Market Research Consulting Services in the UK

United Kingdom Market Research Consultants

The UK is a powerhouse of innovation, global brands, and consumer-first thinking, so it’s no surprise that its market research scene is equally vibrant. From the cobbled lanes of Edinburgh to the creative corridors of London, British consultancies are helping companies big and small rethink how they listen, learn, and launch. The professionals we’re spotlighting in this post are more than just researchers, they’re behavioral experts, tech-enabled visionaries, and community-centric collaborators who shape how industries think.

At Digital Reference, we’re constantly looking for professionals who break the mold and champion innovation within their industries. Our video resume and professional reference tools help candidates show up authentically, and we apply that same standard of transparency to how we spotlight industry leaders.

This list of UK-based market research consultants is the result of detailed analysis, portfolio review, and background research using company websites, client testimonials, LinkedIn profiles, and a careful eye for originality. We focused on founders and CEOs whose work goes beyond trend-chasing to truly influence how insights are gathered and activated.

➡️ Looking for consultants in North America too? Check out our spotlight on the Top Market Research Services in the U.S.

➡️ Curious how qualitative and quantitative experts differ? We've unpacked it in our Guide to Hiring Market Research Consultants.

Let’s Meet the Standout Minds Behind the UK’s Most Innovative Market Research Consultancies

MRFGR

🌐 Website

MRFGR is a UK-based full-service market research agency with over a decade of experience delivering top-tier insights to clients around the world. From focus groups and depth interviews to specialist panels and usability testing, their offerings are flexible, tech-forward, and globally scalable. Whether supporting a boutique agency or a multinational corporation, MRFGR brings precision and care to every project.

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• 🔹 Specialists in qualitative and online research, including bulletin boards, custom panels, and usability studies
• 🔹Trusted by clients from startups to global enterprises across a wide range of industries
• 🔹 Offers international reach, conducting fieldwork in markets like the US, Canada, South Africa, and Australia

Meet the founder of MRFGR, Rachael Essex

With over 15 years in the industry, Rachael Essex brings both strategic vision and hands-on expertise to her role as Director of MRFGR. She specializes in global and remote methodologies, and is known for her collaborative, client-first approach.

• 🔹 A seasoned expert in remote and global research methods across industries and geographies
• 🔹 Leads a responsive, people-focused team dedicated to high-quality and cost-effective insight delivery
• 🔹 Combines technical research know-how with a genuine passion for helping clients grow through data-driven decision-making

Mustard

🌐 Website

Based in Manchester and proudly operating with “real world” perspective, Mustard is a full-service research agency that blends methodologies, storytelling, and tech to deliver strategic insight with genuine impact. Whether it’s launching a new product or reshaping a customer journey, Mustard helps brands make bold decisions backed by smart research.

• 🔹 Specialists in CX, brand, and product research across B2C and B2B sectors
• 🔹 Known for their integrated in-house team ranging from storytellers and designers to analytics pros
• 🔹 A go-to research partner for industries including financial services, travel, higher ed, and construction

Meet the founder of Mustard, Colin Auton

Colin Auton brings more than 30 years of research experience on both the client and agency side to his leadership at Mustard. With a background that includes time at the Bank of Scotland and advanced degrees in both marketing and science, Colin blends technical skill with business fluency. He’s especially well-versed in branding, customer experience, and proposition development across financial services, professional services, and the built environment.

• 🔹 Deep experience across qual and quant research, with strategic acumen to match
• 🔹 A trusted advisor on branding, customer retention, and acquisition strategies
• 🔹 Brings a rare mix of scientific thinking, commercial empathy, and client-side perspective

Acumen Fieldwork

🌐 Website

A cornerstone of the Fuller Research Group, Acumen Fieldwork is a field agency built on precision, transparency, and deep methodological range. From qualitative to quantitative to healthcare-specific research, Acumen offers bespoke, high-quality fieldwork solutions across the UK and beyond. Backed by rigorous standards and a reputation for tireless execution, Acumen is a go-to partner for agencies needing fieldwork that’s smooth, smart, and on-budget.

• 🔹 Specialists in qualitative, quantitative, and healthcare fieldwork
• 🔹 Known for recruiting hard-to-reach and niche audiences with care and accuracy
• 🔹 Accredited by MRS, AQR, IQCS, and Fair Data, with a database of over 30,000 participants

Meet the founder of Acumen Fieldwork, Julie Fuller

Julie Fuller is the powerhouse behind the Fuller Research Group, which includes Acumen Fieldwork, Research Opinions, and Aspect Viewing Facilities. Since founding Acumen in 2005, Julie has been a driving force for smarter, more communicative client relationships in market research fieldwork. With deep operational expertise and a clear-eyed focus on quality, she’s helped redefine what dependable field support looks like in the UK and abroad.

• 🔹 Leads a group of companies that span recruitment, fieldwork, and viewing facilities
• 🔹 Champion of transparency, client service, and bespoke field solutions
• 🔹 Built Acumen into a trusted name for high-stakes, high-spec research logistics

Gusto Research

🌐 Website

Founded in 2005, Gusto Research is a client-focused, independent full-service agency that thrives on delivering high-impact research with clear commercial outcomes. Their experienced team works hands-on with clients across sectors including banking, insurance, manufacturing, and retail. Gusto’s ethos centers on straightforward, solution-driven insight that helps brands solve business challenges and unlock consumer behavior.

• 🔹 Specialists in product development, customer satisfaction, and branding research
• 🔹 Known for end-to-end client support that goes beyond expectations
• 🔹 Senior team members actively lead projects, offering deep multi-sector experience

Meet the founder of Gusto Research, Ian Rowlands

Ian Rowlands brings decades of qualitative and quantitative research expertise, combining commercial insight with practical experience from both agency and client perspectives. Under his leadership, Gusto has built a reputation for delivering clear, actionable insights that drive business impact.

• 🔹 Over 20 years of experience across branding, customer experience, and proposition testing
• 🔹 Skilled in both qualitative and quantitative methods with a commercial mindset
• 🔹 Known for fostering long-term client partnerships grounded in trust and results

Blue Yonder Research

🌐 Website

Blue Yonder is a specialist R&D and innovation insight agency with more than 20 years of experience helping FMCG brands ignite, develop, and deliver winning products globally. Known for its deep expertise in innovation research, Blue Yonder supports the entire R&D process. The company’s commitment to innovation is reflected in its annual investment into research technology and new methodologies.

• 🔹 Experts in R&D insight, agile product testing, and shopper research
• 🔹 Owner of Sense:lab, a cutting-edge UK product testing and viewing facility
• 🔹 Renowned for investing heavily in innovation and research technology

Meet the founder of Blue Yonder, Jonathan Million

Jonathan’s journey from humble beginnings to leading Blue Yonder is a testament to his entrepreneurial spirit and client-focused mindset. He drives Blue Yonder’s innovation efforts, ensuring the team embraces experimentation and growth. His leadership fuels the agency’s reputation for delivering creative solutions that keep clients ahead in competitive markets.

• 🔹 Leads Blue Yonder’s innovation division, investing 25% of profits into R&D
• 🔹 Advocates a growth mindset encouraging experimentation and learning from failure
• 🔹 Passionate about serving clients with tailored, cutting-edge insight solutions

Zest Fieldwork

🌐 Website

Zest Fieldwork is a UK-based agency renowned for delivering seamless, top-tier qualitative and quantitative fieldwork services. With over 20 years of experience, Zest prides itself on putting the customer’s voice at the heart of every project. Whether managing traditional focus groups, product testing, or face-to-face quantitative research, Zest brings energy, precision, and dedication to every client partnership.

• 🔹 Specialists in qualitative fieldwork, digital communities, and face-to-face quantitative research
• 🔹 Committed to delivering rigorous, well-run projects that empower insightful decision-making
• 🔹 Known for a friendly, supportive team culture that thrives on client collaboration

Meet the founder of Zest Fieldwork, Stuart Walters

Born into a market research family, Stuart Walters has over 15 years of experience and a deep passion for flawless fieldwork. Often called a fountain of field knowledge, Stuart leads Zest with a steady, unflappable approach. His expertise spans consumer fieldwork, project management, and product development research, all driven by a commitment to connecting brands with their customers authentically.

• 🔹 Over 15 years specializing in consumer fieldwork and project management
• 🔹 Known for his calm, dynamic leadership style
• 🔹 Deep belief in putting customer voices at the center of product and service development

FlexMR

🌐 Website

FlexMR is a pioneering insights empowerment company that blends technology and service to transform how brands access and use market research. With over a decade of innovation in online qual and quant research, FlexMR’s flagship platform, InsightHub, allows clients to build research-ready participant databases and leverage powerful analytics.

• 🔹 Innovators in online hybrid qual-quant research with a SaaS-style platform
• 🔹 Trusted by global brands across diverse industries, delivering transformative insights
• 🔹 Focused on building long-term partnerships to create a culture of informed decision-making

Meet the founder of FlexMR, Paul Hudson

Paul Hudson is a passionate business leader and market research innovator who founded FlexMR to revolutionize how research is delivered and consumed. With a background in business management and entrepreneurship, Paul leverages deep insight into client needs and tech-driven solutions to empower brands with agile, accessible research tools.

• 🔹 Over a decade leading FlexMR’s development of agile, client-focused research technology
• 🔹 Combines entrepreneurial savvy with a commitment to customer-centric insight
• 🔹 Founded FlexMR to deliver a self-serve, modular research platform supporting fast, informed decisions

Roots Research

🌐 Website

Roots Research is a dedicated UK-based recruitment agency delivering tailored market research solutions with a focus on quality participants and seamless project execution. Since 2008, Roots has grown into a trusted partner for over 250 clients, including full-service research agencies and digital marketers across the UK, Europe, and the US. Their comprehensive service offering spans qualitative and quantitative recruitment, healthcare fieldwork, in-depth interviewing, transcription, and data analysis, supported by a strategic partnership with the online research community Take Part In Research.

• 🔹 Specialists in recruitment for qualitative, quantitative, and healthcare market research
• 🔹 Known for innovative problem-solving and consistently high participant attendance rates
• 🔹 Operates own research facility, Roots Rooms, ensuring top-quality project delivery

Meet the founder of Roots Research, Chris Linger

With over 18 years of market research experience, Chris Linger leads Roots Research with a clear vision of client-centric, innovative recruitment solutions. Under his leadership, the company has expanded its team and capabilities, maintaining strong client relationships and delivering dependable, high-quality recruitment services. Chris is passionate about helping clients achieve meaningful insights through well-executed, tailored research strategies.

• 🔹 Leads a team of over 30 specialists delivering bespoke research recruitment and support
• 🔹 Known for strategic innovation and a commitment to client satisfaction
• 🔹 Built Roots Research into a trusted partner for diverse research sectors and international projects

incling

🌐 Website

Founded in 2013, incling is a remote-first company specializing in bespoke online qualitative communities and digital qualitative research tools. With over 230,000 in-depth online conversations conducted in 20+ languages, incling offers a flexible platform ranging from DIY hire to full-service online communities and consultancy. Their proprietary software is designed to deliver engaging, user-friendly experiences for participants and actionable insights for researchers, supporting clients globally across a variety of industries.

• 🔹 Pioneers in remote, multilingual online qualitative communities and research technology
• 🔹 Offers a scalable, flexible platform tailored for both agencies and brands
• 🔹 Operates fully remotely, embodying the digital-first solution they provide

Meet the co-founders of incling, Juliet Pascall & Chris Calitz

Juliet Pascall, with a background in psychology and market research, co-founded incling to build a company that lives the solution it sells with the goal of providing remote, engaging, and technology-driven qualitative research. Co-founder Chris Calitz brings a technical background in web development and search marketing, driven by a passion for entrepreneurship and using technology to solve real-world problems. Together, they lead incling’s vision to empower research teams with modern, flexible, and engaging qualitative tools.

• 🔹 Juliet: Leads incling with a focus on psychology-driven, participant-friendly research tools
• 🔹 Chris: Technical expert focused on web development and digital innovation for market research
• 🔹 Combined leadership fostering a remote-first culture and cutting-edge online qualitative solutions

Bryter

🌐 Website

Bryter is an award-winning global insights consultancy that partners with some of the world’s leading healthcare, technology, telecommunications, and gaming brands. They combine innovative qualitative and quantitative research techniques with advanced analytics and behavioral science to uncover deep human insights. Bryter’s approach emphasizes efficiency and speed without sacrificing quality, leveraging cutting-edge digital tools and cross-disciplinary expertise to help clients navigate complex global markets.

• 🔹 Experts in quantitative modeling, qualitative narratives, and behavioral science insights
• 🔹 Utilize advanced digital and analytics tools to accelerate research and deepen understanding
• 🔹 Deliver global insights with research conducted in over 50 countries across five continents

Meet the founder of Bryter, Sebastian Martin

Sebastian Martin is the UK Managing Director and Founder of Bryter and has led the consultancy to work with top global brands. His experience spans healthcare, tech, telecoms, and gaming sectors. Sebastian’s leadership is defined by a commitment to innovation, combining qualitative and quantitative research with advanced analytics to deliver actionable insights.

• 🔹 Nearly 15 years of leadership at Bryter, driving global market research and insight innovation
• 🔹 Deep experience in healthcare, technology, telecommunications, and gaming markets
• 🔹 Background includes independent consulting and senior research roles prior to founding Bryter

The Power of Market Research In Driving UK Innovation

The UK is home to some of the sharpest minds and most trusted voices in market research. These professionals aren’t just running firms, they’re helping reshape how industries listen to people. From immersive tech to digital ethnography to recruitment excellence, their approaches reflect the complexity and creativity of today’s market landscape.

At Digital Reference, we believe in celebrating those who lead with intention and transparency. That’s why our platform exists to help hiring teams discover the real story behind candidates through video resumes and trusted professional references.

Looking to get involved? Partner with us and unlock more career-related insights.

Whether you’re hiring talent or hiring insight partners, the key is authenticity. And that’s exactly what we’re here to support.

📍Check out our Local Directories of Market Research Consultants by City

Atlanta Market Research Consultants
Fast-growing and culturally rich, Atlanta’s consultants are leading work in multicultural insights and consumer trends.

Boston Market Research Consultants
In a city known for education and innovation, Boston’s consultants bring academic rigor and startup agility to every research challenge.

Chicago Market Research Consultants
Home to some of the country’s biggest brands, Chicago’s research pros are experts in both legacy and emerging markets.

Dallas Market Research Consultants
In a city where business booms, Dallas consultants offer scalable research solutions for enterprises and startups alike.

Houston Market Research Consultants
Energy, healthcare, and diversity drive Houston’s insights scene, and these consultants bring local expertise to global brands.

Los Angeles Market Research Consultants
Hollywood meets human behavior as LA’s consultants blend creativity with strategic research that moves brands forward.

New York Market Research Consultants
From financial services to fast fashion, NYC’s research consultants are at the center of global consumer insights.

Philadelphia Market Research Consultants
In Philly, consultants mix academic rigor with real-world results, helping organizations lead with confidence.

San Francisco Market Research Consultants
In the heart of tech innovation, SF consultants help brands validate products and uncover user needs with precision.

Seattle Market Research Consultants
From sustainability to software, Seattle researchers specialize in innovation-driven industries and user-first strategy.

Washington D.C. Market Research Consultants
With deep experience in public policy, government, and advocacy, DC consultants bridge the gap between data and change.

London Market Research Consultants
With clients across Europe and beyond, London’s research experts are leaders in segmentation, UX, and brand tracking.

Sydney Market Research Consultants
Sydney’s consultants bring a mix of qualitative depth and strategic acumen to some of Australia’s biggest challenges.

Toronto Market Research Consultants
Canada’s business capital, Toronto is home to top-tier consultants specializing in both regional and global insights.