Market Segmentation & Customer Needs Discovery Survey
Groups your customers into meaningful segments by combining behavioral usage patterns, need-based attitudes, purchase-driver trade-offs, and demographics. Built for marketers and researchers building or refreshing a segmentation model. The AI follow-up interview digs into the 'why' behind each respondent's top purchase driver so segments are grounded in real reasoning, not just survey scores.
Sample questions
A preview of what’s in the template. Every question is editable before you launch.
In the last 30 days, how often have you purchased or used (Replace with your product/category, e.g., 'meal-kit delivery services')? (Template note: swap in the category you're segmenting customers within.)
- Not at all
- Once
- 2-3 times
- 4-6 times
- More than 6 times
How much do you agree with each statement about how you typically shop in this category?
- I actively look for the lowest price before buying.
- I want products or services tailored to my specific needs.
- I trust recommendations from people I know more than advertising.
- I usually stick with brands I already know and trust.
- I enjoy discovering and trying new brands or products.
- +1 more
For each set, pick which factor matters most and which matters least when you decide what to buy in this category.
- Price
- Product quality
- Convenience or ease of use
- Brand reputation
- Customer service
- Sustainability or ethical practices
- Availability where I shop
You have 100 points to allocate across the ways you typically discover new products or brands in this category. Give more points to the sources that influence you more.
- Social media
- Search engines
- Word of mouth from friends or family
- In-store discovery
- Email or newsletters
- TV or streaming ads
Where did you make your most recent purchase in this category? (Replace with your brand/category as needed.)
- Company website
- Retail store
- Third-party online marketplace (e.g., Amazon)
- Mobile app
- Other
How likely are you to recommend (Replace with your brand/product) to a friend or colleague?
Probe the reasoning behind the respondent's top-ranked purchase factor from the trade-off exercise: ask for a specific, recent purchase where that factor decided the outcome, and what would have changed their mind. Then connect it to their recommendation score — if low, uncover the unmet need behind it; if high, uncover exactly what need is being met so well. Listen for language that reveals which underlying segment (price-driven, convenience-driven, quality-driven, novelty-seeking, loyalist) they naturally fall into, and note any tension between their stated attitudes and their actual behavior.
Almost done — just a few quick background questions to help us compare groups. All of these are optional.
Which age range do you fall into?
- Under 18
- 18-24
- 25-34
- 35-44
- 45-54
- 55-64
- 65+
- Prefer not to say
How do you describe your gender?
- Woman
- Man
- Non-binary
- Prefer to self-describe
- Prefer not to say
What is your total annual household income?
- Under $30,000
- $30,000-$59,999
- $60,000-$99,999
- $100,000-$149,999
- $150,000 or more
- Prefer not to say
Which best describes your current employment status?
- Employed full-time
- Employed part-time
- Self-employed
- Unemployed
- Student
- Retired
- Prefer not to say
What city or region do you live in? (Optional)
Thank you for sharing all of this! Your answers will be combined with other respondents' to build customer segments that shape our products, messaging, and offers — nothing here is tied to your individual identity.
What’s included
AI follow-ups
Adaptive probes on open-ended answers that pull out detail a static form would miss.
Attention checks
Built-in safeguards against rushed answers and low-quality respondents.
AI-drafted copy
Wording, ordering, and branching written by the AI — tuned to your research goal.
Auto report
Themes, quotes, and a plain-English summary write themselves once responses come in.
How it compares
We reviewed the closest templates from other survey tools. Here’s what they do well — and where this template goes further.
Why this template
- Combines behavioral frequency, need-based attitude statements, MaxDiff-style trade-offs, and a constant-sum discovery-channel exercise in one flow, rather than a single question type
- Includes an AI follow-up interview that probes the reasoning behind each respondent's top-ranked purchase driver, so segments are grounded in stated reasoning, not just ranked scores
- Pairs quantitative segmentation inputs (usage, attitudes, trade-offs, demographics) with a conversational open-ended layer, then rolls everything into an auto-generated report for comparing groups
- Uses plain chat-style intro/outro messages to keep respondents oriented, alongside standard demographic classification questions for segment profiling
SurveySparrow
Customer Needs Survey TemplateA fielding-ready template focused on capturing customer needs and satisfaction rather than full segmentation. It's built on SurveySparrow's conversational form format, which is friendlier than a plain grid but still relies on fixed question sets. Good for a narrower needs-assessment use case than a full segmentation model.
What it does well
- Conversational, chat-style UI likely improves completion rates versus a static grid
- Purpose-built around customer needs rather than a generic template repurposed for segmentation
- Ready to field with minimal setup
Where it falls short
- No adaptive AI follow-up to probe why a respondent gave a particular answer — all questions are pre-scripted
- No built-in behavioral usage + trade-off + demographic segmentation structure in one instrument
- No automated per-response quality scoring or transparent prompt methodology disclosed
Typeform
Market Segmentation Survey TemplateThe most directly comparable template, aimed at the same market segmentation use case with a clean, conversational one-question-at-a-time format. It likely covers demographics and usage patterns but, like other static builders, cannot dynamically dig into a respondent's reasoning. Best suited to teams who want a quick, polished segmentation survey without custom logic.
What it does well
- Purpose-built for market segmentation, so question flow is likely aligned to that goal
- Polished, distraction-minimizing one-question-at-a-time interface
- Easy to customize and deploy quickly
Where it falls short
- No adaptive AI interview to explore the 'why' behind a respondent's top purchase driver — responses stay at the level of fixed answer choices
- No automated quality scoring of individual responses
- No transparent, published prompt/methodology layer since it's a static question template
QuestionPro
Supermarket Shopping Attitudes Survey TemplateA category-specific attitudinal template focused on supermarket shopping behavior, useful as a reference for needs-based attitude questions but narrower in scope than a general-purpose segmentation model. It's a static template requiring adaptation to other categories rather than a flexible, cross-category segmentation instrument. No interview or follow-up component is present.
What it does well
- Detailed, category-specific attitude statements tailored to supermarket shopping
- Backed by QuestionPro's established survey logic and question library
- Ready to field for grocery/retail-specific research
Where it falls short
- Locked to a single retail category rather than a general, replaceable segmentation framework
- No adaptive AI follow-up or voice interview option to explore reasoning behind trade-off choices
- No automated per-response quality scoring or transparent prompt disclosure
Frequently asked questions
What questions are in the “Market Segmentation & Customer Needs Discovery Survey” template?
The template includes 15 ready-to-use questions, starting with: “Hi! We're trying to better understand the different types of customers we serve so we can serve each of you better. Your…” · “In the last 30 days, how often have you purchased or used (Replace with your product/category, e.g., 'meal-kit delivery…” · “How much do you agree with each statement about how you typically shop in this category?”. The full set is previewed above, and every question is editable.
How long does this survey take to complete?
Respondents typically finish the 15 questions in about 8 minutes.
Can I customize this template?
Yes — every question, answer option, and the ordering is editable before you launch. You can add or remove questions, or ask the AI editor to rework the survey around your research goal.
Is this template free to use?
Yes. Open it in the editor and start customizing right away — no account required to try it, and the free plan covers launching your survey.
Ready to launch?
Open this template in the editor. Every part is yours to change before the first respondent sees it.
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