What Global Research Partners does

Global Research Partners (GRP) is a private, Dallas-headquartered custom marketing research firm founded in 2000 by Ray Barber. The company delivers bespoke research and analytics to enterprise clients across consumer packaged goods, financial services, restaurant and hospitality, retail, healthcare and pharma, media, automotive, and management consulting — including Fortune 50 companies. Its service portfolio spans custom research design (branding, concept evaluation, customer analysis, ethnic markets, product design, pricing, shopper insights, segmentation) and a broad analytics practice covering predictive and diagnostic modeling, choice modeling, and data structure analysis.

The firm's technical differentiation rests on six trademarked proprietary protocols: VALOR™ (value optimization), PriceSet™ (Van Westendorp-based price-demand modeling), PowerLine™ (multidimensional product line optimization), EMOTIVE™ (photo-based emotional collaging using a validated 40-photo set), DriveScore™ (attribute-outcome reward/penalty modeling), and Crisol™ (0-100 Hispanic acculturation continuum). These are layered on state-of-the-art analytical software and custom data collection systems to support both domestic and international engagements across 14+ countries.

GRP's business model is project-based professional services: pricing is quoted per project on a "true out-of-pocket costs plus reasonable margin" basis rather than hourly billing, which the firm positions as a structural advantage over larger research houses that delegate to junior staff. The firm operates with a lean senior team (five named staff with 15-30+ years of experience each), no external funding, and a deliberate no-overhead posture. Direct enterprise sales, predominantly through the founder, drive the go-to-market motion.

Name

Global Research Partners

Legal name

Global Research Partners

Website

https://globalresearchpartners.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Global Research Partners is a Dallas-based custom marketing research firm founded in 2000, serving Fortune 50 and enterprise clients across CPG, financial services, retail, healthcare, and other verticals with proprietary protocols, analytics, and senior-led execution.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Marketing Research Services

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191), Marketing Consulting Services (541613), Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Market Research & Consumer Insights (BPAHALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Custom Market Research (Ad Hoc Studies, Segmentation, U&A) (MPAAALAC), Product & Innovation Research (Concept, Pricing, Packaging, Conjoint) (MPAAALAI)

Keywords

• Custom marketing research
• Brand equity research
• Pricing research
• Shopper insights
• Consumer segmentation

Headquarters

HQ city

Dallas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Marketing Research Projects: Project-based professional services for custom marketing research. Pricing is based on 'true out of pocket costs for executing high quality research, plus a reasonable profit margin.' Does not charge on per-hour basis, which eliminates incentive to delegate to junior staff.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Global Research Partners designs and executes custom marketing research projects for enterprise clients covering branding, concept evaluation, customer analysis, ethnic markets, product design and strategy, pricing strategy, shopper insights, and segmentation. The firm supplements its custom research practice with advanced analytics and a suite of six proprietary protocols—VALOR™, PriceSet™, PowerLine™, EMOTIVE™, DriveScore™, and Crisol™—that address specific recurring research questions such as brand value optimization, price sensitivity, product line optimization, emotional attachment, perception impact, and Hispanic acculturation. International research capabilities extend across 14+ countries.

Product overview

Global Research Partners offers a portfolio of custom marketing research services organized around three core offerings: Custom Research Services covering branding, concept evaluation, customer analysis, pricing strategy, and segmentation; Analytics providing predictive/diagnostic modeling, choice modeling, and data structure analysis; and a suite of six proprietary research protocols (VALOR™, PriceSet™, PowerLine™, EMOTIVE™, DriveScore™, and Crisol™) designed for specific research applications including value optimization, price sensitivity analysis, product line optimization, emotional measurement, perception impact analysis, and Hispanic market acculturation scoring. The company also provides international research capabilities across multiple global regions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• VALOR™: Value Optimization Research protocol - determines impact of brand name on perceived value and quantifies dollar differentials in terms of brand premium or discount vs competitors.
• PriceSet™
• PowerLine™
• EMOTIVE™
• DriveScore™
• Crisol™ (Melting Pot)

Products and services

• Custom Research Services
• Analytics
• VALOR™ (Value Optimization Research)
• PriceSet™
• PowerLine™ Proprietary multidimensional product line optimization methodology that overcomes limitations of traditional TURF analysis by examining both breadth and depth of appeal, simulating millions of product configurations and tens of millions of portfolio alternatives, and optimizing single product profiles, multi-product lines, and retail SKU selection.
• EMOTIVE™ (Emotional Collaging) Proprietary protocol using a validated set of 40 photos that allows consumers to describe brands with a non-verbal visual approach by selecting photos representing gut reactions, building collages, and providing explanation to combine quantitative and qualitative insight into emotional responses.
• DriveScore™ Proprietary protocol that analyzes the relationship between attribute performance and outcome measures such as purchase intent and customer loyalty, detects non-symmetrical relationships, and simulates increases and decreases in key outputs to understand potential payback of specific actions.
• Crisol™ (Melting Pot) Proprietary Hispanic acculturation scoring model that scores individuals along a 0-100 acculturation continuum using attitudes, behaviors, and experiences including Hispanic First identity, discrimination feelings, home country contact, Hispanic event attendance, and spheres of influence, merged into a single Acculturation Score for segmentation.
• International Research Capabilities Global marketing research delivery across North America, South America, Asia, Middle East, Europe, and Australia, including in-person paper-and-pencil studies and complex online surveys, with senior GRP oversight and in-country partner network.

Quantifiable outcome

• Multi-country brand equity models applicable across multiple languages and cultures
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• C+R Research: C+R Research is a custom marketing research firm of comparable size focused on consumer insights, brand research, and shopper insights for major brands. Directly comparable as a mid-size boutique custom research provider serving enterprise CPG and retail clients with senior-led project teams.
• Kadence International: Kadence International is a global custom market research firm with proprietary research approaches and strong presence in pricing, brand, and shopper research. Closely comparable in size, methodology-led positioning, and international research delivery for enterprise clients.
• Decision Point: Decision Point is a custom market research firm specializing in healthcare and consumer research with proprietary methodologies. Comparable as a mid-size boutique with senior-led custom engagements and specialty positioning.
• Escalent: Escalent is a mid-to-large custom research firm with strong industry verticals in financial services, energy, and technology, plus proprietary analytics. Comparable in custom research delivery, senior practitioner model, and enterprise client focus.
• Phoenix Marketing International: Phoenix Marketing International is a mid-size custom market research firm offering brand, customer experience, and segmentation research to enterprise clients. Comparable as a specialty boutique delivering senior-led custom engagements.
• The Directions Group: The Directions Group is a mid-size custom research and consulting firm offering brand, customer, and marketing research with proprietary methodologies. Compares as a comparable-sized specialty boutique focused on decision-oriented research for enterprise clients.

Broad incumbents

• M/A/R/C Research: M/A/R/C is an established marketing research firm where multiple GRP senior team members previously worked. Comparable as a larger incumbent offering custom research with deeper resources and broader service lines.
• Kantar: Kantar is one of the largest global marketing research and insights firms offering brand tracking, pricing, segmentation, and shopper research at scale. Compares as the dominant broad incumbent against which GRP's boutique positioning explicitly differentiates on cost, speed, and senior-staff continuity.
• Burke Marketing Research: Burke is a large, established custom marketing research firm where GRP's founder Ray Barber worked for 15 years. Compares as a broader incumbent with wider service portfolio and deeper resources, but overlapping in custom research methodology and enterprise client base.
• Material Holdings: Material is a research, strategy, and design firm (parent of CMB and other research brands) offering custom insights and consulting to enterprise clients. Comparable as a larger incumbent with custom research and advisory capabilities that overlap with GRP's senior-led model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/global-research-partners

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 Global Research Partners