Consumer Survey Company in India - Purchase Behaviour, Retail & Shopper Insights, Pricing, and Brand Perception

Makreo Research conducts custom consumer surveys and primary research across India to help businesses understand consumer behaviour, purchase decisions, pricing, brand perception and product-market fit. We design and execute quantitative and qualitative research using online surveys, CATI, face-to-face interviews, focus groups and targeted respondent sampling.

Studied 15,000+ Consumers  

Businesses across consumer goods, fashion and apparel, beauty and personal care, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, retail, e-commerce, food and beverage, wellness and other consumer-facing categories rely on us for direct evidence from their target market.

Need 500, 1,000 or 5,000+ respondents? Need a specific age, income, city, product-user or buyer profile? We design the research around your target audience and business objective.

Request a Consumer Survey Proposal

Questions our consumer and retail surveys answer:

• Who are the most relevant consumers or shoppers for a product or category?

• What influences their purchase decision, brand choice or retailer selection?

• How frequently do they purchase, use or switch between products and brands?

• What price, pack, product features or value proposition are most relevant to the target customer?

• Which cities, consumer segments, retail formats or channels should a business evaluate?

• What prevents consumers from trying, purchasing or repeatedly buying a product?

• How do consumers perceive a brand or product compared with competing alternatives?

• Is a new product, concept or market proposition aligned with actual consumer needs?

• What do retailers, distributors and shoppers say about a category, product or channel?

These questions apply whether a company is evaluating a fashion category, beauty product, FMCG brand, pharmaceutical or healthcare product, retail format, e-commerce proposition, food product or another consumer-facing market.

Consumer Survey and Research Services in India

A consumer survey is most useful when it is designed around a specific business decision rather than a generic questionnaire.

Makreo conducts consumer surveys in India to generate primary evidence on what consumers know, prefer, purchase, pay for, experience and recommend.

Consumer Research Areas:

• Consumer behaviour and purchase-journey research

• Consumer segmentation and persona mapping

• Brand awareness, brand perception and brand tracking

• Customer satisfaction and Net Promoter Score research

• Pricing and willingness-to-pay research

• Product and concept testing, and new product assessment

• Market-entry and competitive research

• Channel and purchase-point research

• Repeat purchase and switching behaviour

• Consumer panel research

The respondent profile, sample size, questionnaire and methodology are determined by the research objective and the decision the client needs to support, not a fixed template.

What Does a Consumer Survey Company Do?

A consumer survey company designs and conducts primary research that collects structured information directly from a defined target population. Unlike secondary research, which analyses existing information, consumer surveys generate new evidence from consumers or other defined respondents.

Depending on the objective, a study typically follows this process:

Research objective → Target respondents → Sample design → Questionnaire → Fieldwork → Data validation → Analysis → Business recommendations

Retail and Shopper Survey in India

Retail research is a distinct area of research focused on shoppers, retailers, distributors, stores, retail formats and purchasing channels.

A retail survey can help businesses understand how consumers shop, where purchases take place, how retailers and channels perform, and which factors influence store or channel selection.

Makreo conducts retail and shopper research for businesses evaluating retail formats, channels, locations, shopper behaviour and category performance.

What Does Retail Research Examine?

Retail research can examine:

• Shopper behaviour and store selection

• Retailer and retail-format preference

• Online versus offline purchasing

• Marketplace, D2C and quick-commerce behaviour

• Channel preference

• Product availability

• Price perception at the shelf

• Brand visibility

• Promotional effectiveness

• Category preferences

• Purchase frequency by channel

• Repeat purchase and switching behaviour

• Retailer and distributor satisfaction

Depending on the research objective, retail studies can involve shopper surveys, retailer interviews, distributor interviews, store visits, retail audits and channel research.

What Does a Retail Market Research Company Do?

A retail market research company helps businesses understand the retail environment and the behaviour of shoppers and channel participants.

Typical questions include:

• Who is shopping, and where do they shop?

• What influences store or channel selection?

• What products and brands are being purchased?

• Why does a shopper choose a particular retailer or channel?

• How do shoppers perceive price and value?

• How does product availability affect purchase?

• What influences repeat purchase and switching?

• How do retailers and distributors perceive the category, products and suppliers?

For fashion and apparel, for example, Makreo's research has examined store and channel selection, online-versus-offline behaviour, price sensitivity, private-label consideration and repeat-purchase drivers across organised retail, quick commerce and D2C. 

What Consumer Surveys Can Measure

Consumer Behaviour and Purchase Journey

Consumer research can track category awareness, usage, purchase frequency and purchase occasions across the journey from awareness to consideration, trial, purchase, repeat purchase and advocacy.

Research can identify where consumers drop off, what triggers trial, what prevents purchase and what influences switching between brands or products.

Consumer Segmentation

Segmentation research can group consumers using variables such as:

• Age

• Income

• Geography and city tier

• Lifestyle

• Usage behaviour

• Purchase frequency

• Product experience

• Brand preference

• Price sensitivity

The objective is to identify meaningful differences in consumer behaviour, rather than relying only on demographic profiles.

Pricing and Willingness to Pay

Pricing research can assess:

• Acceptable price ranges

• Price sensitivity

• Perceived value

• Willingness to pay

• Price-pack trade-offs

• Feature-price trade-offs

Depending on the research objective, methodologies such as the Van Westendorp Price Sensitivity Meter and Gabor-Granger can be used.

Product and Concept Testing

Product and concept research can evaluate:

• Product awareness

• Feature preferences

• Consumer reactions

• Competitive perceptions

• Purchase intent

• Adoption barriers

• Product-market fit

This can support decisions before launch, during product development or after a product has entered the market.

Brand Perception and Tracking

Brand research can measure:

• Brand awareness

• Brand consideration

• Brand preference

• Brand associations

• Customer satisfaction

• Net Promoter Score

• Switching behaviour

• Competitor perceptions

Repeat studies can be used to track how these measures change over time.

Consumer Survey Methodologies

The appropriate methodology depends on the target respondents, research objective, geographic coverage, sample requirement and information required.

Online Consumer Surveys

Online quantitative surveys can be used to reach defined consumer groups and collect structured responses at scale.

They can examine:

• Consumer preferences

• Purchase behaviour

• Brand awareness

• Pricing

• Product concepts

• Customer satisfaction

• Channel preferences

• Purchase intent

CATI Surveys

Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) can be used when telephone-based primary research is appropriate for the target respondent group.

CATI research can support structured consumer and customer surveys where respondent screening and controlled questionnaires are required.

Face-to-Face and CAPI Consumer Surveys

Personal interviews can be useful where direct interaction with respondents is required or where the target audience is better reached through offline fieldwork.

These surveys can be designed for selected cities, locations, consumer segments or product categories.

Focus Groups and In-Depth Interviews

Qualitative research can provide deeper context behind quantitative findings.

Focus groups and in-depth interviews can explore:

• Consumer motivations

• Perceptions

• Needs

• Attitudes

• Product reactions

• Brand associations

• Purchase barriers

• Unmet needs

Qualitative findings can also be combined with quantitative surveys when a study requires both breadth and depth.

Consumer Panels and Product Testing

Consumer panels can support repeated measurement of consumer attitudes, preferences and behaviour.

Product and concept testing can evaluate consumer responses to new products, features, packaging, positioning or concepts.

Proven Consumer and Retail Survey Case Studies

India Protein Supplements Market Entry - Product-Market Fit for a US Brand

A US active-nutrition brand with an established whey, plant-protein and creatine portfolio was assessing India as a potential growth market, and needed to understand price sensitivity, fragmented routes to market and consumer concerns around product authenticity.

Study at a glance -

• 1,800+ consumer surveys across India

• Segmentation by fitness behaviour, age, gender, income, dietary preference, supplement experience and city tier

• 15+ industry expert interviews

• Competitive benchmarking of product portfolios, price-per-serving and channel presence

• TAM-SAM-SOM market-sizing framework combined with consumer and expert research

What the research revealed -

Addressable demand varied by consumer segment rather than following overall category size. Purchase drivers differed across muscle gain, recovery, everyday protein intake, convenience and vegetarian nutrition. Trust and authenticity perceptions also influenced preferred formats and price points.

The research supported a phased market-entry approach focused on selected cities and channels.

Read the full case study

Vietnam Packaged Food Market Entry - Consumer, Retail and Regulatory Intelligence

An Egypt-based packaged food manufacturer evaluating Vietnam required consumer, retail and regulatory intelligence before entering the market. The study combined 500 consumer surveys, 100 interviews with brand representatives and sales heads, and 100 retailer interviews, alongside research into sustainable-packaging requirements.

The consumer research examined the gap between stated interest in sustainable packaging and actual purchase readiness after considering factors such as price, shelf life and label familiarity. Retailer and distributor interviews provided additional evidence on packaging durability, shelf presentation and supplier reliability.

The research provided inputs for evaluating consumer acceptance, retail requirements, packaging considerations and market-entry priorities.

India Beauty and Personal Care - Premiumisation Across City Tiers

Makreo's research examined consumers, brands, distributors, and organised and independent salon chains across metro, Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. The study covered premiumisation, technology-led personalisation, organised beauty formats and omnichannel purchasing behaviour.

The research generated consumer and channel-level insights relevant to premium skincare, men's grooming, digital beauty diagnostics and salon expansion, helping businesses assess differences across consumer segments and city tiers.

Fashion and Apparel Retail - Research Across a Fragmented Category

Fashion and apparel is a highly fragmented retail category, with purchasing spread across organised and unorganised trade, ethnic and western wear, physical stores, marketplaces and D2C channels.

Makreo conducts consumer and retail research in the category to examine store and channel selection, online-versus-offline purchasing behaviour, price sensitivity, private-label consideration and repeat-purchase drivers.

Research can be scoped around specific commercial decisions such as new-city launches, retail expansion, channel-mix changes, product positioning and shopper behaviour.

Consumer Survey Applications Across Industries

Consumer surveys provide primary evidence when businesses need to make decisions around:

• Which consumer segments to target

• Which cities or markets to prioritise

• What consumers are willing to pay

• Which product features matter

• Why consumers choose or reject a product

• How consumers perceive a brand

• Which channels influence purchase

• What prevents trial or repeat purchase

• How consumers compare competing brands

• Whether a product or concept has market fit

The specific research questions, respondent profile, sample size and methodology vary by industry and business objective. The value of the research depends on how well the design connects respondent data to the business decision.

Industries We Serve -

• Consumer Goods and CPG Companies - consumer preferences, purchase drivers, brand perception, pricing, product testing and product-market fit

• Fashion and Apparel Companies - purchase behaviour, price sensitivity, brand preference, online versus offline shopping and retail-channel selection

• Beauty and Personal Care Companies - product preferences, premiumisation, brand perception, purchase drivers, salon behaviour and consumer adoption

• Food and Beverage Companies - consumption behaviour, product preferences, pricing, purchase occasions, brand choice and new-product testing

• Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals and Wellness Companies - awareness, product preference, affordability, adoption behaviour and consumer needs, where primary consumer research fits the category

• Retail and E-commerce Companies - shopping behaviour, category preferences, channel selection, customer experience, store or format preference and purchase journeys - see Retail and Shopper Research below

• BFSI Companies - financial product awareness, customer preferences, purchase considerations and service experience

• Startups and Emerging Brands - product validation, target-segment identification, consumer feedback and early-stage product-market fit

• Large Corporations - specialised consumer studies, large respondent samples and multi-city or multi-country research

• SMEs - structured consumer or retail evidence without maintaining an in-house research function

Whether the requirement is a consumer survey, shopper study, retail survey or broader primary research programme, Makreo designs the research around the target respondents, business question, geography and decision to be supported.

Discuss Your Survey Requirement

Frequently Asked Questions 

What does a consumer survey company do? 

A consumer survey company designs and runs primary research studies that collect structured data directly from consumers or retail-side stakeholders, covering attitudes, preferences, purchase behaviour, price sensitivity and brand perception, then turns the responses into market intelligence a business can act on.

Can you conduct retail surveys in India?

Yes. Retail and shopper research can include retailer interviews, shopper surveys, store audits and channel research. These can be conducted alongside consumer-side fieldwork when a study needs to examine both the consumer and retail environment..

How much does a consumer survey cost in India? 

Cost depends on sample size, respondent profile, geographic coverage, methodology, questionnaire length, incidence rate and reporting depth. A focused product-validation study has different requirements from a multi-city survey covering several demographic or behavioural segments. A research agency can give an accurate estimate once it understands the research objective and target respondents.

How many respondents do I need for a consumer survey? 

There is no single sample size that fits every study. The requirement depends on the target population, research objective, geographic coverage, respondent incidence, desired segmentation and the level of statistical confidence needed. Comparisons across cities, age groups or income segments generally need larger samples.

Can you conduct consumer surveys across Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities? 

Yes. Makreo designs a multi-city report covering metro, Tier 2 and Tier 3 India, with sample design adjusted for the respondent incidence and behaviour typical of each city tier.

Can you conduct surveys for a specific consumer profile, such as 500, 1,000 or 5,000 respondents? 

Yes. Studies can be scoped to a defined respondent profile by age, income, geography, product usage or purchase frequency, and sized to 500, 1,000, 5,000 or more respondents depending on the research objective.

What survey methodologies does Makreo use? 

Depending on the research requirement, methodologies include online surveys, CATI, face-to-face and CAPI interviews, focus groups, qualitative interviews, consumer panels, concept testing and product testing.

How do you validate consumer survey responses?

Data quality checks include duplicate-response detection, response-time checks, logical consistency checks, screening validation, straight-line response identification and open-ended response review.

Which company provides consumer market surveys in India? 

Makreo Research & Consulting provides consumer and retail survey services in India, combining primary research, quantitative surveys, qualitative interviews and market intelligence, scoped around specific business requirements such as segmentation, pricing, product validation or market entry.

Get Your Research Scoped 

If a business decision depends on understanding what consumers or retailers think, prefer, purchase or experience, the starting point is defining the evidence required to support that decision.

Makreo Research works from the business question backwards, defining the respondent profile, methodology, sample design, fieldwork approach and analytical framework required to produce decision-ready findings.

A scoped research plan covering methodology, respondent profile and expected deliverables can typically be prepared within 48 hours of receiving the research objective.

Contact Makreo Research with your research objective

Makreo Research provides global market intelligence reports, consulting services, and consumer market survey solutions across industries including consumer products and retail, logistics, BESS, solar energy, FMCG, and healthcare.

To discuss your consumer survey requirement, contact [email protected].