Network Colombia
Qualitative market research agency in Colombia
MindMarket is a market research agency that runs qualitative studies in Colombia, from in-depth interviews and focus groups to shop-alongs and UX research, with moderators who live in the country and one project manager for your whole study. Colombia has 53.6 million people, 83.0 per cent of them in urban areas, and 77.8 per cent use the internet (DataReportal, Digital 2026). Neighbourhood shops are part of the route to many customers, and the country is a set of regions, each with its own city, accent and taste. We have recruited, moderated and interpreted user research in Colombia for a global social media company.
AT A GLANCE
Colombia at a glance for researchers
- Population. 53.6 million people, median age 32.5, 83.0 per cent in urban areas (DataReportal, Digital 2026). A country of regions: the Andean cities, the Caribbean coast and the Pacific each have their own capital. Bogotá, Medellín, Cali and Barranquilla are the four largest cities, and each leads a different region.
- Languages. Spanish, with accents and everyday words that change between Bogotá, Medellín, Cali and the coast. Our moderators live in Colombia, and your team follows live through simultaneous interpretation.
- Internet and mobile. 41.7 million internet users, 77.8 per cent of the population, and 83.0 million mobile connections (DataReportal, Digital 2026). More than one person in five is not online, so audiences outside the big cities are met in person. Among people who are online, 90.5 per cent use at least one social platform, and the median fixed download speed is 191.53 Mbps against 36.76 Mbps on mobile (same source), so video sessions run best on home broadband.
- Where fieldwork happens. Bogotá first, then Medellín, Cali and Barranquilla. The four cities answer differently, and a national decision needs at least two of them. Bucaramanga, Pereira and Cartagena are added when a brand's distribution reaches them, and smaller towns are covered by a researcher who travels from the nearest city.
- Data protection. Statutory Law 1581 of 2012 governs personal data. Participants give consent before each session and are told what is recorded and for what purpose.
- Timing. Holy Week and the weeks from mid-December to mid-January are holiday periods. Colombia has many public holidays moved to Mondays, so long weekends break up fieldwork through the year. We place group sessions on weekday evenings and keep the Friday before a long weekend free.
IN THE FIELD
How does an interview run in Colombia?
In Colombia, the route to your customer often runs through a neighbourhood shop where the shopkeeper knows the buyer by name. What happens at that counter shapes a choice as much as advertising does. Supermarkets and discount chains sit beside those shops, and many households in Colombia use all three in the same week.
- Follow the purchase to the neighbourhood shop. When the neighbourhood shop is part of the route to your customer, the study goes there: what the shopper can see, what they have to ask for, and what the shopkeeper suggests when the item they came for is not in stock. The same shopper is then asked about the supermarket and the discount chain, so the three places are compared by the person who uses them.
- Check what is open to visitors. Many small shops operate from a home. Before a shop visit, the local team checks what is open to customers and where permission is needed, so the visit is welcome and the shopkeeper speaks freely. Shopkeepers are paid for their time like any other participant, and they are told in advance that nothing they say goes back to their suppliers.
- One country, several regions. Bogotá, Medellín, Cali and the Caribbean coast differ in accent, food and what counts as good value. Each city is recruited and moderated by people who live there, and the cities are read side by side. A study in Colombia that has to choose between two cities starts from where the brand already sells and where it wants to grow.
- Your team follows live. Sessions run in Spanish while an interpreter translates as people speak. Questions from your team reach the moderator during the conversation, as they did in our user research in Colombia. A question that arrives too late for one session is carried into the next.
RECRUITMENT
How do you recruit participants in Colombia?
- We recruit through local partners in Bogotá, Medellín, Cali and Barranquilla, by income level, neighbourhood and category use. Quotas by city are agreed with you first, because a sample that is right for Bogotá is not automatically right for the coast.
- For user research we recruit from a client's own list or from the general public, and confirm each participant by phone before the session. People who take part in studies every few weeks are screened out, and identity is checked at the start of the session.
- MindMarket pays every participant's incentive itself. You never handle it.
METHODS
Which methods work in Colombia?
Most studies in Colombia run as in-depth interviews and focus groups, with shop-alongs, UX research or ethnographic home visits when the question needs them.
| Method | Works well when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| In-depth interviews | Users of digital services, finance and personal topics, online or in person | One accent for the whole country; match moderator and city |
| Focus groups | Concepts, food, drink and communications, city by city | A Bogotá group read as the national answer |
| Shop-alongs | Neighbourhood shops, supermarkets and discount chains | Permission where shop and home share a space |
| UX research | Apps and platforms tested in Spanish with live interpretation | Screens translated for Spain or Mexico |
| Home visits | Cooking, cleaning and family routines | Who chooses, who buys and who uses are often three people |
QUESTIONS
Questions buyers ask about research in Colombia
How much does market research cost in Colombia?
A full-service qualitative study with MindMarket starts at $40,000 for the first market, and Colombia added to a multi-country study starts from $8,000. The number of cities and live interpretation move the price more than the number of sessions. Every quote is itemised and follows within 48 hours of a first call. Estimate your study.
How do I choose a market research agency in Colombia?
Choose by what the study has to decide. A Colombian institute fits a national survey; a fieldwork house in Bogotá fits a team that brings its own moderator. A qualitative specialist such as MindMarket fits a brand from outside Colombia that needs local people heard in their own language, by moderators who live there, with one team across every country. Read how to choose a global qualitative research agency.
Is Bogotá enough for research in Colombia, or should I add other cities?
Bogotá is enough for a first read. For a national decision, add Medellín, Cali or Barranquilla: the regions differ in accent, food and budgets, and a concept can win in one and miss in another. When the budget allows one extra city only, we suggest Medellín, or Barranquilla when the Caribbean coast matters to the brand.
Can my team follow sessions in Colombia live?
Yes. Sessions run in Spanish with simultaneous interpretation, and your team can send questions to the moderator during the conversation. We have run user research in Colombia this way for a global social media company. Colleagues in other time zones receive the recordings and a written summary in English.
Should my study include neighbourhood shops?
When they are part of the route to your customer, yes. A visit shows what the shopper sees, what they ask for and what the shopkeeper recommends, and it is compared with supermarkets and discount chains before a decision. Read our Latin America consumer guide. Shop visits in Colombia are arranged with the shopkeeper's agreement and last under an hour, so trade carries on around them.
Can you help us decide, not only run the interviews?
Yes. Beyond the fieldwork, our Customer-Led Strategy work turns what people in Colombia told us into a recommendation: what to do, what not to do, and why. We form the hypotheses, test them with your customers and recommend from their words. If you already work with strategy consultants, we work alongside them.
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