It’s easy to know what people often purchase, but the true insights come from understanding why they purchase those products. 75% of consumers spend more money to buy from brands that provide them with a good experience. That shows how important it is to understand your customers’ preferences, purchasing patterns, and decision-making processes. These insights will help you refine marketing strategies, improve customer satisfaction, and retain loyal customers.
This blog is your guide to understanding consumer behavior and its importance, how to create surveys on consumer behavior, and types of questions to include, and how Theysaid is revolutionizing your approach to customer insights.
What is Consumer Behavior?
Consumer behavior is understanding how people choose your products, what they think of them, and how they use and discard them.
Consumer behavior involves three main stages.
- Awareness stage: When consumers learn about the options available for purchase.
- Consideration stage: When they evaluate the available options.
- Purchasing phase: When they decide on what they want to purchase.
In broader terms, consumer behavior affects product development, identifies features that customers prefer, determines how to position your product, and guides where and how to advertise them, leading to the ultimate increase in sales and customer satisfaction.
4 P’s of consumer behavior
The 4 P’s—Product, Price, Place, and Promotion are the foundation of marketing strategies that help businesses attract and engage their target audience.
Product: The first step in creating an effective consumer behavior survey is understanding your product. Who needs it and why? Is this product going to meet customers' needs and preferences, and what does it have that competitors' products do not have?
Price: Price is the amount customers are willing to pay for your product. While some customers prioritize quality and are prepared to spend extra, others are more price-sensitive.
Discounts and promotions can encourage impulsive purchasing, particularly during sales events.
Place: The location or platforms where your products are available plays a vital role in consumer behavior. Make sure that your product is available online and in stores. Prioritize convenience and accessibility in your distribution channels to align with customers’ shopping habits.
Promotion: Promotion is how consumers are persuaded to buy. Consider eye-catching advertisements using social media, TV ads, billboards, limited-time offers, freebies, and loyalty programs to promote your products, leading to lasting customer relationships and business success.
Why a Survey on Consumer Behaviour Matters
Consumer behavior surveys provide critical insights into your customers: what they think, feel, and how they act. By asking the right consumer behavior survey questions, businesses will understand their customer's preferences, motivations, and pain points to adjust their products and marketing strategies to serve customers better.
Traditional surveys frequently use general, shallow, descriptive research questions; however, AI-powered survey tools like Theysaid, enable businesses to have genuine discussions with respondents in addition to gathering data, which helps you understand the driving forces behind consumer behavior.
Let’s discuss why understanding consumer behavior is crucial:
Improved Product Development: Knowing what customers want can help businesses design products according to their demands.
Targeted Marketing: Businesses can improve the efficacy of their marketing campaigns by using survey data to segment their consumer base according to their preferences.
Increased Customer Satisfaction: Businesses can customize their products and services to guarantee greater customer satisfaction by understanding customers' needs.
Better Business Strategy: Consumer behavior survey data can help you make more informed choices, ranging from price to marketing tactics.
Read - Mastering Market Research Survey Questions to Drive Business Success
Consumer Behavior Survey Questions In The Stages Of The Buying Process
Following are some of the consumer behavior survey questions to ask throughout the buying process:
Discovery stage
The discovery stage is the initial stage of the buying process, where consumers seek different brands to buy from.
Goal: Identify their needs and preferences and what influences them to come across your brand.
Questions to ask
- How did you hear about us first?
- Are you considering any of our competitors? If yes, why?
- Do you prefer well-known brands or new and innovative ones?
- What was the last time you purchased from us?
- Have you tried [ product name] from other brands, too?
- How do you usually search for products like [ product name]?
Pre-Purchase Stage
At this stage, consumers are evaluating their options and are about to choose one brand.
Goal: Understanding the motivators and barriers in purchase decisions.
Questions to ask
- On a scale of 1 to 5, how easy was it to find our product?
- What do you look for when buying something the first time?
- Do discounts and deals influence your purchasing?
- Are there any specific guarantees or assurances you look for before purchasing?
Purchase stage
The purchase stage is an important point at which a consumer makes a purchase.
Goal: Evaluate the purchasing process and determine the factor that closed the sale.
Example Questions
- What was the reason you decided to purchase from us?
- How would you rate our checkout experience?
- Was our purchase process smooth?
- Did you find our pricing reasonable?
Post Purchase stage
Post-purchase stage questions are to convert your customers into loyal buyers.
Goal: Measure satisfaction levels and get insights to improve products and services
Example Questions
- How satisfied are you with your purchase?
- Would you recommend us to your friends and family?
- Were you satisfied with the delivery time and process?
- How would you rate the packaging of our product?
- Do you have any suggestions on how we can serve you better in the future?
Read - Unlocking Insights with Online Survey Research Methods
Key factors to include while creating Consumer behavior surveys
Following are some key factors to consider while creating surveys on consumer behavior:
Demographics questions
Demographic questions help you understand who your customers are. They are about age, gender, educational level, income, etc.
Example Questions
- What is your gender?
- How old are you?
- What is your monthly income?
- What is your ethnic background?
- Where do you live?
Product or Service Usage
Gaining information about how and when customers use your product or service can help you enhance its usability, performance, and possible areas for improvement.
Example Questions
- How often do you use our product?
- What essential features are we missing?
Brand Perception
Brand perception questions help you understand how customers perceive your brand, giving you insights into its strengths and weaknesses.
Example Questions
- How would you describe our products to someone else?
- If you had to describe our brand in three words, what would they be?
- What do you think about the quality of our product?
Decision-Making Factors
Marketing and product strategies can be substantially enhanced by knowing the primary determinants of purchasing decisions.
Example Questions
- How important is the price factor for you while purchasing?
- Does brand reputation play a role in your purchasing process?
Emotional Triggers
People's emotions often have a bigger impact on their buying decisions than logic. Understanding emotions like excitement, trust, or fear can help businesses create strong marketing messages that connect with customers.
Example Questions
- How did you feel when you first used our product?
- How do you feel now when you hear our name?
Tips for Creating a Consumer Behavior Survey
Here are some pro tips to keep in mind while designing a consumer behavior survey:
- Clearly outline your goals.
- Use different types of questions in surveys ( Close-ended, open-ended, fun, ranking questions).
- Keep it short and straightforward.
- Start with the easy questions, then gradually move to sensitive topics.
- Test your survey for mobile optimization.
- Use AI-powered tools like Theysaid to get better insights.
- Consider offering incentives and discounts at the end of the survey.
How AI-powered Surveys Revolutionize Consumer Behaviour Analysis
AI-driven surveys provide more than just a basic analysis of consumer behavior. They allow you to break down consumer analysis into actionable data. AI-powered tools like Theysaid can quickly provide meaningful insights by identifying trends in customer feedback that would be practically impossible for human analysts to notice.
With TheySaid, you can efficiently distribute your surveys through multiple channels like email, in-app chat, QR codes, or Slack. The AI listens to respondents, making the process feel natural and engaging and gaining valuable insights on why someone responded the way they did. After the survey, it analyzes trends and suggests action items to follow up on, making it easier to turn feedback into tangible improvements.
With the help of tools like TheySaid, this process is more straightforward, engaging, and far more effective.
Sign up for free today and take your consumer behavior surveys to the next level!
FAQs
Why are demographics important in consumer behavior surveys?
Demographics provide key information about your audience, such as age, gender, income, and location. This helps businesses segment their audience and change their strategies according to customer’s needs.
How do you create a survey on consumer behavior?
Start by defining clear objectives for your questionnaire, identifying specific information you need, and designing questions based on demographics, purchasing habits, brand perception, and decision processes. Keep your survey easy and short, include different types of questions, test your survey, and you are good to go!
Why is it important to ask the right consumer behavior survey questions?
Asking the right questions helps you understand why customers behave in specific ways, leading to better product development, marketing strategies, and customer service.
