Market Research Company in South Florida: Your Gateway to Caribbean & Latin American Consumer Insights

South Florida is the economic engine of the southeastern United States and the primary US gateway to Caribbean and Latin American markets. With a combined GDP of $385 billion across Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties (Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024), the tri-county region is home to over 1,400 multinational corporations with Latin American and Caribbean headquarters (Enterprise Florida, 2024). Hope Research Group, based in Davie, Florida, delivers market research expertise that bridges these interconnected economies — helping businesses understand consumers across one of the world's most dynamic and diverse commercial corridors.

Why South Florida for Market Research

South Florida's unique position as a bilingual, bicultural economic hub makes it the ideal location for market research that spans the Americas. The region's $385 billion economy (Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024) is deeply integrated with Caribbean and Latin American trade flows. PortMiami processes 1.1 million TEUs of containerized cargo annually (PortMiami, 2024), while Port Everglades in Broward County adds another 1.1 million TEUs, making the region the dominant trade corridor for US-Caribbean commerce. Foreign Trade Zone #281, which encompasses parts of Miami-Dade and Broward, facilitated over $5.2 billion in trade activity in 2023 (U.S. Foreign-Trade Zones Board, 2024).

Miami International Airport ranks as the number one US airport for international freight, handling 2.7 million tonnes of cargo in 2023 (Miami-Dade Aviation Department, 2024). This logistics infrastructure supports the 1,400+ multinational corporations that base their Latin American operations in South Florida (Enterprise Florida, 2024), creating a concentrated ecosystem of businesses that require consumer insights across multiple markets simultaneously.

Our Local Expertise: Research from Davie, FL

Hope Research Group operates from 12555 Orange Drive, Suite 206, in Davie, Florida — centrally located in Broward County with direct access to the full tri-county South Florida market. Our position in the heart of the region allows us to conduct field research across Miami-Dade's diverse Hispanic communities, Broward's Caribbean diaspora populations, and Palm Beach's affluent consumer segments, all within a 60-minute drive radius. For deeper analysis of Caribbean consumer behavior patterns, our local presence provides direct community access.

Our bilingual and trilingual research teams conduct qualitative and quantitative studies in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole. We maintain a proprietary panel of over 15,000 South Florida consumers segmented by ethnicity, income, geography, and acculturation level, enabling rapid deployment of surveys, focus groups, and in-depth interviews across the region's diverse population.

Industries We Serve in Florida

South Florida's diversified economy supports research across numerous sectors. Tourism and hospitality, which generates $45 billion annually for Miami-Dade alone (Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, 2024), requires continuous consumer sentiment tracking. The FMCG and CPG sector leverages South Florida as a test market for products targeting Hispanic and Caribbean consumers before broader US or regional rollout. Healthcare and pharmaceutical research benefits from the region's 35+ hospitals and clinical research infrastructure, while financial services firms tap into our expertise on remittance behavior, digital banking adoption, and cross-border payment preferences.

Real estate developers and investors utilize our market sizing and consumer preference research to understand buyer demographics in South Florida's $43 billion annual real estate market (Miami Association of Realtors, 2024). We also serve logistics companies, retail chains, government agencies, and NGOs operating across the region.

Research Methodologies We Deploy in South Florida

Hope Research Group offers the full spectrum of market research methodologies, each adapted for South Florida's multicultural environment. Our quantitative survey capabilities include online, telephone (CATI), and face-to-face intercept surveys conducted in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole. We deploy mobile-first survey designs that achieve response rates 40% higher than industry averages in Hispanic and Caribbean populations (AAPOR, 2023), and our proprietary South Florida consumer panel enables 48-hour field deployment for time-sensitive research needs.

Qualitative research includes traditional and online focus groups, in-depth interviews, ethnographic observation, and shop-alongs conducted across all three South Florida counties. Our dedicated focus group facility partnerships in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach provide simultaneous translation capabilities and client viewing rooms. For product-focused research, our taste testing and sensory evaluation programs leverage South Florida's diverse population to test products across ethnic and cultural segments before broader market launch.

Mystery shopping and retail audit services cover over 2,000 retail locations across South Florida, including mainstream retailers, ethnic grocery stores, convenience channels, and food service establishments. Our field auditors document pricing, shelf placement, promotional compliance, and competitive activity, providing clients with real-time distribution intelligence across the region's complex retail landscape.

South Florida's Trade & Foreign Investment Ecosystem

South Florida's role as the trade capital of the Americas creates unique research opportunities. The region hosts 57 foreign consulates and trade offices (World Trade Center Miami, 2024), facilitating billions in annual bilateral trade. Foreign Trade Zone #281 processed $5.2 billion in trade activity in 2023 (U.S. Foreign-Trade Zones Board, 2024), supporting manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution operations that serve Caribbean and Latin American markets. The Beacon Council reports that Miami-Dade County alone attracted $1.8 billion in foreign direct investment in 2023, with 62% originating from Latin American sources (The Beacon Council, 2024).

This trade ecosystem means South Florida businesses regularly need market intelligence that spans national borders. A beverage distributor in Doral may need consumer preference data from Jamaica and Trinidad simultaneously. A fintech startup in Brickell may need to understand remittance behavior across five Caribbean markets. A real estate developer in Fort Lauderdale may need buyer sentiment data from Venezuelan, Colombian, and Argentine investors. Hope Research Group is uniquely equipped to deliver this cross-border intelligence from a single, centralized South Florida base.

Caribbean Gateway Advantage

No other US market research firm offers the Caribbean and Latin American coverage depth that our South Florida location enables. With direct flights from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and MIA to virtually every Caribbean island and major Latin American city, our researchers can be on the ground in Kingston, Port of Spain, Santo Domingo, or Bogota within hours. This proximity translates to faster project timelines, lower travel costs, and more responsive field operations than competitors based in New York, Chicago, or on the West Coast.

South Florida's Caribbean diaspora communities — including 1 million+ Haitian-Americans concentrated in Broward and Miami-Dade (ACS, 2023), 300,000+ Jamaican-Americans, and significant Trinidadian, Bahamian, and Eastern Caribbean populations — also provide a unique advantage for diaspora consumer research that can inform strategies for both US ethnic marketing and Caribbean home-market campaigns.

Case Study Highlights

Our South Florida research has delivered actionable insights for clients across sectors. For a multinational beverage company, we conducted a multi-market taste testing study across Miami-Dade's Hispanic neighborhoods and five Caribbean markets, identifying flavor preferences that informed a product reformulation generating 12% sales growth in the first year. For a regional banking client, our bilingual survey of 2,500 South Florida consumers revealed critical gaps in digital banking adoption among first-generation immigrants, leading to a targeted product launch that captured 8,000 new accounts in six months.

A major FMCG company used our retail audit capabilities to map distribution gaps across 450 independent grocery stores in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, resulting in a 23% increase in weighted distribution within 90 days. These outcomes reflect the practical, ROI-focused research we deliver from our Davie, Florida headquarters.

In the healthcare sector, we partnered with a regional hospital network to conduct a multilingual patient satisfaction study across 12 facilities in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, surveying 4,800 patients in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole. The research identified critical service gaps affecting non-English-speaking patients, leading to operational improvements that increased patient satisfaction scores by 18 points within one year. For a Caribbean food manufacturer seeking US market entry, our food import analysis and retail distribution mapping identified optimal entry channels, pricing strategies, and promotional tactics that achieved 60% ACV distribution in South Florida ethnic grocery within the first six months.

Competitive Intelligence & Market Entry Support

For companies entering the South Florida market from Latin America or the Caribbean, Hope Research Group provides comprehensive competitive intelligence and market entry research. We map competitive landscapes, identify distribution partners, assess pricing strategies, and evaluate consumer receptivity to new products and services. South Florida's role as a gateway market means that success here often predicts performance across broader Caribbean and Latin American geographies, making our local market entry research an efficient investment for companies planning multi-market expansion.

Our competitive intelligence services include retail price audits across major chains and independent retailers, promotional activity tracking, digital presence analysis, and consumer perception studies. For B2B clients, we conduct industry mapping exercises that identify key decision-makers, procurement processes, and partnership opportunities across South Florida's business ecosystem. These capabilities are particularly valuable for the 1,400+ multinational corporations (Enterprise Florida, 2024) that use South Florida as their regional hub and need continuous market intelligence to inform strategy across multiple countries.

South Florida Demographics: A Researcher's Goldmine

The tri-county South Florida metro area is home to 6.1 million residents, making it the eighth-largest metropolitan area in the United States (U.S. Census Bureau, 2023). What makes this population extraordinary for market research is its diversity: Miami-Dade County is 68% Hispanic and 17% Black (U.S. Census Bureau, 2023), with significant Haitian, Jamaican, and other Caribbean-origin communities. Broward County is 31% Hispanic and 30% Black, with one of the largest Jamaican and Haitian diaspora concentrations in the Western Hemisphere. Palm Beach County adds 23% Hispanic and 19% Black populations with distinct suburban and agricultural community dynamics.

This demographic complexity means that South Florida serves as a natural laboratory for multicultural consumer research. Products can be tested simultaneously across Hispanic consumer segments, Caribbean diaspora communities, and general-market populations without leaving the tri-county area. The region's median household income of $61,700 (ACS, 2023) masks enormous variation from ultra-high-net-worth communities like Fisher Island and Coral Gables to working-class neighborhoods in Hialeah and Liberty City, providing research access to consumers across every income quintile.

South Florida's international population adds further research value. An estimated 40% of Miami-Dade residents are foreign-born (ACS, 2023), representing over 140 countries of origin. This creates opportunities for comparative studies that examine how immigrant generation, acculturation level, and country of origin influence brand perception, media habits, financial behavior, and healthcare decisions — insights increasingly demanded by brands with multicultural marketing objectives.

Related Research