by James Norton | Apr 27, 2026 | Market Research Methodology
Every brief that lands on a researcher’s desk carries within it a methodological question, even when it isn’t stated explicitly. The question is not simply “what do we need to know?” It is “what kind of knowing do we need‚ and what approach is actually...
by James Norton | Apr 27, 2026 | Category Insights, Japan Market Entry, Market Research Methodology
In Japan, a clean home is rarely just a clean home. It is an expression of identity, a demonstration of care, and a deeply cultural act woven into the fabric of daily life. For those trying to understand the Japanese consumer (and the household cleaning category in...
by James Norton | Apr 27, 2026 | Category Insights, Japan Market Entry, Market Research Methodology
Every international brand that enters Japan’s quick service restaurant (QSR) market arrives with assumptions. Some of those assumptions will be right. Most will require significant revision. And a handful of unknowns will matter most of all: the ones you cannot...
by James Norton | Apr 27, 2026 | Category Insights, Japan Market Entry, Marketing Trends and Insights
Working closely with Japanese skincare consumers, one thing becomes clear quite quickly, they use a level of precision in describing their skin that doesn’t translate easily into English. These are not vague expressions, but specific terms, e.g., that capture the...
by James Norton | Apr 15, 2026 | Ageing and Generations
Every household task has an invisible first step. Before you vacuum, you move toys off the floor, push chairs aside, and relocate the pile of magazines that somehow migrated from the shelf to the carpet. Before you wash clothes, you sort darks from lights, check...
