Network India
Qualitative market research in India
India has 1.47 billion people and 1.03 billion internet users, 70 per cent of the population (DataReportal, Digital 2026), spread across 22 scheduled languages and hundreds of cities. Qualitative research there works when it is built for the phone, recruited city by city through local partners and moderated in the participant's own language by someone who lives in the country. MindMarket runs in-depth interviews, focus groups, diaries and shop-alongs in India with local moderators and one project manager for your whole study, and has supplied moderation in Mumbai and run automotive work there for international clients.
AT A GLANCE
India at a glance for researchers
- Population. 1.47 billion people, with a median age of 28.8 (DataReportal, Digital 2026). Half the country is under thirty.
- Languages. Hindi is the first language of 43.6 per cent of Indians, and the constitution lists 22 scheduled languages (Census of India, 2011). English is the language of business and of most urban professionals. Our moderators work in the major languages of each city.
- Internet and mobile. 1.03 billion internet users and 1.06 billion mobile connections (DataReportal, Digital 2026). India is a phone country first: most participants join from a handset, and many share one home connection.
- Where fieldwork happens. Most of our studies in India run in Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru, with other cities added when your audience lives there.
- Data protection. The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, with rules notified in November 2025: informed consent for a stated purpose, and care with recordings and personal data.
- Timing. Diwali week, in October or November, and the June to September monsoon in Mumbai slow in-person fieldwork. For Muslim audiences we do not schedule fieldwork during Ramadan.
IN THE FIELD
How does an interview run in India?
In the US or Europe, an online interview usually means a participant at home on a laptop with a stable connection. In India, the work starts before the interview, and the conversation rarely stays in one language.
- Built for the phone. We design the discussion guide, the stimulus and any tasks to work on a phone screen and on a modest data plan, because that is how most participants will join.
- A knock on the door. For an online interview at home, a member of our local team goes to the participant's door before the session, so the participant is ready when the moderator starts.
- The recruiter's office as a studio. When a home connection is not reliable enough, our local team invites the participant to its office, which has a stable connection, and the moderator interviews them from there.
- Moderators who live in India. Urban Indians often move between English, Hindi and their own language in the same sentence. A moderator who lives in the city follows every switch and hears what a translator would miss.
RECRUITMENT
How do you recruit participants in India?
- We recruit through local partners in each city, who find the people your brief describes, from first-time smartphone owners to CTOs.
- The local team tests each participant's internet connection before the session is booked, so a weak line is found before the interview, not during it.
- MindMarket pays every participant's incentive itself. You never handle it.
METHODS
Which methods work in India?
Most studies in India run as online in-depth interviews built for the phone, with in-person interviews, focus groups, online diaries or shop-alongs when the question needs them.
| Method | Works well when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Online in-depth interviews | Most consumer and user studies; participants join from their phone or from the recruiter's office | Test each connection at recruitment and confirm attendance on the day |
| In-person in-depth interviews | You need to see the home, the kitchen, the shop or the product in use | Travel time inside Mumbai or Delhi; plan one neighbourhood per day |
| Focus groups | You want to hear how people talk to each other about a category | Mixing ages, genders or income levels can silence some voices |
| Online diaries | You follow a habit, like UPI payments or food delivery, over days or weeks | Tasks must work on a phone screen and on a modest data plan |
| Shop-alongs | You compare a kirana store with modern trade or quick commerce | Ask permission in small shops before anyone records |
QUESTIONS
Questions buyers ask about research in India
How much does market research cost in India?
A full-service qualitative study with MindMarket starts at $40,000 for the first market, and India added to a multi-country study starts from $8,000. Moderation only, with session management and quality control, has cost an agency around $10,000 in Mumbai. The final price depends on the audience, the number of interviews and the method, and every quote is itemised within 48 hours of a first call. Estimate your study.
Do I need a local moderator in India?
Yes. Participants often move between English, Hindi and their own language in one conversation, and the language of a Chennai interview is not the language of a Delhi one. MindMarket's moderators in India live there and work in the major languages of each city.
Can I run online interviews in India?
Yes, if they are built for the phone. 70 per cent of Indians use the internet and most of them do it on a handset (DataReportal, Digital 2026). We test each participant's connection at recruitment, and those with a weak line join from our local team's office.
Which cities should I cover in India?
Start with the cities where your buyers live, not with a map. Most of our studies run in Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru, and we add Chennai, Hyderabad or a smaller city when your audience is there. A country this varied is better read through two or three cities done well than through ten done thinly.
How long does fieldwork take in India?
It depends on the audience, the number of interviews and the method. We plan around Diwali and, for Muslim audiences, around Ramadan. A full multi-country project typically takes 8 to 12 weeks from planning to final report.
Can you help us decide, not only run the interviews?
Yes. Beyond the fieldwork, our Customer-Led Strategy work turns what people in India 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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