Use Case -- Market Research

Dutch Market Research: Search Companies by Industry and Location

Search the entire Dutch business registry by SBI industry code, city, province, and legal form. Build market analyses, competitive landscapes, and industry reports with verified company data.

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The Problem

Dutch market data is hard to access and harder to filter

Conducting market research in the Netherlands requires data about companies in specific industries and locations. How many software companies are in Amsterdam? What is the breakdown of legal forms in the construction sector? Where are the highest concentrations of logistics companies?

The Dutch KVK registry contains this data, but accessing it in a structured way for analysis is not straightforward. The official KVK website lets you search one company at a time. Commercial databases charge premium prices for data that may not be current. And scraping public sources gives you unreliable, unstructured results.

International research teams face an additional hurdle: the Dutch SBI classification system. SBI codes are the Dutch version of industry classification (similar to NACE or NAICS), and understanding them is essential for accurate industry analysis. Without the right codes, your research targets the wrong companies.

The Solution

Search with filters, analyze with data

The KVKBase API lets you search the Dutch business registry with multiple filters. Combine SBI industry codes, city or province, legal form, and text queries to find exactly the companies you need for your research. Every result includes the full company profile with structured data ready for analysis.

Python -- Market Research Query 
import requests

API_KEY = "your_api_key"
headers = {"Authorization": f"Bearer {API_KEY}"}

# Find IT consulting companies in the Randstad
resp = requests.get(
    "https://api.kvkbase.nl/v1/search",
    params={
        "sbi": "6202",           # IT consulting SBI code
        "plaats": "Amsterdam",    # Filter by city
    },
    headers=headers
)
data = resp.json()

print(f"Total IT consulting firms in Amsterdam: {data['total']}")

# Analyze results by legal form
legal_forms = {}
for company in data["results"]:
    form = company["rechtsvorm"]
    legal_forms[form] = legal_forms.get(form, 0) + 1

for form, count in sorted(legal_forms.items(), key=lambda x: -x[1]):
    print(f"  {form}: {count}")

Use SBI codes to target specific industries. The Dutch SBI system is hierarchical: broad categories (like "6" for ICT) break down into detailed subcategories (like "6201" for software development or "6202" for IT consulting). This lets you do industry analysis at whatever level of detail you need.

Python -- Compare Industries Across Cities 
# Compare fintech companies across Dutch cities
cities = ["Amsterdam", "Rotterdam", "Utrecht", "Eindhoven"]
sbi_fintech = "6419"  # Financial intermediation

for city in cities:
    resp = requests.get(
        "https://api.kvkbase.nl/v1/search",
        params={"sbi": sbi_fintech, "plaats": city},
        headers=headers
    )
    data = resp.json()
    print(f"{city}: {data['total']} fintech companies")
Benefits

Why research teams choose KVKBase

SBI industry code filtering

Search by SBI code at any level of the hierarchy. Target broad sectors or drill into specific niches. The Dutch equivalent of NACE/NAICS, built into every query.

Geographic analysis

Filter by city, province, or postal code region. Map industry clusters, compare regional activity, and identify geographic market opportunities.

Legal form segmentation

Filter by BV, NV, VOF, Eenmanszaak, or other legal forms. Understand the composition of an industry -- how many are corporations versus sole proprietorships.

Current, official data

All data comes from the Dutch KVK registry. Company names, addresses, and SBI codes are always current and officially registered.

How It Works

Build a Dutch market analysis in three steps

1

Define your research criteria

Identify the SBI codes for your target industry, the geographic region, and any legal form filters. The API documentation includes a full SBI code reference.

2

Query the API

Run searches with your filters. Paginate through results to collect the full dataset. Export to CSV, feed into a database, or analyze directly in Python or R.

3

Analyze and report

Aggregate, segment, and visualize the data. Compare industries across regions, track legal form distributions, and identify market patterns.

Start your Dutch market research

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