This information, which pinpoints where their customers live, will help the store's managers plan suitable direct mail campaigns. Market research helps you identify opportunities in the marketplace. For example, if you are planning to open a retail outlet in a particular geographic location and have discovered that no such retail outlet currently exists, you have identified an opportunity. The opportunity for success increases if the location is in a highly populated area with residents who match your target market characteristics. The same might be true of a service you plan to offer in a specific geographic area or even globally, via the Internet.
Market research minimizes the risk of doing business.
Instead of identifying opportunities, the results of some market research may indicate that you should not pursue a planned course of action. For example, marketing information may indicate that a marketplace is saturated with the type of service you plan to offer. This may cause you to alter your product offering or choose another location. Market research uncovers and identifies potential problems. Suppose your new retail outlet is thriving at its location on the main road through town.