What’s the secret to understanding your customers and their ever-changing needs?
Getting the right information from the right audience is the key to success. That’s where market research surveys come in, designed to uncover answers you need straight from your audience.
This blog is your guide for 8 different types of market research surveys every marketer should know!
What are market research surveys?
A market research survey is a tool to gather information about your customers, competitors, and industry. The responses are then converted into actionable data that drives growth.
The main subjects of market research are:
- Understanding customer’s needs and behaviour
- Evaluate product performance
- Brand awareness and competitor analyses
- Analyzes strengths and weaknesses of the brand
- Gathering insights on market trends, growth, and opportunities
Why Market Research Is a Must-Have ( The Numbers Don’t Lie)
Market research is essential to refine business strategies, improve customer satisfaction, and stay ahead of the competition. The following statistics justify its value :
The global market research industry has continuously grown over the past few years and generated over $84 billion in revenue in 2023. The United nation remains the leader in the market research industry, commanding 55% of the global market share.
A HubSpot survey states that 80% of customers are more likely to purchase from a brand that provides personalized experiences, showing the importance of effective feedback through market research.
According to research, 86% of buyers are willing to pay up to 13% more and even as much as 18% for luxury if they receive an exceptional customer experience. They are willing to pay more for a great customer experience.
Basic Types of Market Research
Let’s take a quick look at Basic types of marketing research:
Primary market research: Primary research is approaching your target audience by yourself. It involves asking questions about your products and services directly from your customers. You can do it through interviews, online surveys, or focus groups.
Secondary market research: It involves gathering existing data to gain insights into the market. Common examples include Internet research, market reports, government reports, etc.
Qualitative market research: Qualitative research gathers non-numerical information such as customer’s experiences, needs, preferences, and behaviors.
Quantitative market research: It gathers data in numerical form to find patterns, correlations, and insights into consumer behavior and market trends.
Related read: How to Create a Market Research Survey- Step-by-Step Guide
8 Main Types of Market Research Surveys
Each market research survey serves a specific purpose. Here are 8 main types of market research surveys:
Customer Satisfaction Survey (CSAT)
CSAT is a powerful tool for measuring customer satisfaction with your products, services, or recent interactions to gather valuable business insights that directly impact profitability and revenue generation.
The following statistics show how beneficial it is for businesses to provide exceptional customer experiences :
- 73% of consumers will switch to another brand after having multiple bad experiences.
- 89% of consumers are more likely to purchase again after a positive customer service experience.
- Customer retention rates increase by 5% for every 1% increase in customer satisfaction.
CSAT survey measures satisfaction levels at different touch points of a customer survey:
Post-Purchase Satisfaction: How satisfied are your customers with recent purchases or interactions?
Customer Service Experience: How does customer service resolve customers' issues and queries?
Product or Service Quality: Did your products and services meet the customer's expectations?
A higher CSAT score indicates better customer satisfaction compared to competitors.
Example questions to ask in a customer satisfaction survey are:
- On a scale of 1 to 5, how satisfied are you with our product/ service?
- How would you describe your recent experience with our customer service team?
- How well did our product meet your expectations?
Brand Awareness Survey
A brand awareness survey measures how much people know your brand, products, and services. It provides insights into your brand's familiarity, reputation, and engagement.
It embeds your brand into customers' daily lives, so it becomes their default choice.
Real-world examples :
- In 2024, Nike, a famous footwear brand, had a 97% brand awareness rate in the United States, achieving near-universal recognition.
- Google's brand value was approximately $754 billion, marking a 30% increase from $578 billion in 2024. This positions Google as the second-most valuable brand worldwide.
If brand awareness is done right, your brand just does not exist – It becomes unforgettable.
Example questions to ask :
- Are you familiar with our [ Brand/ product]?
- What comes to your mind when you hear our brand name?
- How would you describe our brand to another person?
User persona survey
User personas are fictional characters used to segment your audience into groups based on shared traits. These surveys help create personalized marketing strategies, improve product development, and enhance user experience for each persona.
Real-world example:
Netflix uses detailed buyer persona to create taste clusters and groups of users with similar interests in content. It produces personalized rows such as trending now and streaming for each viewer based on their view history and feedback, ultimately increasing Netflix's retention rate by over 90%. This approach has helped them achieve over 230 million global subscribers in 2023.
Example questions to ask :
- How often do you purchase?
- What is your educational background?
- What makes you trust a brand enough to become a regular customer?
Market Segmentation Surveys
Marketing segmentation surveys divide heterogeneous audiences into homogeneous groups. These surveys reveal customer preferences to create more effective marketing campaigns and identify potential segments so the business can allocate more resources, resulting in high customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Real-world example:
Coca-Cola uses demographic, geographic, behavioral, and psychographic market segmentation surveys to identify customer needs. It offers products like Coca-Cola Zero for diabetic patients and health-conscious people and Sprite for people seeking a lemon-lime-flavored soft drink.
Example questions to ask :
- Why did you choose our brand over competitors?
- How often do you shop online?
- What is the biggest challenge you faced while using our product?
Product market fit survey (PMF)
A product market fit survey is a tool used to evaluate how well your product meets your customers' expectations. It helps you understand where a particular product will fit in the market and its demand—companies with substantial product-market fit experience customer acquisition and retention rates.
Real-world example:
Slack, a well-known communication channel, used a product market fit survey to improve it during its early stages. They identified which features attract users the most and how they perform in the market. By in-depth analysis, it achieved rapid adoption and became an industry leader.
Example questions to ask :
- What features of [product] are most valuable to you?
- What important features are missing in our product?
- How would you feel if you could no longer use this product?
Read - Mastering Market Research Survey Questions to Drive Business Success
Competitor Analysis Surveys
Competitor analysis surveys are a way to understand how your competitors are doing in the market and how your customers perceive your brand compared to your competitors. It helps you identify market gaps your competitors cannot fill and allows you to fill them.
Real-world example:
McDonald's used competitor analysis surveys to determine why customers favored Burger King's flame-grilled burgers. McDonald's enhanced its product line to meet similar taste preferences because of this data.
Example questions to ask :
What influenced you to choose us over competitors?
Which brand do you prefer for [ specific feature]?
What do you like most about [ competitor's product]?
Customer Effort Survey score (CES)
This survey measures the consumers' effort to complete a particular task or interaction with your brand. It drives high customer satisfaction and improves customer loyalty, which grows referrals. You can send CES surveys after a customer service interaction, purchase or subscription renewal, or issue resolution.
Real-world example:
Airbnb is notable for its simple booking process and user-friendly platform, which has contributed to high CES scores. The simplicity of searching for listings, clear communication with hosts, and a simple payment system make it easy for guests to plan and enjoy their stays, increasing customer satisfaction.
Example questions to ask :
- How satisfied are you with our brand?
- How would you rate the ease of resolving your issue with customer support?
- How difficult was it to find the information you were looking for?
Net Promoter Score Survey (NPS)
A net promoter score survey measures customer satisfaction by asking how likely you are to recommend us to a friend or colleague. It identifies loyal customers and provides insights into areas that need improvement, allowing for customer-centric decision-making.
How Does NPS Work?
- Promoters (9-10) are likely to recommend you.
- Passives (7-8) are satisfied but can easily switch.
- Detractors (0-6) are unsatisfied customers.
Real-world example
Apple consistently receives high NPS ratings, with customers praising its seamless user experience, dependable customer service, and premium products. These loyal customers frequently recommend Apple products to others, adding to the company's strong market presence.
Example questions to ask :
- On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend us?
- Why did you rate us that way?
How AI Has Overcome the Flaws of Traditional Market Research Surveys
Traditional online surveys, while effective in their own right, have limitations that hinder their ability to provide in-depth insights. However, AI has overcome those flaws and changed how market research surveys are conducted and analyzed.
Automated Survey Creation
Traditional survey methods require businesses to manually create questions that take time and effort and still fail to capture the insights. With AI-powered tools like Theysaid, companies can create surveys with a single click personalized to their target audience, making it a faster and more efficient way.
Enhanced Engagement and Response Rates
Getting people to complete a survey is always a challenge. Traditional surveys are long and tedious and provide limited scope, but AI-powered surveys can create more engaging surveys due to natural language processing and conversational features that make the survey feel like a conversation with a friend.
In-Depth Data Analysis
Traditional surveys are shallow and boring and fail to understand the why behind responses.
Leaving businesses with limited data; however, AI excels at processing qualitative and quantitative data. With its advanced machine learning algorithms, it uncovers complex patterns and provides rich insights.
Scalable Insights Across Industries
AI-powered surveys are flexible and scalable across industries. Whether in healthcare, retail, financial services, or technology, businesses can collect high-quality insights from a larger audience without compromising accuracy.
With Theysaid you can instantly create market research surveys and share them with your customers.
Sign up for free!
FAQs
What are the different types of market research surveys?
Following are some essential types of market research surveys:
- Customer Satisfaction Surveys (CSAT)
- Brand Awareness Surveys
- User Persona Surveys
- Market Segmentation Surveys
- Product Market Fit Surveys (PMF)
- Competitor Analysis Surveys
- Customer Effort Score (CES) Surveys
- Net Promoter Score (NPS) Surveys
How do I choose the right market research survey for my business?
To choose the right market research survey, define your survey goals clearly.
- Choose CSAT to measure customer satisfaction.
- Choose a brand awareness survey to measure familiarity with your brand.
- Choose a competitor analysis survey to understand your market position.
What are the benefits of using AI-powered market research surveys?
AI-powered survey tools like Theysaid offer:
- Automated survey creation for personalized questions.
- Enhanced engagement with conversational features.
- In-depth data analysis using machine learning.
