What EFG does

EFG Worldwide (originally European Fieldwork Group) is a privately-held international market research fieldwork provider founded in Paris in 1975 and operating in the United States since 2001. The company is owned by France-based MV2 Group and is managed day-to-day by the Wiesenfeld family (Fernand Wiesenfeld as Partner/Principal; Michael Wiesenfeld as US Managing Director). EFG coordinates qualitative and quantitative data collection across 78+ countries, supported by 2,750 CATI stations, 115 focus group facilities under the WFG (World Focus Group) network, and a scaled freelance workforce of 6,000+ telephone researchers, 15,000+ face-to-face researchers, and 55,000+ mystery shopping assessors in Europe. Core offerings span CATI/CAPI methodologies, focus groups, IHUT, online panels, mobile research with geo-fencing, and specialized healthcare/B2B/consumer fieldwork, complemented by an "innovative tools" suite featuring Emotional AI/Facial Coding, Eye-Tracking, Text Analytics, and 360/VR methodologies.

EFG's technology stack centers on its proprietary VCC (Virtual Command Center), which centralizes server-based control of global telephone fieldwork operations, and the WFG reservation system launched in 2007 for global focus group facility booking. The company is ISO 9001 certified continuously since 1995 and GDPR-compliant, positioning it for enterprise clients with compliance mandates. Its business model is project-based professional services: RFP-driven sales with proposal turnaround of 2-36 hours, dedicated regional project managers as single points of contact, and custom quoting based on methodology, geography, sample size, and complexity. Two-thirds of revenue derives from small/mid-sized US market research firms using EFG as their international arm; the remaining one-third comes from large MR agencies and end clients (e.g., Intel, Procter & Gamble, Airbnb, Nielsen, CONCACAF). Regional offices in Paris (HQ), New York, Miami, Shanghai, and Casablanca coordinate Americas, Europe, APAC, and MEA operations, with 95% of European fieldwork sub-contracted to 2-3 long-standing partners per country under 20-30 year relationships.

Name

EFG

Legal name

EFG Inc

Website

https://efgworldwide.us

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

EFG Worldwide is a privately-held international market research fieldwork provider operating across 78+ countries, offering qualitative and quantitative data collection, focus groups, CATI/CAPI methodologies, and innovative tools like Emotional AI and Eye-Tracking for market research firms and enterprise clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Miami

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. International Fieldwork Services: Full-service market research and fieldwork coordination for international studies. Services include qualitative and quantitative research across all methodologies. Revenue generated through project fees based on scope, geography, and methodology complexity. Operates with approximately $67 million in revenues.
2. Research Design & Consulting: Survey design, methodology consulting, and research strategy services. Includes recommendations for optimal research approaches based on decades of global experience.
3. Translation & Transcription Services: Linguistic services including translation across 120+ languages, simultaneous translation, English transcripts, and back-translation for international research.
4. Mystery Shopping & Retail Solutions: Specialized mystery shopping coordination across globe with network of 55,000+ assessors in Europe for retail and point-of-sale evaluation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

EFG provides full-service international market research fieldwork and data collection across 78+ countries, delivering qualitative and quantitative methodologies (CATI, CAPI, IHUT, focus groups, ethnos, online communities, mystery shopping) for US-based market research firms and enterprise clients. The company acts as a single-point-of-contact partner handling survey design, translation in 120+ languages, programming, cross-tabs, and reporting, supported by proprietary VCC and WFG technology platforms.

Product overview

EFG (European Fieldwork Group) is a full-service market research and fieldwork organization offering a comprehensive suite of qualitative and quantitative research services. The portfolio centers on core fieldwork and data collection capabilities spanning 78+ countries, supported by innovative technology modules including Emotional AI/Facial Coding, Eye-Tracking, Text Analytics, and 360 VR tools. The platform operates through distinct service lines: Qualitative Insights (Focus Groups, Ethnos, Friendship Groups, In-Depth Interviews), Quantitative Insights (IHUT, Online Panels, Mystery Shopping, CATI/CAPI), and specialized offerings like Opinion Shoppers mobile panels. All services are delivered through regional offices in Miami, NYC, Paris, Shanghai, and Casablanca with centralized project management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Opinion Shoppers: Mobile panel and real-time feedback platform enabling instant feedback capture at point of experience through payment terminals or smartphones.
• WFG (World Focus Group)

Products and services

• Qualitative Insights

Quantifiable outcome

• Bids turnaround: proposals delivered within 2 to 36 hours
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FocusVisioncoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2007FocusVision provides video-transmission capabilities for focus groups across EFG's global network of 115 facilities, enabling simultaneous interpreting and remote viewing.
• Trade Association - INSIGHTSminorOthersMember of INSIGHTS trade association for market research industry professionals.
• Trade Association - INTELLUSminorOthersMember of INTELLUS trade association for market research industry professionals.
• European Sub-contractor PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOutside of France, 95% of work is sub-contracted to 2-3 partners within each European country. Many have been MV2 partners for 20-30 years, setting common homogeneous procedures internationally and rein in costs.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• GfK: Major global consumer and market research firm with deep panel and fieldwork infrastructure. Comparable to MV2's top-25 standing (Honomichl) and overlapping with EFG in international consumer and B2B fieldwork.
• Ipsos: One of the world's top three full-service market research firms. Overlaps with EFG in global fieldwork capabilities but operates across the entire MR value chain (strategy, analytics, advisory) rather than specializing in fieldwork-only partnerships.
• Nielsen: Global measurement and data analytics firm (and an EFG client). Overlaps with EFG's audience research and fieldwork offerings as part of a much broader portfolio spanning media measurement, consumer panels, and analytics.
• Kantar: Global full-service MR and insights firm with extensive panel and fieldwork infrastructure. Comparable to MV2/EFG at the data-collection layer but serves clients with end-to-end research, analytics, and consulting rather than fieldwork-only partnerships.

Direct peers

• Dynata: One of the world's largest first-party data and online panel/fieldwork providers. Comparable to EFG in serving MR and enterprise clients with global data collection, online panels, and CATI/CAPI capabilities, though at meaningfully larger scale.
• Schlesinger Group: Global qualitative and quantitative fieldwork provider with a network of facilities and panels across the Americas, Europe, and APAC. Highly comparable to EFG as a B2B fieldwork specialist serving market research firms rather than competing with them.
• Toluna: Global consumer panel and digital research platform offering online sample, fieldwork, and MR technology. Comparable to EFG in delivering fieldwork and data collection to MR firms and enterprise clients worldwide.
• Cint: Global panel exchange and consumer network for market research. Comparable to EFG's Opinion Shoppers and global panel infrastructure; serves MR firms with sample/fieldwork supply at a similar B2B layer of the value chain.
• Bilendi: European-headquartered provider of online panel, fieldwork, and data collection services. Directly comparable to EFG's European fieldwork focus and MR-firm client base, with similar CATI/CAPI and translation/transcription offerings.

Regional players

• Macromill: Asia-Pacific-focused digital market research and online panel provider. Comparable to EFG in delivering MR-firm and enterprise fieldwork, but its geographic concentration in Japan and APAC makes it a regional rather than direct global competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/efg-research-european-fieldwork-group-

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 EFG