Imagine you’ve spent months developing a new product or service, and the time has finally come to launch it in the market. You might expect the product to receive wide interest from customers, but the reality could be very different, and no one may pay attention to your new product or service. This outcome is common among companies that skip the survey phase and fail to gather audience feedback before launch. Therefore, it becomes crucial to collect accurate information about customer needs and expectations to ensure that the new product or service meets their requirements and achieves real success before investing time and resources.
At BSure, we believe that understanding your customers before launch is not optional—it is a necessary step for the success of any product or service. By asking the right questions and collecting feedback accurately, companies can make informed decisions and offer products or services that effectively meet market expectations.
In this article, we discuss the concept and benefits of a new product or service testing survey, as well as the 20 most important questions to ask before launch, along with the purpose of each question. We also outline best practices for analyzing results and how to leverage them to improve the product or service and ensure market success.
What is New Product or Service Testing Survey?
A new product or service testing survey is a research tool aimed at collecting feedback from potential customers about a product or service before its official launch. This survey allows you to gauge customer interest, evaluate features, measure willingness to purchase or subscribe, and understand any concerns or reservations they may have.
Benefits of Conducting a Pre-Launch Survey:
1. Determine actual demand for the product or service: Avoid developing something the market does not need.
2. Improve product design or service delivery: Based directly on customer suggestions.
3. Estimate the appropriate price or cost: Understand customers’ willingness to pay a certain amount.
4. Evaluate the potential user experience or service: Before the product or service reaches customers.
5. Reduce financial and business risks: Minimize the likelihood of costly failure after launch.
What can be lost if the product or service is launched without a survey?
Launching a product that does not meet customer needs.
Significant investment of time, effort, and money with no benefit.
Loss of trust between customers and the company.
Difficulty correcting the product or service post-launch due to unclear expectations.
9 Core Sections of a Pre-Launch Survey:
This guide presents the main categories and questions to ask customers before launch, including 20 key questions with explanations to ensure accurate and effective data collection that supports well-informed decisions:
1. Assessing Interest and Excitement
How excited are you about our new product or service? Would you be willing to try it?
Purpose: Measure customer enthusiasm and readiness to try.
2. How interested are you in a new product or service that provides [insert feature/benefit]?
Purpose: Identify the most attractive features or benefits for customers.
2. Understanding Problems and Needs
3. Does the product or service solve your problem effectively?
Purpose: Ensure the product or service delivers real value to the user.
4. What current challenges are you facing that a new product or service could solve?
Purpose: Identify the problems that should be addressed.
3. Product or Service Development and Improvement
5. What changes would you like to see added to this product or service?
Purpose: Collect customer suggestions to improve the product or service before launch.
6. What features or benefits would you like to see in a new product or service?
Purpose: Identify functional priorities and the most demanded attributes.
7. What is your opinion of the design concept of the new product or service?
Purpose: Evaluate overall design and user experience from the customer perspective.
8. What is the most essential feature or characteristic for the new product or service?
Purpose: Identify core priorities to ensure customer satisfaction.
4. Pricing and Value Assessment
9. How much would you be willing to pay for a product or service with [insert feature]?
Purpose: Understand the value customers place on the product or service to set an appropriate price.
10. How much do customers usually pay for a product or service like this?
Purpose: Compare with the market and determine a pricing strategy.
5. Purchase Likelihood and Readiness to Try
11. On a scale of 1 to 10, how likely are you to purchase this product or subscribe to this service when available?
Purpose: Measure actual purchase or subscription intent.
12. Would you be willing to participate in a trial or pilot of this new product or service?
Purpose: Test engagement and willingness to interact with the product or service before the official launch.
6. Understanding Concerns and Reservations
13. What concerns or reservations do you have about this new product or service?
Purpose: Identify potential obstacles to purchase or subscription.
14. Do you have any doubts or hesitations regarding the product or service?
Purpose: Determine psychological or practical barriers that may prevent engagement.
7. Market and Competitor Comparison
15. Compared to the products or services you currently use or are familiar with, how does our product or service appear?
Purpose: Evaluate competitive advantage.
16. How does the concept of the new product or service compare to existing solutions in the market?
Purpose: Understand differences between the new offering and competitors’ solutions to identify strengths and weaknesses.
8. Marketing and Customer Reach Channels
17. Which marketing channels (e.g., social media, email, TV, etc.) are most likely to make you notice information about the product or service?
Purpose: Identify the most effective channels to reach the target audience.
18. If you were responsible, how would you promote this product or service?
Purpose: Gather direct marketing ideas from customers.
9. Factors Influencing Purchase or Subscription Decisions
19. What factors could influence your decision to buy the product or subscribe to the service?
Purpose: Identify potential motivators and barriers.
20. What price do you consider appropriate for this product or service?
Purpose: Ensure alignment between price, customer expectations, and perceived value.
Top 6 Best Practices for Analyzing Survey Results:
Analyzing survey data is the central part of the process after collecting responses. It’s not enough to gather information; it must be converted into actionable insights that support informed decisions. The key practices are:
Segment data by categories:
Organize results by age, gender, location, purchasing behavior, or, in the case of B2B, the client’s sector. This helps understand differing customer preferences and identify the most interested segments.
Focus on general trends:
Avoid getting lost in individual details or rare comments; concentrate on recurring trends. These indicators are the most telling of what the market truly wants.
Use charts and graphs:
Visual analysis simplifies complex data, highlights differences and patterns, and makes results easier to understand and discuss with development and marketing teams.
Identify key performance indicators (KPIs):
Link survey results to measurable indicators, such as purchase likelihood, satisfaction, and willingness to pay. This makes tracking post-launch performance easier.
5. Look for strengths and weaknesses:
Focus on comments highlighting what differentiates the product from competitors and areas needing improvement. This helps enhance the product before the official launch and deliver real value.
Repeat surveys after launch:
Conduct follow-up surveys after a period to evaluate customer satisfaction and identify ongoing improvement opportunities. This strengthens customer relationships, demonstrates that the company values their opinions, and uncovers new issues or features to develop later.
Conclusion:
A pre-launch survey is a strategic step to ensure product alignment with customer expectations and reduce risks. Launch your product or service confidently, achieve customer satisfaction from day one, and benefit from continuous improvement based on real and reliable data. This gives you an edge over competitors and increases your chances of rapid and effective market success.
Start today with BSure: Collect your customers’ opinions accurately and turn them into strategic decisions that ensure your product or service succeeds from the very first day.
