Think Locally to Win Globally
Why global campaigns fall flat or cause offence abroad, and how early cultural insight protects creative impact across markets. By Ciara Nugent.
6
Markets prioritised for VEGAMOUR before full localisation
4
Markets compared in one hotel brand playbook
83
Languages researched in-market
2–3
Months of live demand testing before you commit
Market entry research answers the questions that decide where your international budget goes.
Go-to-market research, also called market entry research, assesses whether, where and how a brand should launch in a new country. At Locaria it is carried out by researchers who read each market in its own language: local media, search behaviour, retailers and marketplaces, competitor sites, reviews, social conversation and third-party data. The findings reflect how the market actually works, not how it looks in English-language reports.
When you need it: before choosing between candidate markets, before launching somewhere your team does not know well, or when a market you have entered is not performing as planned.
What you get: a clear recommendation. Which markets to prioritise, the barriers you will face, how your proposition needs to change, and a phased roadmap for getting there.
The expansion decisions we help you make
Research earns its budget when it changes a decision. These are the four we are most often asked to inform.
WHICH MARKETS TO PRIORITISE
We compare candidate markets on category demand, audience fit, competitive intensity, cost of entry and localisation effort, then rank them so you can sequence your rollout and protect budget.
WHO YOU ARE REALLY SELLING TO
Local audience profiles built from in-language sources: how people search, shop, talk about your category and decide what to buy, and where that differs from your home market.
WHAT COULD HOLD YOU BACK
Regulatory, cultural, pricing and channel barriers, flagged early so they shape the plan instead of derailing the launch.
WHERE TO INVEST FIRST
The channels, messages and content to prioritise at launch, and what your localisation and media budgets need to cover.
Why many market assessments fall short at launch
English-language desk research and off-the-shelf reports show a market from the outside. A launch plan needs the view from inside.
Generic market research
Go-to-market research with Locaria
English-language sources and global databases
Local-language sources, read by native researchers
Category data with no view of your brand
Findings tested against your proposition, name and messaging
A long report that sits in a shared drive
A prioritised recommendation and roadmap for global and regional teams
Research handed over to a separate localisation supplier
Insight that flows straight into localisation, creative adaptation and media
Demand assumed from market size
Option to validate demand with live paid media tests first
Generic market research
English-language sources and global databases
Category data with no view of your brand
A long report that sits in a shared drive
Research handed over to a separate localisation supplier
Demand assumed from market size
Go-to-market research with Locaria
Local-language sources, read by native researchers
Findings tested against your proposition, name and messaging
A prioritised recommendation and roadmap for global and regional teams
Insight that flows straight into localisation, creative adaptation and media
Option to validate demand with live paid media tests first
How our market entry research works
Five steps from a shortlist of markets to a roadmap your teams can launch from, for one market in depth or several side by side.
01 / Brief and decision framing
We agree the decision the research has to support, the candidate markets and the questions that matter most, so nothing is researched for its own sake.
02 / Local-language desk research
Native researchers analyse local media, search demand, retail and marketplace landscapes, reviews and social conversation, alongside third-party data from sources such as GWI and Statista where they add value.
03 / Audience and competitor read
We build audience profiles and map the local competitors you will actually face, including the challengers that rarely appear in global reports. Need more depth? See international competitor analysis.
04 / Brand communication testing
In-market reviewers test your source-language positioning, tagline, name and imagery for cultural fit, so you know what will land and what needs adapting before you invest in localisation.
05 / Recommendation and roadmap
Findings are delivered in English as a market report or playbook: market ranking, audience profiles, barriers, opportunities and a phased entry plan with clear next steps.
Market entry research in action: VEGAMOUR
VEGAMOUR, an LA-based high-end beauty brand, wanted to grow its D2C e-commerce business internationally without committing full localisation budgets to markets that might not perform.
We researched candidate markets in-market and in their own languages, assessed where demand and audience fit were strongest, and built a strategic rollout roadmap that sequenced investment.
- 6 markets prioritised from the research
- A phased rollout roadmap that released budget as performance data justified it
- Localisation scoped to the markets that earned it, rather than every market at once
What you receive
Every project is scoped to your decision. These are the outputs clients use most.
Market prioritisation scorecard
Candidate markets ranked on the criteria that matter to your business, with the evidence behind every score.
Market report or playbook
One market in depth, or several compared side by side, written in English for global and regional teams.
Local audience profiles
Who your buyers are in each market, how they search and shop, and what they expect from brands like yours.
Barrier and risk register
Regulatory, cultural, pricing and channel issues rated by impact, with recommended ways to address each one.
Brand communication test
In-market feedback on your positioning, name, tagline and imagery before you pay to localise them.
Expansion roadmap
A phased entry plan covering sequencing, channels, localisation scope and the signals that should trigger the next stage.
More market entry work for global brands
Global hotel brand: four markets, one playbook
Playbook-style reports covering traveller profiles, communication trends and channel preferences in Germany, Japan, India and Saudi Arabia, giving regional teams one tool to plan paid media and loyalty campaigns.
Hospitality brand entering Germany
Pre-launch research combining desk research, cultural insight, competitor analysis and media recommendations in a single report ahead of the brand’s first launch in the market.
Molekule: a tiered expansion roadmap
Market insight and data shaped a tiered roadmap that combined multilingual content with an SEO localisation strategy. Read the Molekule case study.
Global media scoping tests
Need proof before you commit? Test real demand first.
Research tells you where to look. A media scoping test shows what happens when you show up. Scoped separately from research, we shortlist test markets using market sizing, affinity audience and competitor data, then run focused, localised PPC and paid social campaigns over two to three months to generate first-party data on demand, cost-per-click and engagement.
Markets that underperform are paused. Markets that show promise get more budget, wider audiences and more products under test. You finish with an expansion roadmap built on evidence. Find out more about our multilingual PPC and multilingual paid social services.
FAQs
Questions we often hear from teams planning a launch in a new market. If yours is not here, ask us directly.
What is market entry research?
Market entry research assesses whether, where and how a business should launch in a new country. It looks at demand, audiences, competitors, regulation, channels and cultural fit, and ends in a recommendation on which markets to enter, in what order and with what approach.
How is go-to-market research different from a market research report?
A market report describes a market. Go-to-market research is built around your decision and your brand. We research in the local language, test your proposition with in-market reviewers and finish with a prioritised recommendation and roadmap your teams can act on.
How do you decide which international markets to prioritise?
We agree weighted criteria with you, typically category demand, audience fit, competitive intensity, ease of entry, localisation effort and strategic value. Each candidate market is then scored on evidence gathered in-market, so you see both the ranking and the reasoning behind it.
Which markets and languages can you research?
Locaria works in 83 languages through more than 1,400 in-market linguists and specialists, so we can research most markets brands are likely to launch in. Share your shortlist and we will confirm coverage and timings for each market.
How long does market entry research take, and what does it cost?
It depends on the number of markets, the depth of research and whether you need primary input such as in-market reviews or live demand tests. A focused single-market assessment is quicker than a multi-market comparison. We scope timings and cost upfront, against the decision you need to make.
Can you work alongside our strategy consultants or media agency?
Yes. We often provide the local-language, cultural and market evidence that strategy teams and agencies do not have in-house, and we brief findings directly to the people who will use them.
What happens after the research is delivered?
You can take the roadmap to your own teams and agencies, or we can carry it into localisation planning, transcreation, creative adaptation and multilingual marketing in the markets you choose.
Go deeper on international growth
Research on adapting brands, content and websites for new markets.
Strategic Website Localisation
How brands adapt different types of web content to drive local e-commerce growth, with examples from De Beers, adidas, HotelsCombined and Printemps.
The AAA of Multilingualism
How multilingual competence is acquired, assessed and applied, and why native-speaker status alone doesn’t guarantee excellent language production. By Hannes Ben.
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