Network Montenegro
Qualitative market research agency in Montenegro
MindMarket is a market research agency that runs qualitative studies in Montenegro, from in-depth interviews and focus groups to customer intercepts and mystery shopping, with moderators who live in the country and one project manager for your whole study. Montenegro has 630,000 people, and 89.7 per cent of them use the internet (DataReportal, Digital 2026). The same source counts 1.61 million mobile connections, 255 per cent of the population, far more lines than residents, in a country that receives several times its population in visitors each year. Research in Montenegro starts by separating the people who live there from the people who are passing through.
AT A GLANCE
Montenegro at a glance for researchers
- Population. 630,000 people, median age 40.0, 69.3 per cent in urban areas (DataReportal, Digital 2026). Podgorica, the capital, holds about a third of the residents. Nikšić is the second city, the coast runs from Herceg Novi and Kotor to Budva, Bar and Ulcinj, and the mountain towns of the north are smaller and less wealthy. Podgorica lies inland, an hour from the coast by road.
- Languages. Montenegrin is the official language, and Serbian, Bosnian, Albanian and Croatian are in official use. Albanian is spoken in Ulcinj and Tuzi, and participants there are asked which language they prefer. Our moderators live in Montenegro.
- Internet and mobile. 566,000 internet users, 89.7 per cent of the population, and 1.61 million mobile connections (DataReportal, Digital 2026). Median download speeds reach 72.72 Mbps on mobile and 81.76 Mbps on fixed lines (same source). Social media counts 445,000 user identities, 70.6 per cent of the population, and Instagram reaches as many.
- Where fieldwork happens. Podgorica first, then the coast, in Budva, Kotor or Bar, and Nikšić or Bijelo Polje for the centre and north. The whole country can be covered in one week of fieldwork. Sessions are held in hotel or office meeting rooms, and online for the mountain towns.
- Data protection. The Law on Protection of Personal Data, first enacted in 2008 and last amended in July 2024, applies. We explain what is recorded and why, and take each participant's consent before we start.
- Timing. From June to September the coast is at work and full of visitors. 21 May and 13 July are national days, Orthodox Christmas falls on 7 January, and 1 May is a holiday. Spring and autumn are the best fieldwork months. Online interviews with residents run all year.
IN THE FIELD
How does an interview run in Montenegro?
In Montenegro, the coast and the north are far apart in income, even though they are three hours apart by road. Budva and Kotor live from tourism and property, Podgorica from administration and services, and the north from fewer and smaller employers. A study in Montenegro names which of the three it describes. Foreign residents and property owners on the coast are a fourth audience, recruited on their own.
- Residents, visitors and seasonal workers. The screener asks where each participant lives for most of the year. Residents, foreign property owners, seasonal workers and tourists are recruited apart, because they shop and pay differently. Interviews with visitors and foreign owners run in English or in their own language.
- Small numbers, stated early. With 630,000 residents, narrow profiles are short lists. We tell you the realistic count before the design is fixed, and use in-depth interviews where a group cannot be filled. Recruitment starts earlier than in a large country, because each refusal matters.
- Coast, capital and north. Each of the three is recruited by people who live there. One group or four interviews in each show how far apart they are. Ulcinj, in the south, is added when the Albanian-speaking community matters to the brand.
- Prices in euros. Montenegro uses the euro. Coastal prices rise in the season, so price research records where and when the participant last bought the category. Rents and property are discussed in euros per month or per square metre, as people quote them.
RECRUITMENT
How do you recruit participants in Montenegro?
- We recruit through local partners in Podgorica, on the coast and in the north, by town, age and category use. A call the day before confirms every appointment, and quotas are agreed with you before recruitment starts. People who work in tourism are recruited outside the season.
- Business audiences are approached directly, one by one, and their role is checked before the interview is booked. Frequent study participants are screened out of consumer groups. Hotel and restaurant owners are interviewed between October and April.
- MindMarket pays every participant's incentive itself. You never handle it.
METHODS
Which methods work in Montenegro?
Most studies in Montenegro run as in-depth interviews and focus groups, with customer intercepts, mystery shopping or shop-alongs when the question needs them.
| Method | Works well when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| In-depth interviews | Most studies: consumers, professionals and narrow profiles, by video or in person | A sample larger than the profile holds |
| Focus groups | Broad consumer subjects in Podgorica | Participants who know each other, in a country this small |
| Customer intercepts | Promenades, marinas, shopping centres and venues on the coast | Residents and visitors mixed without a screener |
| Mystery shopping | Hotels, restaurants, bank branches and retail | A shopper who is recognised on a second visit |
| Shop-alongs | Supermarkets and markets in Podgorica and on the coast | Summer weeks, when the range is set for visitors |
QUESTIONS
Questions buyers ask about research in Montenegro
How much does market research cost in Montenegro?
A full-service qualitative study with MindMarket starts at $40,000 for the first market, and Montenegro added to a multi-country study starts from $8,000. Travel between the coast, the capital and the north moves the price more than the number of interviews. 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 Montenegro?
Choose by what the study has to decide. A local polling company fits a national survey. A qualitative specialist such as MindMarket fits a brand from outside Montenegro 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.
How do you separate residents from visitors in Montenegro?
The screener separates them. Each participant in Montenegro is asked where they live for most of the year and why they are in the country. Residents, seasonal workers, foreign property owners and tourists are recruited as different audiences, and a study says at the start which of them it is about.
Is Montenegro too small for focus groups?
Montenegro is large enough for groups on broad subjects such as food, retail or telecoms, in Podgorica. For narrow profiles, a country of this size holds a few dozen people, so we use in-depth interviews and tell you the realistic count before the study is designed. Six to ten interviews answer most questions.
When should research in Montenegro take place?
Research in Montenegro with residents takes place in spring or autumn, when people on the coast are not working the season. A study about tourists or summer spending belongs between June and September, on the coast, with intercepts at the places they visit. A study with residents is not held in July or August on the coast.
Can you help us decide, not only run the interviews?
Yes. Beyond the fieldwork, our Customer-Led Strategy work turns what people in Montenegro 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