Six Types of Surveys for Your Market Research Needs

BY QDegreesPUBLISHED
Jan. 08, 2025

Surveys can be of different types, and if you know their different types, you're highly likely to get an advantage when you use them for market research.

In this blog, we will be looking at some of the most common types of surveys for Market Research but before that!

Understanding Market Research Surveys

A market research survey is a structured way to get the responses of your consumers or potential customers for the market research. There are many ways that market research can be conducted including focus group discussions and direct interviews. But in most of the ways the data that comes in needs a lot of processing because it comes in an unstructured format.

However, that's not the case with market research surveys. They take the responses in almost a structured way making it possible to be quick to get actionable insights.

Importance of Market Research Surveys

But what makes the surveys better than others when it comes to market research? See, today surveys can be digitized meaning, you can widespread them to not only your customers but to those also who can be your potential customers.

But it should not be mistaken that surveys are the only way. The truth is that surveys become best when used with other methods like FGDs as you may get the reason for a trend you found from surveys through FGDs or interviews.

The Needs of Survey Research Methods

To get the best survey results you need these factors to be invested in:

Time
Money
Analytical and Research Skills
Technology
Good Audience Response

Three Common Mistakes When Conducting Market Research Surveys

One of the best parts about market research surveys is that it's simple to take them and get Insights. But even if they are simple, there are some common mistakes businesses make while doing surveys for market research. Here are these common mistakes that you should avoid to eliminate the risk of failure:

Choosing the Wrong People for Survey

Yes, this might seem like how someone can get this one wrong, but there are chances of it happening. Sometimes you may underestimate the task of choosing the right people for the survey and not create criteria for it. In such cases, an error can occur which is called a sample framing error.

Setting a Wrong Sample Size

Sample refers to the people taking the survey and it should be big. It is a quality survey, and the bigger the sample size is, the more accurate the results will be. It can be understood with a simple example of a coin flip, where the chance of getting either a head or tail is always 50%. But if you do a coin flip ten times, you may not get a 50-50 result. It will only when you do it for a lot of time that the chances come to 50-50.

Asking Confusing Survey Questions

Lastly and most importantly you must ask questions that are straightforward. This one is often done the wrong way because business owners don't possess the skills to ask the right questions or frame them correctly. Always make sure that it should not take more than once to understand what you're asking and it's the only criteria for a good question.

Six Types of Market Research Surveys and The Tools Required

Today there are many types of survey methods that exist to choose from but that wasn't the case back in time. So, you can take advantage of it by choosing the right survey method. Here are some of the best survey methods:

Online Surveys

These are the surveys that can be pushed to a global audience. In simple words, anyone with an Internet connection can take the survey.

Tool: A software to send, receive, and interpret results.

Paper Surveys

This is the more traditional method of surveying where the respondents have to provide their responses in writing. In remote areas or to get localized reach, these surveys are best. However, it may take longer to fill in these surveys so an incentive is often required to get fair entries.

Tool: Printed surveys and pen

Mail Surveys

These are the surveys that are sent through the mail and are popular for their geographical targeting capability.

Tool: A postal service to send and receive the surveys back.

Telephonic Surveys

These surveys are taken on a phone call with the help of an IVR menu and a professional caller.

Tool: A telephone to connect with the respondents.

In-person Interviews

Lastly, these surveys allow you to ask the questions in person. The respondent sits in from of the interviewer and gives detailed answers verbally.

Tools: An offline place to hold a survey or an online meeting app.

Panel Surveys

In these surveys, a panel is created with people who are selected to represent a group and its thoughts. The panel surveys can be fast yet provide brilliant results.

Tool: An offline place to hold a survey or an online meeting app.

Wrapping Up

In conclusion, understanding and leveraging different survey types enhances market research efficiency. By avoiding common pitfalls and selecting the right methods, businesses can gather actionable insights to drive strategic growth.