Network Turkey

Qualitative market research agency in Turkey

MindMarket is a market research agency that runs qualitative studies in Turkey, from in-depth interviews and focus groups to shop-alongs and mystery shopping, with moderators who live in the country and one project manager for your whole study. Turkey has 87.7 million people with a median age of 33.5, and 88.3 per cent of them use the internet (DataReportal, Digital 2026). Istanbul alone is a market the size of a country, and it is not the country: Ankara, Izmir and the cities of Anatolia buy, speak and decide differently. Research there works in Turkish, in more than one city, and with prices checked the week of fieldwork.

Two friends talking over glasses of tea at a bright terrace café in Istanbul, the water and the old city softly blurred behind them

AT A GLANCE

Turkey at a glance for researchers

Population. 87.7 million people, median age 33.5, 78.4 per cent in urban areas (DataReportal, Digital 2026). A young, urban market between Europe and the Middle East, with Istanbul as its largest city.
Languages. Turkish, in every session. Outside international companies in Istanbul, few participants are at ease in English. Our moderators live in Turkey and work in Turkish, and your team listens through translation.
Internet and mobile. 77.5 million internet users, 88.3 per cent of the population, and 81.9 million mobile connections (DataReportal, Digital 2026). Online interviews and mobile diaries reach the cities of Anatolia as well as the coast.
Where fieldwork happens. Istanbul first, then Ankara and Izmir, with Bursa, Antalya, Gaziantep or Kayseri when the decision should not rest on the three largest cities.
Data protection. The Law on the Protection of Personal Data No. 6698 has applied since 2016. Each participant agrees before the session to what is recorded and to its purpose.
Timing. We do not schedule fieldwork during Ramadan, and the two bayram holidays each close the country for several days. July and August empty the big cities towards the coast.

IN THE FIELD

How does an interview run in Turkey?

In Turkey, the distance between what people would like to buy and what they can buy has grown with prices. The work is to find out what they would do with their own money, in a market where prices do not stand still.

A moderator and a participant in animated conversation at a table in a bright Istanbul room, tea glasses and a notebook between them

Istanbul and Anatolia. A concept that wins in Istanbul's central districts can meet a more traditional, more price-aware response in Anatolia, and a different one again in Izmir. We agree with you which cities the decision depends on before recruitment starts.
Prices are checked the week of fieldwork. Prices have moved fast in Turkey in recent years. Any price shown in a concept or a shelf test is checked against the shops in the days before the session, or the reaction you record is to a number nobody recognises.
Intention, checked against the last purchase. Stated interest in a new product is easy to give. A moderator who lives in Turkey anchors it by asking what the participant bought last time, at what price, and what they gave up to buy it.
Istanbul's size sets the timetable. Crossing Istanbul at the end of the working day can take as long as the session itself. In-person groups are held on the side of the city where participants live, and interviews move online when travel would cost them the evening.

RECRUITMENT

How do you recruit participants in Turkey?

We recruit through local partners in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, who find the people your brief describes, by income, district and category use.
For studies beyond the big three cities, recruiters in Anatolia work by phone and through local contacts.
MindMarket pays every participant's incentive itself. You never handle it.

METHODS

Which methods work in Turkey?

Most studies in Turkey run as focus groups and in-depth interviews, with shop-alongs, mystery shopping or taste tests when the question needs them.

Method	Works well when	Watch out for
Focus groups	Concepts, packaging and advertising, in Istanbul and one Anatolian city	Ask each person for a written choice before the discussion
In-depth interviews	Finance, health, technology and professional audiences	Stated intention; anchor it in the last purchase
Shop-alongs	Supermarkets, bazaars and malls where the choice is made	Shelf prices change; note them on the day
Mystery shopping	Retail, banking and dealership networks across regions	Prices differ by region; record the price on each visit
Taste tests	Food and drink adapted to local taste	A recipe adapted for another country; test the local one

Our work in Turkey

Turkey has been part of two multi-country programmes of user research we delivered fieldwork for: a study of the general public in eleven countries, and a rolling programme with consumers, creators and businesses in Turkey, Brazil, Argentina, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico and South Korea, both for a global social media company. From our Dubai office we have also interviewed high-net-worth consumers in the UAE for a global spirits brand. In Turkey we run focus groups and shop-alongs in Turkish, in Istanbul and in Anatolia, with every price in the stimulus checked that week. One project manager in London, Dubai or Mexico runs your study from one brief, and your itemised quote follows within 48 hours of a first call. See how we work in the UAE and read our Middle East consumer guide.

QUESTIONS

Questions buyers ask about research in Turkey

How much does market research cost in Turkey?

A full-service qualitative study with MindMarket starts at $40,000 for the first market, and Turkey added to a multi-country study starts from $8,000. The number of cities 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 Turkey?

Choose by what the study has to decide. A Turkish institute fits a national survey; a facility in Istanbul fits a team that brings its own moderator. A qualitative specialist such as MindMarket fits a brand from outside Turkey 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 Istanbul enough, or should I add other cities?

Istanbul is enough for a first read of urban, higher-income consumers. For a national decision, add Ankara or Izmir and one city in Anatolia: values, budgets and retail differ between the coast, the capital and the interior.

Do sessions in Turkey need to run in Turkish?

Yes. Most consumers are at ease only in Turkish, and the detail that matters comes out in it. MindMarket's moderators live in Turkey and work in Turkish, with simultaneous translation so that your team can follow live.

When should I avoid fieldwork in Turkey?

During Ramadan, when we do not schedule fieldwork, and during the two religious holidays, which each stop work for several days. July and August are slow in the big cities, because many households move to 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 Turkey 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.

Planning research in Turkey?

Tell us who you need to hear from. We reply within 12 business hours with a 15-minute call slot.

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