Consumer Surveys and Marketing Metrics

Consumer surveys tell marketers about consumer satisfaction with products. They are also used to predict consumer behavior, assess customers' opinions, and determine how well a product will do in the marketplace. While there are entire organizations devoted to nothing but market research, individual companies can do their own market research as well.

There are different methods used to conduct consumer surveys. Some are done by phone or in person. Others are mailed and the recipients fill them out and mail them back to the research organization. The newest type of survey is done over the Web.

Internet consumer surveys can be done in a variety of ways, too. Some involve answering questions on a password-protected website that respondents are invited to. Others accept answers from random visitors, who can simply click a radio button for the answer of their choice and view the results immediately.

Results of Consumer Surveys

Usually, long reports come back to the company that requested the information. They can be very detailed and provide conglomerated answers as well as individual responses to questions. A simpler alternative, in a short survey, would be a graphical representation of the data. It is easier to understand this way and to quickly grasp the information.

Companies conduct consumer surveys for a lot of different reasons, but one thing remains the same: the data is worthless unless you use it. Some companies analyze their data and don't like the answers, so they never do anything about it. Others, who truly value customer opinions, use the data to make changes that will be well-received among customers.

If the answers show that the company is doing something correctly, the company can continue its practices. Consumer surveys provide wonderful insight as to consumer opinion. One thing they can't do is provide qualitative data. For more in-depth answers, you would need to conduct a focus group or conduct personal interviews with customers.

Sampling in Consumer Surveys

In order for consumer surveys to be truly accurate, the samples of people asked must be large enough and random enough. For example, a readership survey is not truly random, since you have to be a reader of a magazine to participate in its survey. However, such a survey would be accurate enough to gauge the opinions of a closed group of readers. So the accuracy of the information is relative to the reason you need it.

Even if certain information is not representative of the whole population, it might be valuable to you. For example, unsatisfied customers might leave and never complain. The few who do complain can provide valuable insight as to why most customers are unhappy with your service.

Still, you should not spend thousands of dollars to improve a product based on a few complaints. Yet, if thousands of customers return your product, it is cause for concern. Also, the questions you ask can make a big difference. General attitude questions do not predict behavior, but answers about how people intend to act can predict behavior well.