Market research
in Burkina Faso
Consumer research, customer experience, data intelligence, media intelligence and opinion: how IMMAR supports advertisers, agencies and institutions in the Burkinabe market since 1999.
The Burkinabe market at a glance
Burkina Faso is a landlocked Sahelian market in West Africa, with an economy driven by gold, now its leading export, and by cotton, of which the country is one of Africa's major producers. Subsistence agriculture occupies a large share of the population, and informal employment heavily dominates non-agricultural activity. Consumption is structured around Ouagadougou, the capital, and Bobo-Dioulasso, the second city and western economic hub, and runs mainly through proximity trade and markets. Mobile money is developing to widen access to payments. French is the official language, alongside major lingua francas such as Moore, spoken by the Mossi, and Dioula, a language of commercial exchange.
Conducting research in Burkina Faso: what matters in the field
Running reliable research in the Burkinabe market means taking several realities into account:
- Survey languages: French is official, but general-public collection runs through Moore and Dioula, alongside Fulfulde depending on the region. Every interview is administered in the language actually spoken.
- Strong rural component: a large share of the population lives from agriculture, which calls for sampling plans covering rural areas beyond the major cities.
- Largely informal economy: most purchases happen in proximity trade and markets, which shopper studies must be designed to reach.
- Two urban hubs: Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso shape modern consumption and sampling before extending to the regions.
- Rise of mobile money: mobile payment widens access to financial services, reshaping purchase journeys and supporting certain collection modes.
The sectors IMMAR covers in Burkina Faso
In the Burkinabe market, IMMAR supports players across several sectors, with set-ups tailored to each:
- FMCG: consumer understanding, brand tracking, retail execution
- Telecommunications: customer experience, network quality, brand image
- Banking, finance and mobile money: trust, customer experience, mobile-payment adoption
- Retail: mystery shopping, in-store experience, shopper studies
- Media: audience, editorial intelligence, ad monitoring
A response built around your question
Every assignment starts with a question, posed by an advertiser, an agency, an institution or a local player. That question shapes which expertise is brought to bear. IMMAR brings together five complementary areas:
| Area of expertise | What it enables |
|---|---|
| Consumer Research | Quantitative and qualitative studies, panels, U&A, segmentation: understanding local behaviours, needs and usage |
| Customer Experience | NPS, CSAT, mystery shopping, network audits: measuring the service quality actually delivered |
| Data Intelligence & AI | Data analysis and activation, decision dashboards, modelling |
| Media Intelligence | Media monitoring, audience measurement, ad monitoring, social listening |
| Opinion & Society | Barometers, opinion studies, societal and institutional dynamics |
A market research or Market Intelligence project in the Burkinabe market?
Talk to an IMMAR expertFrequently asked questions
How do you conduct market research in Burkina Faso?
Collect in Moore and Dioula, the major lingua francas, as well as in French depending on the target, cover a strongly rural population beyond Ouagadougou, and account for a largely informal economy. IMMAR deploys local teams and long-standing field knowledge.
Which language should studies be conducted in, in Burkina Faso?
French is the official language, but general-public collection runs largely through the lingua francas, foremost Moore, spoken by the Mossi, and Dioula, a language of commercial exchange, alongside Fulfulde depending on the region. IMMAR administers each interview in the language the respondent actually speaks.
How do you reach informal trade and rural areas in Burkina Faso?
Most of the population lives from agriculture and the economy is largely informal, which keeps consumption in proximity trade and markets. IMMAR designs set-ups tailored to these channels, starting from Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso then extending to rural areas according to the objective.
Why is the Burkinabe market strategic?
Burkina Faso is a landlocked Sahelian market in West Africa, with an economy driven by gold, now its leading export, and by cotton, of which the country is one of Africa's major producers. Its large, young population, its consumption structured around Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso and the rise of mobile money make it a market with strong informal anchoring.
Related reading