Iro Research

What Iro Research does

Iro Research is a Finnish full-service market research company founded in 1990 and headquartered in Helsinki (Sörnäistenkatu 1), operating as Iro Research Oy following its October 2025 merger with Tietoykkönen Oy. The company delivers market research, brand development, customer experience, advertising effectiveness, and product development services to large Finnish corporations and public sector organizations, with named long-tenured clients including Sanoma (since 1992), Neste (since 2014), and Vaasan (since 2017). Its core technology stack rests on a proprietary IroNet consumer panel of approximately 50,000 members, which underpins roughly 260,000 research interviews and approximately 500 projects per year; AI-assisted text analysis is provided through Text Miner and Copilot AI applications that process open-ended survey responses alongside human analysts.

The business operates three primary revenue streams: bespoke custom research projects sold through an enterprise field sales motion (Client Directors, Research Directors, Sales & Development Director); a monthly multi-client omnibus survey called Tuhat suomalaista (A Thousand Finns), priced at €395 per question with recurring monthly cadence; and pre-packaged proprietary segment reports (Generation Z at €3,900, 55+ at €4,400, families, plus an annual Food Trend Report). Distribution is direct-to-business via a named sales team; international data collection is delivered through a partner network coordinated from Finland. The company employs 25 research specialists, is part of the Mediatalo Keskisuomalainen media group, and reported turnover of €3.1 million.

Name

Iro Research

Legal name

Iro Research Oy

Website

https://iro.fi

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Iro Research is a Finnish full-service market research company founded in 1990, serving large Finnish corporations and the public sector through a ~50,000-member IroNet consumer panel, a monthly omnibus survey, custom research projects, and proprietary segmentation and trend reports.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Market Research Services

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

ESG, Sustainability & Impact Research (BPAHALAL)

Keywords

• Market research services
• Consumer panel surveys
• Brand tracking research
• Segmentation studies
• Opinion polling surveys

Headquarters

HQ city

Helsinki

HQ country

Finland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Research Projects: Bespoke market research, opinion surveys, and consumer studies tailored to individual client needs. Projects include segmentation studies, brand tracking, product testing, and societal research. Pricing varies by project scope.
2. Tuhat suomalaista (A Thousand Finns) Omnibus Survey: Monthly multi-client omnibus survey representing the Finnish population. Clients purchase individual questions at 395€ per question. Recurring revenue stream with predictable monthly cadence.
3. Segment Reports: Pre-packaged research reports on specific consumer segments (e.g., 55+, GenZ, families) sold at fixed prices (3,900€ - 4,400€)

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Iro Research is a Finnish full-service market research agency that conducts custom research projects, recurring omnibus surveys, segmentation studies, brand tracking, and product testing for corporate clients. The company operates the proprietary IroNet consumer panel of approximately 50,000 members and runs the monthly "Tuhat suomalaista" (A Thousand Finns) omnibus survey that reaches 1,000 Finns per wave. AI-powered text analysis (Text Miner, Copilot) augments human analysis of open-ended survey responses, while the Iro F2F Express service delivers next-day face-to-face research results.

Product overview

Iro Research is a Finnish full-service market research company offering a portfolio of proprietary research products and custom research services. The core offering includes Tuhat suomalaista (A Thousand Finns), a monthly omnibus survey panel with approximately 50,000 IroNet consumer panel members, and Iro F2F Express for rapid face-to-face research. The company produces recurring proprietary research products including annual Ruokatrendikatsaus (Food Trend Reports 2023-2025) and specialized segmentation studies on Generation Z, 55+ consumers, and family households. Research services span customer experience development, brand management, segmentation, buying behavior, product and service development, media/advertising, qualitative research, and data collection. The company employs AI-powered text analysis (Text Miner) and Copilot AI applications for analyzing open-ended survey responses and consumer insights.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tuhat suomalaista (A Thousand Finns) Monthly Omnibus Survey Monthly multi-client omnibus survey representing the Finnish population. Reaches 1,000 Finns per wave with customizable questions at 395 EUR per question. Used for campaign monitoring, brand tracking, concept studies, preliminary testing, attitude measurement, and consumer behavior research.
• IroNet Consumer Panel Access Proprietary internet and mobile survey panel of approximately 50,000 members used for conducting online research. Enables efficient data collection for segmentation research, consumer behavior tracking, and attitude measurement across the Finnish population.
• Iro F2F Express Rapid Face-to-Face Research Rapid face-to-face research solution for quick consumer insights. Delivers indicative consumer insights efficiently via controlled test environment in Helsinki metropolitan area.
• Iron Ruokatrendikatsaus (Annual Food Trend Report) Annual comprehensive food trend review covering phenomena and trends in the food world. Combines open-source material analysis with proprietary survey data from the Iro Tuhat suomalaista survey. Covers general and category-specific food phenomena; produced annually by Iro Research's Research Director.
• Segmentointitutkimus Generation Z (Generation Z Segmentation Study) Segmentation research on Finnish Generation Z (15-26 year-olds). Identifies six consumer segments with distinct values, attitudes, and behaviors, providing actionable insights for product development and marketing targeting younger demographics.
• Segmentointitutkimus 55+ (55+ Consumer Segmentation Study) Segmentation research on Finnish consumers over 55 years old. Identifies five distinct consumer segments (active, indifferent, careful, enjoyers, demotivated) with varying needs, expectations, and motives, providing insights for marketers approaching this growing and affluent group.
• Segmentointitutkimus Lapsiperheet (Finnish Family Households Segmentation Study) Segmentation research on Finnish families with children (approximately 550,000 families, 2 million individuals). Identifies five segments (responsible, digital restrictors, home cooks, relationship investors, dissatisfied). Third installment in Iro Research's segmentation trilogy.
• Customer Experience Development Research Custom research services for listening to customers and developing in-depth understanding of customer journeys. Includes customer satisfaction surveys, NPS measurement, purchase path analysis, and service usability testing. Helps clients develop successful products, services, and efficient communication.
• Brand Management Research Brand research and management services including awareness measurement, brand tracking surveys, image and preference studies, positioning research, brand promise testing, and marketing communications research.
• Segmentation and Target Group Research Custom segmentation research based on underlying consumer behavior and motives. Combines behavioral data with attitudes, values, needs, and motives. Includes segmentation surveys, target group studies, portfolio research, and value promise surveys.
• Buying Behaviour Research Research on customer purchase drivers, communication strategies at different journey stages, category structure, and evaluation criteria. Includes marketing concept surveys, pricing studies, category studies, customer journey surveys, and tracking studies.
• Product and Service Development Research Product and service testing and development research including idea pretesting, competitor analysis, concept testing, taste and product testing, usability studies, packaging testing, and shelf testing. Offers both in-hall and home testing environments.
• Media, Advertising and Communication Research Media and marketing research services including media usage studies, magazine reader surveys, target group studies, advertising pretesting, media coverage measurement, advertising effectiveness measurement, and post-campaign analysis.
• Societal Actors and Associations Research Research services for societal organizations, associations, and public sector including member surveys, stakeholder surveys, organizational studies, image and reputation surveys, communication accessibility and effectiveness studies, and impact studies.
• Qualitative Research Services Qualitative research providing insight into attitudes, feelings, images, motives, expectations, needs, and behaviors. Includes focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, online communities, ethnographic research, shopper studies, and concept testing.
• Data Collection Services Comprehensive data collection using all methods: internet and mobile surveys in the IroNet panel, telephone interviews, personal interviews, test communities for product/service testing, face-to-face and online group and individual interviews, and mail surveys. Also provides international data collection services through partner network.

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• KamuaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Kamua is a Finnish marketing agency that partnered with Iro Research for brand refresh project in spring 2022. The collaboration aimed to build a more customer-oriented brand through research. Both existing and potential customers were interviewed during the project.
• Mediatalo KeskisuomalainencoreGTM or Marketing PartnerIro Research Oy is part of the Mediatalo Keskisuomalainen media group. Personal data of clients and potential clients may be shared within the media corporation for relevant purposes. The group includes various media companies.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MetrixLab: Digital-first market research firm with strong advertising and brand effectiveness measurement capabilities. Direct competitor for advertising research and brand tracking work; an Iro Research sales director (Jorma Hakanen) previously worked there.
• Research Insight Finland: Finnish market research company offering consumer, advertising, and brand research. Direct competitor for the same Finnish enterprise accounts; an Iro Research sales director previously worked there, underscoring competitive overlap.
• Taloustutkimus Oy: One of Finland's largest domestic market research firms offering consumer, B2B, and societal research. Directly comparable to Iro Research in scope, target customers, and Finnish market focus; a senior Iro Research team member (Juho Rahkonen) previously worked there.
• Innolink Group: Finnish market research and customer insight firm serving enterprise clients in Finland. Direct competitor in consumer insights, brand tracking, and customer experience research, with similar domestic-Finland orientation.

Broad incumbents

• NielsenIQ: Global consumer intelligence and market research firm providing retail measurement, consumer behavior, and FMCG insights. Overlaps with Iro Research on consumer panel data, brand tracking, and FMCG/food industry clients like HKScan and Vaasan.
• Ipsos: Global market research company operating across consumer, advertising, and public sector research. Competes with Iro Research for large enterprise accounts in Finland and is particularly strong in syndicated and international studies that Iro Research handles via partners.
• GfK: Global consumer and market research firm with strong presence in consumer goods, retail, and technology. Comparable to Iro Research in offering consumer insights, brand tracking, and product testing but at significantly larger scale.
• Verian Group: Global public sector and social research firm (formerly Kantar Public). Directly comparable for the public sector, societal, and member survey work that Iro Research provides to government agencies and associations.
• Kantar: Global market research and insights firm with established Finland operations. Overlaps with Iro Research in brand tracking, consumer research, and segmentation, but operates at much greater scale and offers a broader international portfolio.

Regional players

• Norstat: Nordic data collection and insights firm with panel operations across Scandinavia. Comparable in consumer panel methodology and panel-based research; competes primarily in neighboring Nordic geographies rather than directly in Finland.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/iroresearch
• Xx.com/iroresearch

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 Iro Research