ranging from written reports and topline summaries to workshops and presentations. The technical stack is built on two core platforms: Snap Surveys, an online survey hosting and data-capture tool offered to clients for self-service reporting, and Experian's Mosaic UK/Mosaic Append classification system, which Scotinform licences to profile audiences and identify market segments. The firm also operates the proprietary Scotinform Cultural Panel, a pool of approximately 600 panellists developed during COVID-19 to track cultural-sector audience behaviour, and publishes the occasional Scotinformer email newsletter.

The business model is project-based professional services: each engagement is a custom-designed research programme scoped to the client's objectives, priced via quote, and delivered through the methodologies above with optional add-ons such as staff training, evaluation toolkit development, and exit-survey management. The firm holds two named senior roles — Helen Duncan as Director since 2018 and Viv Key as researcher since November 2023 — and total headcount is stated as 2–5 people. Scotinform conforms to the Market Research Society Code of Conduct and is GDPR-compliant. Distribution is direct-to-client consultative sales across Scotland, supported by a website case-study library, a LinkedIn company page and the Scotinformer newsletter; the operating footprint is regional (Scotland) with no stated international ambitions. The company is bootstrapped and founder-managed, with no documented external investment, acquisitions, or ownership changes across its 40+ year history.

Name

Scotinform

Legal name

Scotinform Ltd

Website

https://scotinform.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Scotinform Ltd is Scotland's longest-established independent market research company, founded in Edinburgh in 1984, delivering bespoke research and evaluation services to cultural, heritage, charity, government and visitor-attraction organisations via a 2–5 person team using Snap Surveys and Experian's Mosaic UK.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Market Research Services

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191), Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Market research services
• Audience profiling
• Visitor research
• Evaluation services
• Cultural sector research

Headquarters

HQ city

Edinburgh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Market Research Services: Bespoke market research and consulting services delivered through structured programmes including focus groups, surveys, depth interviews, market assessments, and evaluation projects. Revenue generated through project-based professional services with flexible delivery formats.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Scotinform delivers bespoke market research services to cultural, heritage, charity, and public-sector organisations across Scotland, combining qualitative and quantitative methodologies including focus groups, depth interviews, surveys, market assessments, visitor observation, and mystery shopping. The firm operates the proprietary Scotinform Cultural Panel of approximately 600 panellists and is licensed to deliver Experian's Mosaic UK audience profiling for market segmentation. Service formats include detailed written reports, topline summaries, workshops, presentations, evaluation toolkits, and staff training.

Product overview

Scotinform is Scotland's longest-established independent market research company (founded 1984) offering a comprehensive suite of research services. The core offering encompasses qualitative and quantitative methodologies including focus groups, face-to-face interviews, depth interviews, surveys, market assessments, visitor observation, and mystery shopping. The company operates primarily through its Snap Surveys platform and integrates Experian's Mosaic UK profiling system for audience segmentation. Key sub-brands include the Scotinform Cultural Survey (launched May 2020 in response to COVID-19) and the associated Scotinform Cultural Panel (approximately 600 panellists). Additional services include exit survey management, evaluation programmes, and staff training to develop in-house research capabilities. The company also distributes a newsletter, Scotinformer, to keep stakeholders informed of project updates.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Market Research Services Comprehensive market research services including focus groups, face-to-face interviews, depth interviews, surveys, market assessments, visitor observation, and mystery shopping, delivered with a flexible, personal approach tailored to client objectives. For cultural, heritage, charity, and public-sector organisations.
• Mosaic UK Profiling Audience profiling service using Experian's Mosaic UK classification system to profile existing customers, identify target segments, and understand catchment areas for market development. For cultural and visitor attractions organisations.
• Scotinform Cultural Survey Tracker research initiative monitoring how audiences engaged with cultural organisations before, during, and after COVID-19 lockdown, covering museums, galleries, gardens, theatres, and wildlife attractions. For cultural sector organisations.
• Scotinform Cultural Panel Proprietary research panel of approximately 600 panellists established during the pandemic to provide ongoing insight into cultural sector audience behaviour and engagement patterns. For cultural sector research.
• Exit Surveys Post-visit customer feedback surveys conducted on-site or immediately after visits, providing real-time data for strategic decision-making and customer experience improvement. For visitor attractions and cultural venues.
• Evaluation Services Comprehensive evaluation programmes including formative, summative, and process evaluations, with evaluation toolkit development and skill-sharing to embed evaluation practices within client organisations. For cultural, heritage, and educational organisations.
• Staff Training Training services to develop evaluation skills and research capabilities within client organisations, including survey design, distribution, data analysis, and GDPR compliance. For cultural, heritage, and public-sector organisations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Age Scotland's Big Survey 2023 achieved 4,167 responses from older people in Scotland
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Lane Media AgencyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Lane Media Agency on Scottish Opera Mosaic project where Scotinform provided audience profiling data and Lane developed targeted advertising strategies based on Mosaic findings.
• Market Research Society (MRS)coreOthersBoth directors are members of MRS. Company conforms to MRS Code of Conduct and holds relevant professional certifications.
• Social Research AssociationcoreOthersCompany work is consistent with Social Research Association core brand values of professionalism, research excellence and business effectiveness.
• Experian (Mosaic UK)coreTechnology or IntegrationScotinform holds licences for Mosaic UK and Mosaic Append, Experian's consumer classification system used for audience profiling and market segmentation across research projects.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Moffat Mitchell: Edinburgh-based independent market research firm also focused on the Scottish public, cultural, and tourism sectors. Comparable as a Scotland-rooted boutique competitor pursuing similar client types with similar bespoke methodology.
• IFF Research: UK-based research agency with deep specialism in social, cultural, third-sector, and policy research for government, charities, and cultural institutions. Closest competitor in terms of methodology mix and client segment.
• BritainThinks: UK social and cultural research agency working with cultural institutions, charities, and government on audience insight and evaluation. Direct peer in qualitative/quantitative bespoke research for cultural-sector clients.
• NatCen Social Research: UK leader in social and policy research for government and charities. Comparable on method mix and third-sector / public-sector client base, though at significantly larger scale.
• The Research Unit: UK-based independent market research agency serving public, cultural, and third-sector clients with bespoke qualitative and quantitative work. Directly comparable boutique competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Savanta: Larger UK and global market research firm with a public-sector and cultural research practice. Competes for the same Scottish and UK tenders but offers broader capabilities, syndicated products, and panel scale.
• Ipsos: Global market research and public opinion leader with dedicated cultural, heritage, and public-sector practices. Larger-scale incumbent competing on big-tender and multi-country evaluations.
• YouGov: Global online survey and panel research firm serving public-sector and cultural clients. Competes indirectly via its panel platform and syndicated audience insight products.
• Kantar: One of the world's largest research and insight firms with public-sector, cultural, and audience research capabilities. Represents the upper-bound incumbent Scotinform competes against on larger briefs.

Others

• Snap Surveys: Survey platform provider whose tooling Scotinform already licenses and resells. Adjacent ecosystem partner / enabling technology peer rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInuk.linkedin.com/company/scotinform-ltd
• Xx.com/scotinform

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Scotinform