Network Romania
Qualitative market research agency in Romania
MindMarket is a market research agency that runs qualitative studies in Romania, from in-depth interviews and focus groups to UX research and mystery shopping, with moderators who live in the country and one project manager for your whole study. Romania has 18.9 million people, 94.0 per cent of them online, and 55.2 per cent living in urban areas (DataReportal, Digital 2026), which leaves close to half the country in small towns and villages. Research there works in Romanian, in more than one city, and with a plan for the audiences an online panel does not reach.
AT A GLANCE
Romania at a glance for researchers
- Population. 18.9 million people, median age 43.2, 55.2 per cent in urban areas (DataReportal, Digital 2026). A large market where close to half the population lives outside the cities.
- Languages. Romanian, in every session. Younger professionals speak good English, and Hungarian is spoken at home in parts of Transylvania. Our moderators live in Romania and work in Romanian, with translation for your team.
- Internet and mobile. 17.7 million internet users, 94.0 per cent of the population, and 25.5 million mobile connections (DataReportal, Digital 2026). Online interviews reach smaller towns, where in-person fieldwork would mean long travel.
- Where fieldwork happens. Bucharest first, then Cluj-Napoca, Timișoara and Iași. The capital's incomes are well above the national average, so a national decision needs a second and a third city.
- Data protection. The GDPR applies, with Law no. 190/2018 alongside it. Each participant is told what is recorded and why, and agrees before the session begins.
- Timing. August is a holiday month. Orthodox Easter falls on a different date from Western Easter in most years and closes the country for a long weekend, as do 1 May, 1 December and the days from Christmas to the New Year.
IN THE FIELD
How does an interview run in Romania?
Romania is two markets on one map: fast-growing cities with international shops and salaries, and a large rural population with different budgets and habits. A study has to choose, or cover both.
- City and countryside. Close to half of Romanians live outside the cities. If your product will sell in small towns, an urban sample tells you about the customers who are easiest to reach, not the ones who decide your volume.
- Romanian in the room. Sessions run in Romanian, with a moderator who lives in the country. Money, family and everyday choices are discussed in the language people use at home, and your team follows through translation.
- Cluj, Timișoara and Iași. Cluj-Napoca and Timișoara have their own economies and tastes, and Iași anchors the north-east. We settle the list of cities with you before recruitment starts.
- Price is part of every answer. Household budgets differ widely between the capital and the rest of the country. We ask about the price a participant would pay, in lei, at the moment they react to the product, not at the end of the session.
RECRUITMENT
How do you recruit participants in Romania?
- Recruiters who live in Romania find the people your brief describes in Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Timișoara and Iași, and in small towns and villages when your product sells there.
- For audiences outside the cities, recruiters work by phone and through local contacts, and each participant's connection is checked before an online session.
- MindMarket pays every participant's incentive itself. You never handle it.
METHODS
Which methods work in Romania?
Most studies in Romania run as focus groups and in-depth interviews, with UX research, mystery shopping or ethnographic home visits when the question needs them.
| Method | Works well when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Focus groups | Concepts, food, retail and communications, in two or three cities | Bucharest-only groups read as national |
| In-depth interviews | Money, health and other subjects people keep private | Budgets quoted in euros; ask in lei |
| Online interviews | Smaller towns and audiences spread over several regions | Check the connection before the session |
| Home visits | Cooking, household routines and rural habits | An introduction through someone the family knows |
| Mystery shopping | Retail and banking networks, in cities and small towns | Visits in the big cities only; small-town branches differ |
QUESTIONS
Questions buyers ask about research in Romania
How much does market research cost in Romania?
A full-service qualitative study with MindMarket starts at $40,000 for the first market, and Romania added to a multi-country study starts from $8,000. Adding regional cities and rural audiences moves 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 Romania?
Choose by what the study has to decide. A Romanian institute fits a national survey or panel study. A qualitative specialist such as MindMarket fits a brand from outside Romania 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.
Do sessions in Romania need to run in Romanian?
Yes, for consumer audiences. English is common among younger professionals in the big cities and much rarer in small towns and among older people, so an English session narrows who you hear from. MindMarket's moderators live in Romania and work in Romanian, with translation for your team.
Is Bucharest enough, or should I add other cities?
Bucharest is enough for a first read of urban, higher-income consumers. For a national decision, add Cluj-Napoca or Iași, and smaller towns when your product sells there: close to half the country lives outside the cities.
Can you reach rural audiences in Romania?
Yes. Recruiters work through local contacts, and 94.0 per cent of the population uses the internet (DataReportal, Digital 2026), so many rural participants can be interviewed online once the connection has been checked. Home visits are arranged when the question is about how people live.
Can you help us decide, not only run the interviews?
Yes. Beyond the fieldwork, our Customer-Led Strategy work turns what people in Romania 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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