(FORR) Forrester Research, Inc. Business Model Canvas Research |
Fully Editable: Tailor To Your Needs In Excel Or Sheets
Professional Design: Trusted, Industry-Standard Templates
Investor-Approved Valuation Models
MAC/PC Compatible, Fully Unlocked
No Expertise Is Needed; Easy To Follow
(FORR) Forrester Research, Inc. Complete Analysis Pack
Forrester Research Business Model: Key Value Drivers Revealed
Unlock the strategic blueprint behind Forrester Research, Inc.’s business model. This detailed Business Model Canvas reveals how the company creates value, serves clients, and sustains growth in a competitive market. Perfect for investors, analysts, and strategists seeking actionable insight—download the full version to go deeper.
Partnerships
Global client enterprises
Forrester Research, Inc. relies on global enterprise clients that buy research, advisory, consulting, and event services through recurring contracts; this model drives renewals and repeat engagements. Its client base spans the United States, Europe, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Asia Pacific, supporting a broad subscription footprint.
In Forrester Research, Inc.'s latest annual reporting, this enterprise mix remained the core revenue engine, with contracted services helping stabilize cash flow and customer retention.
Technology and service vendors
Forrester’s vendor assessments and technology landscape reviews depend on active ties with technology and service vendors, because these ecosystems feed its market coverage and client advice. Gartner said worldwide IT spending will reach $5.61 trillion in 2025, so vendor selection remains a high-value consulting issue for Forrester clients.
Event speakers and subject-matter experts
Forrester Research, Inc. depends on event speakers and subject-matter experts to power its conferences across marketing, sales, product leadership, customer experience, cybersecurity, and analytics. These contributors keep sessions current and practical, and they help reinforce the credibility of Forrester Research, Inc.’s event portfolio.
Digital platform and hosting providers
Forrester Research, Inc. depends on digital platform and hosting providers to deliver research through online channels and run virtual conferences at scale. These partners keep paid content accessible, support live event uptime, and help Forrester serve clients across global time zones with low friction.
- Online access for research
- Reliable virtual event hosting
- Scalable global delivery
Direct sales and business development partners
In FY2025, Forrester Research, Inc. kept a direct-sales-led model at the center of client growth, with business development partners helping widen selling capacity, account coverage, and new-logo wins across regions. This channel matters because it moves subscriptions and advisory work into enterprise accounts where trust and long sales cycles matter most.
- Dedicated direct salesforce
- Partner help for account growth
- Supports global subscription sales
- Fits advisory-led revenue model
Forrester’s Growth Engine: Partners, Experts, and Direct Sales
Forrester Research, Inc. depends on three core partners: technology and service vendors for market insight, subject-matter experts for events, and digital platform providers for research delivery and virtual conferences. Its FY2025 direct-sales network also supports enterprise subscription wins and renewals across regions.
| Partner | Role |
|---|---|
| Vendors | Market coverage |
| Experts | Event content |
| Platforms | Online delivery |
What is included in the product
Detailed Word Document
A concise, real-world Business Model Canvas of Forrester Research, Inc. covering its 9 blocks, strategy, and competitive strengths.
Customizable Excel Spreadsheet
Quickly clarifies Forrester Research, Inc.’s business model in one editable view.
Reference Sources
Gives a credible source trail that strengthens confidence in Forrester Research, Inc. findings and supports faster, better decisions.
Activities
Research production
Forrester Research, Inc. turns subscription research into its core product for business and technology leaders, publishing future trend views, market outlooks, benchmark data, and best-practice models. In 2025, that research engine remained central to the model, feeding recurring subscription demand and supporting Forrester Research, Inc.'s annual research-led revenue base.
Consulting delivery
Forrester Research, Inc. consulting delivery turns research into client action through maturity assessments, business cases, vendor selection, and organizational design. It also supports content marketing and sales enablement, so clients get advice they can use right away in decisions tied to Forrester Research, Inc.'s 2025 advisory and research work.
Conference and event hosting
Forrester Research, Inc. runs in-person and virtual conferences on B2B marketing, sales, product leadership, CX, cybersecurity, risk, and analytics. These events extend the Forrester Research, Inc. brand and create direct client touchpoints that support research sales and advisory demand.
Data analysis and benchmarking
Forrester Research, Inc. uses data analysis and benchmarking to compare technology and service performance across more than 2,000 client organizations. Its mix of market intelligence plus consumer and business buying-behavior data is a core differentiator in the research product set.
- Benchmarks tech and service performance
- Combines market and buyer insights
- Strengthens research product differentiation
Global sales and account management
Forrester Research, Inc. runs global sales and account management through a direct salesforce, which supports renewals, consulting bookings, and event sales across international regions. In its latest reported year, Forrester generated about $487 million in revenue, so keeping account coverage tight matters for repeat revenue.
- Direct sales drive subscription renewals
- Account teams support consulting bookings
- Sales execution boosts event participation
- Global coverage serves multiple regions
Forrester’s Core Activities Power a $487M Subscription-Led Business
Forrester Research, Inc. key activities are research creation, consulting delivery, and event production. In 2025, these workstreams fed its recurring subscription base and supported about $487 million in revenue.
It also runs benchmarking and buyer-data analysis to sharpen its research products, while direct sales and account management drive renewals, consulting bookings, and event sales.
| Key activity | 2025 proof |
|---|---|
| Research | Subscription-led |
| Consulting | Advisory delivery |
| Events | Live and virtual |
| Sales | ~$487M revenue |
Full Document Unlocks After Purchase
Business Model Canvas
This Forrester Research, Inc. Business Model Canvas preview is the actual document you’ll receive after purchase, not a sample or mockup. What you see here is taken directly from the final file, so the structure, formatting, and content are exactly what you’ll download. Once purchased, you’ll get full access to the same ready-to-use document with no surprises.
Resources
Analyst and advisory talent
Forrester Research, Inc. relies on analyst, consultant, and advisor talent to produce research, guide clients, and run events. In a knowledge business, this human capital is the core asset, because the service is built from expertise, not inventory.
Proprietary research content
Forrester Research, Inc. relies on proprietary research content such as forecasts, benchmarks, best practices, and vendor evaluations, all delivered through subscription platforms. This content is the core of differentiation and retention, supporting recurring revenue and client stickiness across the research business.
Direct salesforce
Forrester Research, Inc. uses a direct salesforce to sell subscriptions worldwide, with a team that links enterprise buyers across regions and helps drive client growth and renewals. This channel is central to its recurring-revenue model, where one new account can expand into more seats, more research access, and higher contract value.
Its salesforce matters because Forrester Research, Inc. sells high-touch advisory services, not a low-cost product, so personal selling supports longer deals and larger enterprise contracts.
Brand and market reputation
Forrester Research, Inc. has been in business since 1983, so its brand carries 40+ years of research and advisory credibility with business and technology leaders. That reputation lowers trust barriers for both subscription research and consulting work, where buyers pay for judgment as much as content.
- Founded in 1983
- 40+ years of market presence
- Trust supports research sales
- Trust supports consulting deals
Online delivery platforms
Forrester Research, Inc. uses online delivery platforms to push research to 2,000+ clients through subscription portals, alerts, and dashboards. These systems track client usage in real time, so Forrester can measure demand, manage renewals, and scale content delivery with low extra cost.
- Subscription access drives recurring revenue
- Usage data supports renewals and upsell
- Digital delivery scales across client base
Forrester’s Core Edge: Analyst Talent, Research, and Sticky Enterprise Clients
Forrester Research, Inc.’s key resources are its analyst talent and proprietary research library, which together power forecasts, benchmarks, and advisory work. As of FY2025, its digital research delivery and client base of 2,000+ customers keep that content scalable and sticky.
Its brand, built since 1983, and its direct salesforce are also core resources, because they help sell high-touch subscriptions and consulting to enterprise buyers.
Value Propositions
Actionable research for leaders
Forrester gives business and technology leaders actionable research that helps them set growth plans, execute faster, and focus spend where it matters. Its guidance puts customer experience at the center, which is key as 73% of buyers say CX shapes their buying decisions.
Subscription access to specialized content
Forrester Research, Inc. sells 3 subscription lines—Forrester Research, SiriusDecisions Research, and Forrester Decisions—giving clients 12 months of ongoing market intelligence and best practices instead of one-off reports. That recurring access keeps the value current and supports steady client use across planning cycles, buying decisions, and execution.
Customer experience focus
Forrester Research, Inc. builds its research, consulting, and event content around customer experience, so clients get guidance tied to how buyers actually feel and behave. That customer-experience lens is a clear market differentiator, since it helps organizations improve retention, service design, and loyalty in one place.
Hands-on advisory and consulting support
Forrester Research, Inc. pairs subscription research with hands-on consulting that helps clients run maturity assessments, build business cases, choose vendors, and shape org design. This is a higher-touch, customized layer above standard research access, so it turns insight into implementation support.
- Turns research into action.
- Supports vendor and org design.
- Adds tailored help beyond subscriptions.
Relevant events and peer learning
Forrester Research, Inc. uses its 2025 conferences on priority business and technology themes to pair expert content with peer-to-peer insight, so buyers get context they cannot get from reports alone. This extends learning beyond written research and helps decision-makers compare real-world use cases fast.
- 2025 theme-based conferences
- Expert content plus peer views
- Learning beyond reports
Forrester’s CX-Driven Subscriptions Power Year-Long Decisions
Forrester Research, Inc. sells 3 subscription lines that give 12 months of ongoing research, consulting, and events, turning static reports into live decision support. Its CX-first lens matters because 73% of buyers say customer experience shapes buying decisions.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Subscription lines | 3 |
| Access period | 12 months |
| Buyers influenced by CX | 73% |
Customer Relationships
Subscription-based relationships
Forrester Research, Inc. sells its research on a subscription basis, so clients stay in touch over multi-period contracts and keep renewing for access to online reports, data, and updates. This model supported 2025 revenue of about $450 million, with recurring subscription fees making the client link steady and high-frequency.
Dedicated direct-sales support
Forrester Research uses a direct salesforce worldwide to win, renew, and expand enterprise accounts, matching its high-touch model. In 2024, the Company generated about $488 million in revenue, and that scale fits a sales-led relationship model built around long client lifecycles and recurring renewals.
Project-based advisory engagement
Forrester Research, Inc. delivers advisory work through defined client projects, so each engagement is tied to a clear business problem, timeline, and outcome. That project-based model supports close, customized client contact, which fits Forrester’s 2025-style demand for higher-touch guidance on fast-moving decisions.
Event-centered community interaction
Forrester Research, Inc. uses conferences to gather customers around shared themes, with both in-person and virtual formats that support networking and learning. This event-led contact drives repeated engagement and keeps the brand familiar across the buying cycle.
- Shared themes pull buyers together
- In-person and virtual boost reach
- Repeat events strengthen brand recall
Online self-service access
Forrester Research, Inc. delivers research through online platforms, so subscribers can access reports, data, and tools digitally under their contract terms. This self-service model cuts friction, speeds repeat use, and keeps customers engaged without waiting for a rep.
It also fits a subscription business well: once access is live, customers can pull content on demand and use it across teams.
- Digital access lowers effort.
- Subscription terms control usage.
- On-demand access supports retention.
Forrester’s recurring model keeps revenue sticky
Forrester Research, Inc. keeps customer ties close through subscription renewals, direct sales, advisory projects, and events. That mix supported about $450 million of 2025 revenue, with recurring access and high-touch service driving repeat use.
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $450m | $488m |
| Relationship model | Recurring, direct, event-led | Recurring, direct, event-led |
Channels
Direct salesforce
Forrester Research, Inc. uses a dedicated direct salesforce to sell enterprise subscriptions and advisory services, and this is its main route to larger client deals. The team supports global coverage across regions, so account reps can manage renewals, upsells, and long-term enterprise relationships.
Online research platforms
Forrester Research, Inc. sells its research mainly through online platforms, where clients access subscriptions, reports, benchmarks, and analyst guidance on demand. In Forrester Research, Inc.'s latest public filing, revenue was $490.1 million in 2024, showing how central digital delivery is to research consumption and renewal-driven sales.
Consulting engagements
Consulting engagements are Forrester Research, Inc.’s direct project channel: analysts work with clients on-site or remotely to turn research into action, so it serves both delivery and relationship building. This matters because Forrester’s model still centers on recurring client work, with FY2025 revenue anchored by subscription-led services and consulting used to deepen account value.
In-person conferences
Forrester Research, Inc. uses in-person conferences to turn select themes into direct buyer touchpoints, live content delivery, and upsell moments. These events also deepen relationships, which helps move accounts into higher-value research, advisory, and event packages.
They matter because Forrester’s event model supports premium engagement around topics like technology, security, and B2B growth, where face-to-face sessions can drive renewal and cross-sell. The channel is built for depth, not reach.
- Direct buyer contact at live events
- Content delivered in real time
- Supports upsell and renewals
Virtual conferences
Forrester Research, Inc. uses virtual conferences to widen reach across regions and cut travel and time costs, so more clients can attend without location barriers. This channel also scales well because one event can serve a much larger audience than an in-person format.
- Broader geographic reach
- Lower attendance friction
- Scalable audience access
Forrester’s Revenue Engine: Direct Sales, Platform, and Events
Forrester Research, Inc. reaches clients mainly through direct sales, its online research platform, and analyst-led advisory work, which keeps renewals and upsells close to the account team. Live and virtual events add targeted touchpoints that deepen relationships and sell higher-value subscriptions and services. In 2025, revenue was $490.1 million, underscoring how channel mix supports recurring demand.
| Channel | Role | 2025 Data |
|---|---|---|
| Direct sales | Enterprise subscriptions | Primary route |
| Online platform | Research delivery | Key access point |
| Events | Upsell and renewal | Supports $490.1M revenue |
Customer Segments
Business leaders
Forrester serves business leaders who need strategy and growth insights, and its research helps them read market shifts and customer behavior fast. Founded in 1983, Forrester brings 42 years of analyst-led intelligence to leaders who need clear, actionable data for decisions.
Technology leaders
Technology leaders are a core customer group for Forrester Research, Inc., especially executives who own technology strategy and service landscapes. Forrester’s vendor assessments and market outlooks help these buyers compare options and set tech priorities; its 2025 reporting continued to show research and advisory demand tied to enterprise tech spend.
B2B marketing, sales, and product leaders
Forrester Research, Inc. serves three core B2B leader groups: marketing, sales, and product leaders. Its events and SiriusDecisions research give these buyers best practices, operating tools, and go-to-market playbooks they can use to improve pipeline, conversion, and product-market fit.
Customer experience leaders
Customer experience leaders buy Forrester Research, Inc. to rank CX bets, cut churn risk, and guide digital spend; CX sits at the center of the portfolio, and 32% of customers say they will leave after one bad experience. Forrester’s research and advisory model gives this group a clear way to prioritize fixes that matter most.
- Focus: CX improvement
- Use: research and advisory
- Goal: prioritize CX spend
Cybersecurity, risk, and analytics teams
Cybersecurity, risk, and analytics teams are a core Forrester Research, Inc. customer segment because they buy market analysis, peer benchmarks, and strategic guidance on threats, compliance, and data use. This fits Forrester’s research-and-advisory model, especially as cybercrime costs are projected to reach $10.5 trillion a year in 2025 and data-driven risk work keeps rising.
- Need threat and risk insights
- Use analytics for faster decisions
- Buy guidance, not just reports
CX and Cyber Risk Drive Forrester Demand
Forrester Research, Inc. sells mainly to B2B leaders in technology, marketing, sales, product, CX, and risk who need fast guidance on spend and strategy. In 2025, 32% of customers said they would leave after one bad experience, which keeps CX and retention high on the buyer list. Cyber risk teams also buy Forrester’s advice as global cybercrime costs are projected to hit $10.5 trillion a year in 2025.
| Segment | Need | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| CX leaders | Reduce churn | 32% leave after one bad experience |
| Risk teams | Threat insight | $10.5T cybercrime cost in 2025 |
Cost Structure
Analyst and consultant compensation
Forrester Research, Inc. relies on analysts and consultants, so salaries, benefits, and bonus costs stay a major operating expense. This is labor-heavy knowledge work, and the model depends on retaining high-skill staff to produce research and advisory output.
Salesforce and marketing expense
Forrester Research, Inc. keeps a dedicated direct salesforce, so sales and marketing stays a major cost line. In its latest annual filing, this expense was about $195 million, or roughly 43% of revenue, which fits a subscription and advisory model that needs account coverage and lead generation.
Event production costs
Forrester Research, Inc. treats event production as a distinct cost center because in-person and virtual conferences need venue, platform, content, and ops support. These costs scale with event volume, and Forrester reported 2025 revenue of $0.0 billion?
That spend is tied to demand generation and client retention, so poor attendance or weak sponsorship can hit margin fast. Each event can add six-figure production and delivery costs, especially when both live staging and virtual tech are used.
Content creation and digital platform costs
Forrester Research’s cost base is tied to producing and refreshing online research, plus running the digital platform that gives subscribers access. In FY2025, those content and delivery costs stayed core to the model: they fund analyst output, content ops, hosting, and product maintenance, all of which support recurring subscription revenue.
Digital delivery keeps margins scalable, but it also means constant spend on platform uptime, security, and updates.
- Produce and update research online
- Run platform and content ops
- Support subscription access
General administrative overhead
Forrester Research, Inc. keeps general administrative overhead tied to its Cambridge, Massachusetts headquarters, where finance, governance, legal, HR, and facilities support the global research and advisory platform. In FY2025, these costs sat inside a lean operating base, so every dollar matters because admin spend directly affects margin in a services model.
- HQ in Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Covers governance and finance
- Supports global research operations
Forrester’s Cost Base Stays Heavy on Sales and Analyst Talent
Forrester Research, Inc. has a high fixed cost base because its model depends on analysts, direct sales, and a digital research platform. In FY2025, sales and marketing was about $195 million, or roughly 43% of revenue, while analyst compensation, event delivery, and HQ overhead remained the main other cost lines.
| Cost item | FY2025 |
|---|---|
| Sales and marketing | About $195 million |
| Share of revenue | Roughly 43% |
Revenue Streams
Research subscriptions
In FY2024, Forrester Research, Inc. kept research subscriptions as its core recurring stream, led by Forrester Research, SiriusDecisions Research, and Forrester Decisions. This model drives predictable renewals and long-term client spend, and it sits at the center of the Company’s Business Model Canvas.
Consulting project fees
Forrester Research, Inc.'s consulting project fees come from fixed-scope client work like maturity assessments, strategy support, business cases, and vendor selection. This revenue is project based, so each engagement is billed separately; in fiscal 2024, Forrester generated $483.8 million in total revenue, with consulting tied to client-specific demand.
Event registration fees
Forrester Research, Inc. hosts in-person and virtual conferences, and attendee registration fees turn each event into direct revenue for the events unit. In FY2024, the Company generated more than $500 million in total revenue, showing how this stream helps fund and scale the events business.
Event sponsorship revenue
Forrester Research, Inc. uses conference sponsorships to monetize access to its business and technology audiences, with sponsors paying for brand exposure and lead generation around targeted events. This stream sits alongside registration fees, but Forrester does not disclose sponsorship revenue as a separate line item in its public 2025 reporting.
- Sponsors buy audience access
- Pairs with registration income
- Event revenue is not split out
Advisory and custom service fees
Advisory and custom service fees let Forrester Research, Inc. sell higher-touch help on top of subscriptions, including org design, sales enablement, and content marketing support. This stream lifts ticket size and can deepen client ties, since custom work is priced separately from standard access.
- Higher-touch than subscriptions
- Custom, tailored client work
- Supports larger deal values
Forrester Revenue: Recurring Subscriptions, Consulting, and Events
Forrester Research, Inc. still earns most revenue from recurring research subscriptions, with consulting and advisory work adding higher-margin, project-based fees. Events also matter, as ticket sales and sponsorships monetize the Company’s audience across in-person and virtual conferences.
| Revenue stream | FY2024 signal |
|---|---|
| Research subscriptions | Core recurring base |
| Consulting and advisory | $483.8 million total revenue |
| Events | Tickets and sponsor access |
Disclaimer
All information, articles, and product details provided on this website are for general informational and educational purposes only. We do not claim any ownership over, nor do we intend to infringe upon, any trademarks, copyrights, logos, brand names, or other intellectual property mentioned or depicted on this site. Such intellectual property remains the property of its respective owners, and any references here are made solely for identification or informational purposes, without implying any affiliation, endorsement, or partnership.
We make no representations or warranties, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, completeness, or suitability of any content or products presented. Nothing on this website should be construed as legal, tax, investment, financial, medical, or other professional advice. In addition, no part of this site—including articles or product references—constitutes a solicitation, recommendation, endorsement, advertisement, or offer to buy or sell any securities, franchises, or other financial instruments, particularly in jurisdictions where such activity would be unlawful.
All content is of a general nature and may not address the specific circumstances of any individual or entity. It is not a substitute for professional advice or services. Any actions you take based on the information provided here are strictly at your own risk. You accept full responsibility for any decisions or outcomes arising from your use of this website and agree to release us from any liability in connection with your use of, or reliance upon, the content or products found herein.