Network Georgia
Qualitative market research agency in Georgia
MindMarket is a market research agency that runs qualitative studies in Georgia, 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. Georgia, the country in the South Caucasus, has 3.81 million people, and 81.9 per cent of them use the internet (DataReportal, Digital 2026). Of those internet users, 97.9 per cent use social media, and Facebook alone counts 3.05 million users. Georgian has its own alphabet, so nothing is tested in transliteration, and Tbilisi, Batumi and the wine region of Kakheti each need their own read.
AT A GLANCE
Georgia at a glance for researchers
- Population. 3.81 million people, median age 37.3, 61.7 per cent in urban areas (DataReportal, Digital 2026). Tbilisi, the capital, holds about a third of the residents. Batumi is the port and resort on the Black Sea, Kutaisi the main city of the west, and Telavi the centre of Kakheti, the wine region in the east. Tbilisi lies in the east, five hours by road from Batumi.
- Languages. Georgian, written in its own alphabet, in every session. Russian is understood by many older people and English by many younger ones. Armenian and Azerbaijani are spoken at home in parts of the south, and participants there are asked which language they prefer. Our moderators live in Georgia.
- Internet and mobile. 81.9 per cent of the population is online, 3.12 million people, and mobile connections total 6.46 million (DataReportal, Digital 2026). Mobile data is far faster than fixed lines, with a median download speed of 144.97 Mbps against 41.89 Mbps (same source), so sessions and prototypes are tested on a phone. Mobile connections stand at 170 per cent of the population.
- Where fieldwork happens. Tbilisi first, then Batumi for the coast and Kutaisi for the west. Telavi, Zugdidi or Gori are added when the decision is national. We do not run fieldwork in Abkhazia or South Ossetia. Outside Tbilisi, sessions take place in hotel or office meeting rooms, or online.
- Data protection. The Law of Georgia on Personal Data Protection, adopted on 14 June 2023, with its main provisions in force since 1 March 2024, applies. We explain what is recorded and why, and take each participant's consent before we start.
- Timing. Orthodox Christmas falls on 7 January and Orthodox Easter on its own date. 26 May is Independence Day, and 28 August, 14 October and 23 November are public holidays. The grape harvest fills September and October in Kakheti, and Batumi lives its season from June to September.
IN THE FIELD
How does an interview run in Georgia?
In Georgia, social media is where a brand is met. Most internet users are on Facebook, pages and groups carry offers, reviews and customer service, and a purchase often starts in a comment thread. A study in Georgia follows the product from the feed to the shop.
- From the feed to the shop. Interviews start with the participant's own phone: the pages they follow, the groups they ask and the messages they send to sellers. Shop-alongs then cover the supermarket, the market and the neighbourhood shop. Screenshots are shared only with the participant's agreement.
- Georgian script, checked locally. Packaging, screens and advertising are shown in Georgian. Latin-letter brand names are read aloud by participants, and translations from Russian or English are checked by a native speaker.
- Tbilisi, coast and regions. Tbilisi is better paid and more international. Batumi lives from visitors and property, and the regions from farming and smaller employers. Each is recruited by people who live there. Kakheti is added for studies about wine, food and farming.
- Residents and visitors apart. Tourists and foreign residents are a visible part of Tbilisi and Batumi. The screener asks where each participant lives for most of the year, and a study says which audience it is about. Interviews with visitors and foreign residents run in English or Russian.
RECRUITMENT
How do you recruit participants in Georgia?
- We recruit through local partners in Tbilisi, Batumi and Kutaisi, by region, age, income and category use. A call the day before confirms every appointment, and you sign off the quotas before recruitment begins. Participants from villages are met in the nearest town.
- B2B participants are recruited by direct approach, with their position verified ahead of the interview. Those who take part in research as a habit are screened out of consumer groups. Winemakers, hoteliers and other business owners are met at their place of work.
- MindMarket pays every participant's incentive itself. You never handle it.
METHODS
Which methods work in Georgia?
Most studies in Georgia 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 | Finance, telecoms, wine, hospitality and B2B audiences, by video or in person | A call set up on a fixed line, which is slower than mobile data |
| Focus groups | Food, drink, advertising and concept tests in Tbilisi and Kutaisi | Treating a single Tbilisi group as the whole country |
| Shop-alongs | Neighbourhood shops, supermarkets and open-air markets | Harvest weeks in the wine region, when households are busy |
| UX research | Banking, payment and delivery apps on the participant's own phone | Text shown in Latin letters where Georgian script is expected |
| Home visits | Cooking, hosting and household routines | No introduction from a person the family already knows |
QUESTIONS
Questions buyers ask about research in Georgia
How much does market research cost in Georgia?
A full-service qualitative study with MindMarket starts at $40,000 for the first market, and Georgia added to a multi-country study starts from $8,000. Fieldwork in Batumi and the regions moves the price more than extra sessions in Tbilisi. 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 Georgia?
Choose by what the study has to decide. A Georgian polling company fits a national survey or an opinion poll. A qualitative specialist such as MindMarket fits a brand from outside Georgia 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 this page about Georgia the country or the US state of Georgia?
Georgia on this page is the country in the South Caucasus, between the Black Sea, Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan, with Tbilisi as its capital. For research in the US state of Georgia, in Atlanta for example, see how we work in the USA.
Is Tbilisi enough for research in Georgia?
Tbilisi is enough for a first read, since about a third of Georgia's residents live there. For a national decision, add Batumi, where tourism shapes demand, or Kutaisi and a regional town, where incomes are lower and markets matter more than supermarkets. For a first study, two cities usually do.
Which language is used for research in Georgia?
Research in Georgia runs in Georgian, with moderators who live there, and your team follows through simultaneous interpretation. Russian or English works with some professional audiences, by their choice. Stimulus is prepared in Georgian script, because transliterated text reads as foreign. Our reports are in English.
Can you help us decide, not only run the interviews?
Yes. Beyond the fieldwork, our Customer-Led Strategy work turns what people in Georgia 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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