OUR
EXPERTISE
As a premier provider of market research services, we deliver strategic insights and ground-breaking research to unlock business knowledge for all types and scales of enterprises in leading industry sectors globally and in New Zealand and Australia.
Fresh thinking, value-add focus and integrity underpin our relationships with all clients, from small-medium businesses through to major corporations and government organisations.
Our research tools produce structured data, and our team provides insights you can act on.
We tailor our proprietary models and methods to your needs. At Key Research, you access top research professionals who understand your industry and are close to the action.
Our team has the knowledge and expertise to provide you with practical insights that allow you to make critical strategic decisions for long-term impact, maximise return on investment and empower your organisation’s performance.
AGED CARE
The Aged Care industry provides residential aged care to older people in their own home or an aged care (nursing) home. The chief industry operators include for-profit business organisations and not-for-profit entities and charities. As populations age, there is also an increasing demand for retirement villages and high-care facilities.
Regulatory requirements for care providers include compliance with the national contract for age-related residential care and national standard of services for residents. Residential facilities are covered by the Retirement Villages Act and an industry code of practice. Although government regulation can sometimes be perceived as a constraint on business, aged care investors view them as protection that ensures their shares’ value grows.
Critical factors for the industry include:
- Maintaining community confidence in the quality of service delivery
- Defining a brand profile
- Attracting more clients
- Understanding changing market demand
- Meeting regulatory compliance requirements
- Attracting and retaining employees
We help you create and maintain a sustainable business by providing customised research and deep insights into the experiences and services customers want, as well as their purchasing decision thresholds and switching behaviours. Our research projects utilise our proprietary tools and methodologies to supply effective communications to engage with stakeholders and generate a rich mix of qualitative and quantitative data on a range of issues critical to your business. Our expert research team provides high-level analysis to establish trends, competitive strengths and weaknesses, risks and opportunities, plus proposes potential actions and priorities for long-term business stability and viability.
Our customisable tools and services:
- Industry insights
- Market monitor surveys
- Community perception studies
- Employee attitude/perception surveys
- Customer satisfaction surveys
- Brand awareness and performance tracking
- Reputation management
AGRIBUSINESS
The Agribusiness sector involves all commercial business activity directly related to or that provides support services for agricultural production, processing and distribution. We focus on fulfilling our clients’ development needs and empowering them to position themselves strategically in local and global markets. Since 1993, our clientele has grown to cover leading Agri-business industry organisations, representative sector organisations, and publicly and privately held companies.
Our proprietary research tools and methodologies provide cutting-edge insights that enable you to maintain capability and competitiveness and improve your business’s performance, sustainability, and resilience in a competitive world.
We help you solve critical issues using practical and creative research solutions so you can deliver. Undertaking our data-based research projects lets you tap into stakeholder feedback, investigate and monitor vitalmatters, and receive the expert interpretation of results from our specialist researchers.
Our customisable tools and services:
- Performance analysis to benchmark your business/organisation against internal operational metrics and competitors’ businesses.
- Analysis and identification of opportunities for performance improvements, setting strategic priorities and future planning.
- Agri-market surveys with detailed research and market segmentation for product placement.
- Perception studies related to brand performance, or customer satisfaction with products and services.
COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS
The telecommunications sector comprises companies that make international communications possible. Telecommunications infrastructure is the physical medium through which all telephone, mobile and internet traffic flows.
Considered of national and economic significance, the sector is subject to government regulations focused on improving retail service quality and consumer protections. Nevertheless, governments tend to encourage providers with open access to markets and decentralised provision, which results in intense competition for customers.
Transformative and disruptive market challenges related to new technologies (e.g. wireless devices) means the sector is also under pressure to continually evaluate growth performance and revenue against increased demand versus customer churn metrics. Ongoing digital disruption in the industry means attracting new talent and employee retention are strategically important for maintaining business capability.
Connected technologies, renewable energy and growing concerns around climate change highlight the necessity for clear brand communication strategies and community perception management. Likewise, monitoring customer experience and satisfaction around service delivery and perceptions of value are vital for ongoing monitoring of business performance.
We help you create and maintain a sustainable business by providing customised research and deep insights into the experiences and services customers want, as well as their purchasing decision thresholds and switching behaviours. Our research projects utilise our proprietary tools and methodologies to supply effective communications to engage with stakeholders and generate a rich mix of qualitative and quantitative data on a range of issues critical to your business. Our expert research team provides high-level interpretation and data analysis to establish trends, competitive strengths and weaknesses, risks and opportunities, plus proposes potential actions and priorities for long-term business stability and viability.
Our End-user service monitor provides you with actionable insights into improving service delivery and increasing customer uptake of new services.
Other customisable tools and services:
- Industry insights
- Market monitor surveys
- Community perception studies
- Employee attitude/perception surveys
- Customer satisfaction surveys
- Brand awareness and performance tracking
- Reputation management
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
The early childcare sector provides most childcare outside of the home in New Zealand and Australia. Considered an essential factor in improving the economy’s overall productivity through the increased labour participation of parents and caregivers, governments provide license approvals and fee subsidies under regulatory frameworks. Similar to most other sectors, in a post-COVID environment, businesses face a crowded and competitive market. These conditions highlight the strategic importance of continuous monitoring and measurement of community perceptions related to quality delivery for ongoing business viability.
Critical factors for the industry include:
- Maintaining community confidence in the quality of service delivery
- Defining a brand profile
- Attracting more clients
- Understanding changing market demand
- Meeting regulatory compliance requirements
- Attracting and retaining employees
We help you create and maintain a sustainable business by providing customised research and deep insights into the experiences and services customers want, as well as their purchasing decision thresholds and switching behaviours. Our research projects utilise our proprietary tools and methodologies to supply effective communications to engage with stakeholders and generate a rich mix of qualitative and quantitative data on a range of issues critical to your business. Our expert research team provides high-level analysis to establish trends, competitive strengths and weaknesses, risks and opportunities, plus proposes potential actions and priorities for long-term business stability and viability.
Our customisable tools and services:
- Industry insights
- Market monitor surveys
- Community perception studies
- Parent surveys
- Employee attitude/perception surveys
- Customer satisfaction surveys
- Brand awareness and performance tracking
- Reputation management
FINANCE & INVESTMENT BANKING
Financial systems underpin global stability, and nationally, generate economic growth, jobs and productivity. When people and businesses have access to robust banking systems, funds flow for productive uses. Capital markets are also essential as investment funding mechanisms for national infrastructure via public, private partnerships in roading, power generation, education and health facilities and housing.
The latest challenges facing the financial services industry relate to regulatory compliance, digital banking, and the emergence of financial technology (Fintech) disruptors. In this transformative business environment, there is a keen rivalry for customers, cash and markets.
To ensure your company’s long-term future, shifts in thinking are necessary to reach new target audiences and predict emerging consumer behaviour trends. Brand loyalty is no longer a given. Customer retention is inextricably linked to supplying positive customer experiences, increasing automated and personalised services, and improving the ease of access for clients.Employee retention is equally crucial to maintaining agile organisational responses and technological capabilities.
We help you create and maintain a sustainable business by providing customised research and deep insights into the experiences and services customers want, as well as their purchasing decision thresholds and switching behaviours. Our research projects utilise our proprietary tools and methodologies to supply effective communications to engage with stakeholders and generate a rich mix of qualitative and quantitative data on a range of issues critical to your business. Our expert research team provides high-level analysis to establish trends, competitive strengths and weaknesses, risks and opportunities, plus proposes potential actions and priorities for long-term business stability and viability.
Our customisable tools and services:
- Industry insights
- Economic impact assessment
- Advertising effectiveness
- Brand awareness and performance tracking
- Reputation management
- Market monitor surveys
- Customer satisfaction surveys
- Employee attitude/perception surveys
LOCAL & REGIONAL COUNCILS
Local government is an all-inclusive term used to describe city, district, regional or unitary councils in New Zealand and other Western democracies. Within the regulatory context of accountability relationships with central government, local government’s main challenges are to operate with transparency, efficiency and effectiveness, and accountability around democratic decision-making. Their main goals are to deliver workable public policy and constructively communicate with stakeholders and provide value to the community. By achieving these objectives, local government ensures it is closer, more visible and accessible to the people it serves.
Major benefits of close consultation with local communities and businesses are:
- high-quality information about local needs and preferences
- increased local council accountability by local citizens
- maximised public confidence in local government authorities
- improved compliance, reduced implementation costs and less regulation
- agile responses to technological, environmental or social changes
- regulatory innovation and enhanced business and enterprise conditions
We help local government and entities meet regulatory requirements for regular consultation with their communities by providing customised research and deep insights into significant local issues and the experiences and services ratepayers want. Our research projects utilise our proprietary tools and methodologies to supply effective communications to engage with stakeholders and generate a rich mix of qualitative and quantitative data to inform strategic priority setting and decisions. Our expert research team provides high-level support and sound analysis to establish trends, risks and opportunities, plus proposes potential actions and priorities for long-term council planning and decision-making.
Our Council Perceptions Monitor (CPM) taps into real-time community views on significant local issues, council reputation, capacity or capability constraints, service delivery performance and residents’ perceptions of value. Tailored research using statistical modelling to provide timely and relevant data, combined with analysis of qualitative resident feedback, is an invaluable tool for identifying, prioritising and targeting resources for maximum outputs and performance.
Other customisable tools and services:
- Industry insights
- Market monitor surveys
- Community perception studies
- Employee attitude/perception surveys
- Customer satisfaction surveys
- Brand awareness and performance tracking
- Reputation management
PRIMARY INDUSTRIES
Primary producers play a critical role in the New Zealand and Australian economies as a principal source of food and products for domestic consumption and national wealth as export earners.
Against a backdrop of global health crises and environmental challenges, the primary sector provides significant worth to New Zealand and Australia through economic and financial value, job creation, social and community cohesion, and contribution to sustainable land management.
Principal challenges faced by the sector are:
- community perceptions around biosecurity, sustainability, environmental impacts, and social responsibility as crucial issues of interest to consumers domestically and internationally
- attracting and retaining talent in response to changing workforce requirements, limited labour supply, and technological changes such as the growth of automation, robotics, and digital communications
We help you create and maintain a sustainable business by providing customised research and deep insights into the experiences and services customers want, as well as their purchasing decision thresholds and switching behaviours. Our research projects utilise our proprietary tools and methodologies to supply effective communications to engage with stakeholders and generate a rich mix of qualitative and quantitative data on a range of issues critical to your business. Our expert research team provides high-level analysis to establish trends, competitive strengths and weaknesses, risks and opportunities, plus proposes potential actions and priorities for long-term business stability and viability.
Our tools and services:
- Industry insights
- Market monitor surveys
- Community perception studies
- Employee attitude/perception surveys
- Customer satisfaction surveys
- Brand awareness and performance tracking
- Reputation management
UTILITIES
The utilities sector plays a vital role in national economies and covers the production, supply chains, and distribution of electricity, gas, water, sanitation, sewage services, waste disposal, fuel and telecommunications.
Considered as ‘essential services’, regulators require businesses involved in providing these basic amenities to be strongly customer-focused. Competition is intense as consumers are actively encouraged to shop around by government. These factors highlight the importance to all utility businesses of monitoring customer experience and satisfaction around service delivery and perceptions of value.
Transformative and disruptive market challenges mean the sector is also under pressure to change the way it works and how utility businesses organise themselves. The impact of new technologies and increasing digital disruption means utilities need to attract new talent and engage their workforce. Connected technologies, renewable energy and growing concerns around climate change highlight the necessity for clear communication strategies and community perception management.
We help you create and maintain a sustainable business by providing customised research and deep insights into the experiences and services customers want, as well as their purchasing decision thresholds and switching behaviours. Our research projects utilise our proprietary tools and methodologies to supply effective communications to engage with stakeholders and generate a rich mix of qualitative and quantitative data on a range of issues critical to your business. Our expert research team provides high-level analysis to establish trends, competitive strengths and weaknesses, risks and opportunities, plus proposes potential actions and priorities for long-term business stability and viability.
Our tools and services:
- Industry insights
- Market monitor surveys
- Community perception studies
- Employee attitude/perception surveys
- Customer satisfaction surveys
- Price sensitivity surveys
- Brand awareness and performance tracking
- Reputation management
