Network Senegal
Qualitative market research agency in Senegal
MindMarket is a market research agency that runs qualitative studies in Senegal, from in-depth interviews and focus groups to shop-alongs and home visits, with moderators who live in the country and one project manager for your whole study. Senegal has 19.0 million people with a median age of 19.6, and 60.6 per cent of them use the internet (DataReportal, Digital 2026). French is the official language, and Wolof is the language most people speak with family, friends and shopkeepers. Half the country is under 20, four in ten people are not online, and much everyday money moves through mobile wallets, so research there is spoken in Wolof and often done in person.
AT A GLANCE
Senegal at a glance for researchers
- Population. 19.0 million people, median age 19.6, 50.7 per cent in urban areas (DataReportal, Digital 2026). Senegal is one of the youngest countries we work in: half of Senegalese are under 20. Dakar and its region hold the largest share of the urban population, and half the country lives outside the cities. Touba, Thiès and Kaolack are the largest cities outside the capital region.
- Languages. Wolof for most consumer sessions, French for professional and written subjects, and Pulaar, Serer or Diola where participants prefer them. Each participant chooses, and our moderators live in Senegal.
- Internet and mobile. 11.5 million internet users, 60.6 per cent of the population, and 23.3 million mobile connections (DataReportal, Digital 2026). Close to four in ten people are not online, and social media reaches 28.5 per cent of the population (same source). Online sessions suit urban, connected audiences; everyone else is met in person.
- Where fieldwork happens. Dakar and its suburbs of Pikine and Guédiawaye first, then Thiès, Touba, Saint-Louis and Kaolack. Ziguinchor is added for the south, and rural communities are reached from the nearest town.
- Data protection. Act No. 2008-12 of 25 January 2008 on personal data protection applies. Before a session begins, each participant is told what is recorded and why, and gives their agreement.
- Timing. We do not schedule fieldwork during Ramadan, and Korité and Tabaski, the two Eid holidays, stop work for several days. The Grand Magal of Touba puts a large part of the country on the road for a few days. The rainy season, from July to October, slows travel outside the cities.
IN THE FIELD
How does an interview run in Senegal?
In Senegal, French is the language of school and paperwork, and Wolof the language of home, market and street. Sessions run in the language each participant uses every day, and written stimulus is read aloud when needed. A study in Senegal settles the language of each session at recruitment.
- Wolof in the room. Consumer sessions run in Wolof with a moderator who lives in Senegal, and in Pulaar, Serer or Diola where participants prefer. French is kept for professional audiences and for written materials, and the analysis keeps the original wording beside the English. Stimulus that carries text is shown with pictures and read aloud, so that reading skill does not decide who can answer.
- In person where the audience is. With 60.6 per cent of people online, an internet sample is urban and younger than the market. Interviews, groups and home visits are held in person in Dakar's suburbs and in the regions, with a recruiter the household knows. Transport to a venue is arranged where needed.
- Mobile money in the purchase. Mobile wallets are used to send, receive and pay, alongside cash. The moderator asks how the last purchase was paid for, and usability tests are run with the wallets participants have on their own phone. Payment screens are tested in French, and in Wolof where the app offers it.
- Neighbourhood shops and markets. Small neighbourhood shops and open markets sell by the unit and in sachets. Shop-alongs go there, and the shopkeeper is interviewed where the choice of brand depends on what they stock and suggest. Unit prices are noted beside pack prices.
RECRUITMENT
How do you recruit participants in Senegal?
- We recruit through local partners in Dakar, Thiès and Saint-Louis, by neighbourhood, language, household and category use. The recruiter phones each participant the day before to confirm.
- Households are approached through someone they know, and the time and place of a home visit are agreed with the family. Those who take part in research as a habit are screened out, and the quota grid is approved by you before the first call.
- MindMarket pays every participant's incentive itself. You never handle it.
METHODS
Which methods work in Senegal?
Most studies in Senegal run as in-depth interviews and focus groups, with shop-alongs, ethnographic home visits or customer intercepts when the question needs them.
| Method | Works well when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| In-depth interviews | Finance, telecoms, health and family decisions, in the participant's language | A French-only interview with a participant who thinks in Wolof |
| Focus groups | Concepts, food, drink and communications in Dakar | A Dakar group read as the whole country |
| Shop-alongs | Neighbourhood shops, open markets and supermarkets | Unit and sachet prices that differ from the pack price |
| Home visits | Cooking, shared meals and household budgets | No introduction from a person the family already knows |
| Customer intercepts | Buyers at markets, shops and transport stops | Long questionnaires; keep the conversation to a few minutes |
QUESTIONS
Questions buyers ask about research in Senegal
How much does market research cost in Senegal?
A full-service qualitative study with MindMarket starts at $40,000 for the first market, and Senegal added to a multi-country study starts from $8,000. In-person fieldwork outside Dakar and sessions in more than one language move 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 Senegal?
Choose by what the study has to decide. A Senegalese fieldwork company fits a household survey or a retail audit. A qualitative specialist such as MindMarket fits a brand from outside Senegal 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.
Should sessions in Senegal run in French or in Wolof?
In Wolof for most consumer subjects, because it is the language of daily life, and in French with professional audiences. Each participant is asked at recruitment, and Pulaar, Serer or Diola are used where they prefer. Your team listens through simultaneous interpretation. Written stimulus is in French, and it is read aloud in the language of the session.
Can you run online research in Senegal?
With urban, connected audiences, yes: 60.6 per cent of the population uses the internet (DataReportal, Digital 2026). For a sample that reflects the market, fieldwork is done in person, in Dakar's suburbs and in the regions, with recruiters the households know.
Is Dakar enough for research in Senegal, or should I add other places?
Dakar is enough for a first read of urban buyers. For a national decision, add Thiès, Touba or Saint-Louis and a rural community: half of Senegalese live outside the cities, with different budgets and shops. Each place is recruited by people who live there.
Can you help us decide, not only run the interviews?
Yes. Beyond the fieldwork, our Customer-Led Strategy work turns what people in Senegal 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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