What Touchstone Partners does

Touchstone Partners Limited is a UK-based, privately-held market research consultancy founded in 2002 in Witney, Oxfordshire, by Jon Darby and Tim Baker. The firm delivers bespoke consumer, shopper, and leisure research to brand owners, retailers, and leisure-sector organizations across FMCG, finance, and technology verticals, operating globally across all five continents through direct enterprise engagement and workshop-based consulting. Its core methodology stack combines quantitative research, qualitative exploration (Understanding the Human Experience), VR-based shelf testing, and an exclusive global partnership with MindTrace, a cloud-based neuroscience provider that measures subconscious consumer responses via webcam eye tracking, facial expression analysis, and heart rate capture. The firm acquired Shoppercentric in 2018 to deepen its shopper-insight capability and runs the WindowOn proprietary publication as a thought-leadership and longitudinal trend-tracking asset.

The business model is professional-services-led: revenue is generated through custom-designed research projects priced on a quote basis with multi-year contract cadence, delivered by a ~10-person team of MRS-accredited consultants with mixed client-side and agency-side backgrounds. Distribution is direct-to-enterprise, supported by content marketing (blog, WindowOn), LinkedIn and Twitter presence, frequent conference speaking, and national media commentary. The firm holds MRS, Global Data Quality, CE+ (ISO-aligned), ICO Data Protection, and ISO 27001-equivalent certifications, and in 2022 implemented a 4-day work week at full-time salary. Touchstone reported record sales in 2023 after tougher 2022 trading and announced four internal promotions in January 2024, signaling stable but consultant-capacity-bound growth.

Name

Touchstone Partners

Legal name

Touchstone Partners Limited

Website

https://touchstonepartners.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Touchstone Partners is a UK-based, privately-held market research consultancy delivering bespoke consumer, shopper, and leisure research to brand owners, retailers, and leisure-sector clients globally, leveraging neuroscience, VR shelf testing, and quantitative and qualitative methodologies through an exclusive MindTrace partnership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Witney

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Research and Consultancy Services: Bespoke market research services including shopper research, consumer research, concept testing, product testing, claims research, segmentation, and data analytics. Delivered as custom consulting engagements to brand owners and retailers across FMCG, leisure, finance, and technology sectors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Touchstone Partners is a UK-based market research consultancy delivering bespoke shopper, consumer, and leisure research services to brand owners and retailers globally. The firm offers a portfolio of research methodologies—including shopper research, consumer research, VR shelf testing, segmentation, concept testing, product testing, claims research, data analytics, and consultancy—leveraging an exclusive global partnership with MindTrace for neuroscience-based subconscious response measurement.

Product overview

Touchstone Partners is a research-based consultancy offering a comprehensive suite of research services organized around shopper insight, consumer insight, and leisure sectors. The portfolio includes core research services (Shopper Research, Consumer Research, Leisure Research), specialized methodologies (VR Shelf Testing, Segmentation, Concept Testing, Product Testing, Claims Research), analytics capabilities (Data Analytics, Opportunity Identification, Exploring Markets), and consultancy services. A key differentiator is the exclusive global partnership with MindTrace, a neuroscience technology that measures subconscious consumer responses through eye tracking, facial expressions, and heart rate data. The company also provides qualitative research through Understanding the Human Experience (UHE). All services are delivered by experienced consultants with global capability across all five continents.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Shopper Research Specialized research focused on understanding how consumers behave as shoppers in retail environments, examining purchase decisions, in-store behavior, and shopping channel preferences for brand owners and retailers.
• Consumer Research Comprehensive consumer insight research covering exploration of new concepts, products, markets, brands, and purchase cycles, delivered through psychographic profiling, competitive analysis, and brand perception studies.
• VR Shelf Testing Virtual reality-based shelf testing technology that simulates retail environments to evaluate product placement, packaging effectiveness, and shelf visibility before physical implementation.
• Leisure Research Specialized research services for the leisure, culture, and entertainment sectors, understanding visitor experiences, customer journeys, and engagement patterns.
• Data Analytics Advanced analytics services merging data sets to generate new insights, identifying business opportunities through data-driven analysis and modeling.
• Segmentation Statistical segmentation analysis creating rigorous, statistically robust consumer and shopper segments that are meaningful and visually profiled for targeted marketing strategies.
• Product Testing Comprehensive product evaluation services assessing product performance against competitors, optimizing formulations, and evaluating packaging and brand positioning through blind or branded testing methodologies.
• Concept Testing New product development evaluation providing key metrics for decision-making, including key driver analysis, timed emotional response techniques, and purchase intent measurement with benchmarking against industry norms.
• Claims Research Suite of techniques to optimize product claims testing using behavior change frameworks, neuroscience including MindTrace, conjoint analysis, and pack testing to determine hierarchy and effectiveness of marketing claims.
• Consultancy Strategic consulting services helping clients gain organizational buy-in, develop interactive data analytical tools, and workshop insights with stakeholders across global markets.
• Exploring Markets Market exploration services evaluating business cases for new market entry, identifying line extension opportunities, with deliverables including SWOT analysis, KPI dashboards, and revenue models across all five continents.
• Understanding the Human Experience (UHE) Qualitative research methodology focused on understanding human context, consumption patterns, household dynamics, and the role of categories in consumers' lives.
• Opportunity Identification Visual reporting and agile exploration services providing highly visual infographics, dashboards, and interactive data analytical tools for scenario exploration and opportunity identification.
• MindTrace Neuroscience Partnership Exclusive global partnership offering cloud-based neuroscience research that measures subconscious consumer responses to marketing assets (packaging, ads, concepts, products) using webcam-based eye tracking, facial expression analysis, and heart rate measurement.

Quantifiable outcome

• Record sales achieved in 2023 following challenging 2022 trading conditions

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• MindTracecoreTechnology or Integration · 26 June 2019Exclusive global partnership with MindTrace, a cloud-based neuroscience provider. The partnership enables Touchstone to offer unique measurement of System 1 (subconscious) responses without asking questions, using webcam-based eye tracking, facial expression analysis, and heart rate data collection. MindTrace captures behavioral metrics at up to 1000 lines per second to identify what attracts consumer attention, emotional response, and engagement depth to marketing assets. This is a significant differentiator for measuring subconscious buyer behavior and emotional connections that drive purchase decisions.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Savanta: UK-based market research agency offering consumer, B2B, and shopper research with quantitative and qualitative capabilities. Several Touchstone senior leaders (Marie Screene, Steve King) previously worked at Savanta, indicating directly comparable service lines, methodologies, and client base.
• Walnut Unlimited: UK shopper insight and behavioral science agency offering shopper research, category management, and behavioral economics consultancy to FMCG and retail clients. Directly comparable in target customers (brand owners and retailers), service mix (shopper insight), and mid-sized UK agency profile.
• Mintel: Global market research firm specializing in consumer products, retail, and FMCG insight including product launches, segmentation, and category analysis. Comparable in serving brand owners and retailers with consumer and shopper research, though much larger and more syndicated in orientation.
• Sparkler: UK-based consumer and shopper insight agency serving major FMCG and retail clients with continuous research, shopper insight, and category management services. Comparable in size, geography, and client base, and competes for similar enterprise UK retail and CPG engagements.
• Shoppercentric (pre-acquisition): Pre-2018 independent shopper insight consultancy that was acquired by Touchstone Partners. Listed as a peer because it represents the historical reference point for Touchstone's shopper research practice and the pure-play shopper model Touchstone now extends and integrates with consumer insight.

Broad incumbents

• Kantar: One of the world's largest market research and consulting groups, providing consumer and shopper insights, panel data, and brand strategy across global FMCG and retail clients. Operates broadly in the same space but at vastly larger scale with syndicated products and proprietary panels.
• NielsenIQ: Global consumer intelligence and retail measurement firm providing shopper behavior, point-of-sale data, and consumer research to FMCG manufacturers and retailers. Overlaps heavily with Touchstone's shopper research offering but with significantly broader data assets and geographic reach.
• Ipsos: Global market research and consulting firm offering consumer research, shopper insights, segmentation, and product testing across multiple sectors. Provides directly comparable services to Touchstone's portfolio but operates at global scale with much larger client rosters.
• GfK: Global consumer research firm specializing in consumer behavior, retail, and technology insights; Marie Screene (Touchstone's Head of Quantitative Research) is a former GfK researcher. Provides a directly comparable service portfolio at much larger scale.

Regional players

• IGD (Institute of Grocery Distribution): UK-based grocery retail research and training organization providing shopper insight, retail trends, and category management to UK and international grocery retailers and suppliers. Anna Dawson (Touchstone Head of Qualitative Research) began her career at IGD, indicating overlapping methodologies and client overlap.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/touchstone-partners-ltd
• Xx.com/touchstone360

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Touchstone Partners