We live in a highly interconnected world. It is common to have contact and business with people and brands from very different geographies. This has led Market Research agencies to expand the territorial scope of their services. It is no longer enough to carry out projects within the borders of a given country. However, this latter situation entails a number of circumstances that must be kept in mind.
The complexity of delving into data and information from different areas can be covered by having the necessary resources and skills. In this blog post we are going to focus on desktop studies. Generally, these investigations are limited to reviewing secondary literature. However, this does not diminish the difficulties inherent to the subject. Therefore, today we list four challenges when it comes to knowing several territories at the same time.
Concepts. Each country is a world in itself and the matter becomes more complex when third parties such as companies and sectoral organizations are involved. Although one may believe that for the same topic all sources handle the same concept of a given topic, the reality is completely different. It is necessary to find out if the concepts between sources are equivalent or very close to being so before even thinking about doing analysis and comparisons. Otherwise, each database must be observed cautiously. This task becomes more laborious, if possible, when involving different countries.
Language. LATAM is not characterized by considerable language differences between its members. However, there are dialects between some countries that are well worth knowing in order to rule out whether such information exists or not. Spanish is very prone to present these cases and there are many situations where the same phenomenon has different names. The case becomes more complicated if it is necessary to compare sources from countries where very different languages are spoken. In our continent we find Portuguese, English, French, Guaraní, Creole and others.
Temporality. There are many databases that we can consult without much difficulty based on their accessibility and cost. The recommendation at this point is to be very attentive to the moment described by the chosen source. In current issues there is already a widespread practice that aims for different countries to generate statistics at the same times. An example of this is population and housing censuses. However, there are cases where this is not fulfilled and it makes it difficult to compare findings.
Continuity. In each place, concerns and priorities can change. In recent years we have witnessed how certain institutions and topics have been hidden or discontinued; even those that were considered essential and with a long tradition of updating. Some sources can be very useful to us, but it turns out that they are already closed or do not receive maintenance. In part, brands look to Market Research agencies to solve these gaps when public sources neglect a given case.
Although the topics described above may seem insurmountable, the opposite is the case. With proper training and attention to detail, it is possible for market analysts to reconcile the differences between the findings of each country and generate reports with valid contrasting points. Before doing a study that involves several countries, check the feasibility of your project. Also consider that an initial feasibility may change during execution. Stay tuned for this case.
At Acertiva we have more than two decades of experience in carrying out projects between the different sites that make up the American continent. Count on our team of analysts and strategic allies to cover your brand needs. Contact us today so that together we can write your next success story.
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