Industry overview
What is shaping steel
Steel reaches users through producers, distributors and retailers, serving fabricators, builders and OEMs. Brand trust, price and availability decide which bar or sheet is bought.
- Fabricators and builders influence retail steel brands
- Distributor networks decide availability
- Branded steel competes with unbranded on trust
Client background
A structural steel producer, working in London, Dubai, Riyadh & Sydney. Client identity is withheld to protect confidentiality.
- Organisation
- A structural steel producer
- Sector
- Steel
- Team engaged
- Market Research
- Services
- Qualitative research, Business panel, Content marketing
Client challenge
The producer wanted to grow in commercial and institutional buildings, where architects and structural consultants specify materials. It suspected that its brand was seen as a commodity supplier rather than a partner for complex projects.
Research objectives
- Deliver on the brief: understanding how architects and engineers see steel brands.
- Uncover the motivations and barriers people do not state in a survey.
- Give the client evidence it can act on within 7 weeks.
Target audience
Scope: 45 interviews.
Audiences we typically reach in steel
FabricatorsBuilders and contractorsOEM buyersSteel dealers and stockistsRetail home builders
Geographic coverage
Coverage: London, Dubai, Riyadh & Sydney. Markets: United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Australia.
- United Kingdom
- United Arab Emirates
- Saudi Arabia
- Australia
Research methodology
A qualitative design, built to uncover motivations, decision processes and the language people actually use.
- 1Brief
- 2In-depth interviews with architects and structural engineers
- 3Insight
We interviewed architects, structural engineers and project management consultants about how they chose steel products, what information they needed at each design stage and how they viewed different producers. Interviews were conducted at their offices or by video, with sample technical documents used to prompt discussion.
Qualitative researchBusiness panelContent marketing
Sampling strategy
- 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.
- Qualitative participants were recruited purposively to cover the full range of experiences that mattered, rather than for statistical representation.
Data collection
- interviews
- 45
- 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
- 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
- Consultants respected the producer’s quality but found its technical information hard to access and rarely received design support.
- Six months later, consultants on two large institutional projects asked the team for design input early, something that had rarely happened before.
Being useful early in design changed the producer from a commodity supplier into a specified brand.
Recommendations
- Build on the core insight: being useful early in design changed the producer from a commodity supplier into a specified brand.
- Focus effort where the evidence was strongest: consultants respected the producer’s quality but found its technical information hard to access and rarely received design support.
- Re-measure after the changes to confirm the effect.
Business impact
- The producer created a technical resource library with design guides and CAD details, and set up a small team to support consultants during design.
What changed in the business as a result of the work. Impact is described qualitatively.
Deliverables & next steps
- Insight report and management presentation
- Cleaned data file and data tables
- Interview summaries and key verbatims
- Repeat the measure after changes are in place to track progress.
- A natural follow-on question: is brand worth a premium to retail buyers?
Client identity is withheld to protect confidentiality.