Retail Shopping and Product Search Behavior Survey

Hi! We're trying to understand how people actually shop and search for products these days — in stores, online, or both. Your responses are completely confidential and anonymized. This will take about 6 minutes, and there are no right or wrong answers.

In the last 30 days, how did you mostly shop for the products you buy? (Replace with your product category if you want responses focused on it.)

• Only in physical stores
• Mostly in-store, some online
• Roughly equal mix of both
• Mostly online, some in-store
• Only online

When you're looking for a specific product, where do you usually start your search first?

• The retailer's own website or app search bar
• A general search engine (e.g., Google)
• A marketplace site (e.g., Amazon)
• Social media or short-video platforms
• Walking into a physical store to browse
• Asking friends or family
• Other

In the last 30 days, how easy was it to find the specific products you were looking for?

When deciding what to actually buy, which of these matter most versus least to you?

• Price
• Customer reviews and ratings
• Brand reputation
• Product is in stock and available now
• Shipping speed and cost
• Return policy
• Product images and descriptions

How satisfied are you with each of the following when searching for products, whether online or in-store?

In the last 30 days, how often did you give up on a search or abandon a cart because you couldn't find what you wanted?

• Never
• Once
• A few times
• Many times

Which device do you use most often when searching for products to buy?

• Smartphone
• Laptop or desktop computer
• Tablet
• In-store kiosk or staff assistance
• Voice assistant

Reconstruct the most recent time this respondent searched for a product and it did NOT go smoothly — what were they looking for, where did they search first, and exactly where did the search break down (bad results, no filters, out of stock, confusing site, unhelpful staff)? Anchor on specifics: what they clicked or asked, how long they tried before giving up, and what they did next (switched retailer, bought a substitute, abandoned the purchase entirely). If they said searches usually go fine, probe the single feature that would most improve how they discover products.

Just a few quick questions about you so we can compare shopping habits across groups — all optional.

What is your age range?

• Under 18
• 18-24
• 25-34
• 35-44
• 45-54
• 55-64
• 65 or older
• Prefer not to say

What is your gender?

• Woman
• Man
• Non-binary
• Prefer to self-describe
• Prefer not to say

What is your annual household income?

• Under $25,000
• $25,000-$49,999
• $50,000-$74,999
• $75,000-$99,999
• $100,000-$149,999
• $150,000 or more
• Prefer not to say

Thank you for sharing how you shop and search! Your answers feed into a report our product and merchandising teams use to fix broken search paths and prioritize the features that help you find things faster.