Market research is the systematic collection of information about customers, competitors and market size before you commit money. It answers three questions: who has the problem, how many of them are there, and what do they already pay to solve it. Research can be desk-based, using existing data, or field-based, using your own interviews and tests.
Start with desk research because it is free or cheap. National statistics offices publish population and spending data. Trade associations publish sector reports. Competitor websites show prices, packages and target groups. Review sites show what customers complain about in their own words. One afternoon of this usually replaces weeks of guessing.
Field research follows. Talk to 10 or 15 people who have the problem, and ask what they did the last time it came up, not whether they like your idea. Past behaviour predicts better than stated intent. Then test with money involved. A simple example: you spend 400 euros on advertising at 0.80 euros per click, which buys 500 clicks. 25 people leave their email address. That is a sign-up rate of 5 percent and a cost of 16 euros per sign-up. If your product sells once for 30 euros, those numbers do not work yet. If it sells for 30 euros a month, they might.
The most common mistake is asking the wrong people. Friends and family answer politely, and polite answers feel like confirmation. The second mistake is treating interest as demand. Saying "I would definitely use that" costs nothing. A pre-order, a deposit, or a signed letter of intent costs something, and that is what makes the answer informative.
Write down what would have to be true for your idea to fail, then research exactly that. It is faster than looking for agreement, and it is the part that changes decisions.
