Network Dominican Republic
Qualitative market research agency in the Dominican Republic
MindMarket is a market research agency that runs qualitative studies in the Dominican Republic, from in-depth interviews and focus groups to shop-alongs and customer intercepts, with moderators who live in the country and one project manager for your whole study. The Dominican Republic has 11.5 million people, 85.7 per cent of them in urban areas, and 91.0 per cent use the internet (DataReportal, Digital 2026). It is the most visited country in the Caribbean, with two cities that set the tone: Santo Domingo in the south and Santiago in the Cibao valley. Everyday shopping runs through the colmado, the corner shop that also delivers.
AT A GLANCE
The Dominican Republic at a glance for researchers
- Population. 11.5 million people, median age 28.3, 85.7 per cent in urban areas (DataReportal, Digital 2026). The Dominican Republic is young and urban. Greater Santo Domingo is the largest urban area in the Caribbean, and Santiago de los Caballeros leads the north. San Pedro de Macorís, La Romana and Puerto Plata are the main towns beyond the two cities.
- Languages. Spanish, in every session, in its Dominican variety. English is common in tourism and among Dominicans who have lived in the United States. Our moderators live in the Dominican Republic, and your team follows through simultaneous interpretation.
- Internet and mobile. 10.5 million internet users, 91.0 per cent of the population, and 10.6 million mobile connections (DataReportal, Digital 2026). Social media counts 7.89 million user identities, 68.3 per cent of the population (same source). Video interviews are practical in the cities, and each participant's connection is checked before the session.
- Where fieldwork happens. Santo Domingo first, then Santiago for the Cibao. Punta Cana, Puerto Plata and La Romana are added when the study is about tourism, and San Francisco de Macorís or Higüey when the decision is national.
- Data protection. Law No. 172-13 on the protection of personal data applies. Every participant hears what will be recorded and for what purpose, and agrees before the session starts.
- Timing. Holy Week and the weeks from mid-December to 6 January are quiet. Independence Day, on 27 February, comes at the end of a month of Carnival, and 16 August is Restoration Day. The hurricane season runs from June to November, and in-person sessions in those months have an online fallback.
IN THE FIELD
How does an interview run in the Dominican Republic?
In the Dominican Republic, the colmado is on street corners across the country: a small grocery that sells by the unit, gives credit to neighbours and delivers by motorbike. For many everyday products, the brand is chosen at that counter or over the phone to it. A study in the Dominican Republic that stays in the supermarket misses the shop where the choice is made.
- Follow the order to the colmado. Shop-alongs include the colmado as well as the supermarket: what is on display, what is asked for by name, and what the owner sends when the brand requested is out of stock. Phone orders are part of the visit.
- Santo Domingo and Santiago. The capital and Santiago differ in accent, retail and what counts as good value. Each city is recruited and moderated by people who live there, and a national decision compares the two. The same discussion guide runs in both cities, so a difference in the answers comes from the place.
- Residents and visitors apart. Resort areas receive millions of visitors a year, and their shops, bars and prices follow them. A study says whether it is about residents or visitors, and visitors are met in season, where they stay. Staff of hotels and resorts are a separate audience again, interviewed outside their shifts.
- Family abroad in the conversation. Many households have relatives in New York, New Jersey or Florida, and brands travel home with them. The moderator asks where the participant first met the product, and who else has a say in a larger purchase.
RECRUITMENT
How do you recruit participants in the Dominican Republic?
- We recruit through local partners in Santo Domingo and Santiago, by sector of the city, income and category use. Each appointment is checked by phone twenty-four hours ahead. Quotas are agreed with you before the first call is made.
- Colmado owners who take part are paid for their time and told that nothing they say goes back to their suppliers. People who join studies regularly are not recruited.
- MindMarket pays every participant's incentive itself. You never handle it.
METHODS
Which methods work in the Dominican Republic?
Most studies in the Dominican Republic run as in-depth interviews and focus groups, with shop-alongs, customer intercepts or ethnographic home visits when the question needs them.
| Method | Works well when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| In-depth interviews | Finance, telecoms, health and family purchases, by video or in person | A decision shared with relatives abroad who are not in the room |
| Focus groups | Concepts, food, drink and advertising, city by city | A Santo Domingo group read as the whole country |
| Shop-alongs | Colmados, supermarkets and markets | Phone orders, which never pass in front of the shelf |
| Customer intercepts | Shoppers at the counter and visitors in resort areas | Low season, when the visitors you need are not there |
| Home visits | Cooking, cleaning and household routines | Skipping the introduction through a neighbour or a relative |
QUESTIONS
Questions buyers ask about research in the Dominican Republic
How much does market research cost in the Dominican Republic?
A full-service qualitative study with MindMarket starts at $40,000 for the first market, and The Dominican Republic added to a multi-country study starts from $8,000. A second city and fieldwork in resort areas move the price more than extra sessions in Santo Domingo. 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 the Dominican Republic?
Choose by what the study has to decide. A Dominican fieldwork company fits a survey or a retail audit. A qualitative specialist such as MindMarket fits a brand from outside the Dominican Republic 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.
Should my study in the Dominican Republic include colmados?
When your product is bought there, yes. Colmados sell by the unit, give credit and deliver, and many orders are placed by phone. A visit shows what is displayed, what is asked for by name and what the owner substitutes, and it is compared with the supermarket. The owner is interviewed as well, since they know which brands their street asks for.
Is Santo Domingo enough for research in the Dominican Republic, or should I add Santiago?
Santo Domingo is enough for a first read. For a national decision, add Santiago: the Cibao has its own accent, retailers and budgets, and the two cities are compared. Resort areas are added when the study is about visitors.
When should I avoid fieldwork in the Dominican Republic?
During Holy Week, from mid-December to 6 January, and around 27 February. From June to November, the hurricane season calls for an online fallback for in-person sessions. Outside those periods the calendar is open.
Can you help us decide, not only run the interviews?
Yes. Beyond the fieldwork, our Customer-Led Strategy work turns what people in the Dominican Republic 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.
NEXT