Illustrative engagement. A representative scenario showing how we approach this kind of work in publishing. It does not describe a specific client; outcomes are described qualitatively.
Industry overview
What is shaping publishing
Book, education and magazine publishers serve readers, teachers, schools and retailers, with print and digital formats side by side.
- Teachers and schools drive educational publishing
- Digital reading is growing alongside print
- Retail visibility affects sales
Client background
A trade publisher, working in India. This is an illustrative engagement: a representative scenario showing how we approach this kind of work, not a named client project.
- Organisation
- A trade publisher
- Sector
- Publishing
- Team engaged
- Market Research
- Services
- Business panel, Offline data collection (CATI)
Client challenge
The publisher's titles were under-stocked in independent bookstores.
Research objectives
- Deliver on the brief: understanding bookstore buying decisions.
- Understand the views, needs and behaviour of bookstores.
- Uncover the motivations and barriers people do not state in a survey.
- Give the client evidence it can act on within 5 weeks.
Target audience
The work focused on 200 bookstores.
- bookstores200
Audiences we typically reach in publishing
ReadersTeachers and schoolsBooksellersAuthorsDigital readers
Geographic coverage
Coverage: India. Market: India.
- India
Research methodology
A qualitative design, built to uncover motivations, decision processes and the language people actually use.
- 1Brief
- 2Retailer interviews
- 3Insight
We interviewed bookstore owners about ordering, margins and display decisions.
Business panelOffline data collection (CATI)
Sampling strategy
- bookstores
- 200
- Business respondents were screened on role, company size and involvement in the decision before being invited.
- Online respondents were drawn from verified panel members who matched the screening criteria, with quotas on key profile attributes.
- Telephone contacts were dialled from verified lists, with quotas tracked live by the field team.
- Qualitative participants were recruited purposively to cover the full range of experiences that mattered, rather than for statistical representation.
Data collection
- Telephone interviews were run from our CATI centre, with calls monitored for quality.
- The online survey was mobile-friendly and offered in respondents' languages.
- Interviews and discussions were led by experienced moderators using a guide agreed with the client.
Data quality & validation
- Live call monitoring and recording review
- Call-back verification
- Digital fingerprinting and duplicate checks
- Attention, speed and straight-lining checks
- Review of open-ended answers
- Recordings and transcripts for every session
- Re-screening of qualitative recruits
- Logic and range checks on the final data
- Work carried out under our ISO 20252 quality procedures
Data analysis
- Thematic coding of interviews and discussions
- Journey and decision mapping
Key findings
- Owners wanted better returns terms and display materials.
Retailers stock what is easy to sell.
Recommendations
- Build on the core insight: retailers stock what is easy to sell.
- Focus effort where the evidence was strongest: owners wanted better returns terms and display materials.
- Re-measure after the changes to confirm the effect.
Business impact
- The publisher revised its retailer programme.
What changed in the business as a result of the work. Impact is described qualitatively.
Deliverables & next steps
- Cleaned data file and data tables
- Repeat the measure after changes are in place to track progress.
- A natural follow-on question: how do teachers choose textbooks?