The purpose and methods of market research: surveys

The idea

A survey gathers data from many respondents using a fixed set of questions, so results can be counted and compared. It suits quantitative market research: a business asks a sample about tastes, spending or awareness, then turns replies into percentages. Questions may be closed, giving tick-box answers that are quick to tally, or open, giving written comments that reveal reasons. Surveys can run on paper, online, by phone or face to face. Design matters: clear wording, a representative sample and a sensible size reduce bias. For example, a café surveying 100 customers finds 60% want longer opening hours, so it trials later closing. Surveys give breadth, not depth, and poor questions mislead.

What earns the marks

• Defines a survey as a market research method collecting data from many respondents using a set of questions.
• Explains that surveys suit quantitative research because answers can be counted, compared and converted into percentages or averages.
• Distinguishes closed questions, which give tick-box data that is quick to tally, from open questions, which give written comments explaining reasons.
• Identifies delivery methods such as online, paper, telephone and face-to-face, and links each to cost, speed or reach.
• Explains that sample size and representativeness affect how far survey findings can be trusted.
• Applies survey findings to a business decision, such as trialling longer opening hours after 60% of 100 respondents asked for them.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

• Treating a survey as automatically accurate.

  Put it right: A biased or tiny sample makes results unreliable, so the sample must represent the target market.

• Confusing surveys with interviews.

  Put it right: A survey uses a fixed question set for many respondents, while an interview is a live conversation, often one to one.

• Writing leading questions such as asking whether customers agree a product is excellent.

  Put it right: Use neutral wording so answers are not pushed towards one response.

Exam tips

• Name the survey type and delivery method, then state one advantage and one drawback for the business context given.
• Use data from the case, such as 60% of 100 respondents, to justify a recommendation rather than describing surveys generally.
• Link each point to purpose: say whether the survey reduces risk, identifies customer needs or measures satisfaction.