The market research industry in Italy

The market research industry in Italy has grown dramatically over the past decade, catching up with the relative dimensions of its European counterparts. The objective of this article by Pamela Adams and Jacqueline Pels is to analyse the changes that have occurred in the Italian industry and to put them into a more international perspective. This analysis of the Italian market research industry is based on the results of a survey that was conducted in 1990-1991. The sample consists of 82 companies that completed an in-depth questionnaire. The results obtained from this survey are compared in this article to those of the ESOMAR study conducted in 1988 on the European research market and the level of client satisfaction. p]The central part of the paper analyses why the market research industry developed much later in Italy than in most other European countries. This late development is also reflected in the structure of the industry in which three strategic groups may be identified: the early entries (large companies representing 50% total market) that draw on an historical client base and image; the client centered companies and the focalized companies (specific sector or specific technology). Most of the companies in these latter two groups entered the industry in the boom of the late 1980s. Finally, this lag in development of the industry is used to explain why the internationalization of the Italian industry is also occurring at a much slower pace than in other European countries.