What Questions Should I Ask in Market Research
The 10 best market research questions in 2026, with examples for AI panels, surveys, and customer interviews. Open-ended and non-leading.
Frequently asked questions
What are the 10 best market research questions?
One, what problem are you trying to solve? Two, what did you try before? Three, what is the most important factor in choosing a solution? Four, what is the strongest objection to switching? Five, what would make you advocate for change? Six, what does success look like? Seven, what is missing from existing options? Eight, how would you describe this category in one sentence? Nine, what would you pay? Ten, when is the right moment to buy?
What questions work best in an AI panel?
Open-ended attitudinal questions. “What is the strongest objection to this ad?” “What do you trust about this brand?” “What does success look like in this role?” The AI panel synthesizes patterns across 15 to 100 personas in parallel, so the question that benefits most is one where you want a response distribution, not a single answer.
What questions are leading and bias the answer?
Three patterns to avoid. One, “do you agree that X is the best solution” (the agreement framing biases positive). Two, “why is X better than Y” (presupposes the answer). Three, “rate X from 1 to 10” without a baseline (no anchor). Replace with open questions, “describe how you decide” or “what factors matter most.”
How do I ask about pricing in market research?
Three honest pricing questions. “At what price would this seem so expensive you would not consider it?” “At what price would this seem so cheap you would question the quality?” “At what price would this seem expensive but you would still consider it?” These are Van Westendorp questions and produce a price-sensitivity range, not a single number.
What questions should I ask in a customer interview?
Six open-ended questions. “Tell me about the last time you bought X.” “What were you trying to accomplish?” “What did you try first?” “What made you decide?” “What almost stopped you?” “If you could change one thing about this category, what would it be?” Open questions, not leading.
How do I ask questions for ad concept testing?
Five questions to run through an AI panel. “What is the strongest objection to this ad?” “What do you trust about it?” “What is missing?” “Would you click?” “Is the value proposition clear in 5 seconds?” The pattern across the panel response distribution tells you what to fix before paid spend.
How do I ask questions for positioning research?
Five questions. “How would you describe our category in one sentence?” “Who is our typical customer?” “What is the main benefit our category delivers?” “What is the strongest objection to our category?” “Who is our biggest competitor and why?” Run through an AI panel for the directional read, then validate the top patterns with 5 customer interviews.
What is the worst market research question?
“Would you buy this if we built it?” People are bad at predicting their own future behavior, and “would you buy” produces a polite-yes that does not translate to real purchases. Replace with “what would you pay” (anchored) or measure real behavioral intent via a fake-door landing page test.
How many questions should I ask per session?
For AI panels, 5 to 10 questions per session. Sharper than 5 misses depth. More than 10 produces fatigue patterns in the responses. For real customer interviews, 6 to 8 open-ended questions in 30 minutes. For surveys, 8 to 12 questions in under 10 minutes to maintain response rates.
How do I sharpen vague research questions?
Three patterns. One, replace nouns with verbs. “What do you think about pricing” becomes “describe how you compare pricing.” Two, anchor in time. “What is the biggest challenge” becomes “what is the biggest challenge this week.” Three, anchor in role. “Describe the buying process” becomes “as a marketing manager, describe how you evaluate.”
