Network Portugal
Qualitative market research agency in Portugal
MindMarket is a market research agency that runs qualitative studies in Portugal, 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. Portugal has 10.4 million people with a median age of 46.9, one of the highest in Europe, and 89.0 per cent of them use the internet (DataReportal, Digital 2026). One person in ten is not online, and older households are a large part of the market. Research there works in European Portuguese, which is not the Portuguese of Brazil, and with a plan for the customers a web panel does not reach.
AT A GLANCE
Portugal at a glance for researchers
- Population. 10.4 million people, median age 46.9, 69.1 per cent in urban areas (DataReportal, Digital 2026). An older population, with Lisbon and Porto as the two large urban areas. Greater Lisbon and Greater Porto are the two metropolitan areas; Braga, Coimbra and Faro are the main cities beyond them, and Madeira and the Azores are autonomous island regions.
- Languages. Portuguese, as it is spoken in Portugal. Vocabulary, spelling and forms of address differ from Brazil's. Many professionals speak English. Our moderators live in Portugal, with translation for your team. Stimulus written for Brazil is rewritten, not corrected, and the moderator settles the form of address with each participant at the start.
- Internet and mobile. 9.26 million internet users, 89.0 per cent of the population, and 13.9 million mobile connections (DataReportal, Digital 2026). One person in ten is not online, so older audiences are met in person or by phone. Social media counts 7.59 million user identities, 72.9 per cent of the population, and the median fixed download speed is 219.75 Mbps (same source), so online sessions run well with the audiences who are connected.
- Where fieldwork happens. Lisbon first, then Porto, with Braga, Coimbra or Faro when the decision goes beyond the two large cities. Madeira and the Azores are covered online, or in person when the study is about the islands. The Algarve is fielded with the season in mind, because its summer population is not its winter one.
- Data protection. The GDPR applies, with Law No. 58/2019 alongside it. Participants are told what is recorded and why, and agree before the session begins.
- Timing. August is the holiday month, and many businesses slow down. The public holidays of June and the days from Christmas to the New Year are quiet. Lisbon and Porto each have a municipal holiday in June, on the 13th and the 24th, and Portugal Day is 10 June.
IN THE FIELD
How does an interview run in Portugal?
In Portugal, the buyer a brand forgets is often over sixty. With a median age of 46.9, older households carry a large part of spending, and they are the least likely to answer an online invitation. A study in Portugal sets its age quotas first and chooses the method for each age group second.
- Recruit the older buyer on purpose. Age quotas are set before recruitment starts, and older participants are invited by phone and interviewed in person when they prefer it. An online-only sample is younger than the market. Daytime sessions and a venue close to home make it easy to say yes, and a video interview is offered to those who prefer it.
- Portuguese from Portugal. A guide or an interface written for Brazil reads as foreign. Stimulus is written or adapted by someone who lives in Portugal, down to forms of address. Retail and payment references are local too: stimulus names the banners and the payment methods people use in Portugal, such as MB Way.
- Lisbon and Porto are two reads. The two cities have their own retailers' strongholds, media and loyalties. A national decision compares them, and adds the interior or the Algarve when the product sells there. Porto stands for the north, with Braga close by, and each city has its own recruiter.
- Follow the shopper to the shelf. In Madrid, we interviewed bartenders and intercepted consumers in venues for an international client. In Portugal, shop-alongs and intercepts run the same way, where the choice is made. Each conversation at the shelf lasts a few minutes, and a longer interview is booked afterwards when the shopper agrees.
RECRUITMENT
How do you recruit participants in Portugal?
- We recruit through local partners in Lisbon and Porto, by age, income and category use, and in smaller towns when the brief asks for them. People who take part in studies often are screened out, and each participant is confirmed by phone the day before the session.
- Older participants are invited by phone, and offered an interview at home or in a venue near them. Recruiters also work through local associations and neighbourhood shops to reach people who do not answer online invitations.
- MindMarket pays every participant's incentive itself. You never handle it.
METHODS
Which methods work in Portugal?
Most studies in Portugal run as in-depth interviews and focus groups, with shop-alongs, UX research or customer intercepts when the question needs them.
| Method | Works well when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| In-depth interviews | Finance, health, telecoms and older audiences, in person or online | An online-only sample; it leaves out older buyers |
| Focus groups | Concepts, food and communications in Lisbon and Porto | Brazilian Portuguese in the stimulus |
| Shop-alongs | Supermarkets, pharmacies and neighbourhood shops | Loyalty cards and promotions that drive the choice |
| UX research | Banking, telecom and retail apps in European Portuguese | Text localised for Brazil |
| Customer intercepts | Shops, venues and events, straight after the experience | Venue permission, and a short guide |
QUESTIONS
Questions buyers ask about research in Portugal
How much does market research cost in Portugal?
A full-service qualitative study with MindMarket starts at $40,000 for the first market, and Portugal added to a multi-country study starts from $8,000. In-person sessions with older participants and a second city 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 Portugal?
Choose by what the study has to decide. A Portuguese institute fits a national survey or a panel study. A qualitative specialist such as MindMarket fits a brand from outside Portugal 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.
Can a Brazilian moderator or Brazilian materials be used in Portugal?
A moderator who lives in Portugal is the better choice, with materials in European Portuguese. Vocabulary, spelling and forms of address differ, and participants notice. One MindMarket team can run Portugal and Brazil from one brief. The same applies to interfaces: an app in Brazilian Portuguese is tested in Portugal only after it has been adapted.
Is Lisbon enough for research in Portugal, or should I add Porto?
Lisbon is enough for a first read. For a national decision, add Porto, and smaller towns when your product sells there. The two cities are compared, not merged. Madeira and the Azores are added online, or in person when the study concerns the islands.
How do you include older participants in Portugal?
By setting age quotas first, inviting people by phone, and interviewing them in person when they prefer. One person in ten is not online (DataReportal, Digital 2026), and older households are a large part of the market. Recruiters reach them through local associations and neighbourhood shops as well as by phone.
Can you help us decide, not only run the interviews?
Yes. Beyond the fieldwork, our Customer-Led Strategy work turns what people in Portugal 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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