Best Customer Research Consulting Services in the USA

United States Customer Research Consultants

In the United States’ hyper-competitive, insight-hungry market, understanding your customers isn’t just a nice-to-have, it's a business imperative. That’s where outsourced, fractional, and virtual customer research experts make a measurable difference. These partners go far beyond basic surveys, applying sharp research frameworks, behavioral data, and real-world testing to help companies truly listen to and learn from their audiences.

This guide highlights trusted U.S.-based customer research consulting firms who bring results. We’re spotlighting agencies that blend clarity, strategy, and execution and who back it all up with public proof points, verifiable case studies, and strong reputations across industries.

Looking for more performance-driven resources? Make sure to check out our spotlight on marketing professionals and our special feature on market research professionals in the USA. 

🔦 Methodology: How We Chose These USA-based Customer Research Consulting Services

 ✅ Research-driven: We only include firms with clear, published outcomes, documented frameworks, and a commitment to data-based decision making.
✅ Client-reviewed: Every company listed here has real, verifiable feedback or case-based evidence of impact,  not just marketing jargon.
✅ Location-based: All founders and teams are based in the United States and work closely with U.S. businesses across sectors.

Let’s meet the customer-research firms shaping insights across the U.S.

Stitch Marketing Research

🔗 Website: https://stitchmarketingresearch.com

• 📊 What they do: Stitch Marketing Research delivers human-centered marketing intelligence through original research, focusing on how people think, feel, and make decisions.
• 🏢 Who they work with: National brands, growth-stage companies, and category leaders across consumer goods, finance, tech, and lifestyle sectors.
• 📂 Operating model: Custom engagements built around real business challenges, using a discovery-first approach that blends quantitative analysis with qualitative depth.

💡 Why they stand out:

• Humans are the method: Every project is designed to uncover the emotional and cognitive drivers behind real-world behavior.
  
• No fluff, just focus: The Stitch team owns client challenges end-to-end, combining strategic rigor with clear recommendations.
  
• Strategic insight, not just data: Clients don’t get reports, they get perspective, shaped by cross-industry experience and fearless thinking.
  

Nate Heckman, Founder, Stitch Marketing Research

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nateheckman/

Nate Heckman is a marketing strategist and social scientist who believes the best research starts with real people, not just data points. Before founding Stitch, he led market intelligence for global brands and consulted for companies like Starbucks, Disney, and Wells Fargo. Known for his objectivity and competitive edge, Nate brings fearless clarity and deep human insight to every engagement.

Karchner Marketing Research

🔗 Website: https://www.kmrresearchstudio.com

• 🧩 What they do: What they do: Karchner Marketing Research delivers custom qualitative and quantitative insights, uncovering the beliefs, perceptions, and behaviors that drive decision-making.
• 👨‍🎓 Who they work with: Fortune 100 and 500 companies, healthcare leaders, advertising firms, and research agencies across 86+ industries.
• 📂 Operating model: A boutique-style, full-service practice offering in-person, virtual, and hybrid methodologies, always custom-designed in collaboration with the client.

💡 Why they stand out:

• Designed for depth: Every study is built to surface “ah-ha” moments through precise, expert-level moderation and strategic questioning.
  
• Healthcare fluency, human focus: From biotech to insurance, KMR’s experience spans over 110 therapeutic areas with people always at the center.
  
• Boutique feel, global reach: Clients get white-glove service with the flexibility, rigor, and capability of a large strategic partner.
  

Helen Karchner, Co-Founder, Karchner Marketing Research

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenkarchner/

Helen Karchner is a seasoned moderator and communications strategist with over two decades of experience leading custom research for major brands. As co-founder of KMR, she brings a sharp eye for methodology design and a client-first mindset to every project. RIVA-trained and hands-on, Helen is known for turning research into revelation, and delivering depth, clarity, and lasting impact.

The Bantam Group

🔗 Website: https://thebantamgroup.com

• 🔢 What they do: The Bantam Group blends research and storytelling to drive brand, communications, and product strategy, and turns customer insights into creative action.
• 💼 Who they work with: Cross-industry clients spanning finance, healthcare, CPG, tech, education, and entertainment from nonprofits to national brands.
• 📂 Operating model: Custom qualitative and quantitative engagements led by strategic consultants who dig deep, challenge assumptions, and tell the customer’s story with clarity.

💡 Why they stand out:

• Insight with a backbone: Bantam doesn’t sugarcoat their opinions, clients get honest, story-driven insights that inspire meaningful change.
  
• Creative meets analytical: Equal parts left- and right-brain, their work combines data expertise with big-picture brand thinking.
  
• Built for action: Bantam goes beyond reporting, helping clients translate insights into decisions, strategy, and movement.
  

Troy Nottingham, Founder, The Bantam Group

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/troy-nottingham-b8863b4/

Troy Nottingham founded The Bantam Group to bridge the gap between insight and impact. With a background in brand strategy and agency work, he built Bantam to be a research partner that thinks creatively, speaks truthfully, and always advocates for the customer. For over 25 years, he’s led clients toward clarity by delivering insights that don’t just inform but inspire change.

Ready to Launch Research

🔗 Website: https://www.readytolaunchresearch.com

• 🚀 What they do: Ready to Launch Research specializes in agile digital and in-person qualitative research, uncovering deep consumer insights through ethnography, focus groups, IDIs, and online communities.
• 🛍️ Who they work with: Clients across diverse industries including CPG, beauty, pharma, cannabis, tech, automotive, non-profits, and healthcare.
• 📂 Operating model: Boutique consultancy delivering fast-turnaround, customized qualitative research using hybrid methods tailored to answer pressing business questions.

💡 Why they stand out:

• Early adopters of online qualitative research: Skilled in moderating online focus groups, communities, and discussion boards.
  
• Strong expertise in ethnography and patient/physician interviews: Demonstrate dedicated adherence to HIPAA and confidentiality standards.
  
• Combines social science rigor with agile processes: Provides actionable insights that resonate with both consumers and businesses.
  

Jenny Karubian, Founder, Ready to Launch Research

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennykarubian/

Jenny Karubian is the CEO and Principal Researcher of Ready to Launch Research, leading a Los Angeles-based boutique agency known for innovative qualitative research. With a background in medical anthropology, she specializes in ethnography, online community management, and agile research methodologies. Jenny is recognized for her depth of expertise across numerous industries, including healthcare, consumer goods, and technology.

PlanBeyond

🔗 Website: https://planbeyond.com

• 📚 What they do: PlanBeyond delivers custom market research to support brand strategy, product development, customer segmentation, and go-to-market planning.
• 💼 Who they work with: Startups, legacy brands, non-profits, and NGOs across industries ranging from seafood to software and utilities to consumer goods.
• 📂 Operating model: Full-service research consultancy offering collaborative, data-centric engagements designed to evolve with clients’ needs over time.

💡 Why they stand out:

• Strategic continuity: PlanBeyond builds long-term partnerships, leveraging insights across initiatives to inform ongoing growth strategies.
• Cross-sector fluency: Their adaptable approach allows them to bring relevant insight to nearly any category, market, or business model.
• Education-driven process: Clients don’t just get results, they gain clarity and understanding throughout every phase of the research journey.
  

Laura Troyani, Founder, PlanBeyond

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauratroyani/

Laura Troyani is the founder of PlanBeyond and a seasoned market research strategist with over 15 years of experience helping organizations translate data into business direction. She specializes in customer segmentation, GTM research, and brand positioning for both B2B and B2C companies. Known for her tailored, insight-led approach, Laura empowers organizations of all sizes to make smarter, more confident decisions.

Research Biz

🔗 Website: https://researchbiz.biz

• 📊 What they do: Research Biz provides high-impact market research, brand messaging, and knowledge management solutions, delivering professional-grade insights without big-agency costs.
• 🏢 Who they work with: A focused roster of for-profit corporations, non-profits, law firms, and trade associations across sectors like finance, healthcare, tech, and legal.
• 📂 Operating model: A boutique consultancy offering quantitative surveys, virtual qual, messaging strategy, and expert witness services 

💡 Why they stand out:

• 30+ years of hands-on expertise: Experience across qualitative, quantitative, and litigation-driven research.
  
• Focused client engagement: No more than a dozen clients per year, ensuring white-glove attention and consistency.
  
• Big insight, small price tag: High-caliber work at roughly half the cost of large firms without sacrificing rigor or reliability.

Gregory Kohs, Founder, Research Biz

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thekohser/

Gregory Kohs is the founder of Research Biz and a veteran market researcher with more than three decades of experience in branding, product strategy, and advertising research. His work spans quant and qual methods, expert witness consulting, and the creation of the Phrase Database, a searchable repository of marketing language. Known for his precision, objectivity, and passion for uncovering what truly drives decision-making, Gregory brings clarity and strategic insight to every engagement.

Insights in Marketing, LLC.

🔗 Website: https://insightsinmarketing.com

• 📈 What they do: Insights in Marketing delivers empathetic, high-impact qualitative and quantitative research designed to elevate brand connection and business performance.
• 💼 Who they work with: Fortune 500s, emerging brands, and growth-focused organizations across consumer goods, retail, healthcare, and more.
• 📂 Operating model: Full-service consultancy offering end-to-end research and IIM-branded solutions

💡 Why they stand out:

• People-first research: Deep empathy and consumer understanding are embedded in every project.
• Insight and innovation: Combines rigorous research with dynamic thinking to shape smarter brand and product decisions.
• Built for impact: Designed to spark not just insights, but outcomes that move businesses forward.
  

Ron Raskin, CEO & Owner, Insights in Marketing

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ron-raskin-a922084/

Ron Raskin is the CEO of Insights In Marketing, where he has led a team of consumer insights experts for over 29 years. Known for his dynamic and engaging style, Ron excels at uncovering deep, honest brand insights across industries like food and beverage, retail, travel, financial services, and beauty. Ron is also a recognized speaker at industry conferences and is involved in a wide range of research methodologies from ethnographies to digital studies.

Clearworks

🔗 Website: https://clearworks.net

• 🎨 What they do: Clearworks is an insights, innovation, and customer-experience firm helping organizations create products, services, and experiences rooted in real customer needs.
• 🏢 Who they work with: From startups to Fortune 100 companies across SaaS, fintech, CPG, healthcare, telecom, higher ed, and more.
• 📂 Operating model: Cross-functional workshops, strategic facilitation, and human-centered research led by a team of product, innovation, and CX experts.

💡 Why they stand out:

• Human-centered at the core: Every engagement starts by exploring customer aspirations, pain points, and perceptions.
  
• Built for strategic impact: Known for energizing cross-functional teams to align around insights and act with clarity.
  
• Diverse industry fluency: Whether it's toilet tissue or enterprise software, Clearworks brings fresh thinking across every touchpoint.

Noel Adams, Founder, Clearworks

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noeladamsclearworks/

Noel Adams is the founder and CEO of Clearworks, where she leads a team of strategists and researchers dedicated to helping companies launch products and experiences that matter. With a background in product development and innovation, Noel built Clearworks around the principles of human-centered design. She’s a passionate advocate for customer-obsessed thinking and has taught on the topic at both Stanford and the University of Michigan.

Drive Research

🔗 Website: https://www.driveresearch.com

• 📊 What they do: Drive Research is a full-service market research firm specializing in custom qualitative and quantitative studies that turn data into actionable strategy.
• 🏥 Who they work with: Startups, nonprofits, and Fortune 500 companies across industries including healthcare, tech, financial services, and consumer goods
• 📂 Operating model: High-touch, custom research engagements, from VoC and CX studies to brand tracking, UX, and PR surveys

💡 Why they stand out:

• Deep specialization in Voice of Customer (VoC) and Customer Experience (CX): Helping brands listen and respond in real time.
  
• Scalable methods: From intercepts to advanced analytics, Drive tailors every project to the client’s audience, goals, and budget.
  
• Content-forward mindset: A trusted thought leader with a robust library of research tips, insights, and best practices shared regularly.
  

George Kuhn, Founder, Drive Research

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gwkuhn3/

George Kuhn is the Founder and President of Drive Research, bringing over 20 years of hands-on experience in designing and executing research that drives strategy. A certified Voice of Customer expert, George leads a passionate team focused on helping clients uncover the “what, so what, and now what” behind their data. Known for his practical insights and transparent approach, he’s also a prolific industry writer and moderator dedicated to making research more accessible and actionable.

Bixa

🔗 Website: https://bixaresearch.com

• 📈 What they do: Bixa is a research studio that blends qualitative and quantitative methods to uncover deep customer insights.
• 💼 Who they work with: Trusted by 100+ brands including Google, Capital One, IBM, Ogilvy, and health and retail organizations across DTC, B2B, and agency sectors.
• 📂 Operating model: Boutique-style, high-impact engagements combining research, brand tracking, UX, trend analysis, and corporate training.

💡 Why they stand out:

• Insight to action: Bixa doesn’t stop at data, they deliver clarity, strategy, and speed to market.
  
• Multi-industry fluency: From healthcare to finance to Gen Z marketing, their work spans sectors and generations.
  
• Bold thinking, expert-led: Known for powerful storytelling, future-focused keynotes, and award-winning training.

Sarah Weise, Founder, Bixa

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahweise/

Sarah Weise is the founder of Bixa Research, a bestselling author, and a globally recognized authority on audience behavior and generational strategy. With deep experience guiding brands like Google, Citi, and Eko Health, she helps organizations transform customer insights into confident decisions. A prolific speaker and LinkedIn Learning instructor, Sarah is especially known for her thought leadership in Gen Z marketing and healthcare innovation.

Final Thoughts & The Future of Customer Research

If you’re serious about letting customers shape your decisions, not just your personas, these consultancies offer proven frameworks that transform raw opinion into strategic insight. No fluff. No bloated decks. Just clear, honest feedback from the people who matter most.

Whether you're launching a product, repositioning a brand, or refining your GTM strategy, partnering with the right research team can mean the difference between noise and traction.

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