Bathroom Association members have been learning more about how to utilise market research to drive commercial success in the latest Insights Bites session, hosted by MRA Research.

The lunch and learn webinar went out live on 19th June and is now available online and ‘on demand’ in the members area. It introduced delegates to the fundamentals of market research for the built environment, sharing practical tips and common pitfalls to avoid, and introducing real-world case studies to demonstrate how research can generate tangible commercial results.

The webinar was hosted by Callum Budd, research director at MRA Research, an end-to-end market research agency specialising exclusively in the built environment. MRA Research set up and runs the well-respected Builders Merchant Building Index (BMBI) and Plumbing & Heating Merchant Index (PHMI) in partnership with the BMF.

Callum said: “We condensed 30+ years of experience in market research into a thirty-minute session for the Bathroom Association to give members a flavour of how this powerful tool can be used to improve their bottom line – from understanding their customers’ needs and expectations better and identifying how to improve their customers’ experience to measuring how well they are doing against their competitors.

“With this knowledge at their fingertips, businesses can identify opportunities for growth and where they can increase their market share. In tough trading conditions, where competition for every customer pound is fierce, the commercial gains market research offers can make a big difference, particularly in terms of retaining existing clients and attracting new ones.

“At MRA Research, our passion is helping businesses in the built environment become more effective and profitable through smart, targeted research. Good market research is action oriented, and with it you can make your marketing more effective. Its insights and recommendations should correlate directly with an improved customer experience which leads to better customer retention, customer acquisition and more profitable growth. That’s what research is for, and hopefully our webinar has inspired more people to think about putting fact-based insight at the heart of their decision-making.”

The Bathroom Association launched the Insights Bites lunchtime sessions at the start of the year. CEO Tom Reynolds said: “We introduced the webinars to support and inspire our members and to help them flourish. The MRA Research session was really valuable and there were plenty of nuggets to takeaway, particularly for members who haven’t considered market research before or those who recognised the pitfalls all too well.

“Traditionally, our industry has been slower to adopt insight-led approaches in B2B markets than in B2C home improvement markets, but it’s clear that those embracing research are seeing real rewards, and if we want to deliver best-in-class marketing for our trade and consumer customers and raise the bar in the bathroom sector, it’s certainly one area where we need to up our game.”

Bathroom Association members will find a link to the webinar in their member area. It is also available to view online.

If you would like a more in-depth discussion about how market research can drive the commercial success of your business, please contact Callum Budd (callum@mra-research.co.uk).