Glossary of Marketing Terms

View Glossaries

Customer Discovery Survey

A customer discovery survey is a research tool used to gather insights about potential customers, their needs, preferences, and pain points during the early stages of product development or market entry.

What is a customer discovery survey?  

A customer discovery survey is a valuable tool used to gain insights into the needs, challenges, and preferences of potential customers. It involves engaging with individuals to gather qualitative and quantitative data that can inform product development, marketing strategies, and overall business decisions.

What are the methods for collecting customer discovery survey?  

Here are some methods for collecting customer discovery survey data to gain valuable insights about your target market and product ideas:

1. Quantitative methods

  • Online surveys: Popular survey platforms allow you to create and distribute surveys to a wide audience. This is a scalable way to gather a large amount of data and identify trends.
  • Website exit surveys: Capture feedback from website visitors who are about to leave your site. This can reveal reasons why they might not be converting into customers.

2. Qualitative methods

  • Customer interviews: Conduct one-on-one interviews with potential customers to delve deeper into their needs, challenges, and behaviors. This allows for open-ended discussions and personalized insights.
  • Focus groups: Moderate group discussions with a small group of potential customers to explore specific topics or product prototypes. This can generate a variety of perspectives and ideas.

3. Additional methods

  • Social media listening: Monitor social media conversations to understand what people are saying about your industry, competitors, and potential product ideas.
  • Card sorting: Present users with a list of features or functionalities and ask them to categorize them based on their own logic. This helps understand how users perceive and organize information.
  • A/B testing: Test different versions of your product or marketing materials with real users to see which ones perform better. This can help validate your assumptions and optimize your offerings.

4. Choosing the right method

The best method for collecting customer discovery survey data depends on your specific goals and resources. Here are some factors to consider:

  • Stage of product development: In early stages, focus groups or interviews might be ideal for initial exploration. Later stages might benefit from online surveys for broader validation.
  • Sample size: Online surveys can reach a large audience, while interviews provide in-depth insights from a smaller sample.
  • Budget: Online surveys are typically more cost-effective than in-person methods like interviews or focus groups.
  • Time constraints: Online surveys can be completed quickly, while interviews and focus groups require scheduling and dedicated time.  
Turn Rewards into Growth   Experience seamless delivery of rewards in over 100 countries with the largest global catalog with Xoxoday! 

What are the customer discovery survey questions?  

Here are some key questions that can be included in a customer discovery survey:

1. What is the hardest part about doing the thing that you're trying to do/achieve/solve? How do you currently attempt to solve that problem?

  • This question helps identify the specific pain points and the current methods used to address them.

2. Tell me about the last time that you encountered this problem.

  • This question provides context around the circumstances in which the customer encountered the problem, helping to understand the problem solution flow.

3. Why was this hard?

  • This question helps understand the motivations behind the problem and how it affects the customer's life.

4. What are your goals and objectives?

  • This question helps understand the customer's motivations and what they are trying to achieve.

5. How do you currently measure success?

  • This question helps understand the customer's metrics for success and how they evaluate their current solutions.

6. What are the biggest challenges you face in achieving your goals?

  • This question helps identify the specific challenges and how they impact the customer's life.

7. How do you currently handle [specific pain point]?

  • This question helps understand the current methods used to address specific pain points.

8. What are your current pain points?

  • This question helps identify the specific pain points and their impact on the customer's life.

9. How do you envision your ideal solution?

  • This question helps understand the customer's expectations and what they are looking for in a solution.

Resources & Blogs

No items found.

Quick Links

Reward solutions
Branded gift cards