Catalyst Market Research Ltd

What Catalyst Market Research Ltd does

Catalyst Market Research Ltd is a Dublin-headquartered market research consultancy founded in 1996 that provides mystery shopping, consumer research, and strategic brand research services primarily to national and international brand owners and retailers. The firm operates across Ireland, Northern Ireland, Great Britain, and Germany, with a London regional office supplementing the Dublin headquarters, and employs 1-10 staff led by three Directors (Ruth Carder, Dan McGuinness, Barbara Kennedy) supported by research associates. Core service lines include mystery shopping (with over 100,000 shops completed), accompanied shopping, online panel research, intercept interviews, depth interviews, focus groups, and the Social Media Monitor (SMM) tool, all delivered through the proprietary Macavity online research reporting platform that manages and reports findings from fieldwork teams across multiple countries. The firm generates revenue through professional services engagements on a custom quote-based pricing model with multi-year contracts, and holds ESOMAR and MSPA Europe memberships to signal adherence to industry research and ethics standards. Named enterprise clients include Aer Lingus, Tesco Ireland, Nationwide Motor Group, and Dublin University, with engagements ranging from in-flight seat testing research informing multi-million Euro product decisions to in-store POS effectiveness studies, branch network customer experience audits, and B2B depth interviews.

Name

Catalyst Market Research Ltd

Legal name

Catalyst Market Research Ltd

Website

https://catalystmarketresearch.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Catalyst Market Research Ltd is a Dublin-based market research consultancy founded in 1996 that provides mystery shopping, consumer research, and strategic brand research services to brand owners and retailers across Ireland, the UK, and Germany, supported by its proprietary Macavity reporting platform.

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)

akta.pro primary industry

Market Research & Consumer Insights (BPAHALAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Social & Digital Insights (Social Listening, Online Community Research) (MPAAALAK)

Keywords

• Market research services
• Mystery shopping
• Consumer insights
• Retail research
• Brand research

Headquarters

HQ city

Dublin

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Market Research Projects: Custom research engagements including mystery shopping programs, consumer surveys, focus groups, and depth interviews. Projects enable action planning for clients across various business issues.
2. Mystery Shopping Services: Mystery shopping programs with over 100,000 shops completed. Provides unique insights into business, brand or product improvement with actionable reporting.
3. Online Panel Access: Access to largest and highest quality online panels in Ireland, UK and EU for brand awareness measurement, advertising tests, and research analysis.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Catalyst Market Research is a Dublin-based market research consultancy that delivers mystery shopping programs, online surveys, focus groups, depth interviews, intercept interviews, and accompanied shopping research for brand owners and retailers across Ireland, the UK, and Germany. It supports these engagements with its proprietary Macavity online research reporting system and the Social Media Monitor (SMM) tool for consolidating social reviews.

Product overview

Catalyst Market Research Ltd is a market research consultancy providing a unified portfolio of research services. The core offerings include Mystery Shopping (with 100,000+ shops completed) and Social Media Monitor (SMM), complemented by five qualitative and quantitative research methods: Online Panels, Intercept Interviews, Accompanied Shopping, Depth Interviews, and Focus Groups. These services are supported by the proprietary Macavity online research reporting platform, enabling integrated management and reporting of fieldwork across Ireland, the UK, Northern Ireland, and Germany. The company operates with a 15-step systematic approach and serves both national and international brand owners in retail and brand experience research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Macavity: Fully integrated on-line research reporting system that allows Catalyst to manage and report findings from fieldwork teams across multiple countries.

Products and services

• Mystery Shopping
• Social Media Monitor (SMM)
• Accompanied Shopping
• Online Panel Research
• Intercept Interviews
• Depth Interviews
• Focus Groups

Quantifiable outcome

• Informed multi-million Euro business decisions (e.g., Aer Lingus lie-flat seat selection)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ESOMARcoreOthersCatalyst abides by ESOMAR research guidelines. ESOMAR is a global research association setting standards for market research. Membership demonstrates commitment to professional research standards and ethics.
• MSPA Europe (Mystery Shopping Providers Association)coreOthersCatalyst is a member of MSPA Europe. The association promotes excellence in mystery shopping and sets industry standards. Membership provides credibility and access to best practices.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Shopper Intelligence: UK retail shopper research and insights consultancy focused on category, brand, and shopper behaviour. Comparable in serving UK retail brand owners with research-driven insights.
• MaritzCX (Maritz Mystery Shopping): Global mystery shopping and customer experience research provider serving enterprise brands. Comparable in core mystery shopping service and CX measurement methodology, though at much larger scale.
• Market Force Information: Mystery shopping, customer experience and competitive intelligence provider for multi-unit retail and restaurant brands. Directly comparable in mystery shopping delivery model and enterprise customer base.
• Insight6: UK-headquartered customer experience and mystery shopping consultancy. Comparable in CX research, mystery shopping panel, and enterprise brand-owner customer segments.
• Intouch Insight: Customer experience and mystery shopping firm serving multi-location brands across North America and beyond. Comparable in CX measurement methodology and mystery shopping panel-driven delivery model.
• Retail Performance: UK and Ireland-based mystery shopping and customer experience consultancy with a similar focus on retail and brand experience measurement. Directly comparable in service mix, geography, and customer segments to Catalyst.
• CGA Strategy: UK-based consumer and retail research consultancy (now part of NielsenIQ) serving hospitality, retail and leisure brands. Comparable in its focus on UK/Ireland retail and consumer insights work for brand owners.

Broad incumbents

• Ipsos: Global market research and consumer insights firm with a strong UK/Ireland presence. Operates across market research, brand research and customer experience — overlapping with Catalyst's portfolio but at much greater scale.
• Kantar: Global data, insights and consulting company with major retail and brand research practices. Overlaps with Catalyst on brand and consumer research for retailers, though offers a much broader portfolio.
• NielsenIQ: Global consumer intelligence and retail measurement firm covering brand performance, shopper behaviour and CX. Comparable buyer base (brand owners, retailers) though with much broader capabilities and global scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Catalyst_MC

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Catalyst Market Research Ltd