Qualitative surveys - deep insight without groupthink
Perfect for FMCG brands: rich, nuanced insights from dozens of real shoppers — in days, not weeks.
What is a qualitative survey?
A qualitative survey is designed to get open, thoughtful feedback — not just tick-boxes. We ask carefully worded, open-ended questions that shoppers can answer in their own time.
Unlike focus groups, you’re not limited to a few voices — you hear from 30–50 people, in their own words.
Why not just do groups?
Focus groups feel familiar. But they’re not always the best fit. They can be slow, expensive, and limited to a handful of voices.
Our surveys are different. They’re fast, focused, and tap into 30–50 real shoppers — giving you richer insights that are easier to act on.
In short:
📊 Larger, more diverse sample
⏱️ Faster and easier to run
📝 Quotable, written responses
💬 Perfect for when you need qual insight without the qual baggage
When to use a qualitative survey?
Anytime you want to understand why shoppers behave, think or feel the way they do — in their own words.
Our qualitative surveys are ideal for:
🧪 Testing pack designs or on-pack messages
Understand what shoppers like, dislike — or why they prefer one over another.
💡 Exploring early-stage product ideas
See which ideas resonate, which feel confusing, and which generate real interest.
🎯 Uncovering needs, triggers and tensions
Get a feel for the moments or motives behind behaviour — in real shoppers' words.
📢 Evaluating comms, ads or claims
Learn what cuts through and what misses the mark — quickly and at scale.
🔍 Adding depth to a usage & attitude study
Layer rich qual insight on top of your quant data, without the wait for focus groups.
In short: when you want more than tick-boxes — but don’t have time or budget for rounds of qual.
What Do the Results Look Like?
You get a clear summary — but also the full verbatim comments from every shopper.
So you can read exactly what people said. No need to sit through hours of transcript or attend a focus group.
What makes us different
We’re pretty sure we’re the only agency doing qualitative surveys like this — and there’s a reason why.
Traditional qual agencies don’t want to offer faster, cheaper, simpler methods.
And quant agencies don’t know how to make open questions work.
We sit in the gap — and turn it into an edge. Here’s how we’re different:
🧪 Built-for-purpose method
This isn’t a quant survey with open ends. It’s a purpose-built tool to capture what people really think, in their own words — from 30 to 50 real shoppers.
🎯 Qual insight, quant scale
You get depth, nuance and pattern — without relying on just 6 people in a Zoom room.
💬 Questions that get answers
We’ve developed a style that prompts clarity and candour. Responses are easy to quote — and worth quoting.
⚡ Fast, lean and efficient
No moderators. No transcripts. No long debriefs. You get sharp insight in a few days, ready to act on.
📂 Easy to use, easy to share
We deliver the insight in a format that works — for decks, internal presentations or your next board meeting.
What clients say
✅ SPAR NI
“This method works really well. It gives us just what we would have expected from focus groups.”
— David Bird, Research & Insights Manager
✅ Thornton & Ross
“I used this technique with some hesitation at first. But I was pleasantly surprised at the depth of the results. It was a cost-effective option and results were turned around quickly.”
— Jo Marshall, Head of Insight
✅ Pollen + Grace
“This helped us identify crucial customer insights, which ensured a successful launch of our salad boxes in the market.”
— Stephanie Johnson, Co-Founder
Case Study : Pollen + Grace
The challenge
Pollen + Grace, a premium vegan meal box brand, wanted to optimise their go-to-market strategy for a new range of salad boxes. They knew the right mix of branding and on-pack messaging would be key — balancing health credentials with appetite appeal and shelf standout.
But they needed more than just a handful of opinions. They needed a scaled, real-world view of which messages would connect with health-minded shoppers — not just committed vegans.
Our approach
We recruited 60 fresh-meal consumers who were health-conscious, curious about plant-based options, and regular shoppers in the chilled meals aisle.
Our qualitative survey explored:
What the brand story meant to different shoppers
Appetite appeal vs. health messaging — which felt stronger?
Preferences for FOP and BOP messaging: from provenance and sourcing to RDAs and food sensitivities
We started broad — exploring the category — and narrowed in on preferred descriptors, taglines, and messaging priorities.
The outcome
Pollen + Grace came away with:
A clear view of which messages to lead with on-pack
A confident brand narrative that resonated beyond vegans
Insightful shopper quotes to bring their decks to life
The difference
✅ Scale and context – 60 real consumers
✅ Emotional depth – not just what they liked, but why
✅ Live adaptive research – we built on early signals in real time