Ethnographic market research agency
Ethnographic research helps reveal how people behave in everyday settings. FieldworkHub recruits carefully screened consumers, business professionals and specialist audiences for in-home, in-store and remote studies in the UK, Europe and other international markets, to meet each project’s criteria.
50+ ethnography projects completed
Ethnographies run in 10+ countries
2000+ ethnography participants recruited
Why ethnographies?
Why should you conduct ethnography market research?
Ethnographic research is a qualitative method that studies people in the context of their everyday lives, environments and behaviours. Rather than relying only on what participants say, researchers can observe how they actually use products, make decisions, complete tasks or interact with services.
This approach is especially useful when researchers need to understand behaviour in context. It can reveal routines, workarounds, unmet needs and influences that participants may not think to mention in a conventional interview or focus group.
Ethnographies (often shortened to ethnos) can be used in consumer, B2B and healthcare research, and may take place in homes, workplaces, stores or other real-world settings. Remote and mobile approaches can also be used when researchers need to observe behaviour over time or across multiple locations.
The quality of ethnographic research depends on recruiting participants who genuinely match the study criteria and are willing to take part in more involved research. FieldworkHub manages recruitment and screening to help clients reach relevant consumer, B2B and specialist audiences.
Ethnography clients
Selected ethnography market research clients
FieldworkHub has arranged ethnographies for some of the world’s leading brands...
Types of ethnographies
What are the different types of ethnographies?
Ethnographic research is very diverse. In this section, we list some of the common situations when ethnographies may be used.
In-home ethnographies
In-home ethnographies allow researchers to observe participants in their own environment, providing first-hand insight into routines, behaviours, product use and decision-making. This can reveal context and practical detail that may be difficult to uncover through interviews alone.
FieldworkHub can recruit participants for in-home ethnographic studies in the UK and international markets, including consumers, families and specialist audiences matched to detailed screening criteria.
In-store ethnographies
In-store ethnographies examine how people behave in retail or service environments, from how they navigate spaces and compare options to how they respond to displays, packaging and staff interactions. They can be valuable for understanding real-world purchase behaviour and customer experience.
We can recruit participants for accompanied shops, intercept-style studies and other in-store ethnographic research, supporting both local and multi-market projects.
Remote and mobile ethnographies
Remote and mobile ethnographies allow participants to document their experiences over time using smartphones, video, diaries or specialist research platforms. They are useful when behaviour needs to be captured across different locations, moments or stages of a customer journey.
FieldworkHub can recruit and manage participants for remote ethnographic studies, including harder-to-reach and geographically dispersed audiences in the UK and internationally.
Case studies
Case studies of ethnographic research
FieldworkHub specialises in recruiting participants for ethnographic market research in the UK, Europe and other international markets. We support consumer, B2B and specialist studies across in-home, in-store and remote formats, helping clients reach the right participants for detailed, context-rich research.
Ethnographic research: corn farmers, crop yield, USA
A company that supplies products and services to help farmers improve crop yields wanted to conduct depth interviews with corn farmers and agronomists in Illinois and Iowa. We recruited over 40 farmers and advisers in two phases and assisted with planning the travel schedules for each group of interviewers.
Ethnographic research: personal mobility, UAE
A Middle Eastern corporation wanted to carry out ethnographic research in the UAE on topics relating to personal mobility. Our work involved finding respondents with very particular B2C and B2B profiles. We recruited around 100 respondents which included Emiratis, Expats and high earners.
Ethnographic user testing: medical packaging
A US-based company that provides human factors engineering services and usability testing to medical device manufacturers, wanted to conduct research involving participants testing a new type of medical packaging in their homes. We recruited participants with differing backgrounds and scheduled the interviews.
Ethnographies: energy topics, Oman
An Omani corporation wanted to carry out ethnographic research on energy topics with a diverse range of target groups, including petrol station customers, independent retailers, commercial fleet procurement and operations managers, and energy managers for large buildings. We recruited almost 50 respondents and provided on-the-ground support.
Ethnographies: home-owners on air conditioning, UK
We completed a full-service project for a Japanese manufacturer to understand more about the need for domestic air conditioning in and around London. We found participants for in-home immersion interviews to help the client explore the structural capacity of UK homes, price expectations and installation challenges.
Ethnographies: shippers & logistics companies, Turkey
A major energy company wanted to find out if an innovative logistics proposition was likely to be successful in Turkey. We recruited 16 representatives, to take part in in-depth interviews, in Istanbul and Ankara from companies that ship and carry good in Turkey. FieldworkHub also supplied local management services.
Client testimonials
Testimonials from clients conducting ethnographies
Here’s what some of our previous clients for ethnographic research say about us.
FieldworkHub have been absolutely amazing in supporting our niche and high velocity research needs. Caroline and the team have provided us with consistently high standards of recruitment, project management and transport support. They are very adaptable and accommodating, able to flex with our unique needs and agile ways of working. They are my go-to research partner for all of these reasons.
Jesse
Strategic Design Lead
Global Innovation and Incubation Firm
UK
The team at FieldworkHub have been an absolute pleasure to work with. We threw in a mid-fieldwork curveball requesting additional sample and the team accepted the request with no issues in delivering. The quality of the sample was high and I have no hesitation in recommending FieldworkHub and look forward to working with them again.
Mandeep
Senior Account Director
Global Market Research Agency
UK
Got questions?
Frequently Asked Questions
As consultants in the research space, we’ve got the answers to your questions about how to facilitate ethnographic research. And if there’s anything left unanswered, drop us an email or give the team a call. We’d be happy to help.
1
How long does an ethnographic research session typically last?
The duration of each individual ethnographic interview is typically between 60 minutes and 150 minutes, depending on the activities needed to be observed.
2
What challenges are associated with ethnographic research?
For ethnographic research with consumers, the main challenge is typically to ensure that the participants behave in their usual way, even though they are being observed. The same issue may arise in B2B and healthcare ethnographic research (the ‘Hawthorne effect’) but often the challenges are more practical: in many organisations it is difficult to arrange access to the work environment because of concerns about health and safety, security or disruption to workflows.
3
What is the difference between ethnographies and other qualitative methods?
Ethnography differs from other qualitative methods like in-depth interviews and focus groups, by emphasising detailed observation within the natural setting of a home or workplace, rather than taking participants away from their setting to participate in an interview or group discussion.
4
Can you recruit participants for ethnographic research?
Yes. We recruit participants for a wide range of ethnographic studies, including in-home, in-store, workplace and remote research. Recruitment can be based on demographics, behaviours, product use, professional role or other detailed study criteria. All participants are screened against the agreed requirements so that clients can conduct ethnographic research with people who are relevant, qualified and suitable for the study.
5
When should you use ethnographic research?
Ethnographic research is especially useful when you need to understand what people actually do in context rather than relying only on what they say they do. It can uncover routines, influences, workarounds and unmet needs that are difficult to identify through more structured research methods. It is often used for product development, customer experience, shopper research, service design and studies where the physical or social environment plays an important role.
Planning an ethnographic research project?
Talk to our fieldwork specialists about participant recruitment and research support for in-home, in-store or remote ethnographic studies in the UK and international markets.
