In today’s competitive landscape, many market research agencies—especially in emerging markets like Vietnam—are constantly asked to justify their pricing. With budgets shrinking and clients demanding more for less, agencies are tempted to lower their prices just to stay in the game. But is this truly a wise strategy?

At first glance, reducing prices seems like a straightforward tactic to win business. Clients love value, and undercutting competitors can seem like the quickest route to a signed contract. However, the long-term implications of this approach often tell a different story.

In Vietnam, flashy advertisements aren’t always necessary to draw a crowd. Sometimes, all it takes is a street corner eatery packed with locals sitting shoulder to shoulder or queuing patiently outside. “A busy place must be good” — this belief is deeply rooted in the Vietnamese dining culture, and it reflects a blend of social behavior, psychology, and culinary instinct.

In the world of quantitative research, numbers are only as trustworthy as the people behind them. Every percentage, graph, or data table depends on one simple thing: people answering surveys. But what happens when a large group of people doesn’t respond at all? That’s where nonresponse error comes in—a subtle yet powerful threat to research accuracy.