M-Ploy offers fieldwork management services for market research and social research projects.
We execute CAPI fieldwork for large scale population surveys nationwide, with real time quality assurance checks.
We have a proven record of working in hard-to-reach communities, which is crucial for studies such as informal markets’ retail census and GIS mapping.
M-ploy is known as one of the most credible suppliers of Data Collection in South Africa, Eswathini and Lesotho.
In 2006 Shameen Yacoob established M-Ploy, providing market research services, turnaround management, business plan and financial restructuring services to small businesses. Shameen’s vision was to build a company that could facilitate the growth of local businesses, as well as provide jobs and opportunities to uplift communities.
M-Ploy has an office in Cape Town and Johannesburg, and we have dedicated supervisors in Cape Town, Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), East London, Mthatha, Kimberley, Durban, Johannesburg, Polokwane, Mbombela, Bloemfontein, Rustenburg, Eswatini and Maseru; and team members located in all provinces in South Africa.
We have an active pool of over 100 interviewers and field auditors across South Africa, Eswatini and Lesotho who are proficient in conducting CAPI fieldwork for large scale population surveys, retail audits, GIS Mapping, mystery shopping, customer intercepts; and over 20 talented moderators who are proficient in qualitative techniques such as in-depth interviews, focus groups, traditional ethnography, live video introspective ethnography and other innovative methods.
We work with precision and dedication to produce top quality results for you.
We have teams across the country who have years of experience in in-depth interviewing, customer intercepts, field auditing, mystery shopping, ethnography, and all other forms of market research. Below is a selection of core projects we worked on, amongst many others over the years.
On behalf of the liquor industry in South Africa, we were commissioned to complete an audit study on Responsible trading in Shebeens and Taverns. We were one of two suppliers to be selected to work on the project. The Mploy team conducted over 16,000 retail audits in shebeens and taverns over a period of 30 days in five provinces (KwaZulu Natal, Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Limpopo, Mpumalanga). We did this in August 2021 and a second time in November 2021. The project is scheduled to run bi yearly for 5 years.
This is a Stock Generated Market Share (SGMS) survey. The project goal is surveying different channels and completing a Stock count of all beverage products inside the store and in the back store. This is an ongoing project and has been running for more than 10 years.
We completed Monthly Audits over a three-year period in KwaZulu Natal & Mpumalanga providing information on volume, sales trends, stock levels, presence, effectiveness of in-store display, and promotion efforts and other associated aspects.
We completed monthly audits over a 12 month period in Mpumalanga.
The primary objective of these studies were to understand where the shoppers live in proximity to the store, how do they travel to their shopping destinations, why do they shop at certain stores and not others, and what were the main determining factors that help them choose a particular store to the exclusion of other stores? We did more than 8 shopper studies for SPAR distribution center. These were all full service projects where we designed, collected the data and provided the analysis and final report to the client.
Key Issue of the research was to quantify the market for PET Health Care and over the counter products in the market. We completed interviews with shoppers, outlet owners and all relevant stakeholders.
PPC Consumer: The purpose of this study was to determine the shopper’s opinion of the PPC Cement and their experience in buying the brand. We conducted 650 interviews across the country.
PPC Mapping: This project is still in progress. Full coverage of 10,500 of retail, construction and Ready-mix sites across the country. We have completed 50% and the project. We are scheduled to complete in June 2022 where we would have physically visited 10,500 sites.
User centered approaches to increase adoption and adherence to HIV Prevention among high risk adolescent girls and young women in South Africa. In the quantitative phase, we recruited 150 adolescent girls and young women to participate in focus group discussions. In the Quantitative phase we completed over 600 in depth interviews with adolescent girls and young women. In the final phase we interviewed more than 300 adolescent girls and young women to understand population projections of product adoption.
We were contracted by Clue to recruit and interview 350 women in the age group 18-45 and in the LSM group 1-4. This entailed working in informal settlements across six provinces.
We were selected as an essential service provider for the BAT Retail Census 2011 which covered retail activity throughout the country. Over 200 000 outlets were captured over the course of a few months and M-Ploy is proud to have produced good results in Mpumalanga, Limpopo, KwaZulu Natal and even parts of the Free State. In 2018, we were once again selected as a key supplier to conduct a retail census in four Provinces (Mpumalanga, Limpopo, KwaZulu Natal & Eastern Cape). We have successfully completed the project.
We completed Monthly Audits over a three-year period in KwaZulu Natal & Mpumalanga providing information on volume, sales trends, stock levels, presence, effectiveness of in-store display, and promotion efforts and other associated aspects.
The purpose of the project was to collect accurate information and download it to the client’s RED @ Global system over the Internet with a very short turnaround time. Commissioned by Frontline Africa we completed 2158 retail audits per month for CCF RED from 2009 – 2016. Our task was to collect the data and manage the fieldwork.
One of our significant achievements has been the compilation of a GIS Mapping Project for the Ehlanzeni Municipality. The scope included identifying and capturing all the tourism outlets and their amenities, as well as capturing the GPS co-ordinates. Additionally, we were asked to capture all the commercial and informal activity in the region.
Annually we conduct more than 500 Business banking surveys across the various industries across all provinces in South Africa.
Key Issue of the research was to quantify the market for Potato and all vegetable products. We completed a sample census of all retail stores and conducted interviews with store owners and shoppers.
We conducted 1500 interviews with shoppers and 800 observations and traffic counts.
A joint research project with the University of Cape Town and the University of Geneva. This research project focused on issues concerning the impacts of possible future energy regulation within South Africa or other countries, and its potential impacts on the South African coal industry.
An economic experiment was undertaken with 450 coal mine workers. We recruited the coal miners and provided facilitation assistance in all the focus group discussions conducted.
Our dedicated team of skilled individuals will ensure you receive top quality data.
Founder/Director
Personal Assistant
Technical Advisor
Quality Control
Boksburg
GAUTENG
Killarney
GAUTENG
Roodepoort
GAUTENG
Meyerton
GAUTENG
Durban
KWAZULU-NATAL
Durban
KWAZULU-NATAL
Durban
KWAZULU-NATAL
Durban
KWAZULU-NATAL
Gqeberha
EASTERN CAPE
Mdantsane
EASTERN CAPE
Sterkspruit
EASTERN CAPE
Khayelitsha
WESTERN CAPE
Cape Town
WESTERN CAPE
Cape Town
WESTERN CAPE
Mbombela
MPUMALANGA
Kanyamazane
MPUMALANGA
Polokwane
LIMPOPO
Polokwane
LIMPOPO
Polokwane
LIMPOPO
Bloemfontein
FREESTATE
Mafikeng
NORTH WEST
Rustenburg
NORTH WEST
Kimberly
NORTHERN CAPE
Maseru
LESOTHO
