{"id":38726,"date":"2026-05-09T00:16:41","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T17:16:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dps.media\/chi-phi-nghien-cuu-thi-truong-tu-lam-vs-thue-dich-vu\/"},"modified":"2026-05-09T00:17:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T17:17:10","slug":"chi-phi-nghien-cuu-thi-truong-tu-lam-vs-thue-dich-vu-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dps.media\/en\/chi-phi-nghien-cuu-thi-truong-tu-lam-vs-thue-dich-vu-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Market Research Costs: 7 Real Differences"},"content":{"rendered":"<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Market research costs<\/strong> are becoming a difficult challenge for many Vietnamese SMEs as marketing budgets are increasingly tightened. Many businesses conduct surveys themselves to save money, but end up spending more because of inaccurate data or slow implementation.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to We Are Social 2026, Vietnam has <a href=\"https:\/\/vov.gov.vn\/luong-nguoi-dung-internet-tren-toan-the-gioi-dat-466-ti-dtnew-235735\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">72.7 million users<\/a> social media and more than 78.4 million internet users. This makes customer behavior change much faster than before. Based on DPS.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">MEDIA, SMEs do not lack data; they lack the ability to correctly interpret data to make accurate marketing decisions.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This article will help businesses understand the true costs of conducting market research in-house versus hiring a market research agency, while also identifying the appropriate approach for each stage of growth.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How are market research costs changing in 2026?<\/h2><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/dps.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/chi-phi-nghien-cuu-thi-truong-dang-thay-doi-the-nao-trong-nam-2026-1778259730827_no_wm-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"market-research-costs\" title=\"How are market research costs changing in 2026?\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">How are market research costs changing in 2026?<\/figcaption><\/figure><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Vietnamese SMEs are investing more in data<\/h3><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During 2026\u20132026, Vietnamese businesses began prioritizing customer data before running advertising campaigns. According to DataReportal 2026, the percentage of internet users in Vietnam reached <a href=\"https:\/\/vietnam.unfpa.org\/vi\/news\/k%E1%BA%BFt-qu%E1%BA%A3-t%E1%BB%95ng-%C4%91i%E1%BB%81u-tra-d%C3%A2n-s%E1%BB%91-v%C3%A0-nh%C3%A0-%E1%BB%9F-n%C4%83m-2019\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">79,1% of the population<\/a>. This creates a huge volume of online behavior, but also makes advertising competition much more intense.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many SMEs previously ran Facebook Ads based solely on intuition. Today, they must analyze customer insights, market demand, and industry trends before implementing marketing. This is why demand for market research is growing rapidly among small and medium-sized businesses.<\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Customers are changing their purchasing behavior faster than before<\/li>\n\n<li>Advertising costs are increasing with industry competition<\/li>\n\n<li>Social media data is becoming increasingly complex<\/li>\n\n<li>Businesses need to accurately measure market demand<\/li>\n\n<li>Wrong decisions lead to major budget waste<\/li>\n\n<li>SMEs are beginning to prioritize data over intuition<\/li>\n<\/ul><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A cosmetics brand in District 3 once conducted its own survey using Google Forms with 120 respondents. However, the survey sample consisted mainly of existing customers. The results caused the business to misunderstand the needs of the Gen Z market.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After three months of running ads based on the wrong insight, CPL increased by 47%.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In contrast, an F&amp;B startup in Thu Duc hired an agency to conduct social listening analysis before launching a new menu. The business discovered that customers were more interested in low-sugar products than initially expected. After the campaign, revenue from the new combo increased by 31% in just six weeks.<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The hidden costs of conducting market research in-house<\/h3><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many businesses think doing it themselves will be more cost-effective. However, the actual costs often lie not in the survey itself but in the time required and data errors.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When conducting research themselves, SMEs often lack behavioral analysis tools, data processing skills, and the ability to verify the accuracy of survey samples. This leads to marketing decisions that lack a solid foundation.<\/p><div class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>Cost item<\/th><th>Do it yourself<\/th><th>Service fee<\/th><th>Risks<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Survey tools<\/td><td>Self-purchase<\/td><td>Included<\/td><td>Missing data<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Processing time<\/td><td>2-4 weeks<\/td><td>5-10 days<\/td><td>Slow decision-making<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Insight analysis<\/td><td>Internal<\/td><td>Experts<\/td><td>Misunderstanding customers<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Personnel Cost<\/td><td>Additional<\/td><td>Fixed<\/td><td>Internal overload<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An interior design business in Binh Thanh once spent nearly 60 internal hours surveying customers online. However, the data collected was not representative enough of new customer groups. The subsequent advertising campaign failed, resulting in nearly 180 million VND in lost budget.<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When should businesses prioritize speed over savings?<\/h3><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In many industries, speed matters more than initial cost. If the market changes rapidly, slow decision-making can cause businesses to miss opportunities.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is particularly evident in F&amp;B, fashion, and e-commerce. Consumer trends change constantly according to TikTok, social trends, and sales seasons.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Based on DPS. MEDIA's experience, SMEs should only conduct research themselves when the market is stable and the survey scope is small. If a business is preparing to expand its products or significantly increase its advertising budget, it should prioritize implementation speed and data accuracy.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">In-house market research vs. hiring a service: what is the difference?<\/h2><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/dps.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/nghien-cuu-thi-truong-tu-lam-vs-thue-dich-vu-khac-nhau-o-dau-1778259825550_no_wm-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"In-house market research vs. hiring a service: what is the difference?\" title=\"In-house market research vs. hiring a service: what is the difference?\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">In-house market research vs. hiring a service: what is the difference?<\/figcaption><\/figure><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Comparing data collection capabilities<\/h3><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The biggest difference lies in data quality. In-house research usually only leverages free data or small surveys. Meanwhile, a market research agency can analyze data from multiple sources.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Agencies often combine social listening, search behavior, quantitative surveys, and competitor analysis. This helps provide deeper data.<\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Industry-specific social listening analysis<\/li>\n\n<li>Measure customer insights by region<\/li>\n\n<li>Track seasonal search trends<\/li>\n\n<li>Evaluate direct competitors<\/li>\n\n<li>Segment customer profiles<\/li>\n\n<li>Measure interest in new products<\/li>\n<\/ul><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A dental brand in Phu Nhuan once conducted its own fanpage survey to determine demand for orthodontic treatment. However, the respondents were primarily under 22 years old. After hiring a market research service, the business discovered that customers aged 28\u201335 were actually the highest-spending segment.<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Comparing actual costs by business size<\/h3><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When comparing in-house research, many SMEs only calculate survey costs and forget to account for staff time and the cost of wrong decisions. This is a common mistake.<\/p><div class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>Scale<\/th><th>Do it yourself<\/th><th>Hire an agency<\/th><th>Recommendations<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Small startup<\/td><td>5-15 million<\/td><td>20-40 million<\/td><td>Hybrid<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Growing SME<\/td><td>20-50 million<\/td><td>40-120 million<\/td><td>Outsource<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Multi-branch chain<\/td><td>Difficult to control<\/td><td>120 million+<\/td><td>Specialized agency<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An education company in Go Vap once conducted its own research to save 30 million VND. However, the business chose the wrong advertising message. After three months, the landing page conversion rate was only 0,8%.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After hiring a research firm to re-analyze the parent persona, the business adjusted its messaging around the needs for \u201csafety and outcomes\u201d. The conversion rate increased to 2,6% after two months.<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Comparing the risks of wrong marketing decisions<\/h3><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The biggest cost does not lie in the research. It lies in making the wrong marketing decisions after the research.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If customer insights are wrong, a business may choose the wrong advertising channel, product, or message. This causes budget waste many times greater than the cost of market research.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A local fashion brand in District 1 once focused on running TikTok Ads because it saw a strong upward trend. However, subsequent research showed that its actual customers came from Instagram and Google Search. The business lost nearly four months and more than 250 million VND before adjusting its strategy.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When is hiring a market research service appropriate?<\/h2><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/dps.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/thue-dich-vu-market-research-phu-hop-trong-truong-hop-nao-1778260272156_no_wm.jpg\" alt=\"When is hiring a market research service appropriate?\" title=\"When is hiring a market research service appropriate?\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">When is hiring a market research service appropriate?<\/figcaption><\/figure><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When a business is preparing to launch a new product<\/h3><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is the stage when a business can lose the most money if it misjudges market demand. Market research helps determine whether customers actually need the product.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Agencies typically use qualitative and quantitative surveys to test genuine demand before launching a product. This helps reduce inventory risks and advertising to the wrong customer groups.<\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Measure interest in new products<\/li>\n\n<li>Test the price customers are willing to pay<\/li>\n\n<li>Analyze direct competitors<\/li>\n\n<li>Identify untapped insights<\/li>\n\n<li>Evaluate suitable marketing channels<\/li>\n\n<li>Estimate market size<\/li>\n<\/ul><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A healthy food brand in District 7 once planned to launch a high-priced protein snack. However, market research showed that customers cared more about \u201clow calories\u201d than \u201chigh protein\u201d. The business adjusted its positioning before launch and reduced testing costs by nearly 35%.<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When optimizing digital marketing budgets<\/h3><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Market research does not only serve brand strategy. It also helps optimize actual advertising.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When businesses understand their customers correctly, they can choose the right channels and the right content. This helps reduce CPL and improve ROAS.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to Statista 2026, Vietnamese users spend more than 6 hours per day on the internet. However, each customer group is concentrated on different platforms. Therefore, the more accurate the market data, the more effectively the marketing budget can be used.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">DPS. MEDIA recommends that SMEs combine market research with <a href=\"https:\/\/dps.media\/en\/comprehensive-seo-services-2\/\">comprehensive SEO services<\/a> and social media performance to optimize the entire customer journey instead of focusing only on short-term advertising.<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When internal teams lack data analysis skills<\/h3><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many SMEs have marketing teams but lack the ability to interpret data in depth. This is why many internal reports stop at reach or impressions.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Market research agencies often have behavioral analysis dashboards, customer segmentation capabilities, and consumer trend forecasting. This helps leadership make decisions faster.<\/p><div class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>Criteria<\/th><th>Do it yourself<\/th><th>Agency<\/th><th>Impact<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Data dashboard<\/td><td>Basic<\/td><td>Advanced<\/td><td>Fast decision making<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Read insights<\/td><td>Limit<\/td><td>Multidimensional<\/td><td>Reduce strategic errors<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Industry benchmark<\/td><td>Lack<\/td><td>Industry data available<\/td><td>Optimize advertising<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Trend forecasting<\/td><td>Difficult to implement<\/td><td>Feasible<\/td><td>Increase competitive advantage<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to choose a cost-effective but effective market research approach<\/h2><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/dps.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/cach-chon-phuong-an-nghien-cuu-thi-truong-tiet-kiem-nhung-hieu-qua-1778260393427_no_wm.jpg\" alt=\"How to choose a cost-effective but effective market research approach\" title=\"How to choose a cost-effective but effective market research approach\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">How to choose a cost-effective but effective market research approach<\/figcaption><\/figure><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A hybrid model between in-house and outsourced research<\/h3><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not every business needs full-service market research. Many SMEs can adopt a hybrid model to optimize their budgets.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The business conducts basic internal data surveys itself, then hires an agency to process insights and validate the market. This is a balanced approach between cost and quality.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A spa chain in Tan Binh once surveyed its existing customers itself and hired an agency to analyze competitors and conduct social listening. Total costs were reduced by nearly 40% compared with a full-service package while still ensuring data was sufficiently deep for advertising execution.<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Market research agency evaluation checklist<\/h3><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Businesses should check an agency's actual capabilities before signing a contract. Not every provider has the ability to perform in-depth data analysis.<\/p><ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Request case studies from the same industry as the business<\/li>\n\n<li>Check the data collection methodology<\/li>\n\n<li>Evaluate the dashboard and report format<\/li>\n\n<li>Verify industry benchmark sources<\/li>\n\n<li>Ask clearly about the actual implementation timeline<\/li>\n\n<li>Evaluate the ability to provide marketing strategy consulting<\/li>\n\n<li>Check the internal data analysis team<\/li>\n<\/ol><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An e-commerce business in Thu Duc once chose a low-cost agency that lacked social listening capabilities. The report only compiled public data and contained no behavioral insights. The business lost nearly two months before changing research providers.<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">7 signs your business is conducting market research incorrectly<\/h3><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many SMEs still conduct research based on intuition without realizing the problem. This makes their marketing strategy ineffective for a long time.<\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Only survey existing customers<\/li>\n\n<li>No competitor benchmark<\/li>\n\n<li>Use data that is too old<\/li>\n\n<li>Do not segment customer profiles<\/li>\n\n<li>Measure reach instead of conversion<\/li>\n\n<li>Lack social listening data<\/li>\n\n<li>Do not validate insights across multiple platforms<\/li>\n<\/ul><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Market research costs<\/strong> is not just the cost of hiring a survey service. It also includes time costs, opportunity costs, and the costs resulting from wrong marketing decisions.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SMEs should prioritize the approach that fits their growth stage instead of looking only at the initial service price.<\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In-house research is suitable for small surveys and low budgets<\/li>\n\n<li>Hiring an agency is suitable when speed and accuracy are needed<\/li>\n\n<li>Market research helps reduce advertising waste<\/li>\n\n<li>Accurate data improves long-term marketing effectiveness<\/li>\n\n<li>A hybrid model is suitable for many Vietnamese SMEs<\/li>\n\n<li>Customer insights matter more than data volume<\/li>\n<\/ul><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In an increasingly competitive digital marketing environment, businesses need reliable data before increasing their advertising budgets. DPS. MEDIA is a suitable partner for SMEs looking to combine market research, performance marketing, and sustainable growth strategies based on real-world data.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vietnam's digital market information is compiled from We Are Social 2026, DataReportal 2026, and Statista 2026 reports.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Market research costs are becoming a difficult problem for many Vietnamese SMEs as marketing budgets are increasingly tightened. Many businesses conduct their own surveys to save money, but end up losing more money due to incorrect data or slow implementation. According to We Are Social 2026, [...]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":38727,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1635],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38726","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-digital-marketing"],"acf":[],"rankmath_keywords":{"primary":"chi ph\u00ed nghi\u00ean c\u1ee9u th\u1ecb tr\u01b0\u1eddng, thu\u00ea d\u1ecbch v\u1ee5 market research, so s\u00e1nh t\u1ef1 l\u00e0m","secondary":["thu\u00ea d\u1ecbch v\u1ee5 market research","so s\u00e1nh t\u1ef1 l\u00e0m"]},"yoast_keywords":{"primary":"","secondary":[]},"yoast_focuskw":"","rankmath_focuskw":"chi ph\u00ed nghi\u00ean c\u1ee9u th\u1ecb tr\u01b0\u1eddng, thu\u00ea d\u1ecbch v\u1ee5 market research, so s\u00e1nh t\u1ef1 l\u00e0m","seo_keywords":{"primary":"chi ph\u00ed nghi\u00ean c\u1ee9u th\u1ecb tr\u01b0\u1eddng, thu\u00ea d\u1ecbch v\u1ee5 market research, so s\u00e1nh t\u1ef1 l\u00e0m","secondary":["thu\u00ea d\u1ecbch v\u1ee5 market research","so s\u00e1nh t\u1ef1 l\u00e0m"]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dps.media\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38726","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dps.media\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dps.media\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dps.media\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38726"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dps.media\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38726\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dps.media\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38727"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dps.media\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38726"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dps.media\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38726"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dps.media\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38726"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}