aQity Research & Insights

What aQity Research & Insights does

aQity Research & Insights, Inc. is a full-service survey and market research firm founded in early 2015 by Jeff Andreasen and headquartered in Evanston, Illinois. The firm provides customized qualitative and quantitative research delivered through phone, online, and mail modes, supported by an on-site executive call center staffed by specialist interviewers trained to engage C-Suite executives, high net-worth investors, physicians, and other hard-to-reach respondents. Its offering spans client satisfaction and loyalty research, win-loss and attrition studies, brand and image tracking, thought leadership research, segmentation, community/needs assessments, referenda surveys, and member/donor surveys, with operational differentiators including 24-hour "hot alerts" for at-risk customers and multivariate/segmentation analytics.

aQity serves three primary verticals: Financial Services (B2B and B2C research for retirement plan sponsors, wealth managers, and demographic segments); Public Sector Agencies (with a specialization in park districts, forest preserve districts, and open-lands groups at local, county, and state levels — including Lake County Forest Preserve, Elmhurst, Roselle, Huntley, DuPage County, and Hillsborough County, FL); and Not-for-Profit Organizations (including the National Education Association and state affiliates). The firm holds exclusive research-partner status with the Illinois Association of Park Districts and resource-partner status with the Wisconsin Park & Recreation Association, and reports a perfect +100 NPS score from clients along with Insights Association certification.

The business model is professional services: project-based, customized engagements priced via consultation rather than published rate cards, with a sales-led GTM in which the President and senior team directly engage enterprise clients. The firm is founder-owned and privately held with no disclosed outside capital, operates with 11-50 employees, and earns revenue through tailored research engagements rather than software or platform licensing.

Name

aQity Research & Insights

Legal name

aQity Research & Insights, Inc.

Website

https://aqityresearch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

aQity Research & Insights is an Evanston, Illinois-based full-service survey and market research firm founded in 2015, providing customized qualitative and quantitative research via phone, online, and mail to financial services firms, public sector agencies (especially park and forest preserve districts), and not-for-profit organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Market Research Services

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Market Research & Consumer Insights (BPAHALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Competitive Intelligence & Benchmarking (BPAHALAB), Policy, Regulatory & Public Affairs Research (BPAHALAF), Industry & Sector Research (Syndicated/Custom) (BPAHALAE)

Keywords

• Market research services
• Survey research
• Win-loss studies
• Referenda research
• Community surveys

Headquarters

HQ city

Evanston

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. Custom Survey Research Services: The company provides customized survey research services to clients across financial services, public sector agencies, and not-for-profit organizations. Research is conducted via phone, online, or mail depending on client needs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

aQity Research & Insights is a full-service survey and market research firm that designs and executes customized qualitative and quantitative research studies for clients in financial services, public sector agencies (especially park/forest preserve districts), and not-for-profit organizations. Research is delivered via phone, online, or mail through an on-site executive call center, with specialized programs covering win-loss, attrition, brand, thought leadership, segmentation, community needs assessment, referenda, and member/donor studies.

Product overview

aQity Research & Insights is a full-service survey and market research firm offering a portfolio of research services rather than a unified software platform. The company provides qualitative and quantitative research across three primary sectors: Financial Services (including client satisfaction, win-loss, attrition, brand, thought leadership, and segmentation studies), Public Sector (community surveys, needs assessments, and referenda for park districts and government agencies), and Not-for-Profit Organizations (member and donor surveys). These services are delivered through multiple methodologies including phone interviews, online surveys, and mail surveys, supported by an in-house executive call center. Key offerings include Client Satisfaction & Loyalty Research, Win-Loss Surveys, Attrition Studies, Brand & Image Research, Thought Leadership Research, Segmentation Research, Community Surveys, Referenda Surveys, and Member & Donor Surveys. The company also produced COVID-19 Impact Studies as proprietary research reports.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Client Satisfaction & Customer Loyalty Research Delivers NPS metrics, NPS driver analysis, multivariate analysis, and 24-hour "hot alerts" for at-risk customers; designed for financial-services providers seeking to measure client satisfaction and loyalty with both B2B and B2C audiences.
• Win-Loss Surveys Customized research program using in-depth B2B phone interviews with decision-makers to identify the key drivers behind the selection or rejection of benefits plan providers in the financial services industry.
• Attrition & Lost Client Surveys In-depth phone interviews with former B2B and high net-worth customers of a financial services firm to surface reasons for relationship termination, identify missed opportunities, and recommend relationship improvements.
• Brand & Image Research Establishes brand equity benchmarks with ongoing tracking programs to identify shifts in brand awareness, brand strength, key attributes, and competitive positioning for financial services clients.
• Thought Leadership Research Innovative primary research on financial-services topics targeting consumer groups such as millennials, baby boomers, high net-worth households, and other specialized demographic segments.
• Segmentation Research Identifies distinct consumer and business segments through in-depth profiling and multivariate analysis, explaining differences across groups and identifying the best-fit segments for client solutions.
• Community Surveys & Needs Assessments Attitudes, interest surveys, and needs assessments for park districts, forest preserve and conservation districts, and other public agencies, producing representative community-wide results including non-visitors to inform strategic planning.
• Referenda Surveys Pre-election voter surveys that gauge support for bond referenda, profile likely voters, and inform communications and outreach strategies for government agencies seeking to pass ballot measures.
• Member & Donor Surveys Qualitative and quantitative surveys for not-for-profit organizations covering member surveys, key-donor surveys, and thought-leadership studies on awareness, perceptions, and support for the organization's mission and accomplishments.
• COVID-19 Impact Studies Commissioned survey research providing insights into the financial decisions, generational impact, and behavioral changes of U.S. households as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, distributed as reports rather than as an ongoing syndicated service.
• Executive Call Center Services On-site executive call center that supports qualitative, in-depth research with hard-to-reach individuals including C-Suite executives and high net-worth investors, integrated into aQity's broader research service offerings.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% client NPS score
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Illinois Association of Park Districts (IAPD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExclusive research partner for the Illinois Association of Park Districts (IAPD). aQity has conducted numerous studies over the past ten years quantifying the value that park agencies represent in their communities, including statewide surveys and expenditure research. The partnership involves annual presentations at the IAPD Legislative Conference.
• Wisconsin Park & Recreation Association (WPRA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartneraQity Research serves as a resource partner for WPRA, presenting best practices and recommendations for DIY surveys at the annual conference. Jeff Andreasen shared insights on survey design, resident feedback methods, and aQity's recent Milwaukee resident survey.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Gallup: Gallup is a global analytics and advisory firm specializing in survey-based research, public opinion, and workforce/engagement studies. Comparable to aQity in survey methodology and sector research but operates at significantly larger scale.
• Ipsos: Ipsos is a global market-research firm with strong public-affairs, financial-services, and consumer-research practices in the U.S. Comparable to aQity in custom-survey and policy-research offerings but operates at global incumbent scale.
• Kantar: Kantar is one of the world's largest market-research and insights firms, with established public-sector and financial-services practices. Comparable to aQity in methodology and verticals, though vastly larger and broader.
• The Harris Poll / Harris Insights & Analytics: The Harris Poll is a long-standing U.S. public-opinion and custom survey research firm covering consumer, B2B, and policy research. Comparable to aQity's quantitative survey capabilities and public-sector/policy research, though Harris is significantly larger.

Direct peers

• Schlesinger Group: Schlesinger Group operates qualitative research facilities, focus-group rooms, and an in-house recruiting/interviewing operation across the U.S. and globally. Comparable to aQity's on-site executive call center and in-depth qualitative interview model.
• Phoenix Marketing International: Phoenix Marketing International specializes in financial-services research including brand, customer loyalty, and segmentation studies for retirement and wealth clients. Comparable to aQity's financial-services win-loss, attrition, and brand research practices.
• SSRS (Social Science Research Solutions): SSRS is a mid-sized, full-service survey research firm based in Pennsylvania with strong public-sector and policy research capabilities. Comparable to aQity in size, custom methodology orientation, and verticals including government, non-profit, and education.
• C+R Research: C+R Research is a Chicago-based custom market research firm offering qualitative and quantitative consumer research. Comparable to aQity in mid-market scale, custom methodology, and U.S. midwestern client base.
• Market Probe: Market Probe acquired aQity's predecessor Richard Day Research in 2011 and is a global customer-experience and market-research firm. It is the most direct peer because of the shared lineage, overlapping financial-services client base, and similar custom-survey capabilities.

Emerging players

• Civey: Civey is a digital-first market-research and opinion-polling platform using proprietary online panels. Comparable to aQity as an emerging alternative in opinion research and survey-based insights, especially for public-sector audiences, though with a technology-led model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/aQityResearch

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 aQity Research & Insights