Market research
in Madagascar
Consumer research, customer experience, data intelligence, media intelligence and opinion: how IMMAR supports advertisers, agencies and institutions in the Malagasy market since 1999.
The Malagasy market at a glance
Madagascar is a large Indian Ocean island market, French-speaking, with an economy driven by agriculture, export textiles and developing tourism. The country is the world's leading vanilla producer, and its export processing zones, around Antananarivo and Antsirabe, support a textile industry geared towards export. Consumption, largely driven by household spending, is concentrated in Antananarivo, the capital, and a few major cities, while informal employment is overwhelmingly dominant and banking penetration among the lowest in sub-Saharan Africa. Mobile money is developing to offset this gap in financial access. Malagasy is the national language, spoken across the whole population, with French still present in business and administration.
Conducting research in Madagascar: what matters in the field
Running reliable research in the Malagasy market means taking several realities into account:
- Survey languages: Malagasy is spoken across the whole population and ensures data quality; French stays relevant for business segments and management. Every interview is administered in the language actually spoken.
- Largely informal economy: informal employment is overwhelmingly dominant, which keeps consumption in proximity trade and markets, to build into shopper study design.
- Low banking penetration: access to financial services remains limited, but mobile money is growing, gradually reshaping purchase and payment journeys.
- Urban concentration: Antananarivo concentrates a large share of modern consumption, which shapes sampling before extending to the regions.
- Agricultural and export anchoring: the weight of agriculture (vanilla, among others) and export textiles shapes incomes and competitive landscapes, a factor to build into the reading of the market.
The sectors IMMAR covers in Madagascar
In the Malagasy 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 Malagasy market?
Talk to an IMMAR expertFrequently asked questions
How do you conduct market research in Madagascar?
Run surveys in Malagasy, the national language, as well as in French for some segments, account for a largely informal economy and low banking penetration, and cover an island market where consumption is concentrated in Antananarivo. IMMAR deploys local teams and long-standing field knowledge.
Which language should studies be conducted in, in Madagascar?
Malagasy is the national language, spoken across the whole population and decisive for data quality. French remains present in business, administration and education, which makes it a relevant complement for certain segments. IMMAR administers each interview in the language the respondent actually speaks.
How do you cover a highly informal market like Madagascar?
Informal employment is overwhelmingly dominant and banking penetration low, which keeps consumption in proximity trade and markets. IMMAR designs set-ups tailored to these channels, starting from Antananarivo and the major cities then extending according to the objective, combining face-to-face with mobile collection where access allows.
Why is the Malagasy market strategic?
Madagascar is a large Indian Ocean island market, French-speaking, with an economy driven by agriculture (the world's leading vanilla producer), export textiles and developing tourism. Its consumption, driven by household spending and concentrated in Antananarivo, makes it a market to watch, where fine field knowledge and command of Malagasy are decisive.
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