consumer behavior market research questionnaire

16 Consumer behavior survey questions for expert customer insights

16 consumer behavior survey questions to ask your customers, use consumer insights to your advantage: best practices, make customer data analysis easy with attest.

Most consumers don’t realize the patterns in their purchasing habits. We don’t know (or want to know) just how impulsive we really are. Unprompted, we don’t think all too much about what or who influences our buying (apart from when you’re sure Instagram is listening to you and you get creepily well-targeted ads).

But as a business, knowing all about consumer behavior is incredibly valuable. You’ll be one step ahead every time, ready to delight consumers—and ideally turn them into fans who’ll rave about you to their friends and family.

One way to find out what consumer behavior is most relevant to your business is with a consumer behavior questionnaire. And we’re here to help you create a great one.

A consumer behavior survey is a type of market research that helps you gather information on consumer attitudes, preferences, and behaviors.

These insights allow you to tailor your products, services, strategies and marketing to your customers’ needs to increase sales, customer satisfaction and gain a competitive edge.

Here we’ll give you 16 questions to include in your next market research.

Let’s get to know your customers, shall we?

If you’re looking to gather data about purchase behavior using online surveys, you’ll want to use a mix of close-ended and open-ended questions. This mix of survey questions enables you to gather reliable consumer insights through tangible data (through closed-ended questions), and provides context for why your potential customers do things in certain ways (through open-ended questions).

Using our Customer Research Team’s vast experience helping brands carry out reliable consumer behavior market research, we’ve gathered these example questions.

It’s important to note that this is not a copy-paste survey: you should be creating one that is specific to your research goals and business. These questions merely serve as inspiration.

Here’s a brief rundown of the behavior questions we’ll cover in this guide:

• How often do you purchase [PRODUCT]?
• What factors influence your decision to purchase [PRODUCT]?
• What channels do you typically use to learn about this [PRODUCT]?
• What is your preferred method of payment for [PRODUCT]?
• How do you prefer to interact with [BRAND]?
• What is your main reason for using [PRODUCT]?
• What is the most important factor when considering whether to purchase [PRODUCT]?
• How did you first learn about [BRAND/PRODUCT]?
• How much time do you spend researching [PRODUCT] before making a purchase?
• What factors influence your decision to abandon an online shopping cart?
• How important is sustainability or ethical sourcing when making a purchasing decision?
• What is your preferred delivery method for [PRODUCT]?
• Who do you consult when making a purchase decision for [product]?
• Which of the following best describes how you’re spending money at the moment?
• What are some factors that would cause you to switch from one brand to another?
• How do you typically find information for [PRODUCT]?

And with that, let’s dive into the most insightful survey questions .

1. How often do you purchase [PRODUCT]?

How often do your target consumers embark on the customer journey? Knowing the frequency of their purchases can help you identify trends and adjust your marketing strategies accordingly.

You might discover that people buy your products on a more seasonal basis. This could open up the possibility of offering alternative products that might fill in the seasonal gaps, giving your brand a more comprehensive, year-round market share.

And you can follow up with questions to find out when these purchases are made and how much time people take for their research before they buy, to plan your time to shine.

2. What factors influence your decision to purchase [PRODUCT]?

Knowing the factors that have an effect on what brand people choose is super valuable info! It’s the type of data that can help you make it past the consideration stage.

It helps you focus your marketing messages and position your product in the best way possible. It can also reveal areas in which your brand can differentiate itself.

3. What channels do you typically use to learn about this [PRODUCT]?

Knowing how people learn about products can help you determine which channels are most effective in reaching your target audience. This intel can give clear direction to your marketing team and sales strategies.

Learn how customers make buying decisions

Get data into how your customers behave—and buy!—with Attest’s Jobs to be Done survey template, written by research experts.

4. What is your preferred method of payment for [PRODUCT]?

It might seem an odd question to ask: if people love your product, does the payment method really matter?

Well it does—if you want to provide an excellent customer experience and increase conversions.

Optimizing your payment processes can elevate your company and brand experience and make you the preferred vendor.

Learn more about how to test consumer preferences.

5. How do you prefer to interact with [BRAND]?

It’s unlikely that people like ‘speaking’ to bots who don’t seem to truly understand them.

When building a customer service strategy, turn to your customers to find out how they prefer to communicate, so that you can optimize your channels.

Share this information with your customer support team to help them understand the needs of customers even better.

6. What is your main reason for using [PRODUCT]?

This question will help you understand the market and primary use case for your specific product here.

This information helps you tailor your messaging and promotions to specific customer segments.

7. What is the most important factor when considering whether to purchase [PRODUCT]?

If you’ve already identified the list of factors, you can narrow it down and find which one is the most important one.

This helps you make key decisions about branding, product placement, pricing and more.

8. How did you first learn about [BRAND/PRODUCT]?

It’s not just about the last push to the purchase decision. The first encounter tells you just as much—if not more. It gives you vital information on how you can reach more potential customers in the awareness stage, and build your brand in their minds.

With this data you can identify effective marketing channels and increase brand awareness which leads to more conversions.

9. How much time do you spend researching [PRODUCT] before making a purchase?

Some people are impulse buyers, others roam the web for weeks before clicking ‘Pay Now’.

Finding out what is most common in specific segments that are relevant to you can help you create better content that addresses common questions and concerns.

10. What factors influence your decision to abandon an online shopping cart?

Is it unexpected shipping costs? Delivery times that are too long? Or were they just window shopping?

With this data you can reduce cart abandonment rates and optimize the user experience.

11. How important is sustainability or ethical sourcing when making a purchasing decision?

Ideally, we all keep this in mind when buying any product. But in certain segments, there will likely be more or less focus on this.

Finding out which ones these are can help you optimize your messaging and targeting. This is an important type of question to ask when creating a customer profile too.

12. What is your preferred delivery method for [PRODUCT]?

Much like payment options and customer service, product delivery is all about creating a seamless customer experience. Ideally your customers should barely notice that your product was delivered at all—it should be a smooth and hassle-free process.

Knowing your customers’ preferred delivery methods can help you optimize your distribution channels and reduce delivery-related friction points.

13. Who do you consult when making a purchase decision for [product]?

Even though we usually buy stuff ‘alone’, we don’t always go through the process of buying alone. We evaluate what others are saying, whether it’s from reviews, influencers’ social streams or advice from a family member—there’s a lot to take in.

Knowing who weighs in is crucial, because you will want to influence and educate those people too.

14. Which of the following best describes how you’re spending money at the moment?

Understanding how people pay for your product or service only tells you so much about their approach to money.

There are tons of external factors that affect spending, so finding out how people feel at any given time can give you an indication of how likely they are to part with their cash. It makes sense to track things like this over time to make sure you’re on the ball when the market shifts.

15. What are some factors that would cause you to switch from one brand to another?

Identifying factors that can cause customer churn is what informs strong loyalty strategies, keeping customers happy, engaged and buying!

Knowing why they choose your brand is vital—and so is understanding why they go elsewhere.

16. How do you typically find information for [PRODUCT]?

It’s not just Google anymore. Find out if people are learning about products like yours on alternative channels such as Reddit, TikTok, LinkedIn or other platforms to make sure you are represented in the right places.

And don’t forget the importance of word of mouth! In study after study we see that consumers place massive trust in their friends and family to give them good product and service recommendations.

You might struggle to see how you can learn about behaviors from the data coming out of a survey. No need to stress: here are some tips to make your data more actionable and valuable to your team.

• Look for the patterns: Look for patterns in the data such as common responses from specific demographics, or shifting trends over time. These patterns give valuable insights into customer behavior and preferences.
• Don’t ignore outliers: Look for outliers too that may represent extreme or unusual consumer perceptions or responses. Even though they’re not the most common ones, they are still valuable. They can give you insights into customer preferences that may not be immediately apparent from what ‘the average’ tells you.
• Use an all-in-one survey tool: ideally, you collect and analyze data all in the same consumer insight software. This minimizes the risk of errors caused by data transfers and keeps your data safe. Choosing a tool like Attest means you get everything you need for your market research from start to finish, including your very own research expert to give you guidance along the way.
• Compare and contrast: Compare and contrast the responses to different questions. For example, compare responses to questions about product features, quality and price to understand the trade-offs that customers make when making purchasing decisions. Are answers in line with each other? Or can you spot some discrepancies?
• Compare to industry benchmarks: Compare your survey data to industry benchmarks and assumptions you had before to get a sense of how the business is performing relative to competitors. Put things in perspective, but keep it relevant to your business. You’re not trying to just fit in, you want to stand out!

Running consumer behavior surveys is simple, using Attest. We provide you with everything you need to learn about the moves, motives and motivations of your target audience. Your dedicated research expert will help you to get the best insights from your data so you can greatly benefit from consumer profiling . See our consumer profiling survey template for further ideas.

Get reliable consumer behavior insights

Make sure you gather consumer insights that are genuinely useful with our survey templates—written by our experts in the Customer Research Team

Elliot Barnard

Customer Research Lead 

Elliot joined Attest in 2019 and has dedicated his career to working with brands carrying out market research. At Attest Elliot takes a leading role in the Customer Research Team, to support customers as they uncover insights and new areas for growth.

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Blog Customer Experience

50 Consumer Behavior Survey Questions (Free Template + Examples)

Parvathi vijayamohan.

11 April 2024

Table Of Contents

• 50 Consumer Behavior Survey Questions
• Consideration

Why are consumer behavior survey questions important?

By studying who your consumers are, and the factors that influence consumer behavior, marketers can present their products and services in a way that grabs your audience’s attention and delivers the most value.

By analyzing consumer behavior, businesses understand:

• What people think about the product alternatives/competitors.
• What influences them to choose an option (or multiple options if they crave variety).
• The habits that drive each stage of the consumer journey.
• How a person’s environment (store, shopping companion, family, social media, etc.) influences their choices.

Top 50 Consumer Behavior Survey Questions

Now, let’s look at 50 examples of consumer behavior survey questions. We will break down each set of questions by five stages of the consumer’s journey:

We have a couple of goals with this:

• Make it easier to map out your consumer’s journey from its starting point to its logical end – hopefully, a repeat purchase.
• Help you find roadblocks and key influences at each stage, and adapt your consumer experience accordingly.

Instead of sending as one large survey, consider breaking your consumer behavior questionnaire down into stage-specific recurring surveys to get more in-depth information. Here goes!

1. Awareness

• When you think [Product], what is the first brand you think of?
• Can you say why?
• Are you aware of [product name]?
• When did you hear about [product name] for the first time?
• How familiar are you with [product name]?
• When was the last time you used [product name]?
• Which of these other brands are you aware of? Choose all that apply.
• Which of these have you used?
• Who is the main decision maker in your house for this product/product category?
• How do you typically find out about products like ours? Select all that apply.

To give you a clearer idea, here’s an example of a Premade Consumer Behaviour Questionnaire template created using SurveySparrow. You can use it for free by signing up with your email and customize it however you like.

Consumer Behavior Questionnaire Template

2. consideration.

• Regarding this product category: do you usually plan ahead or decide at the time of purchase?
• Which of these are the most valuable to you when deciding which brand to purchase? Select any three.
• What problems are you trying to solve with [product name]?
• How do you feel about our brand as a solution?
• What would motivate you to consider buying our brand?
• Have you bought our brand before?
• Would you consider buying again?
• What do you do when buying something for the first time?
• What would you likely use as an alternative if [product name] were no longer available?
• Last but not the least: what ice cream flavor do you like?🍨

Note: Ice breaker questions like these can be really helpful to make the survey less boring! Even better if you can tie them to some specific survey incentive you’re offering later – like a coupon for a free ice cream.

3. Purchase

• How often do you buy [product name]?
• Where do you go when you are looking for [product name]?
• Would you please let us know how much you spend on it normally? 💸
• Which of the following brand do you typically buy? Select all that apply.
• How often do you visit (store choice)?
• How much time do you spend on an average at (store name)?
• Who influences your purchase?
• Who accompanies you for purchase?
• What is your monthly income range/budget?
• Are you satisfied with the pricing?
• What are the 3 main things that persuaded you to use this?
• How frequently do you use this product?
• What do you use our product for? You can choose multiple options.
• How many other people in your house use this product?
• Where do you primarily use this product?
• How often are you using it compared to a month ago?
• Can you guess how long have you used this product?
• How easy is it to use this product?
• What types of people could find our product helpful?
• How often do you wish this product was on sale?

Related: 12 Product Survey Questions to Create a Killer Survey

5. Feedback

• Write 3 words that you associate with the product?
• Have you had any problems with the product so far?
• How did you try to solve it? (customer support, self help, etc.)
• How helpful was our customer support team?
• What made you choose our product?
• Would you buy our product again?
• How likely is it that you would recommend our product to others?
• Is there anything you would like to add? Any feedback or suggestions?
• How would you rate our product overall?
• How would you rate your experience overall?

Lastly…

Consumer behavior survey questions aren’t complete without demographic questions like age, income group, and location. Simply put, they can help you build a better customer profile. Check out our article on the top 10 demographic survey questions you need to ask.

Wrapping Up

Phew, that was a long list! Frankly, I’m surprised you had the patience to make it all the way here.

Happy surveying!

PS:  Got questions about SurveySparrow ? We’re just a chat away. Oh, also, if you are looking for free survey templates to collect feedback.  Access it for free here.

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• 55+ Consumer behavior survey questions to ask (& Free templates)

Ayşegül Nacu

Companies, marketers, and product creators must keep informed of consumer tastes and behavior to thrive in the current competitive market. Such professionals can learn important information from surveys about their target audience's requirements, preferences, and likes. Businesses can determine consumer trends and patterns through the analysis of survey results and can then customize their product or service offerings in response. 

“We see our customers as invited guests to a party, and we are the hosts. It’s our job every day to make every important aspect of the customer experience a little bit better.” – Jeff Bezos

• What is a consumer behavior survey?

A customer behavior questionnaire is a type of market research to understand better consumers' habits, preferences, and decision-making processes about products, services, and experiences. Typically, online surveys consist of structured questions covering various consumer behavior topics. Your survey can include multiple-choice, short text, or open-ended questions.

Definition of consumer behaviour survey

These consumer behavior surveys frequently incorporate crucial indicators like the Customer Effort Score (CES) and Net Promoter Score (NPS) to measure customer preferences and loyalty. CES assesses how simple it is for customers to interact with a business, highlighting the simple or difficult parts of their experience . Also, NPS measures client loyalty by asking them to rank how likely they are to refer a good or service to others.

• What are the five stages of the consumer journey?

5 Stages of consumer journey

People go through a dynamic “consumer journey” process when deciding what to buy. This path covers the steps from the first awareness to the final advocacy part, with five separate stages. You can find the explanations for each stage below, prepared for your inspiration.

• Awareness: Potential customers learn about your brand during the Awareness stage of the customer journey. Customers can find your brand and products via various channels, such as social media, search engine optimization (SEO) outputs, word-of-mouth recommendations, brand marketing initiatives, and more.
• Consideration: The consumer journey's consideration stage is when the competition is in the center. At this point, Potential customers are comparing your product to other available options in the market. They compare features, costs, and reviews to determine which solution is the best fit.
• Decision: This is the genuinely crucial stage of the journey. Prospects can reinforce their learnings from earlier phases of the customer experience by interacting with the product and sales representatives. The consumer makes the purchase here. Thus, this stage is also called the “purchase” stage in some resources.
• Retention: The product is used by the customer, who may occasionally contact the provider or a user community for advice. The provider may also reach out to the customer to foster brand loyalty. What will matter most to the consumer is how you continue to provide this extra information and ensure it is easily accessible after the purchase.
• Advocacy: Whether their experience was pleasant or poor, your consumers will talk about your brand at the last step of the customer journey model. You must make it simple for your customers to refer you to others if you want them to become brand ambassadors.
• 55+ Survey questions get insights into consumer behavior

These consumer survey questions examples cover every aspect of the customer journey, from the first glimmer of interest to the devoted customers . By exploring these extensive questions, you will gather information and try to understand and measure customer behavior to create more satisfied customers .

Survey questions to ask at the discovery stage

Questions to ask in the discovery stage are meant to elicit a deep reflection from respondents on their discovery process. This will offer insights into their motives , preferences, and behavioral patterns.

1. What difficulties are you experiencing the most in your daily life?

2. In what situations do you use our product?

3. How willing are you to try out new or innovative items or services available in the market on a scale of 1 to 10?

4. What channels or platforms do you primarily use to discover new products or services?

• Social media
• Trade shows
• Friends or colleagues

5. To what extent are you familiar with the product?

6. What do you think about our website?

7. Have you already used similar products from different brands?

8. What is your most significant need currently?

9. How would you like this product to help you?

A survey question about the discovery stage

Survey questions to ask at the consideration stage

Potential clients' needs, tastes, and priorities are better understood with the help of survey questions designed specifically for this stage. These types of questions are intended to reveal information that helps people make wise decisions .

10. What are the specific brands or companies you primarily consider when evaluating products or services?

11. To what extent does brand reputation affect your decision-making?

12. If our product was discontinued, what would you pick in its place?

13. How do you measure a product's overall impact or benefits?

14. Have you ever bought a product from our brand?

15. how many possibilities or substitutes are you now evaluating in your search for this product?

16. How essential is convenience or ease of use to you while making decisions?

17. Do you compare price and quality when purchasing a product?

18. How do you evaluate the options' trustworthiness or credibility?

• Through the transparency policy of the company
• Through certifications
• Through the experiences of others

A consumer behavior survey question to ask at the consideration stage

Survey questions to ask after purchase

Post-purchase survey questions are essential for obtaining insightful data, assessing customer happiness , and highlighting areas needing development. The customers can communicate directly with you through questions like these and provide their opinions.

19. Did the product/service meet your expectations?

20. What is your possibility of returning to us for more purchases?

• Very likely

21. What was the most significant reason for choosing our product/service over alternatives?

22. What are you planning to do with our product?

23. Were there any noteworthy incidents or characteristics that especially satisfied you with the purchase?

24. Is the cost of the product reasonable?

25. In what ways did our product/service fit your needs (business or lifestyle)?

26. What motivates you to make an online purchase?

• Price advantage
• Practicality
• Easy access to information

27. What would be the purchase method you prefer?

• Online payment
• Cash payment

A survey question about the post-purchase stage

Survey questions to ask during the onboarding stage

Onboarding survey questions are essential because they give organizations a platform to comprehend their customers' needs, expectations, and perceptions during this vital time. These questions are an efficient way to measure customer satisfaction and learn more about how successful the onboarding procedure is.

28. Was it easy to use our product?

29. How confident are you, on a scale of 1 to 10, in using the product or service on your own after onboarding?

30. Was the onboarding procedure required to help you in using the product?

31. How effective was the onboarding in setting the right expectations for the product?

• Very effective
• Not sure 
• Ineffective

32. What could have been done to improve the efficiency of the onboarding process?

33. Which step of the onboarding process had the most significant influence on you?

34. Did the onboarding process leave any important facts or details out?

35. How can we improve our onboarding process?

36. Did the onboarding process fail to address any expectations or goals?

A consumer behavior survey question to ask during the onboarding stage

Survey questions to ask at the usage stage

Surveys should be carefully crafted to include questions about usage to get information on how customers use the product or service and their opinions about its usefulness. The data gathered from these questions on consumer behaviour helps to improve the product or service to suit user needs better.

37. How frequently do you use our product/service?

• Once in a couple of days

38. How do you think our product/service has improved or impacted your work?

39. To what extent would you suggest our product to others?

40. To what extent are you happy with the product's performance?

41. Do you have any prior experience using our product?

42. How many other people around you use this product?

43. Is the product easy to control?

44. What level of integration is there between our product/service and other tools/systems you use?

45. What improvements can we make to align our product better?

A survey question to ask at the usage stage

General consumer behavior questions to ask for feedback

Inquiries about general consumer behavior are essential for understanding customers' attitudes and responses to goods and services. The purpose of these customer satisfaction survey questions is to gather data on a wide range of consumer behavior, including preferences.

46. How would you rate our product overall?

47. Do you think the price of our product or service is reasonable?

48. Did your friends or family influence your purchase decisions for this product?

49. How does our product compare to others that you like better?

50. Through which platforms do you find new products?

• Online marketplaces
• Social media (influencer effect)
• Review websites

51. What would it be if you could change one thing about our product?

52. How has this product helped you in completing your tasks?

53. How do you approach the situation when your purchased product doesn't meet your expectations?

54. What did you dislike about our product?

55. How much weight do you give a company's ethics and ideals when purchasing?

• High-priority
• Minor priority

A question about general consumer behavior

• How can I create a consumer behavior survey?

Creating consumer behavior survey questions can be simplified using forms.app, a proper free survey application. This comprehensive guide can be used for this aim. You can easily create surveys with its helpful features and user-friendly design to assist you in gathering insightful feedback . 

Consumer Demographic Survey

Customer Needs Survey Template

Customer Feedback Form

1. Sign up or log in : forms.app allows you to access various features. If you don't have an account, you can easily create one or log in if you already have one.

2. Choose a template or start from scratch: You can select from pre-designed templates or create a new one from scratch to develop your survey.

💡You can benefit from the  AI feature  of the forms.app.

3. Make adjustments: You can modify the form to achieve your objectives. In this way, you will ensure accuracy in questions.

4. Design the survey: Customize the survey's design to reflect your company's image and maintain consistency.

5. Share with the form takers: Share the survey thoughtfully with participants via shareable links, website embedding, and other share options .

• Final words

Organizations can gain the necessary insights by implementing phases of awareness, consideration, decision, retention, and advocacy for the consumers. Thus, they can improve their marketing strategy , product customization, and customer satisfaction . It is easy to create, change, and share these surveys using forms.app and the accompanying elements of survey creation . Take advantage of forms.app's features to easily create, edit, and share surveys while gaining insightful information.

Ayşegül is a content writer at forms.app and a full-time translation project manager. She enjoys scrapbooking, reading, and traveling. With expertise in survey questions and survey types, she brings a versatile skill set to her endeavors.

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50 Consumer Behavior Survey Questions to Uncover Behavioral Insights

Whether you’re starting a business, launching a new product/service line, or trying to gauge your success — everything begins with understanding the customers. 

Who are you targeting?

What are their preferences?

What kind of environment do they live in?

What factors influence their decision-making?

These are just a few examples of what you need to uncover to get a glimpse of your audience and how to target them successfully.

One way to explore your audience is through consumer behavior surveys and asking the right questions. 

So, let’s see what survey questions on consumer behavior you can ask at each customer journey stage to get a clear picture of your customers and their behavioral traits.

What Is a Customer Behavior Survey?

Understanding your customers’ behavior, needs, and preferences is a powerful tool for becoming an industry leader and trendsetter. 

And consumer behavior surveys are an excellent choice to gather significant customer insights that clue you in on your customers’ buying patterns and preferences. Think of these surveys as a marketing tool that you can use for market research and UX research .

Best Consumer Behavior Survey Questions for Customer Journey Stages

It’s time to move on to the highlight of our discussion – what consumer behavior questions can you use to gauge customer behavior?

Since collecting feedback is an ongoing process that isn’t limited to one stage, we’ve divided survey questions on consumer behavior into stages. Let’s begin.

Consumer Behavior Questions at Discovery Stage

At the awareness stage, your potential customers are unaware of your offering or even that they require it. Sometimes, the audience isn’t even aware of their pain points and how they can remove them.

So, asking these questions will help you understand what they require and the strategies you can use to convert them:

• What are your current challenges without a product like [Product Name]?

• When you think of [Product], what is the first company that comes to mind?
• Have you ever heard of [Product Name] before?
• What are the issues you continuously face in your day-to-day operations?
• What are your biggest challenges?
• When was the first time you heard about [product Name]?
• How familiar are you with [Product Name] and what it does?
• When was the last time you used the [Product Name]?
• Have you ever tried [Product Name] from other brands before?
• Are you the decision-maker for this product/product category type?
• How do you search for products like [Product Name]?
• How does [Product Name] make you feel?

Consumer Behavior Questions for Consideration Stage

At this stage, your prospects are aware of your product. They understand its features and the fundamental ways it can help their business to an extent. 

So, besides pushing your case studies to deepen their understanding of your offerings, you can ask these consumer behavior questions to ensure they convert.

• What is stopping you from purchasing with us today?

💁‍♀️Pro Tip: You can use this question as a pop-up exit-intent survey to collect insights from the customers who are about to leave your website/app to avoid cart abandonment .

• What do you think of our brand as a solution?
• What would motivate you to consider buying from us?
• Do you plan or decide in real-time to purchase a product like [Product Name]?

• Have you ever purchased with us before? If yes, follow up with – Would you consider buying again?
• Can you walk us through your process when buying for the first time?
• What would you choose as an alternative if [Product Name] is no longer available?
• Please select the options that are crucial to you when purchasing [Product Name].

Consumer Behavior Questions After Purchase

Once customers make up their minds about your offerings, they’re likely to purchase. At this stage, you can ask about their motivators, reasons for buying, and more to understand their needs and buying patterns. 

Here are some examples of consumer behavior survey questions you can consider:

• What motivated you to purchase today?

• Once you solve your problem with [Product Name], what’s next?
• What persuades you to buy a product online?

• Does the product/service justify the pricing?
• What demotivates you from purchasing a product online?
• What are you planning to do with [Product Name]?
• Which pain points do you plan to resolve with [Product Name]?

💁‍♀️ Pro Tip:

You can use screening questions before the actual questionnaire on consumer behavior to weed out undesired candidates and only collect responses from the required demographics. 

For example, you may not want to collect insights from the prospects but only from customers who have made the purchase. 

In that case, a simple screening question, “ Have you purchased anything from us before? ” can help you eliminate unsuitable respondents.

Consumer Behavior Questions at Onboarding Stage

Collecting customer feedback goes beyond the purchase stage. Some rich insights await you at the onboarding stage to help you improve your customer experience . 

And to tap into these rich customer insights, you can prepare a questionnaire on consumer buying behavior based on these questions for the onboarding stage.

• What do you think of our onboarding process?

• Was the onboarding process necessary to help you use the product?
• On a scale of 0-10, how likely are you to recommend [ProductName] to your friends and family?
• Was there anything critical to your success that we should have covered during the onboarding process?
• How easy or difficult was it for you to use our [Product/Service] the first time?

• Please tell us how we can improve our onboarding process.

Consumer Behavior Questions for Usage Analysis

Now that your customers know your product/service and how to leverage it, you can understand how they interact with it and put it to use. 

You can use these questions in your consumer buying behavior questionnaire to understand experience on the usability front.

• How often do you use [Product Name]?
• How satisfied are you with the performance of the [Product Name]?

• What do you use [Product Name] for?
• How many people use this product/service?

• Do you prefer to use [Product/Service Name] on desktop or mobile?
• Is this your first time using [Product Name]? If no, follow up with “How often do you use it now compared to last time?”

• How easy or difficult is it to use this product?
• Do you wish [Product Name] was on sale?

General Consumer Behavior Questions

Here are some more questions to add to your customer behavior surveys depending on the kind of customer data you require:

• What was the primary reason you started using our product?
• How do you typically find information about this type of product?
• Which portals do you use to discover new products?
• How would you rate your experience with us?
• How would you rate [Product Name] overall?
• What do you look for when researching a product before the purchase?
• What type of product do you research the most before purchase?
• Which product/service are you likely to buy with [Product Name]?
• What factors determine your budget for a product like ours?

Mind you, making mistakes while creating surveys is more common than you’d think. But it’s easy to avoid them if you know what they are. You can go through this article on types of survey errors and steer clear of those survey blunders.

Simply collecting customer data won’t get you the results you need. Analyzing the data is what will turn the raw data into actionable insights. You can use multiple customer feedback analysis methods and reliable tools like Qualaroo to derive insights.

Customer Behavior Survey Templates

You have two ways to create customer behavior surveys. The first involves starting from the ground up, using the questions provided. Alternatively, you can use a more efficient and effective approach by leveraging Qualaroo’s ready-made consumer survey templates.

It’s easy to tailor these consumer survey templates and align them perfectly with your brand, choosing fonts, colors, and the questions you wish to include or exclude. 

You can also integrate additional customer behavior questions from the list above to these templates. What’s more, these survey templates empower you to employ conditional logic so you can create personalized survey flows based on the responses.

Check Out This Consumer Survey Template

Why Do You Need to Track Customer Behavior?

As a business, if you know how your customers behave online, what influences their buying behavior, what they prefer, and where they come from, you’re already on the path to success. 

How? You ask.

Here are some ways understanding user behavior and asking the right consumer behavior questions helps your business.

Customer-Centric Business

A survey of 6000 customers by Salesforce found that 66% expect brands to understand their expectations and needs.

If you want to shorten the empathy gap, leverage survey questions for consumer behavior to your advantage and discover what you think you deliver, what customers think they get, and how you can meet their expectations.

Consumer behavior survey questionnaires can help you deep-dive into your customers’ minds and align your business strategies and goals accordingly.

Create a Viable Pricing Strategy

Having detailed buyer personas allows you to design business strategies that will work, such as pricing and revenue. If you don’t know your target audiences’ buying preferences and habits, your pricing strategy might not work on them.

For example, you can create various pricing plans based on the audience from different income groups and how frequently they purchase. You can create loyalty programs for regular customers to offer them benefits.

Also read: Customer Engagement: A Complete Guide

On-Point Marketing Campaigns

Want to grab customers’ attention? You need to show them what they want to see and what they are attracted to. 

That’s where understanding your customers through consumer behavior surveys can help you identify the right way to convey your brand messaging and create marketing campaigns that resonate with them.

Bonus read: Brand Experience For Your Business: What Is It & Why You Should Care

Ask the Right Consumer Behavior Questions for Reliable Insights

If you ask the right consumer behavior questions at the right time, there’s no limit to the useful insights you’ll get. Survey questions for consumer behavior are a great data source, but only if you create surveys that customers won’t mind taking.

So, while designing your consumer behavior questionnaire, a few points to consider are:

• Keep the surveys short. If you’re launching pop-up surveys , keep the questions between 2 to 5. 
• Create surveys with the target audience in mind. You can create different surveys depending on customer segments and demographics.
• Find the gaps in your data using tools like BIGContacts CRM to create surveys that collect the missing information.
• Use simple and everyday language while avoiding jargon.
• Avoid making survey errors such as framing leading and biased questions.
• Try to add different question types to keep the survey engaging, such as the Likert scale , rating, dichotomous, open and closed-ended, etc.

Once you practice these tips and create consumer behavior surveys with the given questions and templates, you’ll see a high response rate that’ll allow you to gather actionable insights and improve your business strategies.

About the author

Qualaroo editorial team.

The Qualaroo Editorial Team is a passionate group of UX and feedback management experts dedicated to delivering top-notch content. We stay ahead of the curve on trends, tackle technical hurdles, and provide practical tips to boost your business. With our commitment to quality and integrity, you can be confident you're getting the most reliable resources to enhance your user experience improvement and lead generation initiatives.

• 33 Consumer Survey Questions + Free Templates & Examples

It is hard to build a successful business without satisfied consumers, which is why it is important to frequently administer consumer satisfaction surveys . A consumer survey is a crucial means of collecting direct feedback from clients with regards to how well your product meets their needs and expectations. 

Information gathered via consumer surveys helps organizations to identify product gaps and map out strategies for product improvement. While customer surveys can be administered physically through face-to-face interviews and suggestion boxes , it is easier and more convenient to conduct this via online customer survey forms. 

What is a Consumer Survey?

A consumer survey is a data-collection tool used by organizations to collect real-time information from consumers about their experiences with new and already existing products. Also called a customer survey, it is an important source of information for businesses because it serves as a pathway into the minds of your clients.  

A good customer survey includes objective questions that seek specific insights into consumer behaviors and expectations. Data gathered from consumer surveys are usually analyzed and translated into action plans to boost the product’s performance in the market and help the organization create a more consumer-centric product.  

Importance of Consumer Surveys  

Consumer surveys play vital roles in business and organizational processes. Apart from providing insights into consumer behaviors and preferences, data gathered via consumer surveys is an important indicator of an organization’s overall market performance. Other reasons you should prioritize consumer surveys as a business include:

• A consumer survey helps an organization to learn more about its client base and target markets.
• Organizations depend on consumer surveys to predict market behaviors and create consumer-centered products and services.
• Data gathered via consumer surveys helps organizations to create the right customer experience at multiple brand touchpoints.
• Consumer surveys play a crucial role in brand differentiation.
• It also helps organizations to measure customer satisfaction and create excellent customer service for clients.
• Information obtained plays a crucial role in boosting the customer retention ratio of your business. When you improve your product in line with the needs of your consumers, they are more likely to patronize you repeatedly.

Types of Consumer Survey  

• Product Evaluation Survey

A product evaluation survey is used to gather consumers’ feedback on different aspects and features of a product. It is an important tool in product trials and testing as it helps organizations to identify the strengths and weaknesses of their product.

A product evaluation survey typically contains questions that bother on different aspects of a product plus the overall user experience. The data gathered via this tool helps businesses to improve on new and existing products for the benefit of the consumers. 

• Customer Satisfaction Survey

A customer satisfaction survey is a tool used by organizations to find out how well their product or service meets the needs of the consumers. It serves as a means through which consumers can communicate how they feel about the organization, brand image, and service delivery.

A customer satisfaction survey serves as a link between the organization and its clients. If you want happy customers who would be willing to refer you, you must prioritize their needs by understanding how they feel about your organization. 

• Customer Experience Survey

A customer experience survey allows consumers to evaluate their experience with your organization across different brand touchpoints. It is a vital means of understanding your consumers’ perception of your brand throughout their customer journey while gathering data for more-informed business decisions.

Good customer experience often translates to a positive brand outlook as with other benefits for your business. Also, tracking your customer experience helps you stay ahead of the competition while translating to repeated patronage for your product or service. 

• Market Research Survey

A market research survey is carried out by organizations before the launch of a new product or service. It is a method of gathering useful information about market preferences, expectations, and consumer behaviors as part of the feasibility study for a product.

Market research survey helps organizations to gain critical insights from target markets about consumer needs and their inclinations toward purchasing a particular product. With this data, companies can make better market decisions and mitigate many of the risks that come with running a business. 

• Demographic Survey

A demographics survey helps organizations to better understand their customers. It is made up of specific questions whose answers allow organizations to gain better insight into the target audience in terms of who they are and what they want.

Data gathered via a demographic survey would help you to create the right buyer persona for your product or service. Demographic surveys can be carried out as part of market research and it plays a vital role in market segmentation for organizations. 

33 Top Consumer Survey Question Examples

Demographic survey questions.

These questions help you to understand and categorize your target market. They also play a major role in market segmentation. Demographic survey questions provide unique insights into the characteristics of your consumers and they often inform effective marketing strategies. 

Here are 11 sample demographic questions you can include in your consumer survey: 

1. What is your monthly income range?  

This question would give you a fair idea of your consumers’ spending power which would help you decide on the right price mechanism for your product. 

2. How much do you spend on shopping every month? 

This is a more precise question that provides insight into the spending power of your consumers and target market in line with your specific industry. 

3. Where do you prefer to shop? 

This question would help you decide on available channels for your product and it also plays a major role in product improvement. For instance, if your consumers prefer to shop online, you can work on providing an offline solution for your business. 

4. What gender do you identify as? 

This data plays a vital role in market segmentation and also informs specific marketing strategies for your product.  

5. What is your current employment status?

• Full-time employment
• Part-time employment
• Self-employed

Information gathered via this question is useful to organizations in multiple ways. Primarily, businesses rely on this information to create more consumer-centric products that serve the specific needs of the target audience. 

6. How often do you purchase gadgets?

You can tailor this question to your specific product. The essence of questions structured in this manner is to provide some sort of insight into your consumers’ purchasing habits and behaviors.

7. How old are you? 

• 50 and above

This question is important for market segmentation and it also informs product marketing strategies for organizations. 

8. What is your highest level of education?

Apart from playing a vital role in market segmentation, knowing the highest level of education of your consumers helps you to refocus your product on meeting their needs, and providing value. 

9. Where are you located? 

This question helps you to map out the geographical concentration of your consumers. It provides insights that you can use to refocus your product to cater to the needs of your consumers.

10. What is your household income?

Provide consumers with options in the form of income ranges which they choose from. This question gives you an idea of the spending power of your consumers and helps you decide on product pricing. 

11. What is your household size? 

This question helps you to gather data bothering on the size of your target market. 

Product Survey Questions

These questions allow consumers to provide feedback on your product and identify any areas needing improvement. Here are 11 product questions you can include in your consumer survey: 

1. How long have you used this product?

This question would help you measure your customer retention rate. Repeated patronage often indicates that your product provides some sort of value for consumers.

2. What do you like about this product?

This question provides insights into the specific value your product offers for the consumers.

3. What specific needs does our product meet for you?

This question provides insights into why consumers use your product.

4. What 3 product features stand out for you?

Data gathered via the responses to this question is extremely useful for product reviews. It helps you to identify the most important product features for consumers.

5. How can we improve this product for you?

This question helps you to create a customer-centric product and is extremely useful for product reviews.

6. What feature would you like to be added to this product?

This question plays a major role in product improvement. It is important to always feel the pulse of the consumers by allowing them to suggest new product features.

7. How easy is it to use this product?

This question allows consumers to highlight the challenges they face with your product; primarily in terms of its features.

8. Are you satisfied with the product pricing?

This question provides insights into the affordability of your product from the consumers’ points of view. 

9. Why did you choose our product?

This question provides insight into the unique selling point of your product for the consumers.

10. How would you rate our product?

For this question, you can ask consumers to also state the reasons for their ratings. This provides a better context for market research.

11. Would you recommend this product to a friend or colleague?

If consumers are willing to recommend your product, it means that they trust your brand and see some kind of value in your product.

Customer Satisfaction Survey Questions

These are questions that allow consumers to rate how satisfied they are with your overall service delivery and customer experience. Here are 11 sample questions to include in your consumer survey: 

1. Do you enjoy using this product?

This question gives you a fair idea of your consumers’ overall brand perception. 

2. How helpful was our customer support team in resolving this issue?

Data gathered via responses to this question helps you to identify any customer support areas needing improvement.

3. How would you rate your customer experience?

Tracking customer experience is important for every organization. Great customer experience often translates to a boost in sales and other market benefits.

4. How happy are you with our service delivery?  

This is another important question as happy customers are typically loyal customers. 

5. Did you encounter any issues when using the product?  

This information would help you identify any gray areas in your product and overall service delivery. 

6. How would you describe our product?

Data from responses to this question helps organizations to identify the unique selling point of their product. 

7. Do you find our self-help services useful?

This question can be open-ended or close-ended. It helps you gather feedback on new or improved product features. 

8. How likely are you to purchase our product again?

This question provides useful insight; especially in terms of the rate of repeated purchase. 

9. Would you recommend our product/service to a friend, family member, or colleague?

Responses to this question would reveal how well consumers identify with your brand image and/or product. 

10. How can we serve you better?

This is a feedback question for product improvement.

11. What challenges have you encountered with this process?

This question helps you to identify and solve the specific needs of your consumers in line with product improvement. 

Top Consumer Survey Templates  

Find out how well your product meets the needs of your consumers with this customer satisfaction survey. You can use any of the multiple sharing options to share this survey with your consumers.

• Product Evaluation Form

Allow customers to provide feedback on your product with this product evaluation form. You can include questions bothering on different features of the product.

• Brand Awareness Survey

Do you want to find out how popular your product and brand are in the market? Use this brand awareness form to know if consumers can identify your brand logo and respond to specific questions about your brand.

• Brand Personality Survey

This brand personality survey would provide insights into the perceptions of your consumers; that is, what they think about your brand or business.

• Market Survey

Use this market survey to gather insights from prospective consumers on their preferences. You can share it via any of the multiple sharing options in the form builder.

• Product Pricing Survey

Find out what consumers think about your product pricing with this product pricing survey. You can modify this template to suit your organization’s needs.

• User Experience Research Survey

Use this form to gather data on how satisfied consumers are with the overall user experience for your product.

• Hotel Feedback Form

Use this form to collect feedback from guests about your hotel facility and overall service delivery. You can use this information to improve your hotel services.

• Online Feedback Form

The Formplus online feedback form can be used to gather consumers’ opinions on your product and overall business processes.

•   Customer Complaint Form

Use this customer complaint form to collect information from consumers with regards to any challenges faced as they make use of your product or service. You can modify it in the form builder to suit your organization’s needs.

How to Create a Consumer Survey Questionnaire with Formplus 

Formplus makes it easy for you to create and administer different consumer surveys. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to go about it: 

• Sign in to your Formplus account to access the easy-to-use form builder. If you do not have a Formplus account, you can create one here.

• On your dashboard, click the “create new form” option.
• Add preferred fields into your form by dragging and dropping them from the sidebar. You can also modify each field to meet your specific needs.
• In the form customization section, you can modify the outlook of your form by changing its font, background, and add your organization’s logo.

• Copy your form link and share it with your consumers to find out what they think about your product and organization.

Consumer surveys are easily one of the most important tools for organizations as they seek to retain their customers and expand their market share. To get the best data from your consumer survey, be sure to avoid leading questions and other types of questions with inherent biases. 

With a tool like Formplus, it is easy for you to create and administer your consumer survey. Formplus makes data collection seamless and it also has a form analytics feature that presents insights into your data gathering process without any hassles . 

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The Ultimate Guide to Consumer Behavior Surveys

• September 23, 2022

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Every customer has a unique set of buying patterns, thus businesses must understand consumer’s behavior towards your product offering, before launching them on the market.  The customer behavior questionnaire lets you gauge the success or failure of your product and business by uncovering the reason or motivation behind their behavior.

So let’s learn about what consumer behavior is and what are the benefits of conducting customer behavior surveys!

What is a consumer behavior survey?

In a consumer behavior survey, a company asks questions to customers concerning current preferences and potential future purchases of a product. The survey also asks about the earning potential and general opinions on the product to get the customer’s perspective.

It gives you clear guidance on how to improve your products and services, which products would be well accepted in the market, and also reach out to potential customers by comprehending the areas for improvement.

So as we have learnt what consumer survey behavior is, now let us learn about different types of consumer behavior.

What are the different types of consumer behavior?

There are four different forms of consumer behavior: 

• Complex buying behavior
• Dissonance reduction
• Variety seeking
• Habitual buying behavior

The kind of product a consumer needs, their level of engagement, and the variations between companies all influence the many types of consumer behavior. Let’s look at each of these types in detail.

1. Complex buying behavior

Consumers often exhibit complex buying behavior while purchasing expensive goods. 

When purchasing a costly product or a product they are unfamiliar with, consumers respond quite differently. They seek advice from friends, family, and professionals before purchasing an unknown or expensive product. 

For instance, when a consumer purchases a car for the first time, it is a significant decision because it carries a high level of financial risk. A lot of consideration is given to how it seems, how his friends and family will respond, how his social status would alter after purchasing the car, and other factors.

A learning process will be included for the buyer in complex buying behavior. They will first form opinions about the product, then attitudes, and finally a deliberate decision to buy.

A consumer behavior survey with help you gain a deepr understand of customers with complex buying habits. It will help you assist the customer in influencing their decision by crafting personlaized messages.

Customers' shopping attitude is the key driver behind the actions that they take while purchasing a product/ service, be it online or offline.

Download our FREE guide to learn how uncovering customer’s buying attitude can help boost ROI.

2. Dissonance reduction

Dissonance, or dissatisfaction, can occur when the consumer is worried that they would regret the decision if it turns out that the same product is offered by a different brand in higher quality and affordable price.

Such conduct is largely focused on eliminating post-purchase dissonance, because of the dissatisfaction caused by previous purchases.

Because of this, the consumer is very invested in making the purchase but finds it challenging to distinguish between the products supplied by various companies. There is also a limited selection, which also influences decision-making. Before making the final purchase, they gather information from many sources, compare, and assess the choices.

Factors such as price, specifications, availability, and convenience also affects your customer’s behavior.

3. Variety seeking behavior

Customers who are looking for variety often don’t have a particular brand in mind when they enter a store. As a result, people eventually test out various things to learn something new. Typically, they make their opinions on these things after buying them. 

These buyers cannot be regarded as devoted customers either because they will not stick with a single product. Consumer behavior survey can help you identify these customers so you can decide if you want to prioritize them and how you want to cater to them. 

4. Habitual buying behavior

The first thing to remember is that habitual buying is more about meeting a need than spending too much time choosing a brand. Customers will therefore buy something right away without doing any investigation. This is so because their choice to buy an item is based more on their interactions with the product than with the corporation.

For instance , if they are accustomed to purchasing a particular bottle of ketchup, they will continue to do so because they like the taste.

Next we would get to know about the factors that affect customer behavior.

What factors affect consumer behavior?

Understanding consumer motivations can help you influence consumers in specific ways. Use consumer behavior surveys to identify the factors affecting their behavior. 

For example, if your target market is heavily influenced by economic factors and believes that the price of your product is excessive, your company must educate consumers on the value of your product. Instead of lowering your price, you can create campaigns that show how much money your customers save by purchasing your product.

We have listed 5 factors affecting customer behavior.

1. Economic factors: Elements such as a product’s price, the consumer’s income, and the comparison to competing products can all influence how consumers behave. 

For example, if your product costs $500 and is compared to competitive products that cost $600, consumers may perceive your product to be more favorable than if it is compared to products that cost $300.

2. Social factors: Personal values, culture, societal values, social class, educational class, and lifestyle may all influence how your products are perceived by your customers. 

3. Anthropological factors: A person’s history, geographic location, and climate can all influence how they interact with brands. 

Companies that are known to drive farmers out of business, for example, may not be viewed favorably in a country with a long history of farming.

4. Psychological factors: A consumer’s understanding of your company, brand, and marketing campaign will influence how they behave toward your company. 

For example, your campaign slogan may appear offensive to some while completely harmless to others.

5. Personal need factors: If a consumer does not believe they require or want your product, they will not purchase it, even if they have the money and societal support to do so.

 Businesses cannot influence a consumer’s decision to buy or not buy something. They can, however, work to demonstrate why they require such a product in their lives.

Gather data from customers to understand which of these factors motivate their buying decision. By identifying the factor you can design the best action plan to identify your potential market and cater to them.

Walmart exapnads Online Grocery PickUp service and increased product variety to 7000 using customer feedback.

What are the benefits of conducting a consumer behavior survey?

Here’s how conducting a consumer behavior survey can help you with your overall marketing strategy.

1. Aids in the refinement of marketing strategy analytics

When it comes to marketing decisions, analytics can help you determine if your strategies are helping to propel your company forward. If you are a SaaS company investigating the performance of your display ads, website content, and search ads can reveal a great deal about what your customers are interested in.

In addition, your website’s analytics show how consumer behavior affects search engine optimization. Consumer behavior research is essential for determining whether your customers are positively responding to what you want to market.

2. Increases Your Understanding of Globalization

If you decide to sell your products or services in non-domestic markets, you must first understand consumer behavior. Furthermore, conducting marketing research on people from different cultural backgrounds is critical for your business. 

This demonstrates whether your product or service best serves the cultural norms and values of a specific country. Including consumer behavior sureys in your marketing strategy will set you apart from the competition.

3. Maintain Customer Satisfaction

Customer behavior surveys help you understand the expectations your customers have and help you ensure a consistent experience. 

The fact that the deal has been signed and the purchase has been completed does not mean that your work here is finished. Your customer still needs and expects guidance when making a purchase, especially when shopping online. 

• When will they receive their product? 
• Is your customer service department ready to handle any complaints or returns? 
• Is there a manual available that describes how to assemble and/or use the product? 

These are some of the considerations you should make to ensure customer satisfaction. Customers’ needs and expectations are just as important after the purchase as they are before it.

In the previous part  we learnt about the benefits of conducting customer behavior surveys but do you know what kind of questions should be there in customer behavior surveys? So in the next section we would talk about questions that you can use in customer behavior surveys.

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What are customer behavior survey questions?

Every question in a consumer behavior survey can be related to any of the factors mentioned above. So, here are the example questions that you can ask in a survey of consumer behavior:

The questions are divided based on 5 stages of the consumer’s journey: awareness, consideration, purchase, usage, and feedback.

1. Awareness

• What is the first brand that comes to mind when you think of [Product]?
• Can you explain why?
• Are you familiar with [product name]?

2. Consideration

• What issues are you attempting to address with [product name]?
• What are your thoughts on our brand as a solution?
• What would entice you to purchase our brand?

3. Purchase

• How frequently do you purchase [product name]?
• Where do you go when you need [product name]?
• Could you please tell us how much you normally spend on it?
• What are the three main reasons you chose to use this?
• How often do you use this product?
• What do you intend to do with our product? You have several options. 

5. Feedback

• Write three words that describe the product.
• Have you encountered any issues with the product thus far?
• How did you attempt to resolve it? (Customer service, self-help, and so on)

Consumer behavior surveys are unquestionably one of the most important tools for businesses looking to retain customers and expand their market share. Avoid leading questions and other types of questions with inherent biases to get the best data from your consumer survey.

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Understanding Customer Behavior with Market Research

Customer behavior is one of the foremost areas of concentration in marketing, as consumers are the bedrock of a company’s success. 

Businesses must therefore understand their customer behaviors in order to suit their needs and drive revenue. In fact, 66% of customers expect businesses to understand their needs and expectations.

But there is far much more to customer behavior than customer desires and expectations. This concept encompasses several facets of customer actions, along with the driving force behind them.

This article explores customer behavior, its importance, aspects and how a well-established campaign of market research techniques allows businesses to be well-acquainted with the customer behavior within their target market. 

Defining Customer Behavior

Also called consumer behavior, customer behavior denotes the study of customers, particularly those in a target market, including the processes they use to choose, consume and discard products and services . 

This field of study involves recording and examining customers’ mental, behavioral and emotional responses . Observing c ustomer behavior goes beyond studying behaviors in a customer journey , that is, the actions customers take prior to making a purchase.

Rather, consumer behavior studies how customers choose products, why they avoid certain products, their buying behaviors, along with how they interact with a product or service. Thus, this concept transcends looking into what customers want and don’t want. 

When studying these behaviors, researchers often incorporate scientific approaches, using notions from psychology and economics and even chemistry and biology. 

Studying customer behavior can also involve studying organizations , especially for B2B businesses. However, B2C businesses can also stand to scrutinize companies as a kind of competitive analysis. 

Consumer behavior is the study of individuals and organizations and how they select and use products and services. It is mainly concerned with psychology, motivations, and behavior.

The Key Aspects that Customer Behavior Investigates

As aforementioned, customer behavior takes various elements of customers into account, going beyond its subsets of customer journeys and customer buying behavior , which themselves span different concepts.

The following enumerates several key aspects that customer behavior encompasses.

• Buying habits, including locations, devices and frequencies 
• Social trends and background factors that influence customers to make or avoid purchases
• Customer sentiment around product/service alternatives, such as related products/services, those from different brands
• Preferred methods of purchasing such as in-store versus online or both, at a large retailer or at a mom-and-pop shop, etc.
• Behaviors of customers as thy shop
• How customers search for companies
• How customers find businesses during their research 
• Customer reasoning behind different alternatives
• How customers are influenced by their environments such as their friends, media, culture and other target market members 
• How marketing campaigns influence or affect their behaviors

The Importance of Examining Customer Behavior

Studying this concept may appear to be laborious at worst and tedious at best, however, brands ought to avoid omitting it. This is because the aspects of customer behavior paint a critical picture of who customers are, allowing businesses to market and cater to them accordingly.   

Understanding the customer behavior of customers allows companies to adapt and improve their marketing campaigns, sales promotions, customer service and more. Most importantly, it allows brands to influence their customers more productively. 

Additionally, by understanding how customers choose, consume and discard products, businesses can identify issues in the products themselves and make innovations . In this way, studying customer behavior helps with product-related issues such as customer development and product satisfaction .  

Businesses can therefore study it to find gaps and flaws in existing products and improve upon them. Or, they can create products with alternative features and even new products to gain a competitive advantage.

Studying consumer behavior also allows marketers to present their products more effectively, so that they can drive a maximum impact. That way, customers will be more keen on interacting with a business, whether they’ve long known about it or recently discovered it.

When customers engage with a business more frequently , they become far more exposed to marketing and advertising messages that can influence them to make purchases . In this way, engaging with a company, whether it is viewing their content or browsing their offerings lodges that company in customers’ minds, which is key for brand awareness .

Generally speaking, it is also ideal for customers to have businesses on their minds subconsciously. In fact, a Harvard Business School professor declares that 95% of purchases are made subconsciously in his book, How Customers Think: Essential Insights into the Mind of the Market. This book also discovered that the biggest drivers of unconscious urges are emotions. 

All in all, examining consumer behavior enables businesses to become more attuned to their customers , thereby allowing them to better tailor their marketing efforts and retain customers for the long term . 

Customer Behavior Patterns

It is important to identify the patterns that makeup customer behavior. Patterns are not to be confused with buying habits , as the latter refers to inclinations for an action that can become spontaneous , whereas patterns exhibit predictable occurrences .

Customer behavior patterns are also contrary to buying habits in that patterns are indicative of groups, while habits are more unique and individual-based .

The following explains the four customer behavior patterns:

• Customers tend to buy products based on the products’ perishability, a unit of sale, price, number of users of the product and the buying power of the customer. 
• Businesses must study place of purchase patterns, in that it will reveal customers’ choice of place, helping marketers understand which areas their customers visit. 
• Customers can window shop online, then make up their minds at home and buy a product online. Or, they may buy a product in-store, via different payment options such as cash, debit or credit card.
• Businesses that gain this kind of insight into behavior patterns help them find ways to make customers buy again and more frequently.
• This pattern can also help businesses upsell products.
• Businesses can meet customer demands by studying their purchase timing and frequency in order to serve them better. 
• Studying these concepts will help businesses adapt to regional (and global) time differences, along with seasonal variations. 

The Things That Affect Customer Behavior

There are various influences and facets that can affect how customers behave. Businesses ought to acclimate themselves with these customer behavior factors , in that they all have a bearing on customer behavior and behavior patterns in one way or another.

When studying customer behavior based on these factors, businesses will be able to understand it more holistically. This helps in market segmentation and building customer personas , two market research tactics that allow businesses to gain a deeper understanding of their target market. 

The following lists the critical factors of customer behavior:

• Purchasing power : even the wealthiest of customers are constrained to some sort of budget or need to buy things within their means. Thus, much of what customers buy depends on their purchasing power.
• Marketing campaigns : Specifically designed to persuade customers as well as reel in new ones, marketing campaigns have the capability to influence buying behaviors, when done correctly. They can prompt customers to switch brands or opt for a more expensive product with the correct messaging — which requires understanding your customers. 
• Personality traits : Personality affects many kinds of behavior, including customer behavior. These spring from background and upbringing, which affect how people will behave in different settings. Some customers will be drawn to events (grand openings, sales, etc.) due to extroversion, while others may not be and some may fall in between.
• Personal preferences : The way customers choose purchases often relies on their personal preferences. Advertising and marketing campaigns can surely affect these but some preferences are unyielding. For example, a vegan will not buy animal-based products, while a meat lover is not going to shop for exclusively vegan items. Businesses should therefore be well-acquainted with the preferences of their target market. 
• The economy : Economic conditions play a role in customer behavior, especially in relation to more expensive products; positive economic environments are bent on making customers more willing to indulge. In times of inflation, consumers are less likely to spend on expensive items, as well as make frequent purchases. Negative economic conditions are fruitful for businesses to introduce promotions and bargains. 
• Group influence : Peer pressure and the opinions of others can also weigh heavily on buying and usage decisions. When customers’ friends and peers speak negatively or positively about an item or brand, it affects the way the customers perceive it. In some cases, group influence provides a setting of brand advocacy, while at other times, it can cause major reputational damage to a business. 
• Social trends : Related to group influence, social trends set the scene in terms of what is popular and acceptable. From social media, to movies, blogs and podcasts, various talking points and fads can form and leave strong impressions among customers. Some of these platforms provide a breeding ground for new trends, the kinds that marketers can access, depending on their budget and strategy. 

How Market Research Helps Businesses Understand Customer Behavior

Conducting market research enables businesses to understand all the key facets of customer behavior . There is much involved in market research, all of which can help marketers deliver more effective campaigns. 

First off, market research encompasses a wide breadth of studies, from secondary research to primary research and from quantitative research to qualitative research . There is a vast pool of available resources, i.e., secondary sources available. These can take the form of industry news sites, statistics sources, published studies and more.

While secondary research is an important starting point for conducting market research, it does not address all the specific needs that a business may have , let alone the specific questions that businesses intend to probe their customers with.  

As such, all businesses should turn to primary sources to understand their consumer behaviors. There are different routes for market researchers to take on this front; effective survey studies are the most useful. This is because surveys allow researchers to understand where their target market lies in all the factors and patterns of customer behavior . 

For example, market researchers can conduct surveys to learn more about their customers’ purchasing power and how it relates to what they buy and how much. In addition, they can qualify only certain people from taking a survey, so that they can study respondents who fall within a particular income bracket.

Another example involves surveying customers based on their awareness levels of cultural trends and their opinions thereof. 

In relation to studying customer buying patterns , surveys provide value, in that customers can ask detailed questions about all patterns , whether they are concerned with purchasing methods, the place of purchase, frequency, etc. 

A strong online survey platform will allow businesses to gain a deep understanding of these aspects, through the use of advanced skip logic , which routes survey respondents to appropriate follow-up questions based on their answers to previous questions.

Finally, surveys allow market researchers to make decisions in an organized way, as they help form a customer behavior analysis report . This report reveals:

• How customers behave while researching, browsing products and purchasing
• How customers use products
• How long customers use their products
• What customers think and feel about different brands and product options
• How their environments affect their behavior

Improving Business Goals and Scaling by Understanding Your Target Market

Customer behavior to a business is like blood to mammals. While this may sound dramatic, it analogizes the importance of understanding your target market’s behavior. When businesses fail to study their customers’ behaviors, they are remiss on so many meaningful opportunities.

Thus, marketing campaigns of all sizes and calibers are at a much larger risk of failing. Market research, particularly survey research helps combat ignorance of customer behavior. This is because surveys give researchers the freedom to study any factor and pattern that relates to this behavior , arming them with critical insights on how customers shop throughout their journeys. 

The most crucial component of survey research is using the correct online survey platform. Not all surveys offer advanced skip logic and can qualify respondents based on various demographics and psychographics. Thus, businesses and market researchers must invest in an online survey tool wisel y, as it can make or break any market research campaign . 

Do you want to distribute your survey? Pollfish offers you access to millions of targeted consumers to get survey responses from $0.95 per complete. Launch your survey today.

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Consumer Behavior Research

Exploring the Depths of Consumer Insights for Strategic Business Growth

In an era where understanding consumer behavior is more than a competitive edge, it’s a survival imperative, NielsenIQ (NIQ) and GfK emerge as pivotal allies. This expertise is essential for businesses in B2C commerce, retail, and beyond, aiming to navigate the complex consumer landscape for informed, strategic decision-making.

Definition and Importance of Consumer Behavior Research

Consumer behavior research is the study of how individuals make decisions to spend their resources on consumption-related items. It involves understanding the what, why, when, and how of consumer purchases. This field is crucial for businesses as it sheds light on consumer preferences, buying patterns, and decision-making processes. By understanding these aspects, companies can tailor their products and marketing strategies effectively, ensuring alignment with consumer needs and market trends, ultimately leading to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Overview of the Impact of Consumer Behavior Research on Marketing Strategies

The insights from consumer behavior research are instrumental in shaping targeted marketing strategies. By understanding consumer motivations and behaviors, businesses can create more relevant and engaging marketing messages, leading to improved customer engagement and retention. This research helps in segmenting the market, identifying potential customers, and understanding the factors that drive consumer decisions. It also aids in predicting future trends, enabling companies to stay ahead of the curve. Effective use of consumer behavior research can lead to the development of products and services that meet the evolving needs of consumers, thereby enhancing brand loyalty and market share.

Consumer and shopper insights

Understand consumer and shopper behavior, demographics, and loyalty with modern, representative consumer panels and customer survey capabilities.

Understanding Consumer Behavior

These diverse influences combine to form unique consumer profiles, which businesses must understand to effectively target their marketing efforts..

Factors Influencing Consumer Behavior

Consumer behavior is influenced by a complex interplay of psychological, social, cultural, and personal factors. Psychological factors include perceptions, attitudes, and motivation, which guide consumers’ emotional and cognitive responses. Social factors encompass family, friends, and societal norms that shape buying habits through peer influence and social trends. Cultural factors involve the broader societal beliefs, values, and customs that dictate consumer behavior in a particular region. Personal factors such as age, occupation, lifestyle, and economic status also significantly impact consumer choices. These diverse influences combine to form unique consumer profiles, which businesses must understand to effectively target their marketing efforts.

The Role of Consumer Behavior in Decision Making

Consumer behavior plays a critical role in the decision-making process. It involves understanding how consumers decide upon their needs and wants, choose among products and brands, and determine their purchase methods. This knowledge is vital for businesses to design and position their offerings in a way that resonates with the target audience. Understanding consumer behavior helps in predicting how consumers will respond to marketing messages and product features, enabling businesses to tailor their strategies to meet consumer needs effectively. It also assists in identifying opportunities for new product development and market expansion.

Consumer Behavior Theories and Models

Consumer behavior theories and models provide frameworks for understanding and predicting consumer actions. The Stimulus-Response Model, for instance, illustrates how marketing stimuli and environmental factors influence consumer responses. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs explains consumer motivation in terms of fulfilling basic to complex needs. The Theory of Reasoned Action and the Theory of Planned Behavior focus on the relationship between attitudes, intentions, and behaviors. The Consumer Decision Model outlines the cognitive process involving need recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase decision, and post-purchase behavior. These models help businesses in developing strategies that align with consumer psychology and behavioral patterns. They also assist in segmenting the market and targeting consumers with personalized marketing approaches, enhancing the effectiveness of marketing campaigns and product offerings.

Research Methods in Consumer Behavior Research

Customer analytics is vital for businesses across various sectors, including FMCG, sales, and e-commerce. It enables companies to create personalized experiences, improve customer engagement, and boost retention, ultimately leading to increased revenue. By understanding consumer behavior through data analysis, businesses can make informed decisions that resonate with their target audience.

Quantitative Research Methods

Quantitative research methods in consumer behavior research involve structured techniques like surveys and questionnaires to collect numerical data. These methods are useful for gauging consumer attitudes, preferences, and behaviors across larger populations. Statistical analysis of this data helps in identifying trends, testing hypotheses, and making generalizations about consumer behavior. Quantitative research is valuable for businesses as it provides measurable and comparable insights that can guide strategic decision-making. It helps in understanding the magnitude of consumer responses to various marketing stimuli and in assessing the potential market size for new products or services.

Qualitative Research Methods

Qualitative research methods in consumer behavior focus on understanding the deeper motivations, thoughts, and feelings of consumers. Techniques like in-depth interviews, focus groups, and observational studies provide rich, detailed insights that are not typically captured through quantitative methods. This approach is crucial for exploring the underlying reasons behind consumer choices, preferences, and attitudes. Qualitative research helps businesses in gaining a deeper understanding of consumer experiences, emotions, and perceptions, which can be invaluable in developing more effective marketing strategies, product designs, and customer service approaches. It allows companies to explore new ideas and concepts with consumers, gaining insights that can lead to innovation and differentiation in the market.

Experimental Research in Consumer Behavior

Experimental research in consumer behavior involves manipulating one or more variables to observe the effect on another variable, typically consumer behavior or attitudes. This method is used to establish cause-and-effect relationships, providing insights into how changes in product features, pricing, or marketing strategies might influence consumer behavior. Controlled experiments, often conducted in laboratory settings or as field experiments, allow researchers to isolate the effects of specific variables. This type of research is particularly valuable for testing new products, pricing strategies, and marketing messages before full-scale implementation. It helps businesses in making informed decisions based on empirical evidence, reducing the risks associated with new initiatives.

Factors Affecting Consumer Behavior

Psychological factors.

Psychological factors play a significant role in shaping consumer behavior. These include individual motivations, perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs. Motivation drives consumers to fulfill their needs and desires, influencing their buying decisions. Perception, how consumers interpret information, can significantly impact their choices, as it shapes their understanding of products and brands. Attitudes and beliefs, formed through experiences and social influences, guide consumer preferences and loyalty. Understanding these psychological factors is crucial for businesses as they influence how consumers view and interact with products and services. By aligning marketing strategies with consumer psychology, businesses can more effectively influence purchasing decisions and build stronger customer relationships.

Social Factors

Social factors significantly influence consumer behavior, encompassing the impact of society, family, and peer groups. Family members and friends can influence buying decisions through recommendations or shared experiences. Social groups, including social networks and communities, also play a role in shaping consumer preferences and behaviors. The influence of social media has become particularly significant, as it not only connects consumers but also serves as a platform for sharing opinions and experiences about products and services. Understanding these social dynamics is important for businesses as they can leverage social influences through targeted marketing strategies, influencer partnerships, and social media campaigns. Recognizing the power of social factors can help businesses in building brand awareness and loyalty among consumer groups.

Cultural Factors

Cultural factors are deeply ingrained elements that influence consumer behavior, including values, beliefs, customs, and traditions. These factors vary across different regions and societies, affecting how consumers perceive and interact with products and services. Cultural influences can determine consumer preferences, buying habits, and brand perceptions. For instance, color symbolism, dietary preferences, and language can all vary significantly between cultures, impacting marketing strategies and product development. Businesses must understand and respect these cultural nuances to effectively cater to diverse consumer markets. Adapting products and marketing messages to align with cultural values and norms can significantly enhance a brand’s appeal and acceptance in different markets.

Personal Factors

Personal factors, including age, gender, occupation, lifestyle, and economic status, also significantly influence consumer behavior. These factors determine individual needs, preferences, and purchasing power. For example, younger consumers may prioritize trendy and innovative products, while older consumers might value functionality and durability. Lifestyle choices, such as health consciousness or environmental awareness, can also drive consumer preferences and choices. Economic factors, such as income and economic conditions, influence consumers’ ability to purchase and their sensitivity to price changes. Understanding these personal factors is crucial for businesses to segment their market effectively and tailor their products and marketing strategies to meet the specific needs of different consumer groups.

Consumer Purchase Decision Making

Stages of the consumer purchase decision-making process.

The consumer purchase decision-making process typically involves several key stages: problem recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase decision, and post-purchase behavior.

In the problem recognition stage, consumers identify a need or desire.

During the information search, they seek out information about products or services that can fulfill their need. In the evaluation stage, consumers compare different options based on attributes such as price, quality, and brand reputation.

The purchase decision involves choosing a product and making the purchase. Finally, in the post-purchase stage, consumers evaluate their satisfaction with the purchase, which can influence future buying decisions and brand loyalty.

Understanding these stages is essential for businesses to effectively influence consumers at each step, from raising awareness to ensuring post-purchase satisfaction.

Influences on Consumer Purchase Decisions

Consumer purchase decisions are influenced by a multitude of factors, including product attributes, brand reputation, marketing messages, social influences, and personal preferences. Product features such as quality, price, and usability are key determinants of consumer choices. Brand reputation, built over time through consistent quality and marketing efforts, also significantly impacts purchase decisions. Marketing messages and advertising play a crucial role in shaping consumer perceptions and driving demand. Social influences, including recommendations from family and friends, as well as online reviews and influencer endorsements, can sway consumer decisions. Personal factors such as individual needs, preferences, and financial constraints also play a critical role. Businesses must consider these diverse influences when developing products and crafting marketing strategies to effectively appeal to their target audience.

Impulse Buying Behavior

Impulse buying behavior refers to unplanned purchases made by consumers, often driven by emotional factors rather than rational decision-making. This type of behavior is typically triggered by external stimuli such as attractive product displays, promotional offers, or persuasive sales tactics. Emotional responses, such as excitement or the desire for instant gratification, also play a significant role in impulse buying. Retailers often leverage this behavior by strategically placing impulse items near checkout areas or using limited-time offers to create a sense of urgency. Understanding the triggers of impulse buying can help businesses in designing marketing strategies and store layouts that encourage such purchases, potentially increasing sales and customer engagement.

Online Shopping and Consumer Behavior

Impact of online shopping on consumer behavior.

The rise of online shopping has significantly impacted consumer behavior, offering convenience, a wider selection of products, and often competitive pricing. Online shopping has changed the way consumers research products, compare prices, and make purchasing decisions. The ease of access to a vast array of products and the ability to shop at any time have increased the frequency and diversity of purchases. Online reviews and ratings have also become important factors in the decision-making process, as consumers increasingly rely on the opinions of others. Additionally, the personalized shopping experiences offered by many online retailers, through targeted recommendations and tailored marketing messages, have further influenced consumer buying habits. Understanding these shifts in consumer behavior is crucial for businesses to adapt their strategies for the digital marketplace, ensuring they meet the evolving needs and expectations of online shoppers.

Factors Influencing Online Buying Behavior

Several factors influence online buying behavior, including website usability, product variety, pricing, customer reviews, and the overall shopping experience. A user-friendly website with easy navigation and a seamless checkout process is crucial for attracting and retaining online shoppers. A diverse product range and competitive pricing are also key factors in attracting consumers. Customer reviews and ratings significantly impact purchase decisions, as they provide social proof and reduce perceived risk. The overall shopping experience, including customer service, delivery options, and return policies, also plays a vital role in influencing online buying behavior. Security and privacy concerns are additional considerations, as consumers are increasingly aware of data protection and online fraud. Businesses must address these factors to create a compelling online shopping experience that meets consumer expectations and drives online sales.

Comparison of Online and Offline Consumer Behavior

Online and offline consumer behaviors exhibit distinct differences, influenced by the unique aspects of each shopping environment. Online shopping offers convenience, a broader selection, and often more competitive pricing, leading to different purchasing patterns compared to offline shopping. Consumers tend to spend more time researching and comparing products online, while offline shopping is often driven by immediate needs and sensory experiences. The tactile experience and instant gratification of offline shopping are not replicable online, but the online environment offers personalized recommendations and a wealth of product information. Offline shopping also provides opportunities for personal interaction and immediate problem resolution, which can enhance customer satisfaction. Understanding these differences is crucial for businesses to tailor their strategies for each channel, ensuring a cohesive and complementary shopping experience that meets the needs and preferences of consumers in both online and offline environments.

Consumer Satisfaction and Loyalty

Importance of customer satisfaction in consumer behavior research.

Customer satisfaction is a critical component of consumer behavior research, as it directly impacts repeat purchases and brand loyalty. Satisfied customers are more likely to become repeat buyers, recommend the brand to others, and provide positive reviews. Customer satisfaction is influenced by various factors, including product quality, customer service, and overall shopping experience. Understanding and measuring customer satisfaction helps businesses identify areas for improvement, enhance customer experiences, and build long-term relationships with consumers. High levels of customer satisfaction lead to increased customer loyalty, which is essential for business growth and sustainability.

Factors Influencing Customer Satisfaction

Customer satisfaction is influenced by a range of factors, including product quality, price, service quality, brand image, and customer expectations. Product quality is a primary determinant of satisfaction, as consumers expect products to perform as advertised. Price also plays a role, as consumers evaluate the value they receive relative to the cost. Service quality, encompassing customer service interactions and the overall shopping experience, significantly impacts satisfaction levels. A positive, helpful, and efficient service experience can enhance satisfaction, while negative experiences can lead to dissatisfaction. Brand image, shaped by marketing communications and past experiences, influences consumer expectations and perceptions. Meeting or exceeding these expectations is key to achieving high levels of customer satisfaction. Additionally, personal factors such as individual needs, preferences, and past experiences also influence satisfaction. Businesses must consider these diverse factors to effectively meet consumer needs and enhance satisfaction levels.

Relationship Between Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty

The relationship between customer satisfaction and loyalty is strong and direct. Satisfied customers are more likely to develop a sense of loyalty to a brand, leading to repeat purchases and positive word-of-mouth recommendations. Loyalty is not just about repeat buying; it also involves an emotional connection and a preference for the brand over competitors. Satisfied customers are also more likely to be forgiving of minor issues and are less sensitive to price changes. Conversely, dissatisfied customers are more likely to switch to competitors and share negative experiences with others. Building customer loyalty requires consistently meeting or exceeding customer expectations, providing high-quality products and services, and maintaining positive customer relationships. Loyal customers are valuable assets to businesses, as they tend to have a higher lifetime value, lower acquisition costs, and can become brand advocates, promoting the brand through their networks.

Consumer Research and Marketing Strategies

Utilizing consumer research to develop effective marketing programs.

Consumer research is a vital tool for developing effective marketing programs. By understanding consumer needs, preferences, and behaviors, businesses can create targeted marketing strategies that resonate with their audience. Consumer research helps in identifying market segments, understanding consumer pain points, and uncovering opportunities for product development or enhancement. It also provides insights into the most effective channels and messages for reaching the target audience. Utilizing consumer research in marketing program development ensures that strategies are data-driven and customer-centric, increasing the likelihood of success. It enables businesses to tailor their marketing efforts to the specific needs and preferences of different consumer segments, improving engagement and response rates. Additionally, ongoing consumer research allows businesses to adapt their marketing strategies in response to changing consumer trends and market conditions, ensuring continued relevance and effectiveness.

Targeting Specific Consumer Segments Based on Research Findings

Targeting specific consumer segments based on research findings is a key strategy for effective marketing. Consumer research provides detailed insights into different consumer groups, including their demographics, psychographics, behaviors, and preferences. By analyzing this data, businesses can identify distinct segments within their target market, each with unique needs and characteristics. Targeting these segments with tailored marketing messages and product offerings increases the relevance and appeal of the brand to each group. For example, a segment characterized by health-conscious consumers would respond more positively to marketing messages emphasizing the health benefits of a product. Segment-specific targeting allows businesses to allocate marketing resources more efficiently, focusing on the most promising segments with the highest potential for conversion and loyalty. It also enhances the customer experience by providing consumers with products and marketing messages that are more closely aligned with their individual needs and preferences.

Adapting Marketing Strategies to Consumer Behavior Trends

Adapting marketing strategies to consumer behavior trends is essential for businesses to stay relevant and competitive. Consumer behavior is constantly evolving, influenced by factors such as technological advancements, cultural shifts, and economic changes. By staying attuned to these trends, businesses can anticipate changes in consumer needs and preferences, and adjust their marketing strategies accordingly. This may involve adopting new marketing channels, such as social media or influencer marketing, to reach consumers where they are most active. It could also mean developing new products or services that align with emerging consumer trends, such as sustainability or personalization. Adapting marketing strategies to consumer behavior trends requires a proactive approach, with ongoing research and analysis to identify emerging patterns. Businesses that successfully adapt to these trends can capture new market opportunities, enhance customer engagement, and maintain a competitive edge.

Case Studies in Consumer Behavior Research

Analysis of real-life examples and their implications.

Real-life case studies in consumer behavior research provide valuable insights into the practical application of theoretical concepts and the effectiveness of different marketing strategies. For example, a case study in the automotive industry might analyze how consumer preferences for eco-friendly vehicles have influenced car manufacturers’ product development and marketing strategies. In the retail sector, a case study could examine the impact of online shopping on brick-and-mortar stores and how these businesses have adapted to the digital era. These case studies offer concrete examples of how businesses have successfully navigated changes in consumer behavior, providing lessons and strategies that can be applied in other contexts. They also highlight the importance of consumer research in identifying market trends, understanding consumer needs, and developing effective marketing strategies. By analyzing real-life examples, businesses can gain a deeper understanding of consumer behavior, learn from the successes and challenges of others, and apply these insights to their own strategies.

Examination of Successful Marketing Campaigns Based on Consumer Behavior Research

Examining successful marketing campaigns that are based on consumer behavior research can provide valuable insights into effective marketing practices. These case studies demonstrate how a deep understanding of consumer needs, preferences, and behaviors can be leveraged to create impactful marketing campaigns. For instance, a campaign that effectively uses consumer data to personalize messages and offers can result in higher engagement and conversion rates. Another example might be a campaign that taps into current consumer trends, such as sustainability or wellness, to resonate with the target audience. Analyzing these successful campaigns can reveal key strategies and tactics that businesses can adopt, such as the use of specific channels, messaging techniques, or promotional offers. These case studies also highlight the importance of data-driven decision-making in marketing, showing how consumer research can inform and guide successful marketing initiatives.

Motivating Consumers and New Product Adoption

Strategies to motivate consumers to adopt new products.

Motivating consumers to adopt new products is a critical challenge for businesses. Effective strategies for encouraging new product adoption include leveraging social proof, offering free trials or samples, and creating educational content. Social proof, such as customer testimonials or influencer endorsements, can reduce perceived risk and increase consumer confidence in trying a new product. Free trials or samples allow consumers to experience the product firsthand, reducing barriers to adoption. Educational content, such as how-to guides or product demonstrations, can help consumers understand the value and benefits of the new product. Additionally, businesses can use targeted marketing campaigns to reach early adopters and innovators who are more likely to try new products and spread the word to others. Creating a sense of urgency or exclusivity around the new product, through limited-time offers or exclusive access, can also motivate consumers to adopt the product more quickly.

Innovations in Consumer Behavior Research for New Product Development

Innovations in consumer behavior research are playing a crucial role in new product development. Advanced analytics and data mining techniques allow businesses to analyze large datasets and uncover deep insights into consumer needs and preferences. Social listening tools enable companies to monitor social media and online conversations, gaining real-time insights into consumer opinions and trends. Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies are being used to test consumer reactions to new products in simulated environments, providing valuable feedback before market launch. Behavioral economics principles, such as understanding cognitive biases and decision-making processes, are also being applied to better predict consumer responses to new products. These innovations in consumer behavior research provide businesses with more accurate and comprehensive data, enabling them to develop products that are closely aligned with consumer needs and preferences, increasing the likelihood of market success.

Social Media and Consumer Behavior

Influence of social media on consumer behavior.

Social media has a profound influence on consumer behavior, shaping how consumers discover, research, and share information about products and services. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter serve as important channels for brand communication and engagement. Consumers use social media to seek recommendations, read reviews, and gather opinions from their networks, which significantly influences their purchasing decisions. Brands leverage social media for targeted advertising, influencer partnerships, and content marketing, creating opportunities for direct interaction and engagement with consumers. Social media also facilitates the spread of trends and viral content, quickly influencing consumer preferences and behaviors. The interactive and dynamic nature of social media means that consumer opinions and trends can rapidly change, requiring businesses to be agile and responsive in their social media strategies. Understanding the influence of social media on consumer behavior is essential for businesses to effectively engage with their audience and influence purchasing decisions.

Role of Social Media in Shaping Consumer Perceptions and Purchase Decisions

Recap of the importance of consumer behavior research.

Consumer behavior research is essential for businesses seeking to understand and effectively respond to the evolving needs and preferences of their target audience. It provides valuable insights into why consumers make certain choices, what influences their purchasing decisions, and how they interact with brands. This research is crucial for developing effective marketing strategies, creating products that meet consumer needs, and enhancing the overall customer experience. By staying informed about consumer behavior trends and applying these insights, businesses can improve customer engagement, increase brand loyalty, and drive growth. In today’s competitive marketplace, a deep understanding of consumer behavior is a key differentiator, enabling businesses to create more personalized, relevant, and impactful marketing initiatives.

Future Directions and Emerging Trends in Consumer Behavior Research

The future of consumer behavior research is marked by rapid advancements in technology and data analytics, leading to more sophisticated and nuanced understanding of consumer preferences and behaviors. Emerging trends include the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to analyze consumer data, providing deeper and more predictive insights. The integration of biometric data, such as eye tracking and facial recognition, offers new ways to understand consumer responses to marketing stimuli. The growing importance of sustainability and ethical considerations is also influencing consumer behavior, leading to increased demand for eco-friendly and socially responsible products. Additionally, the rise of the experience economy is shifting focus from product features to customer experiences, requiring businesses to create more immersive and engaging customer interactions. Staying abreast of these trends and continuously innovating in consumer behavior research will be crucial for businesses to remain relevant and competitive in the changing market landscape.

How NIQ and GfK Can Help

In the complex world of consumer behavior, NIQ and GfK offer the expertise and tools necessary to navigate this landscape effectively. With comprehensive solutions like:

• NielsenIQ’s Homescan : Track, diagnose, and analyze consumer behavior from more than 250,000 households across 25 countries.
• Consumer analytics : Go deeper and create more clarity around shopper behavior with custom surveys and segmentation.
• Consumption moments : Reveal the true motivations behind customer consumption behavior and usage to guide product innovation and marketing strategy.
• gfknewron marke t : Create the right opportunities with gfknewron market
• gfknewron predict : Plan your future using the world’s most comprehensive sales tracking data for Tech & Durables.
• gfknewron Consumer : Understand your consumers’ behavior to redefine your success

By leveraging these tools, businesses can gain a competitive edge, adapting to market changes and consumer trends with agility and precision.

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Market research questionnaire: examples and complete guide

How to make a market research questionnaire? What questions to ask?  When you do market research, the questionnaire is a must. So much so that  questionnaires and market research are often used interchangeably . However, it is only one step in a  complete process  that allows you to get closer to the truth of the market. In this article, we address all these issues and propose  complete examples in B2B and B2C to download .

For more real-life examples, we refer you to the website  etude-de-marche.online , where we list and comment on the questionnaires we find online. You can also find our guide to  writing your questionnaire here .

All about the market research questionnaire in 30 seconds

• The questionnaire is a market research technique . It aims to obtain a quantitative assessment that complements the qualitative view offered by techniques such as individual interviews or focus groups.
• Questionnaire and market research are too often considered interchangeable terms. It is essential to understand that we must combine several techniques to approach the reality of a market. The administration time for a questionnaire should not exceed 10 minutes . This corresponds to about 25 questions.
• The questionnaire is divided into 3 distinct parts : 1) the introduction, 2) the questions specific to the market research, and 3) the collection of information on the respondent’s profile
• 5 questions are recurrent in any market research questionnaire: screening questions, buying habits, needs, buying intentions, and pricing.
• A B2C market research questionnaire will differ from its B2B counterpart. The latter will focus more on competitive aspects, the decision cycle, and the price currently paid by the company.

What is the place of the questionnaire in global market research?

Duration and number of questions not to exceed, the 3 parts of a market research questionnaire, how to adapt your questionnaire for b2b market research.

• Example of B2C market research questionnaire
• Example of B2B market research questionnaire

Download other examples of market research questionnaires

Understanding a market involves approaching it from several angles. Classically,  market research is done in 3 phases :

• desk research (or documentary research)
• qualitative research
• quantitative research (via questionnaire)

To know more about the market research process, visit our free online guide . You can browse the right infographic, representing the global method we have conceptualized. The questionnaire section is #6.

Most questionnaires are now administered in the form of online surveys. As far as our market research firm is concerned, we have to admit that it has been a long time since a customer asked us to conduct a face-to-face administration (on the street, for example) or by post.

We advise our customers  never to exceed 10 minutes and 25-30 questions . This avoids problems such as:

• Attrition : Respondents give up along the way when the questionnaire is too long.
• Fatigue : questionnaires that are too long will tire respondents, who tend to be more distracted and answer poorly. The quality of the answers will be inferior, and your results will be less reliable at the end of the questionnaire.

Two examples to download are waiting for you at the end of this article.

Questionnaire and market research are too often considered interchangeable terms.

In this paragraph, we propose to go through the ideal structure of a market research questionnaire:

• Introductory text
• Recurring themes
• Respondent profile

Part 1: The introductory text

Your questionnaire can start with a short introduction presenting the purpose of the market research. It should not be too long but clear enough for the respondent to understand:

• what do you want to ask them about
• what they will gain from it
• how much time will it take
• what will be done with their data (on this subject, consider reading this article on the  problems posed by the cloud act in market research questionnaires )

Part 2: questions specific to the market research

In B2C and B2B, some themes are almost always present in all market research questionnaires. There are 5 of them:

• screening of the respondent
• buying habits
• purchase intention

As you can see, these questions follow a certain logic. You will first check that the respondent has the right profile to answer (screening), then ask them about their buying habits (the current situation) before moving on.

We propose the following table to give you an overview.

Part 3: Questions about the respondent’s profile

You will finish your questionnaire by asking questions about the respondent’s profile. Age, sector of activity, gender, etc., are all variables that will allow you to cross-reference the results and better segment your target population. Here is a non-exhaustive list of the control variables we use most often in our research.

B2B (for products or services sold to companies):

• company size
• sector of activity
• hierarchical position of the respondent
• geographical location (postal code, region, country)

B2C (for products or services sold to individuals)

• family status
• level of research
• household income

In a B2B context, a market research questionnaire must undergo certain adaptations.

These concern, of course, the questions on the respondent’s profile . Demographic aspects are little important in B2B. However, the hierarchical position, the company’s size, and its sector of activity must be recorded.

Above all, the questions asked will be different. You will probably have to ask more questions to determine the company’s current practices and gather information on the competition. In this respect, B2B market research will also be interested in the price currently paid by the company if it already has a competing solution. In a B2C context, this price aspect may be less important, especially if it is a regular purchase. Do you remember the price of everything you buy in the supermarket as a consumer?

In the B2B context, you will also have to put more emphasis on decision-making . In B2C, the consumer decides alone most of the time. In B2B, this is never the case because there are procedures to follow within any company.

Example of a B2C market research questionnaire

The questionnaire below concerns research on car purchases by individuals. It is, therefore, B2C market research. It includes 26 questions. You can find the internal instructions (in blue) that we put to check that the programming of our questionnaire is correct.

Example of a B2B market research questionnaire

The questionnaire you will find below concerns research on hygiene in companies. It is therefore intended for a professional audience. You will note that we have provided an explanatory text (in blue) for some questions. This is a good practice when the question is complicated or needs to be contextualized.

Many examples of market research questionnaires are available on our dedicated website,  www.etude-de-marche.online . You can find the complete questionnaire, all the questions, and our explanations and reviews in the video.

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Research Methods for Measuring Consumer Behaviour

Measuring consumer behaviour is essential for businesses to gain insights into the preferences, motivations, and decision-making processes of their target audience. Understanding consumer behaviour enables businesses to develop effective marketing strategies, improve product offerings, and enhance customer satisfaction.

In this blog post, we will explore some of the best research methods for measuring consumer behaviour, providing you with valuable tools to gain meaningful insights.

1. surveys and questionnaires:.

Surveys and questionnaires are widely used research methods for measuring consumer behaviour. They allow businesses to collect quantitative and qualitative data by asking specific questions about consumer preferences, purchasing habits, brand perceptions, and satisfaction levels. Surveys can be administered online, through email, or in person. Carefully designed surveys with well-crafted questions can provide valuable insights into consumer behaviour at a large scale.

2. Interviews:

In-depth interviews offer a more personal and qualitative approach to understanding consumer behaviour. Conducting one-on-one interviews allows for a deeper exploration of consumers’ thoughts, emotions, and experiences. Interviews can be structured, semi-structured, or unstructured, depending on the research objectives. They provide an opportunity to gather rich, detailed insights that go beyond what can be captured in surveys. Interviews can be conducted face-to-face, over the phone, or through video calls.

3. Focus Groups:

Focus groups involve bringing together a small group of individuals (usually 8-10) to engage in a guided discussion on specific topics related to consumer behaviour. Focus groups provide an interactive setting where participants can share their opinions, reactions, and experiences. The group dynamics often generate valuable insights and allow researchers to observe how individuals influence each other’s opinions. Focus groups can be particularly useful for exploring perceptions of new products, testing marketing messages, or gaining insights into consumer motivations.

4. Observational Research:

Observational research involves directly observing and recording consumer behaviour in natural or controlled settings. This method allows researchers to understand how consumers behave without relying on self-reported data. Observational research can be conducted through in-person observation, video recordings, or through tracking technologies such as eye-tracking or heat maps. By observing consumer actions, researchers can gain insights into purchasing decisions, browsing patterns, and product usage.

5. Experimental Research:

Experimental research involves manipulating certain variables in a controlled environment to understand their impact on consumer behaviour. It allows researchers to test causal relationships and draw conclusions about cause and effect. Experimental research can be conducted in a laboratory or field setting. For example, businesses may test the influence of different pricing strategies or advertising messages on consumer behaviour. Experimental research provides valuable insights into the underlying factors that drive consumer decision-making.

6. Online Analytics:

In the digital age, online analytics tools provide a wealth of data to measure consumer behaviour. Businesses can leverage website analytics, social media monitoring, and online tracking to gain insights into consumer engagement, browsing behaviour, click-through rates, and conversions. These tools provide quantitative data that can inform decision-making and marketing strategies. Online analytics also allow for real-time monitoring and immediate feedback, enabling businesses to adapt quickly to changing consumer behaviour.

Measuring consumer behaviour is essential for businesses to stay competitive and meet customer expectations. By employing a combination of research methods such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, observational research, experimental research, and online analytics, businesses can gain a comprehensive understanding of consumer preferences, motivations, and decision-making processes. Each research method has its strengths and limitations, so it’s important to choose the appropriate methods based on the research objectives and target audience. By investing in robust research methods, businesses can make informed decisions and create tailored strategies that resonate with their target consumers.

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Survey of Consumer Attitudes and Behavior, September 2021 (ICPSR 39014)

Version Date: Mar 27, 2024 View help for published

University of Michigan. Survey Research Center. Economic Behavior Program. Survey of Consumer Attitudes and Behavior, September 2021. Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2024-03-27. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR39014.v1

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• Survey of Consumer Attitudes and Behavior Series

https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR39014.v1

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Project Description

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The Survey of Consumer Attitudes and Behavior series (also known as the Surveys of Consumers) was undertaken to measure changes in consumer attitudes and expectations, to understand why such changes occur, and to evaluate how they relate to consumer decisions to save, borrow, or make discretionary purchases. The data regularly include the Index of Consumer Sentiment, the Index of Current Economic Conditions, and the Index of Consumer Expectations. Since the 1940s, these surveys have been produced quarterly through 1977 and monthly thereafter.

The surveys conducted in 2021 focused on topics such as evaluations and expectations about personal finances, employment, price changes, and the national business situation. Opinions were collected regarding respondents' appraisals of present market conditions for purchasing houses, automobiles, computers, and other durables.

Also explored in this survey, were respondents' vehicle financing, political affiliation, and the coronavirus. Demographic information includes ethnic origin, sex, age, marital status, and education.

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Subject terms view help for subject terms, geographic coverage view help for geographic coverage, smallest geographic unit view help for smallest geographic unit, restrictions view help for restrictions.

This data collection may not be used for any purpose other than statistical reporting and analysis. Use of these data to learn the identity of any person or establishment is prohibited. To protect respondent privacy, some of the data files in this collection are restricted from general dissemination. To obtain these restricted files researchers must agree to the terms and conditions of a Restricted Data Use Agreement.

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Scope of project, time period(s) view help for time period(s), date of collection view help for date of collection, data collection notes view help for data collection notes.

Information on the Index of Consumer Sentiment, the Index of Current Economic Conditions, and the Index of Consumer Expectations and how they were created can be found in the P.I. Codebook.

• Additional information on the Surveys of Consumers can be found by visiting the Survey of Consumer Website .

Methodology

Study purpose view help for study purpose.

The purpose of this survey series is to forecast changes in aggregate consumer behavior.

Study Design View help for Study Design

This survey is a rotating panel design. For each monthly sample, an independent cross-section sample of households is drawn. The respondents chosen in this drawing are then reinterviewed six months later. The result is a rotating panel design, and the total sample for any one survey is normally made up of 60 percent new respondents with 40 percent being interviewed for the second time.

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National sample of telephone numbers from cell (RDD) sampling frame.

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Persons aged 18 years or older living in households with telephones in the coterminous United States.

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2024-03-27 ICPSR data undergo a confidentiality review and are altered when necessary to limit the risk of disclosure. ICPSR also routinely creates ready-to-go data files along with setups in the major statistical software formats as well as standard codebooks to accompany the data. In addition to these procedures, ICPSR performed the following processing steps for this data collection:

• Created variable labels and/or value labels.
• Performed recodes and/or calculated derived variables.

Analysis Information

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The data are not weighted, however, this collection contains three weight variables; WT_AD (Adult weight), WT_HH (Household weight), WT (Household weight ( WT_HH renamed)) that must be used in any analysis. For more information on weights and sampling, please refer to the documentation and/or visit the Survey of Consumers Website .

These data are freely available to data users at ICPSR member institutions . The curation and dissemination of this study are provided by the institutional members of ICPSR. How do I access ICPSR data if I am not at a member institution?

One or more files in this data collection have special restrictions . Restricted data files are not available for direct download from the website; click on the Restricted Data button to learn more.

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How much does a survey cost – A complete guide to the cost of a survey

A survey is defined as the approach taken by market researchers to analyze a particular product or service with the help of survey respondents. Organizations collect direct feedback to understand their requirements, expectations, and characteristics. They make enhancements and make well-informed business decisions based on the survey findings.

What are the components of a survey?

Let’s first understand the components of a survey before jumping into the cost of conducting a survey.

• What is the objective? Define a clear purpose and an attainable goal. Once you have a target, you can always refer to it to set your priorities during the whole research lifecycle.
• Who to target? You must be clear about who your population of interest is. Out of the population of interest, make sure to choose the right sample for your research. It will help you build reliable inferences about the existing market.
• How will data collection be done? There are many ways to collect data. The channel applied for data collection will dictate the outcome of the insights you’ll receive.
• How to conduct data analysis? Collecting data is one aspect, but analyzing the data for creative solutions is another considerable aspect. Business intelligence and data helps organizations take business and other important decisions.

Select your respondents

Survey costs: What factors influence the cost of conducting a survey?

Organizations conduct surveys for different reasons and at different stages in the business lifecycle. The factors that influence surveys are different. Each takes a different approach because the goal of each survey is different. Let’s take a look at the significant factors that influence the cost of conducting a survey.

Survey software cost:

The best method to conduct surveys is to use survey software. It is the quickest, most flexible, and most convenient way to reach survey respondents around the globe.

With a survey tool like QuestionPro, you can create and distribute unlimited free surveys for life. With 88+ features offered for free, there’s a lot you can do with the essential subscription. No other survey software provides the number of features that QuestionPro offers. For researchers who are looking to do more research by using advanced features or those who need enterprise-level security, integrations, and collaboration, QuestionPro provides a robust tool at a great value. Here’s a look at the plans and pricing for each license.

• Essentials: QuestionPro’s essentials license is termed as ‘the world’s best free survey software,’ and rightly so. With an extensive list of 88+ free features to choose from, no other survey software comes close to offering that much. You can signup for the essential license without the hassle of sharing credit card information. Use the essentials license to access 25+ question types accompanied by various logics. Capture deep insights from the respondents. The automated dashboard captures the results in real-time and can be shared among the team. You can also export the data to xls and csv formats. Over and above this, QuestionPro support is available 24×7, 365 days a year.
• Advanced: With the advanced features license, access powerful survey tools specially designed for businesses and teams. Apart from the features offered in the essentials license, take advantage of advanced features like text analysis, quota control, salesforce integration, or collect unlimited responses, and do a lot more. Get the advanced license for just $129/month or $85/month when billed annually, but first, make sure to take a 10-day free trial. If you plan on having a multi-user plan, make sure to ask for a discount.
• Enterprise: The enterprise survey license is the ‘mother of all licenses.’ Other than enjoying the features offered by ‘essentials’ and ‘advanced’ features, get yourself a dedicated success manager who’s available over phone and email to ensure the success of your project with the enterprise license. Are you currently using different survey software and want to switch to QuestionPro? Migrate your data hassle-free from any other survey platform to QuestionPro. We are HIPPA, GDPR, Fedramp, ISO, SSAE-16, and SOC II compliant to make sure you have enterprise-level security. If you have specific requests, like custom scripting? Our team will work with you to accommodate specific contractual requirements.
• FREE for Nonprofits: We do our part for society too. QuestionPro knows that nonprofits are passionate about their mission, and we are here to help them take a step closer to realizing that mission. We believe nonprofits bring good to the world, and hence we offer them all the advanced features for free. If you are a nonprofit, we are here to provide you with the support to gather, analyze, and analyze transformative data to support your mission. Sign up with us now to access your free nonprofit license here .
• Research Licence: Experience transformation with QuestionPro’s newest offering. The research platform contains a suite of powerful research tools that helps you uncover actionable insights. Make better decisions and shape amazing experiences. The research edition boasts of a sturdy survey platform, especially for maxdiff, custom logic, conjoint, and quota management. Access our pool of 22 million+ global research audiences to capture valuable insights. Build and manage your community and engage your customers with opinion polls , surveys, and discussions. Or simply outsource the market research department to us and let QuestionPro do the heavy-lifting while you focus on strategy.

Survey design cost:

Another cost you will incur will be the cost of designing surveys. But that is subjective to the type of survey you want to run. If the survey is simple and straightforward, it is pretty much easy to design the study. With QuestionPro, you get powerful software that is easy to set up. But, if you want to run an elaborate survey that has a lot of skip logics and you require help with custom scripting or logic, you can get help from us at a reasonable price. This will add to your cost of conducting a survey.

Cost of getting survey respondents

The quality of responses you collect will be directly proportional to the Audience you choose. The Audience you select must know the subject of research for you to get actionable insights. It will be a loss of time and effort if you aren’t able to capture the right insights for your study. Getting hold of the right Audience through a reliable sample provider to help you with your project is very important. The sample size, length of the survey, and target criteria of the research define the cost of survey respondents. Let’s take a look at the factors that affect the cost of getting survey respondents.

• Sample size: Sample size means the number of responses you’re looking for to gather your actionable insights. The number of answers you seek is directly proportional to the cost of collecting responses.
• Survey length: Most respondents will not mind a short survey of about 12-15 questions, and that takes three to four minutes to complete. But if the study is longer than that, respondent fatigue set’s in. For respondents to answer a long monotonous survey, some kind of incentive is provided. Panel providers approach panel members who will genuinely complete the study, and these panels are generally not free.
• Target criteria: The type of respondents you’re looking for also affects the cost of conducting the survey. For example, a sample of respondents living in towns will cost cheaper to those living in cities, or getting respondents from the USA will always be higher than getting responses from South-East Asia.
• Communities: A community is a closed group of people who join an online group of like-minded individuals that take part in qualitative interviews. They share their opinions by having structured exercises and conversations for research purposes. You can either take services from communities or build your community, both of which will incur costs.
• Focus groups: Focus group discussions are conducted to get in-depth knowledge on various topics. The persons joining these focus groups are generally specialists in their fields. Hence individuals from the general population cannot be added to the focus group discussion randomly. Focus group panelists charge a certain fee to be a part of the in-depth interview.
• Specialty panels: Specialty panelists again fall into the niche population bucket. Certain studies seek to target only a specific group of people having particular traits. Examples of specialty panels are building contractors, pet owners, gamers, college students, vets, and so on. For example, a cat food company that wants to target a new market or area will interview only cat owners to understand their wants and needs.

LEARN ABOUT: What Is A Panel Survey?

Survey incentives cost

You may have your list of email addresses that you’d like to target and request survey answers from. The list may contain your customers, prospective buyers, and people who have signed up to your website at some point in time. You can approach these people to answer surveys for you. But not everybody you contact will be willing to take the survey for free. You may have to reward or incentivize the study. Rewards motivate respondents to give their opinions and take surveys. It is an additional cost of conducting a survey, but this helps bring in responses. Rewards and incentives are distributed in the following fashion:

• Cash: Almost everyone universally accepts cold, hard cash. An excellent way to get completes on your survey is by rewarding respondents with money.
• E-gift cards: E-gift cards work in the same fashion that regular gift cards do. It is an easy way of rewarding the survey taker. Instead of issuing a physical card, you can send the e-gift card to the respondent via email for him/her to make purchases online.
• Merchandise: Companies, especially product companies, can hand over some free goodies to the survey takers. This is quite unlikely to happen when the survey takers are based all over the globe. But when it comes to researching a local area, it is a great way to attract survey takers and grab responses.Raffle tickets: For those researchers who are on a tight budget and can’t afford to reward every survey taker, entering them to a raffle is a great way to attract survey takers. Each respondent here has an equal chance of winning the raffle, and this increases the response rate of the survey.

A guide to conducting free market research surveys with QuestionPro:

Since the turn of the year, QuestionPro has revised its licenses. You can now avail of a bunch of additional survey features that were previously paid services for free. We help in bringing down the cost of conducting the survey. To start with, this essentials license is a lifetime free account. Also, you can ask as many questions in a survey as you want and run as many studies as required. You can obtain unlimited answers to your survey; however, every study is restricted to a maximum of 1,000 responses. If you have a list of survey takers, you can simply create your survey, add the email addresses to the distribution list, launch the survey and look at the responses roll in in the consolidated dashboard.

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Consumers rule: Driving healthcare growth with a consumer-led strategy

As healthcare organizations look to the future, they cannot overlook the need to place the consumer at the center of all they do. Only by improving care outcomes and consumer experience will they deliver financial returns and remain competitive while meeting consumers’ holistic health and wellness needs.

Consumers are more motivated than ever to choose healthcare options that offer a better experience, higher quality of care, and greater value. As the shift to consumerism continues, organizations that embrace it most successfully will emerge as leaders of the healthcare ecosystem. In the near term—beyond benefits to consumer experience and care—developing a distinctive consumer experience could translate to financial gains through increased acquisition, retention, and share of engagement; reduced administrative costs; and improved Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) 1 Based on the 2021 McKinsey Provider CX Survey. Members were three to five times more likely to follow care recommendations and five to six times more likely to use other services from the same provider when highly satisfied. and Medicare Advantage Star ratings. 2 Based on the 2022 McKinsey CX Payer Journey Pulse Survey. Highly satisfied members were ten times more likely than unsatisfied members to recommend their payer to a friend, and satisfied members were five times more likely to renew coverage. Highly satisfied members were also 40 percentage points more likely to engage via a payer’s app or website than they were to engage over the phone.

In this article, we explore the latest trends in consumer healthcare behavior, consider responses, and identify steps leaders can take to define a consumer-led strategy. We include excerpts from interviews with three senior advisers to McKinsey 3 McKinsey senior advisers are engaged on a consultative basis and are not employed by the company. who have extensive experience executing consumer-centric strategies in retail and other industries.

Three trends can inform healthcare consumer strategy

Healthcare leaders do not have to fly blind as they devise strategies to improve the consumer experience along the care continuum. Three trends help point the way.

Trend 1: Consumers are spending more on health and wellness but are not satisfied and want more innovation

The US health and wellness market (inclusive of out-of-pocket healthcare spending) has grown to nearly $1 trillion, largely as a result of rising spending on out-of-pocket healthcare costs and personal wellness. There was an approximately 50 percent increase in wellness deal activity from 2020 to 2021, 4 “ Still feeling good: The US wellness market continues to boom ,” McKinsey, September 19, 2022. and US wellness spending in 2023 was more than $480 billion, with 5 percent growth in spending on wellness products and services. 5 “ The trends defining the $1.8 trillion global wellness market in 2024 ,” McKinsey, January 16, 2024. (Notably, this spending is in addition to billions of dollars in healthcare spending by payers, directed by consumers’ care choices.) Moreover, 58 percent of surveyed US consumers indicated they prioritize their personal health and wellness more now than a year ago. 6 “ The trends defining the $1.8 trillion global wellness market in 2024 ,” McKinsey, January 16, 2024. Yet despite high levels of engagement in health and wellness activities, a sizable percentage of consumers are not satisfied with their overall healthcare experiences (Exhibit 1).

The disconnect between high consumer importance and spending and relatively low satisfaction presents a meaningful opportunity for healthcare organizations to distinguish themselves as leaders in meeting consumers’ holistic health and wellness needs. For example, 67 percent of consumer respondents found health and wellness media within the healthcare journey (information on behavioral health centers within a confirmation email from a primary care physician, for example) to be helpful and interesting. 7 Based on the 2023 McKinsey Future of Wellness Survey.

Healthcare organizations can expand their use of digital interactions and tools to better support consumers in their health journeys. Although other consumer-facing industries, such as entertainment, banking, and utilities, have prioritized substantial investments in digital engagement with consumers in recent years, healthcare continues to lag behind, with the second-lowest digital consumer adoption rate (Exhibit 2).

In the years to come, it will be critical for the healthcare industry to prioritize digital consumer engagement—both to keep pace with other industries and to meet evolving consumer expectations. According to data from the 2019, 2022, and 2023 McKinsey Consumer Health Insights Surveys, healthcare consumers of all ages 8 The gap in telehealth adoption across age groups has decreased, with 39 percent of those under the age of 65 having used it in 2023, versus 32 percent of those aged 65 or older (a difference of approximately 20 percent). This is compared with 2019 usage of 13 percent for those under 65, versus 4 percent for those aged 65 or older (a threefold difference). Seniors lead in the online ordering of medications, with only 40 percent of those under 65 having used the service, versus 53 percent of those aged 65 or older. have become accustomed to using digital products and services and are eager to see them incorporated into their healthcare. 9 Sixty-one percent of consumers preferred to use digital tools in 2022; use of digital has increased 16 percentage points from 2016. Moreover, use of digital tools has a positive effect on consumer experience: 60 percent of surveyed consumers reported being more satisfied with their most recent telehealth appointment than with an in-person appointment.

Beyond digital options for engagement, consumers are also open to innovative care models that would allow them to receive personalized and holistic care, such as team-based care and care management at home. 10 Based on the 2023 McKinsey Consumer Health Insights Survey. Although traditional in-person care is still the norm today, healthcare organizations can differentiate themselves by introducing innovative care, engagement, and support models.

‘Being there’ for the consumer

A former global chief marketing officer and a senior adviser to McKinsey, Rebecca Messina is a leader in consumer experience who has worked with multiple iconic direct-to-consumer brands in the US food and beverages and transportation industries. The interview below was edited for brevity and clarity.

McKinsey: In healthcare, we see an opportunity for organizations to better support consumers in their daily health and wellness activities. How have others approached ‘being there’ for consumers?

Rebecca Messina: It starts with ensuring that consumer centricity is deeply rooted in your organization’s culture and identity. It is a mindset that’s embedded fully across the organization. It comes with a deep sense of knowing that we cannot take for granted that our products or services deserve to be a part of consumers’ daily lives; we have to earn it. This humility can be the fuel that helps everyone try harder—and expands how consumers use our products.

McKinsey: Where could an organization start if it truly wants to be a part of consumers’ everyday lives?

Rebecca Messina: It starts with developing a deep understanding of consumers, including what they care about, what they are afraid of, and what challenges or friction they face. Next, consider the role the organization could play to solve their challenges with a product that optimally supports them in their daily life and has an emotional impact. Once you envision how you will support consumers, it is critical that you express this brand promise in messaging and ensure you can consistently deliver on the promise.

McKinsey: Once an organization has established its consumer strategy, how can it best maintain its commitment to it?

Rebecca Messina: It’s important that an organization stays focused, with a clear understanding of where it does and does not play. This helps crystallize which competitors it should be monitoring and ensures the organization spends its energy where it can reliably deliver to meet consumers’ needs. Finally, organizations need to measure their progress. Tracking against metrics that capture how and when consumers are using a product is critical to understanding your progress in being invited into consumers’ lives.

To effectively respond to this trend, organizations can commit to consumer centricity by bringing the right product or service to the right consumer in the right way (see sidebar “‘Being there’ for the consumer”).

Learning from organizations in other industries, healthcare organizations could consider taking novel approaches, such as the following:

• expanding their presence in the community to encompass the entire healthcare journey— for example, by developing partnerships with wellness retreats, establishing connections to improve health in the home (via wearables, remote monitoring technology, and the like), or offering supplemental support to families when patients’ primary family caregivers are unavailable
• bridging gaps that prevent consumer engagement—for example, by supporting alternative care models for around-the-clock coverage, such as a virtual nurse or at-home care

Trend 2: Consumers trust the healthcare industry with their data, but organizations underuse it

The healthcare industry continues to earn the trust of consumers, with 44 percent of surveyed consumers indicating they are willing to voluntarily share personal and health data with healthcare organizations—more than double the rate for technology or retail organizations (Exhibit 3). 11 Venky Anant, Lisa Donchak, James Kaplan, and Henning Soller, “ The consumer-data opportunity and the privacy imperative ,” McKinsey, April 27, 2022.

However, unlike technology organizations, which have focused for more than a decade on using personal data to optimize service and support, healthcare organizations have largely not expanded their use of personal and health data to deliver a differentiated experience across the healthcare journey. More than half of surveyed consumers expressed interest in using their personal data to manage chronic conditions, receive personalized health and well-being insights, or receive personalized product and insurance recommendations. 12 Based on the 2023 McKinsey Consumer Health Insights Survey. Healthcare organizations could employ the latest technology (for example, remote monitoring, AI, or integrated electronic health records) to use consumer data in a safe, controlled way that follows privacy, security, and local and industry regulations on data handling. This could both improve the consumer experience and streamline operations.

Digital transformation supports consumer personalization

As a corporate leader, board member, and executive adviser, Christiana Smith Shi has worked with some of the most prominent US retail brands on their consumer experience strategies. Here, she discusses how data and advanced digital capabilities can be used to deliver a best-in-class personalized experience. The interview below was edited for brevity and clarity.

McKinsey: How have you seen organizations approach digital transformations to improve and personalize experiences for the consumer and generate value for the organization?

Christiana Smith Shi: The most successful organizations created a virtuous cycle that linked years’ worth of usable, freely provided consumer data contained in their internal systems with an ability to tailor content for consumers; they then delivered distinctive products and services that met each consumer’s needs. Doing all of that well led to more consumer engagement with the brand, which translated to greater loyalty and higher sales. Organizations sustained this growth by continually gathering new data that consumers consented to provide, not only to fine-tune their consumer recommendations but also to guide product development.

McKinsey: Could this approach work in industries other than retail?

Christiana Smith Shi: This approach is broadly applicable. I am convinced that if you take consumer insights and data and use them to deliver tailored, personalized experiences, consumers will reward you with more loyalty—and more data and information.

McKinsey: What are some of the most critical enablers for success in these transformations?

Christiana Smith Shi: Senior executive leaders need to be aligned on the strategy early and remain aligned as critical decisions are made. A crack at the top is a chasm at the bottom. Teams need to look up and see that the executive team is making the right decisions and trade-offs to support the strategy. Additionally, this approach requires integrated data, analytics, and tech platforms to create a holistic view of consumer behavior across all apps, sites, and moments.

To effectively respond to this trend, healthcare organizations can embed personalization into the end-to-end consumer experience by using their consumer data assets and developing AI capabilities, including generative AI (gen AI) (see sidebar “Digital transformation supports consumer personalization”).

Healthcare organizations could consider applying this approach to improve patient access through innovative strategies including the following:

• customizing engagement interfaces such as landing pages, email campaigns, education initiatives, and scheduling appointments based on consumer attitudes, behaviors, preferences, and healthcare needs
• recommending an appointment in a care setting that works best for the patient in the time frame needed and with the appropriate clinician

Personalizing both outreach and follow-up can present additional opportunities. Using AI, organizations could proactively identify healthcare or coverage needs; using gen AI, they could draft messages for clinicians to sign off on—such as tailored reminders for care needs—and deliver them based on consumers’ preferences (text or email).

Finally, to get the full value from this technology and data, it is critical that organizations adopt an end-to-end transformation mindset. 13 For more information on transformation best practices, see Eric Lamarre, Kate Smaje, and Rodney W. Zemmel, Rewired: The McKinsey guide to outcompeting in the age of digital and AI , first edition, Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2023. This includes implementing transformation best practices (such as setting a clear road map enforced by an operating model that holds leaders accountable for change), hiring dedicated talent, and launching change management to promote adoption and scaling.

Trend 3: Consumers are actively shopping and making trade-offs

In the face of economic uncertainty, consumers have continued their “shopping” behavior—that is, researching before making purchases—and are frequently trading down to the more affordable option. 14 In 2023, 81 percent of consumers conducted research across multiple channels before making a purchase (up from 75 percent in 2022); 80 percent of consumers said they’re changing their shopping behavior by trading down (up from 74 percent in 2022). For more, see Tamara Charm, Nancy Lu, and Kelsey Robinson, “US consumers send mixed signals in an uncertain economy,” McKinsey, April 28, 2023.

This trend is affecting many industries, including healthcare: 45 percent of surveyed consumers report researching providers and in-network costs before choosing a health insurance plan. Based on data from the 2022 and 2023 McKinsey Consumer Health Insights Surveys, 44 percent of healthcare consumers research providers before making an appointment. On average, consumers who research providers then look at two to three providers before making a decision. This represents a meaningful increase in shopping behavior compared to the 2017 survey, when only 20 to 30 percent of healthcare consumers conducted similar research.

According to data from the 2023 McKinsey Consumer Health Insights Survey and McKinsey analysis of internal data from Zocdoc, consumers typically take five factors into account when shopping for healthcare:

Quality. Consumers prioritize high-quality healthcare organizations and clinicians based on input from other consumers. Consumers are twice as likely to book an appointment with a clinician who has more than 50 reviews than with one who has none; nearly half of consumers prioritize quality ratings when choosing a clinician.

Availability. Consumers are highly sensitive to wait times for appointments, with long wait times frequently causing consumers to seek care elsewhere. Online scheduling platforms report that 45 percent of appointments are booked 24 to 72 hours in advance. 15 McKinsey analysis of data provided by Zocdoc. Independent medical groups are currently best positioned to meet this preference, with 28 percent having availability within three days, compared to 17 percent at health systems. Nearly two-thirds of surveyed consumers reported that they sought care elsewhere when they encountered a wait time they perceived to be long.

Proximity. Consumers look for care that is close to home. A convenient location is a priority for about half of consumers, even when scheduling telehealth appointments: two-thirds of telehealth appointments are booked within driving distance of home (potentially in anticipation of future in-person appointments).

Cost. Consumers actively work to minimize out-of-pocket costs but frequently face challenges in doing so. Forty percent of surveyed consumers prioritize out-of-pocket costs when searching for care, and nearly 17 percent say that the cost of services can be a considerable barrier to receiving care.

Options for care. Healthcare consumers prioritize options to engage across multiple channels, such as in-person and telehealth. Care groups that offer both options receive 35 percent more bookings than those that offer only in-person appointments and 90 percent more bookings than those that offer only telehealth visits. Consumers also take advantage of multimodal care: for example, nearly half of obstetrics and gynecology telehealth visits are followed up with an in-person appointment.

Although consumers are generally inclined to stay with their current primary care provider, up to 70 percent are open to changing if the alternative offers meaningful differentiation. 16 Seventy percent of consumers were likely to switch to a different primary care provider if they were offered a $100 rebate or if the other provider had a five-star quality rating. As healthcare organizations seek to be more competitive against market players, focusing on the factors that shape consumers’ decision making will be critical.

Easing the shopping and buying journey

Natasha Chand, a senior adviser to McKinsey, has developed and led the consumer engagement strategy at multiple major US and global retailers that offer consumers thousands of products to choose from. We connected with her to learn how some of the most complex organizations make it easy for the consumer. The interview below was edited for brevity and clarity.

McKinsey: We are seeing that healthcare consumers are weighing many variables when making care decisions. How have other retailers made this shopping experience simple for consumers?

Natasha Chand: There are three key practices that we see can really change a consumer’s experience. The first is directly helping consumers make choices by highlighting what you know is most important to them. Machine learning can be used to both identify the key considerations consumers have and talk about and summarize this information simply for them. This can meaningfully streamline a consumer’s ability to make an informed decision.

The second is thinking beyond the traditional ways of doing business. Consumers want to locate the right product or service first and foremost; they are often open to trade-offs on where it comes from or by when they might receive it. The best solutions may be partnering with third parties or forming external partnerships to ensure that consumers’ needs are always met.

Finally, to ensure that the first two practices are successful, it is critical that an organization tracks the right metric—one that holds leadership accountable to doing the best job for the consumer. This might require inventing new metrics for your teams, such as how often you are able to meet the consumer’s communicated needs or provide diverse options. The metrics themselves should continually be revisited and changed over time as you learn what best captures consumers’ needs and organizational priorities change.

Healthcare organizations could respond to this trend by facilitating decision making for consumers, including with fast, convenient navigation of their systems that belies the vast complexity underneath and by enabling consumers to easily connect to the offerings they need when they need them (see sidebar “Easing the shopping and buying journey”).

Healthcare organizations could innovatively respond to this trend by taking the following actions:

• triaging consumers’ symptoms and preferences using a gen AI chatbot to help them schedule a care appointment in the required time frame—and in doing so, expressing an empathic tone and offering educational information to manage expectations
• providing consumers with a single source of truth about projected costs before they receive care; this can simplify the decision-making process, ensure transparency, reduce downstream frustration, and increase the likelihood that patients will receive the care they need
• revisiting scheduling policies to expand consumers’ care options and increase flexibility (for example, adding telemedicine as an option to additional types of appointments)

Finally, by seamlessly linking consumers to strategic partners across the holistic health ecosystem—ranging from medical devices to fitness and wellness classes to over-the-counter products—organizations could better support the needs of consumers.

Next steps to build a consumer-centric organization

Understanding how to best meet consumers’ current and future needs is necessary but not sufficient to become a true consumer-experience leader. Setting up a transformation for success over the long term requires three additional steps:

• Set a strategic vision. Craft a clear consumer-experience vision that will inspire and propel the organization to change its culture and ways of thinking about consumers. Ideally, this aspiration will capture the holistic value at stake in improving consumer experience (for example, growth or improvement in quality outcomes).
• Adopt an agile, human-centered operating model. Identify innovations grounded in the end-to-end consumer journey. Test and refine potential innovations using the agile “test and learn” operating model.
• Build consumer-centric capabilities. Invest in defined metrics, personalized communications, and other capabilities that put the consumer at the center (Exhibit 4).

Consumerism is no longer an emerging trend or secondary consideration in healthcare. Consumers expect their healthcare engagement and experiences to be as convenient and satisfying as many of the other activities in their daily lives. Healthcare leaders who energetically and holistically embrace this shift—reflected in their vision, operating model, and capabilities—could meet consumers where they are across the end-to-end healthcare journey and could increase care access, engagement, satisfaction, and patient outcomes along the way.

Jessica Buchter is an associate partner in McKinsey’s Philadelphia office, Jenny Cordina is a partner in the Detroit office, and Jillian Eckroate is a consultant in the New Jersey office.

The authors wish to thank Eric Bochtler, Maura Fitzsimons, Sarah Greenberg, Michael Kohan, Mark Lee, Eric Levin, Brinda Rao-Pothuraju, and Neha J. Shah for their contributions to this article. The authors also wish to thank senior advisers Natasha Chand, Rebecca Messina, and Christiana Smith Shi for sharing their valuable insights.

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EY research: Nearly half of US car buyers intend to purchase an EV

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EY research: Nearly half of US car buyers intend to purchase an electric vehicle; charging and safety concerns weigh on consumers

• Of the US consumers planning on purchasing a new vehicle in the next 24 months, nearly half (48%) intend to purchase an EV – which is up 19% from 29% in the 2022 EY MCI. 
• Despite purchase intent gains, a majority (57%) of US car buyers cite the danger of home charging as a key deterrent.
• The majority of EV owners (81%) are likely to consider repurchasing an EV again compared with traditional vehicle owners (42%).
• The EY Mobility Consumer Index ranks the US No. 7 globally in terms of EV readiness.

The latest EY Mobility Consumer Index (MCI) — a global EY survey of more than 15,000 consumers from 20 countries — reveals that US consumer interest in electric vehicles (EVs) is at an all-time high, with about half (48%) of US car buyers intending to purchase an EV in the next 24 months. This represents a 19% increase since the 2022 MCI findings, showing the highest growth in EV intent and sentiment, globally. In EV readiness overall, the US jumped five spots, reaching No. 7, falling behind China, Norway and Sweden in the top three spots. 

“The EY Mobility Consumer Index answers the most pressing questions around mobility in the US. The MCI takes an in-depth look at the tipping point for vehicle electrification, how soon autonomous and shared mobility will take off, and overarching societal implications,” says  Steve Patton , EY Americas Mobility Sector Leader. “On the heels of government legislation aimed at mitigating consumer concerns and driving increased collaboration between private and public sectors, this year’s data demonstrates that the US is at a true precipice when it comes to mainstream EV adoption. We can expect to see more EVs, both commercial and consumer, on the road.”

Shifting mobility behavior drives sharp increase in demand

In 2023, the share of existing car owners intending to buy new cars in the US showed a 3% increase, with the US showing a significantly higher car-buying intent (12% growth to 60%) compared with the global average (which remained flat year over year at 44%).

The rise of the electric SUV — or SU(E)V — continues to prove strong, with 38% of North American buyers preferring an SUV over a sedan or other vehicle type. Further, 40% of new car buyers and 37% of used car buyers would prefer purchasing an SUV over other car body types. This promise of consumer interest should embolden car companies to invest in EV models for larger vehicles.

Consumer confidence gains momentum, but doubts about EV infrastructure and safety remain

Consumer confidence in EV performance has steadily grown over the past two years. In 2021, MCI findings noted that 26% of US car buyers were concerned that internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles outperformed EVs. Today, in comparison with ICE vehicles, EV performance was the top motivation for buying an EV, with 29% of US car buyers considering an EV specifically because they believe it outperforms ICEs.

“There are a few critical drivers to adopt EVs on a large scale, from consumer sentiment, to regulatory incentives and cost,” said  Felipe Smolka , EY Americas Automotive eMobility Leader. “Government incentives, such as the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), make a large impact not just on consumers, but across industries. As more EV accessibility and incentives arise, whether its developing charging stations on interstate highways or driving battery circularity, we will see EV adoption thrive.”

Clear gains in the market are tempered by ongoing concerns about EV charging infrastructure, costs and safety. A lack of charging stations continued to be the top deterrent for potential car buyers in the US, the same as 2022. Over half (51%) of US consumers are more worried about finding a charging station in nonresidential facilities than expensive charging costs. Further, the safety of home chargers remains a concern, with 57% of potential US buyers citing safety of home chargers as the key deterrent — 10% higher than global counterparts.

“Consumers need access to safe, reliable, convenient and affordable charging to drive and own an EV, and our research shows real concerns remain,” said  Marc Coltelli , EY Americas eMobility Energy Leader. “At the EY organization, we are predicting 82 million EVs will be on US roads by 2035. To scale adoption, the challenge confronting America’s transition to EVs is instilling charging confidence among consumers. The energy industry has a massive role to play in this transition and is seizing the opportunity by collaborating cross-sector to build and power a resilient EV charging network.”

As the infrastructure, performance, circularity, life-span and financial value of an EV increases in the US market, we can expect to see continued adoption of EVs, both in commercial and consumer applications. For more information, visit  ey.com .

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