Although online shopping is on the rise, it has not eliminated in-person gift exchanges. People still enjoy the experience of seeing the reactions of their loved ones in the moment.
And tied to many of those gifts are greeting cards. In fact, nine out of every ten households buy greeting cards each year. But with so many to choose from, how do greeting card shoppers decide which to purchase?
Is it price-driven? Quality of the card? The perfect message?
Surveying greeting card shoppers can provide you with measurable insights into these types of questions and more. Learn the step-by-step process our market research company recently used with an online marketplace.
The Challenge
A brand contacted Drive Research in hopes of conducting market research to gain an understanding of consumer sentiment around the greeting cards category at major retailers.
They are an online marketplace that provides independent artists with a forum to sell their designs, without needing access to traditional retailers. Doing so allows these artists to perfect their craft, gain more exposure, and ultimately grow their business.
However, in order to provide these independent artists with greater opportunities, the online marketplace wanted to identify purchasing behaviors and habits around greeting cards.
More specifically, the objectives of the market research included:
- Target consumers’ habits and preferences.
- Target consumers’ brand awareness in the greeting card category.
- Target consumers’ perceptions of and preferences for greeting card brands in major retailers such as Target.
- Target consumers’ perceptions of the client’s greeting cards compared to competitors.
Recommended Reading: 7 Steps to Measuring Brand Awareness
The Solution: Survey Greeting Cards Shoppers
After our market research company learned more about the client’s objectives and challenges, we recommended conducting an online survey with people who often purchase greeting cards.
The online survey allowed the client to ask greeting card shoppers questions such as:
- How much do you typically spend on a greeting card?
- Which of the following retailers have you purchased single greeting cards from (not boxed sets) in the past 12 months? (Select all that apply)
- What brands of greeting cards do you typically buy? (Select all that apply)
- How often do you shop at [store name redacted for client confidentiality]?
- How many greeting cards do you typically purchase within a calendar year?
- Which of the following statements best describes your greeting card purchasing preferences?
- Which attributes are most important to you when purchasing a greeting card?
- Which of the following would you use to describe the greeting cards [store name redacted for client confidentiality] offers, on average?
- Do you have a favorite greeting card brand?
- How would you describe the [insert brand name] brand and its cards?
- When thinking about [insert brand name], which words best describe your perception of the greeting card brand?
While there are several types of market research, the online marketplace was looking for measurable data that could be collected quickly and cost-effectively. Therefore, a survey of consumers became the obvious choice.
The Approach to Surveying Greeting Card Buyers
1. Kickoff meeting
Every market research project should start with an introductory or kickoff meeting.
In doing so, it assures both parties (the client and the market research company) are on the same page.
Our kickoff meetings typically last a half hour. We like to focus the conversation on learning about key objectives, must-have questions, areas to avoid, and more.
2. Survey design and programming
After learning about the greeting card company’s objectives, the Drive Research team drafted a 35-question survey. It included best practice questions as well as questions unique to the client’s requirements.
We sent the survey for approval by the greeting card company. Upon their approval, we programmed the questionnaire and prepared it for fieldwork.
3. Surveying the targeted audience
The online marketplace wanted to gather insights from a unique type of consumer, not just the general public.
The criteria for the awareness and perception survey included:
- Consumers across the U.S.
- Purchases greeting cards at a specific retailer
- Aware of the client’s greeting cards, measured by aided awareness
- Willingness to spend $2+ on greeting cards, screening out price-sensitive shoppers (those that only purchase the $.0.99 cards)
- Household income of $75,000 or more
- Primarily women
- A mix of Millenials and Gen Z with some samples from Gen X and Boomers
The goal was to earn 100 survey responses from this specific audience. Drive Research utilized a third-party panel vendor to achieve maximum results.
4. Reporting and analysis
Our market research company offers clients a variety of reporting options based on any budget.
For this project, the online marketplace for independent artists chose a reporting package that featured the following components.
- Online portal with question by question results
- Exportable into Excel, PDF, PowerPoint, and Word
- An analysis of the data by the Drive Research team (a simple email recap of key points in a bullet point format), which also includes coding/text analytics of open-ends
Results of the Online Consumer Survey
For the sake of confidentiality, the specific findings and insights from the survey remain private with the online marketplace. However, the client was extremely satisfied with our process.
They plan to use the data to better position their brand within major retailers and stand out against competitors. As a result, they will better be able to provide independent artists with profitable opportunities.
Key details of the greeting card shopper survey included:
- From signing the proposal to delivering the report, the market research project was completed in four weeks
- 106 responses (the client’s goal was 100 responses)
- The online survey took respondents an average of 10 minutes to complete
- The market research provided the client with measurable insights into the purchasing behaviors and opinions of their target consumers
Conduct an Online Survey with Drive Research
Drive Research is a full-service market research company. Our team specializes in quantitative and qualitative methodologies, including online surveys. Based on our years of experience, we provide our clients with best-practice survey design, programming, fieldwork, and reporting.
To learn more about our services, contact Drive Research today.
- Message us on our website
- Email us at [email protected]
- Call us at 888-725-DATA
- Text us at 315-303-2040
Emily Carroll
A SUNY Cortland graduate, Emily has taken her passion for social and content marketing to Drive Research as the Marketing Manager. She has earned certificates for both Google Analytics and Google AdWords.
Learn more about Emily, here.
