20 market research survey templates and essential question examples

Launching new products, updating legacy services, and modifying brand presence involves significant investment and substantial risk for your business. Yet only 23% of survey users conduct market research.

Market research surveys are invaluable for gaining insights that can guide development and create a competitive advantage.

Whether you're measuring brand awareness, testing a product or concept, or gaining deeper insights into your target market, we offer a range of customizable market research survey templates tailored to your industry.

Use this guide to explore 20 expert-designed market survey templates and example questions to help you get the insights you need.

Below is a list of our expert-certified survey templates broken down by 3 of our top use cases: concept testing, brand research, and customer profiling. Keep in mind that you can always customize the questions to better fit your needs.

Is your product ready to go live? Before you make it available to the public, see how your target market feels about it with this 10-question Product Testing Survey Template. The feedback will help you identify the right improvements to make on time.

Take the guesswork out of your advertising efforts. This 8-question Ad Testing Survey Template will help you understand how your target audience perceives your ad before you take it public.

Finding the right name for your company or product can be challenging. Hear what consumers have to say as you consider different options with this Name Testing Survey Template.

Before you take a logo to market, you’ll want to see how it resonates with your target audience. Use this Logo Testing Survey Template to test every option.

Know how consumers will react to your messaging in advance. The questions in our Messaging/Claims Testing Survey Template can help you evaluate and verify your claims’ value propositions.

Finding the right packaging for your products is more complicated than you might think. You’ll want to consider its visual appeal, uniqueness, and quality. Use this Package Testing Survey Template to evaluate your products’ packaging.

Find out if consumers in your target market are price sensitive with this 6-question Price Testing Survey Template. You’ll also learn whether or not they’re satisfied with the value of products in your category.

Find out about your brand’s level of awareness with this 10-question Brand Awareness Survey Template. You’ll learn how people discover your brand as well as perceive it.

See how consumers evaluate your brand compared to others in your market. Our Brand Conversion Survey Template will also help you learn what drives people toward a particular brand.

How does your brand make people feel? And how do people distinguish your brand from competitors? Get some answers using our Brand Personality Survey Template.

Design, quality, and price are key purchasing drivers for consumers. Find out which of these factors are more important for your target market with our Brand Performance Survey Template.

Use this quick, 5-question Customer Analysis Survey Template to learn more about your customers, including the types of consumers they target, the competitive nature of their market, and their level of repeat business.

Understanding who your customers are requires a holistic approach. You’ll need to consider their age, gender, and level of education, among other things. This 10-question Customer Demographics Survey Template will help you learn more about your customers.

Are your respondents employed? And if they are, what’s their current occupation? Use this Employment Survey Template to answer both of these questions.

Get to know the types of companies your respondents work at, as well as their specific roles in them, using this 10-question Firmographics Survey Template.

Get to know your client’s target market using this 10-question Target Market Analysis Survey Template. It includes questions about the types of customers they’re targeting, the level of market competition, and the likelihood of repeat business.

Pinpoint the characteristics of your target market using this Target Market Demographics Survey Template. You’ll find out about their age, gender, and where they live, among other things.

Learn how consumers find out about a business in your category and go about making a purchasing decision with this 9-question Shopper Insights Survey Template.

Learn about consumers’ awareness, consideration, and purchasing stages with this comprehensive 17-question Consumer Behavior Survey Template.

Find out your target market’s awareness of different brands, which they prefer, and what ultimately influences their purchasing decisions with this Path to Purchase Survey Template.

If you’re getting ready to do some market research, you might feel overwhelmed about putting together a survey. The quality of the data you glean from market research depends on the quality of the questions you ask your audience, so survey design is crucial.

No need to worry; we’re here to help.

In the next few sections, we’ll introduce you to a range of different market research templates, and we’ll discuss how each can be used to achieve certain goals and gather specific information.

You have a great idea for a product or a unique feature to an existing service, but is the world ready for it?

Before you start doodling concept sketches on napkins, conduct a marketing research survey to discover the designs and features your audience will love. Ask your participants questions such as, “If you are not likely to use our new product, why not?” or, “What would make you more likely to use our new service?”

Our Product Testing Survey Template can help you get started.

Collect age, gender, income, and other demographic data to align your product and marketing strategies with the right audience.

When you understand your target market, you’re in a great position to better understand their needs, and you’ll be able to make better business decisions. There are a variety of different demographic questions you can ask.

To help you brainstorm, check out the questions from our U.S. Demographics Survey Template.

Your brand is constantly evolving. Track how consumers perceive your brand and benchmark against competitors to identify growth opportunities. You can also measure your brand against competitors to see where you stand in the market.

We’ve got several survey templates you can use, including ones on brand loyalty and brand awareness.

Keeping your pulse on your target market helps you understand and prioritize your organization’s needs.

Are attitudes shifting? Do behaviors seem to be changing? Understanding shifting customer attitudes and behaviors so you can adapt and retain your audience.

Get industry-specific trends and consumer expectations to stay ahead of the competition. Get answers to questions like, “When choosing skin care products, which of the following factors matter to you?” or, “Are you a first-time home buyer, or have you purchased a home before?” and you’ll have data you can put to work immediately to fine-tune your service and product offerings.

Asking the right survey questions is crucial for collecting meaningful and reliable data.

Think of it this way, you wouldn’t ask a customer about their in-store experience if your goal is to improve the user interface of your website.

Don’t get caught in this survey trap. Use these survey question examples to bolster your market survey template.

Market research is the process of gathering and analyzing information about a market, including its customers, competitors, and trends. This activity helps businesses understand consumer motivations, purchasing habits, and behaviors to inform overall business strategy and decision-making.

If you want to keep your business moving, it's absolutely critical to regularly perform market research.

One of the major advantages of market research is that it helps you to identify new marketplace opportunities.

For example, by surveying restaurant customers in a particular area, you might find that their need for good, affordable Italian food isn’t currently being met. Or, if you already run an Italian restaurant, you might identify areas for expansion by finding out that customers are looking for an Italian deli that stocks products. 

Another benefit of market research is that it helps you to minimize the risk associated with certain business decisions.

For example, imagine you’re planning to launch a new product or service to your existing market. With market research, you might find that the marketplace is saturated with similar products, or that there is limited demand for an offering like yours.

While the process of market research can sometimes be quite involved, investing the time and effort means that you can minimize the risks—and thus any waste of cost or other resources—associated with rolling out new products and other costly activities. 

Related reading: Types of survey research methods

Market research provides you with the foundation for understanding your industry, market, consumers, and competitors. Accordingly, the goals that you can achieve through market research are numerous. For example, you can use market research to:

Understanding your target market is fundamental to achieving these business goals. A comprehensive target market analysis can help you identify your ideal customers, understand their needs, and align your products or services accordingly. Learn more about how to conduct an effective target market analysis to ensure your business decisions are backed by solid market insights.

Using a template is a great starting point when designing your market research questionnaire, but there’s more to consider if you want truly valuable insights. Keep the following tips in mind to ensure your results are genuinely useful.

No business will thrive without conducting some kind of market research. It’s a crucial activity that informs your overall business strategy.
So, choose one of our ready-made market research templates, or customize one of your own. It’s easy to do; you’ll be hitting the “send” button within minutes. Or, if you have more specific needs, let us help. We have a range of solutions—like this Concept Testing Solution and our global respondent panel to help you survey your target market—that can get you started on your market research journey in a flash.