Guides
Screen stated buying interest before behavioral validation
WouldTheyBuy gives a fast directional screen from simulated U.S. consumer responses. A human survey and observed purchases provide stronger, different evidence.
Which kind of purchase-intent evidence do you need?
All three approaches can be useful, but they answer different questions. WouldTheyBuy is the earliest and weakest evidence source in this sequence. It helps choose what deserves the next test; it does not pretend to be a survey of real people.
| Evidence source | What it answers | When it fits | What it cannot establish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Directional simulated screen | How might a broad simulated U.S. consumer panel react to this written offer and price? | Early prioritization while the offer is easy to change | Real respondent opinion, demand, or sales |
| Human purchase-intent survey | How do recruited people say they may respond? | Audience-specific research and formal concept comparison | Guaranteed future behavior |
| Observed purchase behavior | What do people do when they face a real offer and real constraints? | Presales, live conversion tests, checkout, and purchases | Performance outside the tested audience, price, and market conditions |
Where WouldTheyBuy fits
Use it when you can state one consumer offer, intended buyer, differentiator, and approximate price. The report can surface whether the next question is about price, trust, need, audience, or the promise itself.
It does not fit tightly screened audiences, specialist roles, hands-on product experience, or decisions that require evidence from actual people. The current panel is broad, simulated, and U.S.-focused. Read the full panel and benchmark limits.
Example progression
Suppose you are considering a refillable vitamin C serum at $28. A directional screen may surface interest in lower-waste packaging alongside concerns about freshness and refill convenience. A human survey can ask recruited skincare buyers whether those concerns hold and compare concept options. A presale or live offer test can then measure whether people act at $28.
What supports the answer
The screen uses a published approach evaluated against human concept-survey responses, with a narrow U.S. personal-care benchmark. That evidence supports early ranking and question formation, not sales prediction. The synthetic consumer research guide contains the numbers and category limitations so supporting pages do not repeat them out of context.
The next stronger validation step
Choose the uncertainty that could change the decision. Use a recruited product concept survey for stated feedback from real people, a human panel for option or creative feedback, or a presale and live market test for behavior.
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Related guidance
Frequently asked questions
Is WouldTheyBuy a purchase intent survey?+
No. A purchase intent survey asks recruited people how likely they are to buy. WouldTheyBuy simulates survey-style responses to provide an earlier directional screen.
What does the screen tell me?+
It shows a directional buying-interest spread, broad U.S. audience patterns, reasons, concerns, and a suggested next question for one concrete offer and price.
When do I need a human survey?+
Use a human survey when the audience must be screened, the decision needs evidence from actual respondents, or the result must support a costly or formal decision.
What is stronger than stated intent?+
Observed behavior such as a presale, completed checkout, live conversion test, or actual purchase shows what people do under real constraints. It is still context-dependent, but it is closer to demand than a stated response.