Understanding customer needs is important for startups. Secondary research using sources like Google, trade publications, and competitor websites provides some information about market size, growth, competitors, and customer segments. However, there will always be gaps that require primary research through methods like surveys, focus groups, and experiments to understand customer preferences, buying behaviors, and how they may respond to new products. Both quantitative and qualitative research have roles to play, with quantitative research providing statistically valid data on questions like usage and qualitative research providing insights into why customers behave as they do.