Market research in Sri Lanka has changed significantly over the last decade. What was once largely limited to basic surveys, ad-hoc focus groups, and post-campaign feedback has evolved into a strategic discipline that informs some of the most consequential decisions organisations make. Today, research underpins policy design, brand strategy, pricing decisions, product development, communication effectiveness, regulatory planning, and long-term organisational direction.
In 2026, serious organisations no longer commission research simply to “get numbers.” They commission research to reduce uncertainty, understand real human behaviour, test assumptions before committing resources, manage institutional and reputational risk, and justify decisions that may later be questioned by boards, regulators, media, or the public. For governments, regulators, multinational corporations, banks, NGOs, development agencies, and large local brands, research is no longer a supporting function. It is a core strategic input.
A strong market research partner today is judged not only by its ability to collect data, but by the rigour of its methodology, the discipline of its field operations, the breadth of its language and geographic coverage, the depth of its analysis, the quality of its judgement, and its ability to translate findings into decisions that hold up in the real world. In high-stakes environments, insight that cannot be defended is often worse than having no insight at all.
This guide looks at the top market research companies in Sri Lanka for 2026, based on the nature of the work they undertake, the environments in which their research is used, and the level of responsibility their findings are expected to carry. It is written for organisations that need research to inform real decisions, not merely populate presentations.
What Market Research Really Means Today
Modern market research sits at the intersection of behavioural science, data collection, statistical analysis, and strategic interpretation. It is no longer confined to questionnaires and tables. Today’s research partners are expected to design and execute both qualitative and quantitative studies, manage large-scale surveys, conduct fieldwork across provinces and languages, engage multiple stakeholder groups, and interpret findings in ways that connect directly to strategy.
In practice, this means research now supports audience segmentation, policy and social research, brand and communications effectiveness studies, pricing and demand analysis, product and concept testing, programme evaluation, impact assessment, and sentiment and perception tracking. Increasingly, research must link directly to messaging, media planning, service design, and performance measurement rather than existing in isolation.
In Sri Lanka, this evolution is particularly important because research is used not only by consumer brands but also by governments, regulators, development agencies, political actors, and institutions operating under sustained public scrutiny. In these environments, weak research introduces real risk. Poor sampling can distort national conclusions. Biased questions can legitimise the wrong decision. Shallow interpretation can create false confidence. The consequences are rarely academic. They are often political, financial, or reputational.
That is why the choice of research partner matters as much as the research itself.
Why Organisations Invest in Serious Research Partners
Bad research is worse than no research. A misleading insight can send strategy in the wrong direction. A poorly designed survey can justify a flawed decision that becomes difficult to reverse. Weak field processes can invalidate months of planning and expenditure. In public or regulated environments, these failures do not remain internal. They surface in audits, parliamentary questions, media scrutiny, donor reviews, or public backlash.
Serious research partners bring structure, discipline, and neutrality to the process. They design studies that answer the right questions rather than simply the easiest ones. They control bias through careful methodology. They manage field risk through supervision and validation. Most importantly, they interpret results with context, caution, and judgement rather than assumption.
For organisations that care about credibility and long-term outcomes, research is not a procurement exercise. It is a strategic investment that shapes how confidently leaders can act.
How Organisations Should Choose a Market Research Partner in Sri Lanka
Choosing a research partner in Sri Lanka requires clarity about what the research must achieve. Some organisations need exploratory insight to shape early strategy, while others need validation to justify decisions already under consideration. Some require nationally representative data that can withstand scrutiny, while others need directional insight delivered quickly. Some studies prioritise speed, while others prioritise depth and rigour.
A capable research partner must demonstrate discipline in sampling, including how urban and rural populations are represented, how demographic and socioeconomic variables are controlled, and how sample sizes align with the decisions being made. Field governance is equally critical. Enumerator training, supervision, back-checking, and fraud prevention are often the difference between credible data and unreliable output.
Language capability matters in Sri Lanka. Research that is not properly executed in Sinhala and Tamil, with careful translation and back-translation, risks distorting meaning and intent. Methodology design must account for response bias, social desirability effects, and cultural context. Interpretation must move beyond charts to explain what findings actually mean for policy, strategy, or execution.
Ultimately, the right partner is not the one with the most slides or the lowest cost, but the one whose research can be defended, explained, and acted upon with confidence.
Top Market Research Companies in Sri Lanka
Inbound Hype
Inbound Hype approaches market research as a decision-support function embedded within large-scale communication, policy, and behaviour-change systems.
As a public-sector communications agency, Inbound Hype designs and executes evidence-based programmes for governments, embassies, multilateral agencies, INGOs, and high-visibility multinational organisations. In these environments, research is not academic or decorative. It is practical, closely reviewed, and directly tied to outcomes that may be scrutinised politically, legally, or publicly.
Market research typically supports public awareness campaigns, policy design, behaviour-change initiatives, regulatory communication, crisis response, stakeholder engagement, and institutional reputation management. This includes baseline studies, audience segmentation, message testing, sentiment and perception research, social research, rapid pulse surveys, and post-campaign evaluation. Much of this work is conducted nationally, across multiple languages, and under time pressure.
What differentiates Inbound Hype is not the existence of research, but how it is used. Insights are not delivered as standalone reports. They feed directly into strategy, message architecture, media planning, creative development, and performance tracking. Research is designed around real decisions, such as what to say, to whom, through which channels, and with what expected behavioural response.
Because many mandates operate under intense scrutiny, research is treated as a potential risk surface. Methodology is carefully designed, sampling is defensible, interpretation is cautious, and findings are framed to withstand challenge rather than simply support internal consensus.
Inbound Hype is best suited for organisations that need research to guide high-stakes communication, policy, or reputation decisions.
Kantar
Kantar operates in Sri Lanka as part of one of the world’s largest research, data, and analytics networks, with roots in the local market extending back more than four decades.
Its Sri Lankan presence is anchored in the legacy of Lanka Market Research Bureau, founded in 1981 and fully integrated into the Kantar group in 2011. Historically, this operation played a central role in FMCG, telecom, and media research, operating household panels, national consumer surveys, and people-meter-based audience measurement systems.
Today, Kantar brings global research frameworks, syndicated products, and advanced analytics to Sri Lankan organisations that require scale, continuity, and international comparability. Its work spans brand equity tracking, consumer behaviour analysis, innovation testing, customer experience measurement, media effectiveness studies, and long-term performance tracking.
Kantar is particularly relevant where research must align with global benchmarks, follow consistent methodologies over time, and support cross-market comparison. It is best suited for organisations that value standardisation, longitudinal insight, and international alignment over bespoke local experimentation.
Survey Research Lanka (SRL)
Survey Research Lanka is one of Sri Lanka’s longest-established independent research firms, founded on 28 September 1989.
Over more than three decades, SRL has worked across corporate, political, media, and social research. Its work includes market research for brands, public opinion and electoral studies, media research, product and concept testing, and broader social and institutional research.
SRL’s long operating history gives it deep institutional memory and a nuanced understanding of Sri Lanka’s social and political landscape. This makes it particularly valuable in environments where interpretation, neutrality, and contextual judgement matter as much as data collection.
SRL is best suited for organisations seeking a seasoned, locally grounded research partner with long-term experience navigating complex social and political dynamics.
Aura Insights
Aura Insights operates as a full-service research and analytics company with a strong emphasis on execution discipline and field quality.
Founded in 2012, Aura focuses on island-wide field coverage, three-language capability, structured enumerator management, and formal quality-control processes. Its work includes consumer research, pricing and willingness-to-pay studies, product and concept testing, behavioural analysis, and sentiment research.
Aura places particular emphasis on field governance, including supervisor oversight and systematic validation, making it relevant for studies where data integrity and execution consistency are critical.
Aura is best suited for organisations that want methodical research execution combined with practical, decision-oriented interpretation.
Sparkwinn
Sparkwinn is an independent research agency based in Colombo, with experience working across both commercial and development-sector research.
Its work spans consumer research, social research, programme evaluation, impact assessment, feasibility studies, and mixed-method assignments. This allows Sparkwinn to operate effectively in contexts where market considerations intersect with policy, social outcomes, or donor accountability.
Sparkwinn is best suited for organisations that need adaptable research support across development, evaluation, and applied decision-making environments.
TK Research & Solutions
TK Research & Solutions was established in 2009 and focuses strongly on quantitative and qualitative fieldwork execution.
The firm operates as a data collection and research support partner across Sri Lanka, with experience reaching diverse and hard-to-access respondent groups. It is frequently engaged on NGO, development-sector, and institutional research assignments where reliable data collection across regions is the primary challenge.
TK Research is best suited for organisations that need dependable fieldwork capability rather than extensive strategic interpretation.
Breakthrough Business Intelligence
Breakthrough Business Intelligence was founded in 2009 and operates across Sri Lanka and neighbouring South Asian markets.
The firm focuses on research that supports brand growth and commercial decision-making. Its work includes brand equity studies, segmentation, pricing research, product and concept testing, communications effectiveness, customer journey mapping, loyalty and experience research, market sizing, and competitive intelligence.
Breakthrough positions itself as a boutique research partner, combining regional reach with close client engagement and strategic involvement.
Breakthrough is best suited for organisations that want research closely tied to brand strategy, marketing effectiveness, and growth planning.
ORG Analytics
ORG Analytics operates as an analytics-led consulting firm with market research embedded within a broader advisory offering.
Active since 2015, with operations in Sri Lanka and Australia, ORG Analytics delivers research as part of wider analytics, modelling, and consulting engagements. Research typically supports usage and attitude studies, segmentation, concept testing, communications research, tracking, and customer analysis.
ORG Analytics is best suited for organisations that want research integrated into analytics systems, dashboards, and management decision frameworks rather than treated as a standalone insight exercise.
Final Thoughts
Market research in Sri Lanka in 2026 is no longer about running surveys. It is about making defensible decisions in complex environments.
Some organisations need global benchmarks and continuous measurement. Others need deep local understanding. Some require social and political research under scrutiny. Others want research tightly linked to growth, pricing, and brand performance.
The right research partner depends on what research is expected to do: inform policy, reduce risk, guide strategy, or justify decisions.
Done properly, market research does more than describe reality.
It clarifies uncertainty.
It protects credibility.
And it gives decision-makers the confidence to act.
