Kien Onderzoek

What Kien Onderzoek does

Kien Onderzoek is a Dutch quantitative market research bureau founded in 1993 (originally as B&N Marketing, rebranded in 2008) and headquartered in Groningen with a second office in Haarlem. The company delivers bespoke research projects across customer satisfaction, brand awareness, pricing strategy, choice/decision behavior, and communication effectiveness, using a portfolio of methodologies that includes online, telephone, written, and hybrid approaches executed primarily through its proprietary panel of 30,000+ members operated by the sister company PanelWizard. Kien also runs five continuous subscription-based monitoring products covering energy suppliers, auto insurers, dating sites/apps, charitable organizations, and theme parks/zoos, and publishes research findings through media outlets such as RTLZ, Nu.nl, and MetroNieuws.

The firm's technology stack is self-developed: in-house survey software, a real-time online reporting dashboard with client-branded research libraries, and the PanelWizard platform supporting self-service, dedicated, exclusive, target, community, portal, international, and search panel products. Kien is ISO 20252 certified, follows ESOMAR and Dutch Data & Insights Network (DIN) guidelines, and is a member of the MOA (Marketing Onderzoek Associatie). The company operates with approximately 15 team members across project leadership, research, web development, and office management, and is founder-owned with Steven Noordam as Director.

Kien's revenue model combines project-based professional services (custom research), recurring subscription revenue (continuous monitors and PanelWizard panel products), and quote-based pricing with no publicly disclosed rates. The go-to-market is sales-led and direct, with quote-request forms promising a one-hour response, phone-based inside sales at both offices, and referral-driven business through PanelWizard and media partnerships. Customers span financial services (TKP, BPL, PME, Van Lanschot, ABN Amro), energy (Oxxio), insurance (Omniplan), government (Ministerie van VWS), NGOs (Nederlandse Rode Kruis, Natuur & Milieu), education (Universiteit Utrecht), and technology (TJIP), with primary segments in B2B corporate marketing, communications, and industry monitoring.

Name

Kien Onderzoek

Legal name

Kien

Website

https://kienonderzoek.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kien Onderzoek is a Dutch quantitative market research bureau serving B2B corporate, government, and nonprofit clients via custom research, continuous monitoring, and its proprietary 30,000+ member PanelWizard panel across online, telephone, written, and hybrid methodologies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Groningen

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Market Research Services: Bespoke quantitative research projects including customer satisfaction, brand awareness, pricing strategy, communication effectiveness, and choice behavior studies. Projects are tailored to client specifications using online, telephone, written, or hybrid methodologies.
2. PanelWizard Panel Products: Access to PanelWizard panel services including PanelWizard Direct (self-service), Dedicated (custom exclusive panels), Exclusive (built-to-order panels), Target (demographic-specific panels), Community (quick reactions), Portal (research sharing), International (global research), and Search (panel database querying).
3. Continuous Monitoring Services: Subscription-based tracking monitors for various industries including energy suppliers, auto insurance, dating sites/apps, charities, and theme parks/zoos. Monthly or quarterly measurements under subscription agreements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Kien Onderzoek is a Dutch quantitative market research bureau that delivers bespoke B2B research services — customer satisfaction, brand awareness, pricing, decision behavior, and communication studies — using a proprietary 30,000+ member online panel (PanelWizard) and self-developed survey software, supporting online, telephone, written, and hybrid data collection methodologies.

Product overview

Kien Onderzoek is a Dutch market research bureau offering a comprehensive portfolio of quantitative research services centered around its PanelWizard panel platform of approximately 30,000 members. The core offering includes three categories of panel products (PanelWizard Direct, Dedicated, Exclusive, Target, Community, Portal, International, and Search), seven continuous tracking monitors (Energy, Auto Insurance, Dating, Good Causes, and Theme Parks/Zoos), and research services spanning customer satisfaction, brand awareness/imago, pricing research, choice/decision behavior, and communication research. Methodological delivery options include online, telephone, written, and hybrid approaches, all supported by proprietary research software developed in-house.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PanelWizard Direct Self-service online survey platform providing clients with direct access to Kien's 30,000+ member research panel for quantitative data collection, with optional telephone supplementation.
• PanelWizard Dedicated Custom dedicated research panel built exclusively for a single organization (customers, members, staff, or suppliers), with full research outsourcing option available.
• PanelWizard Exclusive Build-to-specification panel constructed from PanelWizard's 30,000-member base with pay-per-use pricing model for targeted research needs.
• PanelWizard Target Pre-defined demographic target panels including Seniors, Students, Ethnic Minorities, and Good Causes panels for specialized segment research.
• PanelWizard Community Quick polling service enabling rapid reactions to brief questions or provocative statements for spontaneous public opinion capture.
• PanelWizard Portal Research reporting portal allowing organizations to publish survey results directly on their own website with custom branding.
• PanelWizard International International market research execution using a global network of panel suppliers matching PanelWizard's quality standards for cross-border studies.
• PanelWizard Search Panel member database browsing tool allowing clients to explore 30,000 documented panel members' backgrounds including sociodemographics, lifestyle, hobbies, product usage, and brand preferences.
• Klanttevredenheidsonderzoek Customer satisfaction research measuring satisfaction based on recent customer experiences with benchmarking against competitors for B2B organizations.
• Klanttevredenheidsmonitor Continuous customer satisfaction tracking with customizable measurement frequency from weekly to quarterly intervals for ongoing benchmarking.
• Medewerkertevredenheidsonderzoek Employee satisfaction research covering primary and secondary working conditions, work atmosphere, catering, cleaning, and accessibility with breakdowns by department.
• Klachtenonderzoek Complaint analysis investigating complainer motivations and complaint handling quality to optimize business operations.
• Naamsbekendheidonderzoek Brand awareness research measuring unaided and aided awareness levels and factors influencing brand recognition for marketing teams.
• Naamsbekendheidmonitor Continuous brand awareness tracking enabling real-time adjustments to marketing campaigns and GRP investments.
• Imago-onderzoek Brand image research identifying associations, feelings, organizational characteristics, and stakeholder group variations.
• Imagomonitor Continuous image monitoring tracking both dramatic and subtle shifts in brand perception over time.
• Positioneringsonderzoek Brand positioning research identifying overlap with competitors and unique differentiation aspects to reveal business opportunities.
• Prijslaboratorium Price strategy research beyond simple price questions to address complex factors influencing price perception with competitive product comparisons.
• Prijsmeter Price perception measurement using four targeted questions to generate a price meter chart revealing optimal pricing boundaries.
• Importance Meting Decision criteria identification revealing which attributes target groups consider important in product purchases or service evaluations.
• Importance Triangle Visual prioritization tool using an interest pyramid for intuitive preference marking, enabling rapid filtering of key attributes from large attribute sets.
• Importance Monitor Continuous importance tracking delivered via dashboard, providing ongoing input for product policy or marketing strategy alignment.
• Doelgroepanalyse Target group profiling combining hard and soft characteristics from factual product usage to personal worldviews for comprehensive customer profiles.
• Klantprofielonderzoek Detailed customer profile research enabling deep understanding of customers or prospects for personalized, evidence-based offerings.
• Concepttest Pre-campaign testing of communication concepts to identify likes, dislikes, message comprehension and campaign optimization opportunities.
• Reclametracking Campaign effectiveness tracking at quarterly, monthly, or weekly intervals with mid-campaign adjustment capabilities.
• Bereiksmeting Reach measurement quantifying readers, viewers, listeners, or passersby along with background variables such as sociodemographics and lifestyle characteristics.
• Communicatie-effect Communication effectiveness measurement covering awareness, appreciation, purchase intent, distinctiveness, and improvement areas.
• Verpakkingsonderzoek Packaging research evaluating shelf visibility, perceived image, and product clarity based on First Moment of Truth principles within 3-7 seconds.
• Mediaconsumptieonderzoek Media consumption analysis revealing contact intensity and patterns across population groups to support media strategy decisions.
• Lezersonderzoek Magazine reader research assessing reading behavior, look and feel, text-image ratio, and writing style across relationship, trade, and consumer magazines.
• PR-onderzoek Public relations research for generating free publicity through statistically supported, short-duration studies often commissioned by food producers or real estate organizations.
• Monitor Energie Continuous energy supplier perception benchmark tracking 25 Dutch energy providers with monthly measurements among 350 unique consumers.
• Monitor Autoverzekeringen Car insurance perception tracking among licensed drivers with vehicles, benchmarking 33 insurers with monthly surveys of 350 respondents.
• Monitor Dating Dating platform perception tracking among Dutch singles aged 18+, benchmarking 25 dating sites and apps with monthly surveys of 300 respondents.
• Monitor Goede Doelen Charitable organization perception tracking among Dutch residents, benchmarking 61-63 charities with monthly surveys of 350 respondents aged 16+.
• Monitor Attractieparken/Dierenparken Theme park and zoo perception tracking among children aged 6-15, benchmarking 26 amusement parks and 18 animal parks with annual measurements.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100 continuous monthly measurements conducted for Goede Doelen Monitor
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• PanelWizardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPanelWizard is the sister company of Kien with the same work philosophy and founding fathers. It operates the proprietary panel of 30,000+ members used by Kien for research. Kien describes itself as the 'moederbedrijf' (parent company) of PanelWizard Direct. The companies share software development and research expertise.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Ipsos: Global market research giant with established Dutch operations (Ipsos Nederland) offering quantitative and qualitative research across consumer, public-sector, and healthcare verticals — directly comparable customer base and methodology to Kien, but at vastly greater scale.
• NielsenIQ: Global consumer measurement and research firm (now including GfK) operating in the Netherlands across FMCG, retail, and shopper research — comparable enterprise and CPG client base but with much broader analytical capabilities.
• Kantar: WPP-owned global market research and insights firm operating extensively in the Netherlands across brand, media, and consumer research — comparable methodology and clients but at broader portfolio scale.
• SurveyMonkey (Momentive): Global online survey platform with panel services and enterprise research solutions — comparable in survey technology and self-service panel research (similar to PanelWizard Direct), but as a much larger SaaS platform.

Direct peers

• Markteffect: Dutch market research agency providing custom quantitative research, brand tracking, and consumer insights — a direct Dutch competitor with overlapping service portfolio and target clientele.
• Cint: Swedish-headquartered global consumer panel exchange and survey technology provider — directly comparable to PanelWizard's panel aggregation business model and serves similar research buyers across Europe.
• Toluna: Global consumer panel and online survey research platform serving brand tracking, concept testing, and ad effectiveness studies — directly comparable to Kien's PanelWizard products and continuous monitor offerings, including in European markets.
• Motivaction: Amsterdam-based Dutch market research agency offering custom and continuous quantitative/qualitative research, brand tracking, and societal studies — a direct Dutch competitor with overlapping services and target clients.
• Dynata: One of the world's largest first-party data and panel providers, offering access to millions of panelists for survey-based research — the closest direct analogue to Kien's PanelWizard + custom research model, albeit at a much larger scale.

Regional players

• Norstat: European market research and panel data collection firm headquartered in Norway with operations across multiple European countries including the Netherlands — comparable panel-based research services and methodologies, but operating across a wider European footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kienonderzoek
• Facebookfacebook.com/kienonderzoek
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kien-onderzoek

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Kien Onderzoek