Good Sense Research

What Good Sense Research does

Good Sense Research is a UK-based specialist market research agency focused exclusively on the food, beverage and FMCG sector. Founded in 1990 and headquartered in Bury St Edmunds with an employee base of 11-50, the firm delivers consumer and shopper insights to branded manufacturers, retailers and supermarkets, quick-service restaurants and food-to-go operators, casual dining chains, own-label suppliers, and farmers/growers. Its service portfolio spans concept development and testing, product testing and benchmarking, market understanding and brand strategy, shopper behaviour and decision-making research, consumer centricity programmes, fieldwork and recruitment, chef and industry-expert consultation, and a dedicated post-launch product performance insight service called REVU. Underlying the services are several durable technology and data assets: the proprietary Foodfax database containing over 40 years of food and beverage consumer product testing benchmark data, a 20,000-strong in-house UK nationally representative consumer research community (Good Sense Community), three regional purpose-built research facilities with fully equipped development kitchens covering East of England, North of England and London, and bespoke methodologies such as REVU which combines real shopper video capture with reflective digital listening groups.

The company operates a B2B, sales-led go-to-market model, engaging enterprise clients directly through website enquiry, phone and email, supported by thought-leadership content (blog, case studies, an email newsletter), industry event appearances (e.g., Speciality Fine Food Fair) and the Future Food initiative (quarterly trend reports, Safari events and Hampers) delivered with partner thefoodpeople. Its revenue is generated through three primary streams: bespoke research projects scoped to client objectives (concept testing, product benchmarking, shopper studies, post-launch evaluation), subscription or retainer-based consumer closeness communities and tracking programmes run over multi-wave horizons, and one-off paid products such as the Future Food reports, events and Hampers. Pricing is largely quote-based; the REVU post-launch service is the most productised offering, with a published starting price of £7,500 per project.

Good Sense Research has come together with Food Innovation Solutions and Cambridge Market Research under the F!S Group umbrella, consolidating consumer insight, product development and broader market research under a single food-and-drink-focused brand. The group is led by founder and CEO Mike Faers, with Kelly Dowson as Managing Director and the Good Sense Insight team headed by Helen Blair; senior research and commercial leaders include Sophie Blott, Andrea Steel, Rosie Doyle, Jules Greene, Emma Wood and Georgia Goodrum. The company remains privately held with no disclosed funding rounds.

Name

Good Sense Research

Legal name

Good Sense Research

Website

https://goodsense-research.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

UK-based specialist market research agency focused exclusively on the food and beverage industry, delivering consumer insights, product testing, shopper behaviour research and post-launch evaluation to branded manufacturers, retailers, QSRs and food-to-go operators through bespoke projects and a 20,000-member consumer community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food and Beverage Market Research Services

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910), Marketing Consulting Services (541613)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Market Research & Consumer Insights (BPAHALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

B2B / Industrial Market Research (MPAAALAA), Shopper Insights & Path-to-Purchase Research (MPAAAJAL)

Keywords

• Consumer market research
• Food beverage insights
• Product testing services
• Shopper behaviour research
• Concept development testing

Headquarters

HQ city

Bury Saint Edmunds

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. Bespoke Research Projects: Good Sense Research delivers custom market research projects for food and beverage brands, including concept testing, product benchmarking, shopper behaviour studies, consumer centricity programs, and post-launch performance evaluation. Projects are scoped to client needs and typically priced as bespoke engagements.
2. Subscription/Retainer Research Programs: Ongoing consumer closeness communities and tracking programs run on a subscription basis, typically over a year with multiple waves, allowing clients ongoing access to consumer sentiment and behavioural insights.
3. Future Food Reports and Events: Quarterly Future Food trend tracking reports published in collaboration with thefoodpeople, along with Future Food Safari events and Future Food Hampers sold as paid products.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Good Sense Research is a specialist B2B market research agency delivering consumer and shopper insight services to the food and beverage industry. Core offerings include concept development and testing, product testing and benchmarking against the proprietary 40+ year Foodfax database, shopper behaviour and path-to-purchase research, REVU post-launch product performance insight, consumer centricity communities, market and brand strategy, and recruitment via an in-house 20,000-strong UK consumer community. Services are delivered through three purpose-built research facilities and supported by chef and industry expert panels.

Product overview

Good Sense Research operates as a specialist market research company focused on food and beverage, offering a comprehensive suite of research services organized around its core methodology of consumer insight. The portfolio includes REVU (post-launch product performance insight), Concept Development and Testing, Product Testing and Benchmarking (leveraging the Foodfax database with 40+ years of data), Market Understanding Brand and Strategy, Shopper Behaviour and Decision Making Research, Consumer Centricity services, Fieldwork and Recruitment (with a 20,000-strong consumer community), Chefs and Industry Experts consultation, and Future Food trend tracking. The company also maintains dedicated research facilities in three UK locations with fully equipped kitchens, enabling end-to-end research from consumer recruitment through to prototype development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• REVU Post-launch consumer-led evaluation of product performance in market, examining how consumers encounter, understand, choose, buy and experience products through real behaviour capture and digital listening forums. Published starting price of £7,500 per project.
• Concept Development and Testing Online survey methodologies for concept screening, packaging testing, message and naming testing, and pricing analysis, supported by discussion groups, focus groups and co-creation workshops for food and beverage clients.
• Product Testing and Benchmarking Comprehensive product testing evaluating product performance with real consumers through in-home usage tests (IHUTs), central location tests (CLTs) and location-based testing, benchmarking results against the proprietary Foodfax database containing 40+ years of category data.
• Market Understanding, Brand and Strategy Market intelligence and brand strategy services combining market mapping, brand diagnostics, consumer insight, portfolio strategy and strategic growth planning for food and beverage brands.
• Shopper Behaviour and Decision Making Research Shopper research services including path-to-purchase mapping, in-store behaviour observation, pricing and promotional analysis, packaging impact studies, mission-based segmentation and eye-tracking.
• Consumer Centricity Consumer closeness communities and customer journey quantification services including attitudinal segmentation to understand consumer attitudes and beliefs within specific categories.
• Fieldwork and Recruitment Consumer recruitment and fieldwork services drawing on a 20,000-strong UK nationally representative community and three purpose-built research facility sites (East of England, North of England and London) with fully equipped development kitchens.
• Chefs and Industry Experts Expert consultation service providing product development recommendations from a network of chefs and industry experts via development kitchens, for translating consumer insight from concept to prototype.
• Future Food Trend tracking service developed in collaboration with thefoodpeople, providing quarterly Future Food trend tracking reports, Future Food Safari industry events and Future Food Hampers containing curated products and ingredients.

Quantifiable outcome

• Coffee sales increased from 38% to 53% and pasta sales from 47% to 57% following outlet experience redesign informed by Good Sense Research research for Coco Di Mama
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 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.

• thefoodpeoplecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGood Sense Research collaborates with thefoodpeople on the 'Future Food' initiative, which tracks the relationship between food trend predictions, consumer readiness, and how trends manifest over time. Quarterly reports are released covering emerging cuisines, veganism trends, and sustainability claims, combining Good Sense Research's consumer research expertise with thefoodpeople's trend forecasting capabilities.
• Food Innovation SolutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood Innovation Solutions is a sister agency within the F!S Group. The two agencies collaborate on integrated insights and innovation programs, combining Good Sense Research's consumer research capabilities with Food Innovation Solutions' product development expertise. Joint projects include menu development and consumer testing for The Restaurant Group's dark kitchen brands (Jumping Pans and Pyjama Hotel).

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• NielsenIQ: Global consumer intelligence firm with continuous retail measurement, innovation analytics, and consumer panels — overlapping Good Sense Research's benchmarking and shopper insight capabilities with much larger data scale.
• Ipsos: Global market research firm with strong f&b brand and innovation research practices alongside broader consumer work. Competes for f&b research RFPs using bundled, multi-market capabilities and deep category expertise.
• Circana (formerly IRI / NielsenIQ merger): Global consumer and retail measurement company providing shopper insights, product testing analytics, and category intelligence to fmcg and retail clients — overlapping with Good Sense Research's product testing, benchmarking, and shopper behaviour work.
• Kantar: Global consumer insights leader with a substantial Worldpanel division focused on fmcg/grocery measurement and shopper behaviour. Competes with Good Sense Research on f&b brand insight mandates but at vastly greater scale and geographic reach.

Emerging players

• Walnut Unlimited: UK behavioural science-led insight consultancy applying academic psychology to fmcg and brand strategy work — a partial-overlap challenger to Good Sense Research's qualitative and consumer closeness methods.

Direct peers

• MMR Research Worldwide: UK-based consumer and shopper research agency with a strong specialisation in food, drink, and FMCG. Operates proprietary consumer panels, product-testing facilities, and shopper behaviour research — directly overlapping Good Sense Research's core offer and target customers.
• Hall & Partners: Insight-led brand consultancy working with major fmcg and consumer brands on brand strategy, innovation, and shopper insights. Closely comparable in scope (consumer-led insight for big brands) and use of qualitative depth to drive commercial outcomes.
• Bite Consulting: Independent insight agency in the UK consumer goods space, with overlapping capability in innovation and brand research for fmcg clients and shared focus on actionable, business-led outputs.

Others

• The Food People: UK food and drink trend forecasting and insight agency that is already a strategic partner to Good Sense Research on the Future Food initiative. Functionally adjacent — trend forecasting complements Good Sense Research's consumer insight work, and the two collaborate closely.
• Kantar Worldpanel (division view): Included again as a sub-entity perspective: Kantar Worldpanel specifically serves fmcg brands with continuous consumer panels and grocery measurement, the closest single-function comparator within the broad incumbents to Good Sense Research's community and product-testing model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/goodsenseresearch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/goodsenseresearch

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Good Sense Research