Your Questions About Market Research and Survey Services, Answered

We work with organisations of all sizes, from early-stage startups validating a product concept to large enterprises commissioning sector-wide intelligence studies and government bodies running policy research. Our approach and pricing are scoped to match your objective and budget, not your company size.

We are multi-industry by design. We have conducted research across Healthcare, FMCG, Technology, BFSI, Manufacturing, Education, Logistics, Retail, Government and Public Sector, and more. Our team understands sector-specific language and respondent profiles, which allows us to design and field surveys that feel native to your industry rather than generic.

Yes. We have experience supporting government-linked research initiatives, including studies on women entrepreneurship, public sector performance, and policy impact evaluation. We design research that meets formal reporting requirements and follows ethical sampling practices appropriate for institutional and government-backed studies.

Yes, this is one of our core strengths. We run mixed-methodology projects where an online survey (quantitative) is paired with in-depth interviews (qualitative) to give you both statistical breadth and nuanced depth in the same engagement. Both workstreams are managed simultaneously to keep the overall project timeline efficient.

Makreo operates as a global research partner with active coverage across multiple regions — the Asian Region, the United States and Canada, Europe, and the Middle East and Africa. We have established respondent networks and field capabilities in each of these markets, enabling us to design and execute cross-border studies or region-specific research with equal rigour. If you have a multi-market requirement, speak with us and we will structure a feasible, coordinated approach.

Absolutely — that is actually the ideal point to involve us. We start every engagement with a discovery conversation to understand your business question and decision context. From there we recommend the right methodology, sample, and questionnaire approach. You do not need a finished questionnaire to get started. We will guide you from brief to field-ready survey design.

Quantitative research uses structured surveys with a statistically significant number of respondents to produce measurable, comparable data — percentages, rankings, scores. It answers questions like "how many," "how often," and "how much."

Qualitative research uses open-ended conversations (like in-depth interviews) with fewer respondents to explore motivations, attitudes, and nuanced perspectives. It answers "why" and "how" questions that numbers alone cannot capture.

Most strategic research decisions benefit from combining both — quantitative for scale and validation, qualitative for depth and context.

An In-Depth Interview (IDI) is a one-on-one qualitative conversation between a trained moderator and a senior professional or subject matter expert, conducted over phone or video call. IDIs are most valuable when you need:

• Nuanced insights from senior decision-makers who won't complete a long survey
• Exploration of complex topics like organisational culture, procurement behaviour, or leadership perceptions
• Early-stage discovery before a larger survey is designed
• Validation of quantitative survey findings with real-world context

Makreo conducts IDIs with a pre-approved moderator guide and provides notes and key insight summaries post-interview.

We are flexible on this. Some clients come with a fully drafted questionnaire, in which case we review it, flag any structural or bias issues, and proceed to fieldwork. Others need us involved from scratch, in which case we design the questionnaire based on the research objectives, sample profile, and expected analysis approach. Either way, the final questionnaire is always reviewed and approved by the client before field execution begins.

We use validated pricing research frameworks depending on your objective:

• Van Westendorp Price Sensitivity Meter: to find the acceptable price range and optimal price point
• Gabor-Granger method: to measure demand at different price points and maximise revenue
• Conjoint analysis: to understand how buyers trade off price against features and attributes

We recommend the right method based on your product, market maturity, and the decision you need to make.

We are platform-flexible. We commonly use Google Forms for studies where the client requires an open, accessible link. We can also work with SurveyMonkey, Typeform, or client-preferred platforms. For studies requiring advanced logic, skip patterns, or embedded response validation, we advise on the most appropriate tool based on your questionnaire complexity.

The right sample size depends on your research type and how you plan to use the data:

• B2B and industry surveys: 80 to 150 validated respondents typically provide statistically reliable findings for most business decisions
• Consumer and B2C surveys: 300 or more respondents are recommended for segment-level analysis
• Concept or product testing: 50 to 100 is often sufficient for directional insight
• IDIs: 5 to 15 interviews depending on the diversity of the target population

We advise on sample size based on your confidence level requirements, margin of error tolerance, and how granular your analysis needs to be.

Our B2B recruitment follows a structured five-step process: industry shortlisting, company identification, respondent mapping by designation and experience, professional outreach and eligibility screening, and profile validation before the survey is shared. We do not use passive panel databases for B2B studies. Every respondent is individually identified and contacted, which is why our response quality is significantly higher than automated panel approaches. Typically, we approach 10 to 15 professionals to secure one fully validated B2B respondent.

Yes, this is a core capability. We have successfully recruited cardiologists, neurologists, hospital procurement teams, women entrepreneurs across specific states, senior government officials, C-suite executives from large enterprises, and food science academicians, among others. If you have a very specific respondent profile in mind, share it with us and we will advise on feasibility and timeline before the project begins.

Yes. As a standard quality control measure, we limit participation to a maximum of 5 respondents per organisation. This ensures your dataset is not skewed by the culture, practices, or biases of a single company, which is especially important for sector-wide or cross-industry studies. This cap is applied by default and is documented in all project reports.

We recruit across all levels depending on the research objective. For B2B and organisational studies, we typically target Senior Manager level and above, with a minimum of 5 years of experience in their current organisation. For IDIs, we focus on C-suite, VP, Director, and functional head profiles. For consumer studies, we recruit according to the demographic and psychographic criteria specified by the client.

Respondent incentives are managed as part of the fieldwork budget. For B2B studies at senior professional levels, the nature and appropriateness of incentives are discussed and agreed upon during the scoping phase. For certain study types, particularly academic or policy research, participation may be voluntary without monetary incentives. We advise on the right incentive structure based on respondent profile and study type.

Costs vary based on several factors — sample size, respondent profile complexity, geography, methodology, and deliverables. As a general reference:

• Online survey with 80 validated respondents: pricing shared on scoping
• In-depth interviews: quoted per IDI based on respondent profile and geography
• Moderation and quality assessment: project-specific
• Project management and reporting: included in total project cost

All projects are quoted individually after a scoping conversation. We provide a detailed cost breakdown with every proposal.

The key cost drivers for any research project are:

• Sample size: more validated respondents means higher recruitment cost
• Respondent profile difficulty: niche professionals (e.g., surgeons, CXOs) require more outreach effort and cost more per validated response
• Methodology: IDIs are priced per interview; mixed-method studies combine both fieldwork costs
• Geography: studies requiring coverage across specific states or cities may have additional coordination costs
• Deliverables: a full analysis report with recommendations costs more than raw data delivery
• Timeline: expedited fieldwork may carry a premium

All costing at Makreo is based on validated respondents only. You are never charged for outreach, partial responses, or profiles that fail screening. The number of professionals we need to approach to deliver your validated sample is absorbed within our fieldwork cost — you pay only for respondents who meet your criteria and have completed a quality-checked response.

Any increase in sample size beyond the agreed scope will be scoped and billed separately at the same per-respondent rate. We will advise on the timeline impact of an increased sample and confirm feasibility before proceeding. We recommend locking the sample size before fieldwork begins to avoid delays and cost revisions mid-project.

Yes. GST at 18% is applicable on all research and consulting services provided by Makreo Research and Consulting. All project proposals include a clear breakdown of the base project cost and the applicable GST amount, so there are no surprises in the final invoice.

A standard quantitative survey project with 80 to 100 validated respondents typically takes 5 to 6 weeks end to end, covering research design, recruitment, fieldwork, validation, analysis, and reporting. Qualitative IDI projects can often be completed in 2 to 3 weeks. Mixed-methodology projects combining both run concurrently and typically conclude within 6 weeks. Timelines are shared in detail at the scoping stage.

Yes. We offer expedited fieldwork for clients with pressing deadlines. Turnaround depends on sample size, respondent profile availability, and questionnaire readiness. Share your deadline with us at the scoping stage and we will confirm whether it is achievable and what, if any, premium applies for accelerated delivery.

Standard deliverables include:

• Validated survey response dataset
• Respondent demographic and profile summary
• Analysis report with findings, charts, and cross-tabulations
• Strategic recommendations and next steps
• IDI notes or summaries (for qualitative components)
• Recruitment status and validation report

Raw data files are available on request. The format — whether a written report, a presentation deck, or a dashboard — is agreed during the scoping phase.

We provide periodic project updates throughout the engagement, typically weekly recruitment status reports showing respondent progress against target. For longer projects, we schedule mid-field check-in calls to discuss any profile adjustments or questionnaire observations. You are never left waiting until the final report to know how the project is progressing.

Our quality framework operates at multiple layers:

• Pre-field screening: only respondents who meet the defined profile criteria are permitted to participate
• Response consistency checks: internal logic checks flag contradictory or suspect responses
• Random validation calls: a percentage of respondents are called to verify participation and profile accuracy
• Duplicate detection: cross-verification of respondent details prevents multiple submissions
• Manual review: incomplete, rushed, or inconsistent responses are identified and excluded before final delivery

Straight-lining (selecting the same answer across all scale questions) is flagged during our post-field quality assessment. Questionnaires are also designed with attention checks, varied scale directions, and open-ended questions that require genuine engagement, making low-effort responses easier to identify and exclude. Response time analysis is also used to catch unusually fast completions.

Yes, completely. All respondent data, research findings, and client briefs are treated as strictly confidential. We do not share, resell, publish, or reuse your proprietary research data under any circumstances. What you commission belongs to you. We are happy to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) at the outset of any engagement upon request.

We provide both. Every project includes a cleaned, validated dataset as the base deliverable. On top of this, we provide an analysis report with cross-tabulations, visualisations, and strategic commentary. The raw respondent-level data file is shared on request in Excel or CSV format, useful if your team wants to run additional internal analysis or feed the data into proprietary models.