Company Description

SMARI is a full-service market research and insights firm that helps organizations turn questions into clarity—and clarity into confident business decisions. Based in Indianapolis and serving clients across the country, we combine rigorous research methodologies with practical business thinking to deliver insights that are not only interesting, but actionable.

For more than 40 years, SMARI has partnered with organizations ranging from emerging companies and regional leaders to national brands, helping them better understand their customers, markets, brands and opportunities. Our work spans industries including consumer products and retail, health care, financial services, manufacturing, higher education, travel and tourism, airports, sports and entertainment and professional services.

We don't believe in forcing every challenge into the same research methodology. We start by understanding the decision our client needs to make, then design the research around it.

SMARI provides both quantitative and qualitative research, including brand awareness and tracking studies, customer experience and journey research, market segmentation and persona development, concept and message testing, product testing, market opportunity studies, employee and stakeholder research, conjoint and MaxDiff analysis, focus groups, in-depth interviews, online communities, intercepts and observational research.

Our team will manage the entire research process, from study design, sampling and recruitment through data collection, analysis, reporting and strategic recommendations or work alongside internal insights and marketing teams where additional research expertise or capacity is needed.

The value of research isn't the number of charts in a presentation. It's what an organization knows and can do after the research is complete.

That's why SMARI puts particular emphasis on translating findings into business implications. We look beyond what respondents said to identify the patterns, motivations, trade-offs and opportunities behind the numbers. Our goal is to help clients understand not only what is happening, but why it matters and what they should do next.

That approach also means our deliverables are designed for the people who need to use them. Rather than overwhelming stakeholders with data, we focus on clear storytelling, meaningful visualization and recommendations that can inform marketing strategy, brand positioning, product development, customer experience, communications and organizational decision-making.

SMARI combines decades of research experience with the flexibility and accessibility of an independent firm. Clients work directly with senior researchers who remain involved throughout the engagement, ensuring continuity from the initial business question to the final recommendation.

We believe the best research partnerships are collaborative, curious and candid. Sometimes research validates an organization's instincts. Sometimes it challenges them. Either way, our job is to provide the evidence and perspective needed to move forward with confidence.

At SMARI, we help organizations stop guessing and start knowing.