The domestic growth story is anchored in higher digital maturity, rising demand for hyperlocal insights, and greater investment in brand strategy beyond CPG, with a revival of B2B research tied to manufacturing and automotive sectors.

Key trends to watch include agentic AI for autonomous, real-time insights, broader use of AI in analytics, and expansion of captive centres and international mandates in India across non-CPG and B2B research.

Domestic market dynamics show growing demand for brand strategy in non-CPG sectors, a revival of strategic B2B research linked to manufacturing and automotive growth, and heavier reliance on SME research for competitive decision-making.

The report highlights a shift from volume-driven growth to value-driven growth, with AI-enabled insights enabling faster, more precise decision-making on a global stage.

Despite global economic and geopolitical headwinds, the outlook remains optimistic about India’s role in delivering actionable strategic intelligence on the world stage.

The sector outlook envisions ongoing evolution toward predictive analytics, integrated data frameworks, and insights that directly tie to business performance metrics.

Analytics remains the largest and fastest-growing segment, at roughly 60% of the market, with significant demand from international clients and about 14% growth in FY2025 driven by predictive modelling, CLV analysis, econometrics, and AI-enabled solutions.

Agentic AI and AI-enabled solutions are expanding real-time insights, while cloud platforms and predictive analytics fuel continued growth in analytics, the sector’s largest segment.

Syndicated research grew as manufacturing-focused clients outsourced more to India-based captive centers, though media measurement faces challenges shifting from traditional TV metrics to digital and streaming platforms.

India’s research and insights market is projected to grow around 10% in FY26, after a 10.9% rise to Rs 29,008 crore in FY25, with international demand for integrated delivery and AI-driven depth expanding the market toward about Rs 32,500 crore.

Forecast for FY2026 points to roughly 10% growth, supported by rising international demand for integrated insight delivery, AI-enabled deeper analysis, and faster, tailored intelligence.

Technology-enhanced research methods—real-time data collection, AI-assisted analytics, and hybrid qualitative-quantitative tools—are on the rise, delivering faster yet deeper insights without sacrificing depth.