Before launching your next product or business, it’s important to take time to complete some marketing research, which will provide information about what competitors are doing and if your ideas are profitable.
An essential part of market research is refining the target audience, which will help in creating an effective marketing strategy. While there are many different market research components, the most important is asking the right questions.
SurveyPlanet is here to help with examples of good market research questions. Read through our market research 101 guides and discover the best market research questions to ask your target market.
Primary market research
Before diving into specifics, it’s important to grasp the main concepts of market research. There are two basic categories: primary research and secondary research.
Primary research is gathering firsthand information about a market, customers, and competition. It is generally completed with focus groups, interviews, and online surveys that provide information about specific challenges customers face. Such research also helps gather details about the brand awareness of a company. Conducting primary research is a way to establish buyer personas and segment the market.
Primary market research question examples
Here are some examples of primary market research questions that will gather valuable insights about a target market:
Demographics and background
- What is your age range?
- What is your gender?
- What is your educational background?
- What is your household income level?
- What is your occupation?
Product or service perception
- What is your familiarity with our product/service?
- What do you perceive as the primary benefits of our product/service?
- How would you rate the quality of our product/service?
- How likely are you to recommend our product/service to others?
Consumer behavior
- How frequently do you purchase similar products/services?
- What factors influence your purchasing decisions?
- Where do you typically do research or seek information before making a purchase?
- What channels do you use for purchasing products/services?
Brand awareness and perception
- Are you familiar with our brand?
- How would you describe our brand personality?
- What do you associate our brand with?
- How likely are you to consider our brand over competitors?
Pricing and value perception
- How do you perceive the value-for-price equation of our product/service?
- What price range would you consider reasonable for our product/service?
- Would you be willing to pay a premium for additional features or benefits?
Customer satisfaction and feedback
- How satisfied are you with our product/service?
- What improvements or changes would you like to see in our product/service?
- How likely are you to repurchase our product/service in the future?
- Would you recommend our product/service to others? Why or why not?
Market trends and competitor analysis
- Are there any emerging trends or innovations in the market that you find appealing?
- How familiar are you with our competitors?
- What do you perceive as the strengths and weaknesses of our competitors’ offerings?
- What factors would make you switch from our product/service to a competitor?
Remember to tailor questions to your specific industry, target audience, and research objectives. The answers to these questions will provide valuable insights about the market, customer preferences, and areas for improvement, enabling informed decision-making and refined marketing strategies.
Secondary market research
The main purpose of secondary market research is to analyze data that is already published and draw conclusions from it. This involves analyzing public records, industry content, market statistics, and sales data. Secondary research is especially helpful for analyzing competitors. Most secondary research is done using a combination of public, commercial, or internal sources.
Public sources include government statistics such as data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau. Commercial sources usually come in the form of a market report compiled by research agencies. Finally, internal sources include customer retention rates, average revenue, and data from both old and new accounts. Together, all this data may help determine what buyers want right now and help develop market research questions to ask clients.
Secondary market research question examples
Here are some examples of secondary market research questions that can help guide the search for existing information and data.
Market size and growth
- What is the current market size for [industry or product category]?
- What is the projected growth rate for the [industry or product category] in the next few years?
- Are there any specific regions or demographics driving the market growth?
Target market segmentation
- How is the target market segmented within the [industry or product category]?
- What are the key characteristics or demographics of each market segment?
- Are there any emerging or untapped market segments within the industry?
Competitive landscape
- Who are the major competitors in the [industry or product category]?
- What is their market share and positioning?
- What are their strengths and weaknesses compared to each other?
Consumer behavior and preferences
- What are the current consumer trends and preferences within the [industry or product category]?
- What factors influence consumer purchasing decisions?
- Are there any notable shifts in consumer behavior in recent years?
Industry regulations and compliance
- What are the regulatory requirements and compliance standards for the [industry or product category]?
- Are there any upcoming regulatory changes or potential impacts on the industry?
- How do these regulations affect product development and marketing strategies?
Pricing and revenue models
- What are the typical pricing structures and models within the [industry or product category]?
- Are there any pricing trends or changes affecting the industry?
- What are the revenue models commonly used by businesses in the industry?
Technological innovations and disruptions
- What are the emerging technologies or innovations relevant to the [industry or product category]?
- Are there any disruptive technologies that could impact the industry?
- How are businesses adopting or integrating technology within the industry?
Consumer feedback and reviews
- What are consumers saying about products or services within the [industry or product category]?
- Are there any common issues or concerns raised by consumers?
- What are the key factors influencing consumer satisfaction or dissatisfaction?
Marketing and advertising strategies
- What are the prevailing marketing and advertising strategies used in the [industry or product category]?
- Are there any successful or noteworthy campaigns that have garnered attention?
- How are businesses utilizing digital platforms and social media for marketing purposes?
Industry publications and reports
- What industry publications or reports provide insights into the [industry or product category]?
- Are there any reputable market research firms or organizations that publish relevant data?
- What recent studies or reports offer valuable information about the industry?
Remember to search for reliable and up-to-date sources of information like industry reports, market research publications, government data, and reputable news outlets. Secondary market research can provide a foundation of knowledge about the industry, market trends, and consumer behavior, allowing you to make informed decisions and develop effective strategies.
First things first: Who is our customer?
Once you have collected primary market research, it’s time to sit down and define buyer personas and focus groups. Ask who the ideal customer is. What is their age? Where do they live? What do they do for a living? Defining buyer personas helps form a better understanding of your audience.
Key characteristics of a buyer persona include:
- Location
- Gender
- Age
- Job Title(s)
- Income
- Family Size
- Challenges
Companies may have more than one buyer persona; that’s completely fine. The reason to create buyer personas is to know exactly who your potential audience is. Buyer personas will help optimize campaigns and content to spark their interests.
Conducting a market research survey
Market research surveys are an efficient way to gain data based on insights from real customers. Companies can send surveys to existing and/or potential customers. Surveys give valuable insight into opinions about products, the company, and its customers. Companies use market research questions to make changes to products and improve or enhance features. Surveys may also answer whether the business idea is a good one. Find below some examples of market research questions to ask in a survey.
Explore and use our market research survey templates to get the data you need to make the right decisions.
Good market research questions: What is important to ask?
Market research questions are extremely important for everyone—from small businesses to corporations.
Market research can help better understand customers and, maybe even more importantly, nourish relationships with them by making them feel influential and special. In this way, the goal is not just satisfied customers, but loyal ones too. Examining people’s needs can improve business decisions and help with product development.
Market research questions can also ask clients and associates their thoughts about your cooperation so far.
Online surveys are one of the simplest research methods—they are flexible, dependable, and cost-effective. Read here our tips for creating an engaging survey. But what are good market research questions to ask a target market?
We prepared a few examples of market research questions—with detailed explanations.
1. Who is our ideal customer?
Market research surveys should include questions about customers, including gender, age, income level, job title, location, and education level. This is an especially important step for start-up companies new to the market that have yet to nail down their target audience. It’s one thing to create buyer personas; it’s another to verify they are correct based on actual customers.
Don’t hesitate to ask for details in order to learn more about the ideal customer. A pet shop needs to know what kinds of animals customers own. How many? In what type of home do they live? The more information you can learn about customers, the better.
2. What is the biggest challenge for customers?
Market research involves learning about customers’ pain points, which will help create better solutions. For example, if an online textbook store sent out a survey to students and asked about pain points, they might find that “textbook prices are too high.” The company could take this information and compare prices to a competitor’s. If their prices are too high, they can lower them or offer discounts to combat this challenge.
Ask customers about their top five to seven problems regarding a service or product. If there are enough similar responses, business owners may need to improve or create a new product to counteract these frustrations.
3. What do customers really want?
It doesn’t hurt to ask customers exactly what they want. Asking open-ended market research questions like this will provide answers that you might not have realized were needed. If people show reluctance to answer this question, give them the option to rate certain products or services. This will at least provide guidance about which ones they like or dislike.
For example, a shoe store might send a survey with an email asking about this season’s sandals. Customers have the option to rate the sandal and answer specific questions about it. The company can use this information to learn more about what their customers like and what to provide in the future.
Learning the difference between quantitative and qualitative research can help you choose market research methods and questions.
4. What sets us apart from the competition?
Ask this question to find out what customers really think about you. Choose open-ended questions and encourage respondents to describe everything in detail. One way to do this is by asking specific questions related to what you offer that competitors don’t.
For example, a bakery might offer gluten-free and vegan options, but they’re unsure if their customers care. The bakery could ask in the survey, “How important is it to you to have gluten-free or vegan options at a bakery?” The responses are rated on a scale from not important to very important. The answers will tell you if what sets you apart matters to the customer.
The survey should also include sections that allow a customer to agree or disagree with statements. For example, “I can count on Phil’s Auto Shop to offer competitive pricing.” Such questions provide insight into the emotional benefits customers perceive from your business.
5. What price is right?
New businesses benefit from including pricing questions since it can be difficult to pinpoint the right price to charge, especially if you don’t have a true competitor. Pricing products or services fairly can generate the right balance of revenue and customer satisfaction. Pricing products too high can result in a lack of customers. Pricing them too low can result in a profit loss. So how to price just right? Figure out a comfortable profit margin and then ask customers their opinions on prices. Realize that there will always be businesses that charge more or less. Pricing fairly is a matter of creating brand loyalty and excellent customer experience.
While conducting a market research survey, ask customers if they find the prices too low, fair, or too high. Display different products and services with prices and have customers rate them. For example, a marketing agency might wonder if their website design price is appealing. In their survey, they can include an example of a website design, what it includes, and their current price. Customers will have the option to decide if it’s fair or not. To gain more insight, they might also include their other services in the survey.
Write the best market research questions with SurveyPlanet
With these suggestions, you might now be wondering how to use them. SurveyPlanet is a great place to start. We offer a free plan that allows for the creation of unlimited surveys that can be sent to customers. And if you don’t want to write market research material, we have over 90 pre-written surveys and plenty of examples to choose from. All you have to do is press send.
For companies that would prefer to customize their surveys, we offer a Pro plan that allows the creation of custom themes, branch questions, export results, and so much more. Whether you need something basic or more extensive, both our free and paid versions can help get the job done. Start conducting market research by signing up for SurveyPlanet today.