Network Tunisia
Qualitative market research agency in Tunisia
MindMarket is a market research agency that runs qualitative studies in Tunisia, from in-depth interviews and focus groups to UX research and shop-alongs, with moderators who live in the country and one project manager for your whole study. Tunisia has 12.4 million people with a median age of 32.9, and 84.3 per cent of them use the internet (DataReportal, Digital 2026). It is a compact, connected market where people switch between Tunisian Arabic and French, and where the coast and the interior differ sharply in income and retail. Brands use it for a first read of North Africa, and the study is designed so that the result can be compared with Morocco or Algeria.
AT A GLANCE
Tunisia at a glance for researchers
- Population. 12.4 million people, median age 32.9, 71.3 per cent in urban areas (DataReportal, Digital 2026). Tunisia's population is concentrated on the eastern coast, in Greater Tunis, Sfax and the Sahel around Sousse. The interior and the south are less dense and less wealthy. Tunis is the capital, and Sfax the second city.
- Languages. Tunisian Arabic, known as Derja, for most consumer sessions; French with many professionals, in business and in higher education. Each participant chooses the language, and our moderators live in Tunisia and work in both.
- Internet and mobile. 10.4 million internet users, 84.3 per cent of the population, and 15.5 million mobile connections (DataReportal, Digital 2026). Mobile data is far faster than fixed lines, with a median download speed of 67.12 Mbps against 16.99 Mbps (same source), so sessions and prototypes are tested on a phone. Social media counts 7.83 million user identities, 63.3 per cent of the population.
- Where fieldwork happens. Greater Tunis first, then Sfax, the second city and an industrial centre, and Sousse for the Sahel. Kairouan, Gafsa or Gabès are added when the decision reaches the interior and the south.
- Data protection. Organic Law No. 2004-63 of 27 July 2004 on the protection of personal data applies. Nothing is recorded until the participant has heard what it is for and has agreed.
- Timing. No fieldwork is scheduled during Ramadan, and work stops for several days at each Eid. The weekend is Saturday and Sunday. In July and August many offices keep shorter summer hours, and Tunisians living abroad return for the holidays.
IN THE FIELD
How does an interview run in Tunisia?
In Tunisia, the coast and the interior are two markets. Greater Tunis, Sfax and the Sahel hold most of the spending and the modern retail, and the towns of the interior shop, earn and travel differently. A study in Tunisia sets its quotas by region before it sets them by age or income.
- Coast and interior. Quotas are set by region first. The interior and the south are recruited on purpose, by people who live there, when the product is sold nationally, and they are reported apart from the coast. Kairouan, Sidi Bouzid and Gafsa stand for the interior, and Gabès or Médenine for the south.
- Phone first. Mobile data is the fast connection in Tunisia. Interviews, diaries and usability tests are designed for a phone screen, and each participant's connection is tried before the session is confirmed. Diaries use photos and voice notes, and a prototype is tested on the participant's own phone.
- Derja and French. Each participant chooses the language for the subject, and many use both in one answer. Stimulus is prepared in both, and brand names stay as they appear on the shelf, with prices in dinars. Standard Arabic is kept for formal written material, as people meet it in the press and on official forms.
- A first read for the Maghreb. The discussion guide and stimulus are built so that Morocco or Algeria can repeat the study. Tunisia is read on its own first, and compared afterwards on the same questions. The comparison is planned from the start: same screener, same stimulus format, same analysis grid.
RECRUITMENT
How do you recruit participants in Tunisia?
- We recruit through local partners in Tunis, Sfax and Sousse, by governorate, income and category use. A reminder call goes out to every participant the day before, and the quotas are fixed with you first. Tunisians who live abroad and return for the summer are recruited as their own audience when the study needs them.
- Business audiences are approached directly, and their role is checked before the interview is booked. Those who take part in research as a habit are screened out of consumer groups.
- MindMarket pays every participant's incentive itself. You never handle it.
METHODS
Which methods work in Tunisia?
Most studies in Tunisia run as in-depth interviews and focus groups, with UX research, shop-alongs or ethnographic home visits when the question needs them.
| Method | Works well when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| In-depth interviews | Finance, telecoms, health and B2B audiences, by video or in person | A video call on a fixed line; mobile data is faster |
| Focus groups | Concepts, food, drink and advertising in Tunis and Sfax | A Tunis group read as the whole country |
| UX research | Banking, telecoms and e-commerce apps on the participant's own phone | Interfaces in French only for a mass-market audience |
| Shop-alongs | Neighbourhood grocers, weekly markets and supermarkets | Summer weeks, when visitors and returning families change the shop floor |
| Home visits | Cooking and household routines | A first visit by a stranger, with nobody to vouch for the team |
QUESTIONS
Questions buyers ask about research in Tunisia
How much does market research cost in Tunisia?
A full-service qualitative study with MindMarket starts at $40,000 for the first market, and Tunisia added to a multi-country study starts from $8,000. Fieldwork in the interior and the south moves the price more than extra sessions in Tunis. 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 Tunisia?
Choose by what the study has to decide. A Tunisian fieldwork company fits a survey or a call-centre study. A qualitative specialist such as MindMarket fits a brand from outside Tunisia 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.
Is Tunis enough for research in Tunisia, or should I add other cities?
Tunis is enough for a first read of urban, connected buyers. For a national decision, add Sfax or Sousse, and a town of the interior such as Kairouan or Gafsa, where income and retail differ. Each is recruited by people who live there. Online sessions reach smaller towns, on mobile data.
Should sessions in Tunisia run in Arabic or in French?
Arabic and French are both used, sometimes in one sentence. Derja suits most everyday subjects and French many professional ones, so the choice is left to each participant and the moderator works in both. Your team listens through an interpreter. Written stimulus is prepared in Arabic and in French.
Can Tunisia stand for North Africa in a study?
For a first read, often: it is compact, connected and quick to field. For a decision in Morocco or Algeria, no, because dialect, prices and retail change at each border. We design the guide so the next country repeats the study.
Can you help us decide, not only run the interviews?
Yes. Beyond the fieldwork, our Customer-Led Strategy work turns what people in Tunisia 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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