For American businesses

Market research in India for United States companies

US brands entering India often need consumer validation, pricing and channel research before launch. We plan, field and analyse the work in India, and report it in English on your clock.

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Quick answer

Market Research India is an India-based research consultancy that works for clients in United States. You contract with us directly — no Indian entity needed — and we run market entry, B2B and consumer studies across 50 Indian cities, invoiced in USD, reported in English, with readouts at 9:00 am ET.

Proposal in 24 hours
Scoped, itemised and fixed-fee.
50 cities, 14 languages
Our own supervised field teams.
Senior-led, NDA-first
A research director on every project.

2,400+

Projects delivered

Cities with field teams

Industries covered

Indian languages

Why American companies research India first

American entries into India rarely fail on product. They fail on price architecture, channel assumptions and a category that turns out to be driven by different need states than the one back home. The work we are asked for most often is the evidence a US leadership team needs before it commits launch budget: what the market is worth, what buyers will pay and which channel carries the first wave of distribution.

Pricing for a different income curve
US price architecture almost never transfers. Van Westendorp and conjoint work resets pack sizes, tiers and subscription points against Indian willingness to pay.
Testing the category assumption
A category that behaves one way in the US can be driven by entirely different occasions and need states in India. Consumer work tests that before spend commits.
Channel reality check
Modern trade, kirana, quick commerce and marketplaces split demand differently in every city. Channel research shows where the first rupees of distribution should go.
Enterprise and GCC expansion
Firms selling software into Indian enterprises, or building a capability centre, need buyer-side evidence: who decides, what budgets look like and who they already buy from.

How a cross-border engagement runs

You are commissioning fieldwork in a market you cannot supervise in person, so the process is built around visibility: you see the instrument before it goes out, the progress while it is in field, and the assumptions behind every number that comes back.

1
Brief and mutual NDA
A 45-minute scoping call in your window — 8:00–11:00 am ET is the Indian evening, and most readouts land at 9:00 am ET. West Coast teams usually take 7:00–8:30 am PT. We sign a mutual NDA before the brief is discussed in any detail, so nothing commercially sensitive travels unprotected.
2
Proposal and fixed costing
Within 24 hours you get a written proposal: objectives, method, sample plan by city, field timeline and a fixed fee in USD. No Indian entity, agent or local partner is required on your side to commission it.
3
Instrument design and translation
We draft the questionnaire or discussion guide in English for your sign-off, then translate it into the languages of each fieldwork city and back-translate so you can see exactly what was asked.
4
Fieldwork across Bangalore, Delhi NCR, Mumbai and Hyderabad and beyond
Our own supervised teams collect the data, with GPS tagging, audio back-checks and independent validation of a share of every interviewer's work. You get a progress tracker, not silence.
5
Analysis, modelling and quality control
Weighting, cross-tabulation and — where the brief calls for it — a sizing or pricing model whose assumptions are all visible and all editable by you.
6
Readout on your clock
A live debrief at a time that suits you (9:00 am ET is the usual slot), an English report and deck, the clean dataset, and two weeks of follow-up questions included.

The commercial and legal basics, from United States

These are the questions overseas buyers ask before a brief is even written, so we answer them up front rather than in the small print of a proposal.

Working with us from abroad

Contracting: You contract directly with our Indian entity from United States. No subsidiary, local agent or joint venture is needed on your side to commission a study.
Invoicing: Quoted and invoiced in USD; USD, EUR, GBP or INR are all available if your finance team prefers another. Payment stages are agreed in the proposal, not after the fact.
Confidentiality: A mutual NDA is signed before the brief is discussed in detail, and we never name a client or quote a finding publicly without written permission.
Data protection: NDA-first handling, named-access-only storage, encrypted transfer and deletion of raw files on your instruction.
IP and ownership: Instruments, transcripts, the clean dataset and the report are yours. We keep no right to resell commissioned findings to anyone else.
Language: English end to end for you. Instruments are translated for fieldwork in Indian languages and back-translated so the record shows exactly what respondents were asked.
Observing fieldwork: Focus groups stream live from viewing facilities with simultaneous English translation, and interview recordings and transcripts are shared as fieldwork progresses.
Calls and readouts: 8:00–11:00 am ET is the Indian evening, and most readouts land at 9:00 am ET. West Coast teams usually take 7:00–8:30 am PT.
Typical programme: 7–10 weeks from signed brief to readout for a multi-city entry study; shorter for a single-city or online-only read.

Where your data sits

Confidentiality is set before the brief: a mutual NDA, named-access-only storage, encrypted transfer of every file, and no reuse of your material in another client's work. Raw files are deleted on your instruction, and delivered datasets are pseudonymised unless you need identifiers for follow-up.

Scope of work

Studies that fit an India entry plan

These six carry most American entry programmes, roughly in the order they are commissioned: size the opportunity, test whether it is reachable, then price and position against the incumbents.

Sector focus

Where American capital goes in India

Information Technology & SaaS leads the corridor, but most programmes touch two or three of these. Each sector page sets out the audiences we recruit and the questions that category usually needs answered.

Sequencing

Where to start in India

Start with 4 metros — Bangalore, Delhi NCR, Mumbai and Hyderabad — which between them carry most of the demand American entrants are chasing. Once the proposition holds there, extend the same instrument to Gurugram, Noida, Chandigarh and Indore to see whether it scales past the metros, where it usually costs less to grow.

Before you brief us

Frequently asked questions

How do American companies commission research in India without an entity here?

You contract directly with our Indian entity from United States. Send a brief by email or take a scoping call, we sign a mutual NDA, and a written proposal with a fixed fee follows within 24 hours. Everything after that — recruitment, translation, fieldwork, supervision and analysis — is run by our own teams on the ground.

Which currency do you invoice in, and how do payments work?

We quote and invoice in USD, and can switch to USD, EUR, GBP or INR if your finance team prefers. Payment stages are set out in the proposal before you sign, and we bill by international bank transfer against a standard invoice your accounts team can process.

How is our data protected once it leaves our side?

Who owns the data, the instruments and the report?

You do. The questionnaire or discussion guide, the recordings and transcripts, the clean dataset and the final report are all yours on completion. We retain no right to resell commissioned findings, and we do not fold your data into a syndicated product.

Can our team in United States observe the fieldwork?

Yes. Focus groups are streamed live from our viewing facilities with simultaneous English translation, so you can watch from United States and send questions to the moderator in real time. Depth interviews are recorded and transcribed, and some clients fly in for a field visit during the first wave.

What does a multi-city India study cost, and how long does it take?

Cost depends on sample size, audience difficulty and how many cities you cover; a senior B2B study of 40 interviews prices very differently from a 2,000-respondent consumer survey. A typical multi-city entry programme runs 7–10 weeks from signed brief to readout, usually starting with Bangalore, Delhi NCR, Mumbai and Hyderabad. Share a brief and you get a fixed quote within 24 hours.

Engagement facts

Time difference: EST/PST overlap windows
Usual readout slot: 9:00 am ET
Invoiced in: USD or INR
Reporting language: English
Before any brief: Mutual NDA
Field coverage: 50 Indian cities

See how projects run

Keep exploring

Build your India programme from United States

Cities, studies and sectors that matter to a American entry, grouped so you can scope the brief before you send it. Typical programme: 7–10 weeks, with readouts at 9:00 am ET.

India's metros

Every entry programme starts with some combination of these eight cities.

Tier 2 cities worth adding

Ranked by how closely each city's industrial base matches what American companies invest in here.

Show 10 more

Sectors American companies research

Each sector page covers the audiences, questions and methods we work with most there.

Sector and city deep dives

Where Information Technology & SaaS and E-commerce & Quick Commerce meet a specific Indian market.

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Other countries we work with

The same cross-border model, run for buyers in eleven other markets.

Show 3 more

Next step

From United States to India, with evidence behind every step.