Market research survey questions and templates

With our market research templates and questions, gather the data you need to understand your target audience better, improve current business, or successfully launch a new business, service, or product.

Get started

What is a market research survey?

A crucial component of launching any business, service, or product is a market research survey, a type of survey with many uses. For example, without market research surveys, companies wouldn't know if their business or service was performing well, if any changes were needed before a product launch, or if the plug should be pulled altogether before more money is sunk into a dead end.

Such insights also help businesses understand their target audience better. This can aid in preparing for a more successful launch. One way to garner such valuable information is by conducting market research.

With help from SurveyPlanet, you can create effective market research surveys. These will provide valuable insights needed for better business management.

Continue reading to find out more about great market research survey examples and questions.

Types of market research

There are two types of market research surveys: primary market research and secondary market research.

Primary market research

Primary market research is a process of collecting new data that hasn't already been gathered. This can be done with market research surveys, interviews, or questionnaires.

Secondary market research

Secondary market research involves the analysis and interpretation of existing data collected for a purpose other than the current research goal.

This is cost-effective and time-efficient compared to primary research. It provides a broader understanding of the market and can be a valuable starting point for businesses.

Market research survey questionnaire sample

Wondering how to conduct a market research survey? Here are the most common market research survey examples used by businesses:

Concept testing

When launching a new product, service, or business idea conducting a market research questionnaire can help discover if consumers think it's a good idea. A survey can concept test the launch of a new product or service or investigate what consumers specifically think about names, logos, packaging, pricing, and even proposed advertising campaigns.

Brand research

If seeking to find out what people think of a brand—if it has the right messaging or how well it resonates with people overall—an engaging brand research survey is the right tool to use. Brand research is important for any business's success. It provides hard data that will drive effective decision-making while also giving insight into consumers’ minds.

Target audience profiling when conducting surveys

How well understood is the target audience? If you're not sure how they would respond to one product over another, then target audience profiling is a great type of market research survey to utilize. Discover exactly what age, gender, and education level the target audience is composed of by using a profiling survey.

Explore this in more depth in our How to use demographic survey questions blog.

Target audience profiling is also useful in finding out what other types of brands the target audience enjoys. It provides more information about a customer base so that more effective business decisions are made.

Market survey examples

Good market research questions provide valuable insights into a target audience's preferences, behaviors, and needs. Before creating a survey, it's important to identify objectives that will provide needed answers. Keeping this in mind before developing a survey will help in the crafting of better questions.

To help create a market research survey questionnaire, use the following questions to brainstorm:

  • What other services or products are similar to ours?
  • Which companies do you consider our top competitors?
  • What do you like most about our new product/service?
  • What made you choose our company over a competitor?
  • Which of the four logos do you like best?
  • What brands come to mind when you think of this product?
  • How often do you use this product category?

Interested in finding out more about conducting this type of research? Read our blog covering market research 101 to explore additional question examples and guidelines.

Thirty market research survey questions examples

Here are some market research survey question examples that can be used in a questionnaire:

Product/service understanding

  • How familiar are you with our [Product/Service] offerings?
  • Have you ever used our [Product/Service]? If yes, how often do you use it?
  • Please rate your satisfaction with the features provided by our [Product/Service].
  • Are there any specific aspects of our [Product/Service] that you find appealing?
  • What sources or channels do you typically rely on to stay informed about new products or services?
  • If you could change or add one feature to our [Product/Service], what would it be and why?
  • Which features of our [Product/Service] do you find most satisfying or valuable?

Customer preferences

Rank the following factors in order of importance when considering [Product/Service] options: price, features, brand reputation, and customer reviews.

  • How likely are you to switch to a different [Product/Service] if it offers a more competitive price?
  • Would you prefer a customizable [Product/Service] or one that is ready to use out of the box?
  • How much does the brand reputation influence your decision when choosing a [Product/Service]?

Competitor analysis

  • Are you aware of our competitors? Please list any that come to mind.
  • What do you perceive as the main strengths of our competitors compared to our [Product/Service]?
  • Have you used similar products or services from our competitors? How does our [Product/Service] compare?
  • What factors influenced your decision to choose our [Product/Service] over alternatives?
  • What do you think sets our [Product/Service] apart from our competitors in terms of value?

Market trends

  • How has your interest in [Product/Service] changed over the past year?
  • Are there any emerging trends in the [Industry] that you believe will impact [Product/Service] offerings?
  • What technological advancements do you expect to see in [Industry] over the next few years?
  • How do you typically discover new products or services?
  • How do social media influencers impact your purchasing decisions?
  • How comfortable are you with brands using your data to personalize their marketing?
  • Are there specific factors that drive your decision to shop online or in-store?
  • Have you noticed any changes in your brand preferences over the past year?

Customer experience

  • On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your overall experience with our [Product/Service]?
  • What improvements or enhancements would enhance your experience with our [Product/Service]?
  • Have you encountered any challenges or difficulties while using our [Product/Service]? If yes, please describe.

Buying behavior

  • Where do you typically seek information about [Product/Service] before making a purchasing decision?
  • Do you prefer making purchases online or in physical stores for [Product/Service]?
  • What factors are most likely to trigger an impulse purchase of [Product/Service]?

Demographics and segmentation

  • What is your age group and gender?
  • What is your current occupation and approximate annual income range?
  • Which geographic region do you reside in?

Advertising and branding

  • How did you first learn about our [Product/Service]?
  • Which type of advertising channels do you find most effective in reaching you for [Product/Service]?
  • What three words would you use to describe our brand and [Product/Service]?

Feedback and suggestions

  • What specific features or improvements would you like to see in future versions of [Product/Service]?
  • If you could change or add one feature to our [Product/Service], what would it be and why?
  • Are there any challenges or pain points you've experienced with our [Product/Service] that we should address?
  • Are there any additional functionalities you believe our [Product/Service] should offer?
  • Are there any features that you believe could be improved to enhance your satisfaction?
  • On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend our [Product/Service] to others?
  • Is there any additional feedback you would like to provide about your experience with our [Product/Service]?

Such survey questions serve as a starting point for further research efforts and can be customized to fit any industry and target audience.

Advantages and disadvantages of surveys in market research

There are advantages and disadvantages of surveys used in this type of research.

Advantages

Surveys are a cost-effective way to conduct market research. They also make it easy to collect anonymous responses, which are generally more candid. A large sample size can be reached with a market research questionnaire or survey, allowing for more accurate data with which to draw conclusions. Lastly, it's easy to collect data with market research surveys.

Disadvantages

On the flip side, market research questionnaires do have a few disadvantages. To start with, respondents might not answer honestly or complete the survey in full. Surveys also run the risk of inconclusive data. Further, there's the possibility that respondents don't understand the questions correctly.

Although there are both advantages and disadvantages to using surveys for market research, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Surveys can provide a business with the needed insight to properly understand its market.

Need to find out if you have the next big product or what a target audience thinks of your brand? Maybe it’s time to sign up for an account with SurveyPlanet.

Create a market research survey with SurveyPlanet

Once you're ready to begin, simply log in to SurveyPlanet and create a survey. To develop the most effective questions, start by listing the most important answers that are needed.

Respondents have more focus at the beginning of a survey than at the end, so placing the most important questions first will bring better results. If a series of questions—based on how someone answers a specific previous question—are needed then question branching can gather more insight about a specific topic.

With our Pro version, SurveyPlanet offers the functionality to use photos in both questions and answers. Pro features make it easier to determine what an audience thinks of certain products, designs, or other visual elements.

Ready to tackle creating a survey? Feel free to use one of our pre-made designs or create a customized one that matches your branding. SurveyPlanet provides all the tools needed to create effective market research surveys.

Sign up now

Free unlimited surveys, questions and responses.