Syndicated vs Custom Market Research: Which Is Right for Construction Manufacturers?

Syndicated market research is the right choice when existing evidence already covers your market, audience and business question. Custom research is better when the decision requires company-specific evidence that existing studies cannot provide. And when syndicated research provides a useful baseline but leaves an important question unanswered, combining the two can be the most effective approach.

For construction manufacturers, the important question therefore isn’t simply “Should we buy a report or commission research?”

It is:

What evidence do we actually need to make this decision?

That distinction matters when entering a new country, launching a product, choosing a target customer group or reviewing a route to market. Relevant evidence may already exist. Equally, an apparently relevant market study may not address the specific uncertainty preventing a commercial decision.

Start with the business decision, not the research method

Before choosing a research approach, define what the organisation needs to decide.

For example:

• Which country should we prioritise?
• Which customer segment should we target?
• Should we introduce a new product proposition?
• Why are installers not adopting a product?
• What makes a specifier, contractor or installer recommend one solution over another?

These aren’t interchangeable questions.

Market-level trends might help prioritise countries but not explain why installers reject a particular product. Consumer purchasing data can illuminate demand for a home-improvement category, but it cannot directly explain decisions made by professional contractors.

Before looking for research, define three things:

1. The decision: What does the business need to decide or change?
2. The evidence: Which facts, comparisons or explanations would make that decision better informed?
3. The audience and geography: Which people and markets must that evidence represent?

Those answers give you a simple test for existing research: does it answer the right question, for the right audience, in the right market and timeframe?

What is the difference between syndicated and custom market research?

Syndicated research is based on predefined research collected for multiple organisations. Custom research is designed around the specific questions of one organisation. Neither approach is inherently superior. The right choice depends on the decision that needs to be supported.

A useful way to think about the choice is:

The mistake is buying more research simply because more data appears useful.

The objective is to have enough relevant evidence to make the decision.

When does syndicated research provide enough evidence?

A syndicated Monitor can be valuable when its scope genuinely matches the decision.

For example, USP’s European Contractor Monitor focuses on contractors and general builders and covers subjects including purchasing channels, sustainability, digitalisation and decision-making. Its methodology uses quantitative telephone interviews with contractors across the UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Poland, excluding companies with fewer than five employees.

That could provide a useful starting point for a manufacturer trying to understand contractor behaviour in those markets.

But inclusion in the Monitor does not mean that every report answers every contractor-related question.

You still need to check:

1. Country coverage: Does it include the required market at the level you need?
2. Respondent audience: Were the people who influence or make the relevant decision interviewed?
3. Latest wave: Is the evidence sufficiently current, and do comparable waves exist if change matters?
4. Question coverage: Does it answer your actual question or simply provide useful context?
5. Methodology: How was the sample constructed, who was recruited and what does the research represent?
6. Comparability: Are definitions and measurements sufficiently consistent for the comparisons you want to make?

The same test applies to consumer research.

USP’s European Home Improvement Monitor covers consumer behaviour across 11 European countries through online interviews, including subjects such as purchasing channels, digitalisation, sustainability, branding and DIY versus do-it-for-me behaviour.

That can help answer questions about consumer behaviour. It isn’t automatically suitable when the actual decision concerns how professional installers select, use or recommend a product.

Research can therefore be relevant without being sufficient.

Why the construction buying chain matters

Construction and installation markets make respondent selection particularly important.

Different groups can influence different parts of the decision:

Architects and specifiers may influence product selection. Contractors consider project and procurement requirements. Installers can judge aspects such as installation and reliability. Wholesalers and distributors can influence availability and recommendation. End users may have different priorities again.

The important point is that these audiences are related, but they aren’t interchangeable.

Consumer brand awareness cannot necessarily tell you why an installer recommends a particular product. Contractor research may not explain why a specifier includes one solution in a project specification.

So start with the commercial decision and work backwards to the people who actually influence it.

If a product is specified but not ultimately purchased, for example, research may need to examine multiple points in the buying chain. If the decision concerns installer adoption specifically, broad consumer research is unlikely to resolve it.

When should a construction manufacturer use custom research?

Custom research becomes necessary when a gap in available evidence could materially affect the business decision.

That gap might concern a particular product, proposition, segment, market or question that existing research wasn’t designed to investigate.

Typical applications include:

• testing how installers respond to a proposed product, service or support package;
• understanding requirements within a particular trade or customer segment;
• identifying barriers to adoption of a new technology or installation method;
• examining differences in brand perceptions between specifiers, contractors and distributors;
• understanding which channel influences purchasing or recommendation within a particular market.

The research method should then follow the question.

Qualitative interviews can explore motivations and explain behaviour. Quantitative research can measure patterns across a defined population. Product or concept testing can assess reactions to a particular proposition.

For professional trade audiences, USP has found that computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) works best when the objective is representative measurement. Verified online research can fit exploratory work, visual testing or research using known customer lists. However, the method itself does not guarantee representativeness. Sample design, recruitment, respondent eligibility and weighting also matter.

In other words, custom research should resolve a specific uncertainty, not simply duplicate evidence that already exists.

Can syndicated and custom research be combined?

Yes. And sometimes that is precisely what the decision requires.

Imagine a manufacturer considering the launch of a new power tool in Germany and the Netherlands.

The commercial team needs to decide:

• whether to launch in both countries;
• which installers to target;
• what support should accompany the product.

Step 1: Establish the existing evidence

Existing syndicated research could provide context about contractor purchasing behaviour in the two markets.

Step 2: Identify what remains unknown

Suppose that evidence cannot tell the manufacturer:

• whether its target installers would actually adopt the new tool;
• what would prevent adoption;
• which support services would affect that decision.

Step 3: Research the gap

Instead of repeating broad market research, a focused custom study can address those specific uncertainties.

The two research components now have distinct jobs:

Syndicated research establishes the market baseline. Custom research resolves the remaining decision-critical questions.

That is a much better reason to combine research methods than simply wanting more data.

How to decide which research approach you need

Use this rule:

Before commissioning either, confirm the deliverables and usage terms. Don’t assume a particular research approach automatically brings lower costs, faster results, raw-data access or particular ownership rights. Those depend on the agreed scope and terms.

Frequently asked questions

What is syndicated market research?

Syndicated market research uses predefined research collected for multiple organisations. It can be appropriate when its market, audience, questions, methodology and timeframe match the business decision you need to make.

What is custom market research?

Custom research is designed around an organisation’s particular questions. It is useful when existing evidence cannot resolve an important uncertainty concerning areas such as a product, proposition, customer group or market.

Is custom research better than syndicated research?

Not inherently. The right method depends on the decision. Existing research may already answer the question adequately, while another decision may require new evidence tailored to a particular business situation.

How do I know whether existing research is sufficient?

Check whether the study covers the relevant countries, respondents, timeframe, questions and methodology. Also consider whether its definitions and measures support the comparisons you intend to make.

Can syndicated research and custom research be used together?

Yes. Existing research can establish a useful market baseline, while custom research addresses a specific question the existing evidence cannot answer. The two should have clearly different and complementary purposes.

Which audience should construction market research target?

That depends on the decision. Architects and specifiers, contractors, installers, wholesalers and distributors, and end users can influence different stages of product selection, specification, purchasing and recommendation. They shouldn’t automatically be treated as substitutes for one another.