Retail Blog

Have you ever wondered how your customers (or potential customers) feel about one of your products? Would you like to take a glimpse inside their mind for a moment- to see what determines their buying choices? Do you think about how powerful it would be to know what appeals to their senses, or what price-point they are willing to pay? Why not ask them?

While this seems like such a simple idea, it’s something that too many business owners neglect to do. Customer surveys can be a useful tool when used properly in business- you can determine customers’ buying trends, find out what prices they are comfortable paying, determine what they would like improved on existing products, and much, much more.

Why don’t more retailers take advantage of surveying their customers? In today’s world, we’re so bombarded by telemarketers and people asking for our time, that many business owners shrink away from asking- they’re afraid the customer will be simply be too busy to answer, or may be annoyed by being asked. However, if you approach your survey in a professional manner, many customers actually appreciate being asked.

There are a few things to keep in mind when asking someone about their feedback for a product or service:

• Be respectful that they may not have time to answer your questions; ask them nicely once if they have time to complete your short survey, and don’t ask again.
• Understand that they may not want to answer some of all of your questions.
• Don’t pressure anyone- try to keep your tone friendly and explain the exact purpose of the survey.
• Don’t make the survey too long or difficult to complete. The quicker the better.
• When stating the purpose of the survey, be sure to explain that it is for your use only- for business and product growth and development. Clearly state that you respect their privacy and that their information isn’t shared with any outside parties.

What kinds of things should you ask in your survey? That fully depends on what information is most important for you to capture.

Here is an exercise to get you started:

Take one of your existing products. Select 20-30 people who have purchased that product whom you feel you could approach to get their feedback (be careful not to “spam” this customer in any way, contact them tactfully). If you deal with your customer online, you may be able to email them a short survey. If you deal with your customer face-to-face, you may be able to include a postage-paid survey with their order. Then determine what your main purpose or focus of the survey is- be sure to develop a question that asks that question, along with a few more. Consider asking questions like the following:

Were/are you satisfied with your purchase?

• Did you like the packaging that was used on the product?
• How did you find your customer service experience?
• What is the price-range you would be willing to pay for this product?
• We are considering changing (insert here) on the product, here is an example of the new format. Which do you prefer?
• Did the product live up to your expectations? Why or why not?
• How did you originally hear about our product/service or company?
• Do you have any recommendations for other product ideas?
• Do you have any suggestions or recommendations for us?

And of course, any features that are very specific to that particular product, you can work into your short survey too. You might choose to have respondents use some sort of number scale system to rate how satisfied they were, etc. The way you format your survey is completely up to you and your business needs.

Hopefully you will discover that your customers were very satisfied, that they would pay even more than what they had already paid, and have some fantastic suggestions for you. Or, maybe there was something in particular that they really didn’t care for. Value even these responses, as knowing what they don’t like will also help you tweak your current products. As well as current customers, you should target a group of potential customers and repeat a similar survey. If reaching potential customers through a website, you might even set up an option pop-up survey on your website which asks your questions as they are there on the site.

When your surveys are over, be sure to thank the participant, even if you didn’t get the response that maybe you were hoping for. You might want to consider thanking them with a free gift, or a discount, or even a hand-written thank you note. After all, what customer wouldn’t be impressed by a business owner going through the bother to get their feedback, and afterwards acknowledging their help?

Don’t be afraid to ask those you’re dealing with for their opinions of your products or services. By doing so, there is much you can learn- you can evaluate your current product, and where you need to make improvements. The information you learn by taking the steps to do so could be invaluable for your business.

Get started today by giving one of the many online survey tools a try: SurveyMonkey or SurveyGizmo have great and easy to use offerings.