Industry overview
What is shaping construction
Construction materials are chosen by a chain of people: engineers, contractors, masons and individual homebuilders. Site conditions, credit and word-of-mouth all matter.
- Masons and contractors strongly influence material brands
- Individual homebuilders rely on trusted advice
- Site safety and quality standards are rising
Client background
A residential developer in South Africa, working in Johannesburg & Cape Town. Client identity is withheld to protect confidentiality.
- Organisation
- A residential developer in South Africa
- Sector
- Construction
- Team engaged
- Market Research
- Services
- Quantitative research, Qualitative research, Research consultancy
Client challenge
The developer was planning a mid-income project and wanted to get unit sizes, amenities and pricing right before finalising designs.
Research objectives
- Deliver on the brief: designing a housing project around buyer needs.
- Understand the views, needs and behaviour of prospective buyers.
- Measure how widespread each pattern is, and explain the reasons behind it.
- Give the client evidence it can act on within 6 weeks.
Target audience
The work focused on 800 prospective buyers.
- prospective buyers800
Audiences we typically reach in construction
Contractors and masonsCivil engineers and architectsIndividual homebuildersMaterial dealersSite workers
Geographic coverage
Coverage: Johannesburg & Cape Town. Market: South Africa.
- South Africa
Research methodology
A mixed-method design: structured research measured how widespread each pattern was, and qualitative conversations explained why.
- 1Brief
- 2Prospective buyer survey
- 3Group discussions
- 4Insight
We surveyed people planning to buy within two years about budgets, unit preferences, amenities and commute needs, and tested layout options in group discussions.
Quantitative researchQualitative researchResearch consultancy
Sampling strategy
- prospective buyers
- 800
- Business respondents were screened on role, company size and involvement in the decision before being invited.
- Qualitative participants were recruited purposively to cover the full range of experiences that mattered, rather than for statistical representation.
Data collection
- discussions
- 8
- Interviews and discussions were led by experienced moderators using a guide agreed with the client.
Data quality & validation
- Recordings and transcripts for every session
- Re-screening of qualitative recruits
- Logic and range checks on the final data
- Work carried out under our ISO 20252 quality procedures
Data analysis
- Cross-tabulation by key groups and locations
- Significance testing on the differences that mattered
- Thematic coding of interviews and discussions
- Journey and decision mapping
Key findings
- Buyers valued efficient layouts and work-from-home space over large clubhouses.
Asking buyers before design avoided expensive features they did not value.
Recommendations
- Build on the core insight: asking buyers before design avoided expensive features they did not value.
- Focus effort where the evidence was strongest: buyers valued efficient layouts and work-from-home space over large clubhouses.
- Re-measure after the changes to confirm the effect.
Business impact
- The developer adjusted unit mixes and reduced costly amenities.
What changed in the business as a result of the work. Impact is described qualitatively.
Deliverables & next steps
- Insight report and management presentation
- Cleaned data file and data tables
- Interview summaries and key verbatims
- Repeat the measure after changes are in place to track progress.
- A natural follow-on question: how do dealers win contractor loyalty?
Client identity is withheld to protect confidentiality.