Research

[ Business ]

In addition to conducting bespoke market research for the built environment we have published a range of reports on subjects of importance to building product marketers including communications channels, decision makers and influencers, CPD requirements and product selection. Our popular Personas provide a handy consolidation of this information. See the dedicated section on our Knowledge Hub which contains articles and reports to help you.

Our construction research expertise includes:

  • Industry Reports
  • Omnibus Surveys
  • Customer Satisfaction Measurements
  • Customer Perceptions
  • Brand Recognition and Loyalty
  • Personas and Customer Profiling
  • Market Feedback and Evaluation
  • Pre-launch Feasibility Research for Construction Products
    Benchmarking
  • Mystery Shopper
  • Focus Groups

Why conduct construction research?

The construction industry is responsible for 9% of UK GDP and has a complex Decision Making Unit (DMU), hence representing a marketing challenge, and as the government encourages initiatives such as sustainability and BIM the dynamics are set to change.
For the construction sales and marketing professional this poses challenges:

  • Which are the best methods for communicating with Architects and Engineers?
  • Will Architects and Engineers specify my products and if so, how?
  • What is the influence of BIM on product specification?

 

  • How great is the impact of sustainability on product specification?
  • How do my building products rate against my competitors?
  • What do my customers truly think?

At Competitive Advantage we work through a check-list to determine the quota and size of sample. We balance this against the practical aspects to propose a sample size which is both representative, practical and affordable. We will then use Barbour ABI, an expert provider of construction market insights and intelligence, to identify respondents currently involved in relevant projects.

Competitive Advantage follow’s the procedures set out by the Information Commissioner’s Office to meet the General Data Protection Regulation and will delete from our records all contact data provided by you, 6 weeks after project completion. We conduct market research to meet the relevant requirements of international market research standard ISO 20252:2006. This defines processes which ensure best practice in the conducting and reporting of market research.

We also work with associate research companies in a number of other countries (who are also construction research specialists). This gives us the capability to conduct international projects.

And if your research identifies a training requirement, or a need for strategy development we have the expertise to work with you on this.

 

The benefits of working with us on construction market research

Competitive Advantage has been conducting construction market research since 2000. Our commercial experience of the construction industry means that as well as reporting market research findings, we interpret these effectively and make sound business recommendations.

We use a range of research methods, recommending the best option or combination to suit your project’s requirements, including focus groups, in-depth interviews, telephone interviews and online surveys.

Our in-house research team are experienced at interviewing construction industry decision makers: architects, engineers, project managers, estimators, large & small contractors, sub-contractors, distributors, wholesalers and merchants. We conduct independent validation of 5% of telephone interviews in line with the Interviewer Quality Control Scheme to ensure the accuracy of recorded responses.

What our customers say

Discover the satisfaction of our clients through
glowing reviews that speak to the excellence of our services.

"The team got a lot out of the training and the market understanding has significantly increased. This was one of the best trainings for specific markets that I have ever attended!"
Commercial LeaderAllegion
"The course was first class. I can share with you that one of our sales reps has used a new strategy learned from the course, resulting in the success of arranging a CPD with a major architect practice that we have not been able to get into before!"
"I found Chris really knowledgeable and he gave good examples from his personal experiences. The training provided very useful tools to help me improve and help improve my internal support. Makes me think more about what I can do and how to use my time more effectively."
Director of SalesGlazing Vision
“The report has been incredibly useful”
Trade Acquisition Marketing ManagerChecktrade
"Refreshing, worthwhile, well presented. Top drawer."
"Very good, very interesting. Lots of good ideas!"
"Loved every minute of it."
"The product management team was very impressed with the findings from the research undertaken, which provided valuable constructive and actionable feedback about how we can improve our product further. We are now working on how to implement these improvements "
Marketing DirectorSchueco UK Ltd
"I attended a Competitive Advantage Consultancy training day yesterday - Chris and Julie are top notch, I would highly recommend to marketing and sales teams at all product manufacturers. The training delivered was invaluable to my work as a PR and marketing consultant in the construction arena"
Marketing ConsultantBalance Web Marketing
"Julie quickly grasped the intricacies of our business and helped us to take our wealth of information and knowledge and turn it in to a coherent and relevant CPD seminar to support specifiers designing SIP projects. She made it straight forward for the HEMSEC team - liaising directly with them to extract and verify information, handled production of the seminar presentation and the entire process of submission to the CPD approval body on our behalf. As a result of Julie’s support, we have been able to launch our first RIBA approved CPD and we have been inundated with requests for its delivery. I would recommend Competitive Advantage Consultancy Limited to any construction product manufacturer looking to produce a CPD seminar"
Product ManagerHEMSEC
“Everyone thought it was such a worthwhile day and I’m very sure it will hugely benefit us going forward.”
Key Client ManagerThe Millboard Company Ltd
“We’ve had some fantastic feedback from the team, they all found the training invaluable and have praised the delivery.”
Marketing ManagerCatnic
“Thank you for very professional, accommodating and timely response throughout the project. You knew exactly what we were after and made it very straight forward. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend you to anyone.”
Regional Business Development ManagerBuilding Envelope, Tata Steel
“Thank you again for the research report and analysis. It is really ‘hot stuff’. I feel we can make hay with this for a couple of years! It has revealed more than I ever expected. Some of the statistics are absolutely compelling.”
Marketing DirectorCertsure LLP
Competitive Advantage were very responsive and good to work with.”
Marketing ManagerManthorpe Building Products
"Competitive Advantage were very professional and proactive. Their extensive sector experience helped us to refine our brief and gave us an actionable report. Overall we are highly satisfied with the research they carried out.”
General ManagerFermacell UK
“I just wanted to email and say thank you for the seminar. Having only worked in the B2B environment for 4 months, I found it very useful”
Marketing ManagerFibreGrid
“Your breakdown of the basic process for specification sales was brilliantly clear. I’ve been involved with sales in the construction industry for 15 years so 99% of what you presented simply served to validate and reinforce my understanding of specification sales however the other 1% served to spark some interesting thoughts for my train journey home about how I should be look at and developing our strategic sales plan in a quantifiable way – brilliant”
Technical & Sales ManagerOscar Acousti
“Competitive Advantage produced a report that was very well laid out and self-explanatory, covering the whole subject we were interested in. It was useful to have someone who could do bespoke analysis which can’t usually be found with general market analysis companies.”
Marketing ManagerFixfast
“I must say your presentation yesterday was fantastic and can take away many useful pointers to assist me and the TigerTurf team.”
Sales ExecutiveTigerTurf UK Ltd
“Just a quick email to acknowledge the great report you did for us recently. Makes for interesting reading (!!) and we have learnt a lot from it.”
Sales & Marketing DirectorCatnic (Tata Steel UK Ltd)
“We were very satisfied with the level of assistance, guidance and professionalism we received from Chris Ashworth. The experience within the construction environment that Chris has, enabled him to grasp what we were trying to achieve and how it should be produced.”
Technical Development ManagerKnauf
“The quality of the work and the depth of understanding was impressive and much appreciated.”
Marketing Manager TradeCrown Paints Ltd
“The quality of the work and the depth of understanding was impressive and much appreciated.”
Marketing Manager TradeCrown Paints Ltd
“I feel that Chris has an excellent understanding of the construction industry in general and the specification selling process in particular”
Managing DirectorSchluter-Systems Ltd
“A very comprehensive and, as always from you, accurate report. Your active role has been so important to us in many ways.”
Rob Roy IndustriesUSA
“What a terrific and successful event. Our expectations were high and they were actually exceeded.”
Hodges SouthwestUSA
“Working with Chris was a real pleasure. With Chris I was able to develop the Specification Sales Team at Prysmian Cables.”
Business Development ManagerPrysmian Cables & Systems Ltd
"The most in-depth research report held within the Rockfon Group."
Marketing Manager
"Excellent report. Well laid out and comprehensive."
Marketing ManagerPromat UK
"A very comprehensive and, as always from you, accurate report. Your active role has been so important to us in many ways….Having you as part of the team has been enjoyable and highly productive."
Rob Roy IndustriesUSA
Chris is a true expert in marketing, and has an innate understanding of both specifiers and the wider construction supply chain. He delivers concise, relevant information in an easily accessible way, and can be relied upon to provide food for thought at any presentation he gives. I have no hesitation in recommending him as a potential supplier.
Association Chief ExecutiveBPCA
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