By nature most technology commercialisation businesses tend to be more "product centric", focusing on the goods or services being developed rather than "customer centric" and finding out/ knowing what the end user needs and wants.  Not knowing what your target market needs and wants and not delivering that in your product could mean the difference between success and failure.  It saves a lot of time and money to do this during the product development process rather than once the product has been developed.  

There are innovators and entrepreneurs that are in touch with the market place and intuitively know and understand the consumer psyche and trends.  However, these people are rare and they are not correct all the time.  They take a tremendous risk by not checking in with "reality".  By studying and understanding (researching) the market we can eliminate or reduce the risks of getting things wrong.

There are two types of market research.  Primary research is information you collect firsthand through surveys, interviews and talking to customers and businesses.  Secondary research is information already gathered by other organisations eg. government or industry groups.  Each has its place/ purpose.  

If you want general social and economic data you could contact the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), our official statistical agency.  If you are after industry related information you could contact the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) and they can put you in contact with the relevant industry body.  The peak body for the ICT industry is the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA).  Most state and territory governments often have departments responsible for developing businesses eg. NSW Department of State & Regional Development.  Several private consultancies such as IBIS World & Access Economics also offer industry and economic reports available for purchase.

By nature secondary research information is generalised and ambiguous (vague).  The figures quoted tend to be large numbers.  In our experience this information is valuable in understanding trends, seeing the big picture and determining high level strategic direction.  However, if you apply this information to determine specific tactics in your business you have to make too many assumptions eg. estimated revenue based on a percentage of the potential target market you could capture.  Most commercially sensitive and valuable information is not available through secondary research and the public domain.     

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It is often very time consuming to search for the information you want.  We generally have a better idea where to look.  If you would like a quote for one of our Marketing Assistance to do a search contact us and we can see what is available.