Ask useful questions about a proposed price

Start with a clear brief

We are considering a weekly meal-kit box with two meals for two people: four servings in total. The price is $48 including delivery, or $12 per serving. Explore value and stated purchase interest among U.S. adults aged 25–44 who cook dinner at home. Explain any subscription commitment in the final study brief.

Questions you can adapt

Download this questionnaire (editable Markdown). The download contains the same questions and answer options shown below.

1. How likely would you be to buy this weekly box for $48 including delivery?

   Five-point likelihood · Very unlikely; Somewhat unlikely; Neither likely nor unlikely; Somewhat likely; Very likely

   Keeps quantity and delivered price in the question. This is stated purchase interest, not an observed order.

2. How would you rate the value of the box at $48 including delivery?

   Five-point value · Very poor value; Somewhat poor value; Neither poor nor good value; Somewhat good value; Very good value

   Value is a judgment about what is received, which can differ from ability or willingness to buy.

3. How does this total price compare with what you expected?

   Single choice · Much lower; Somewhat lower; About as expected; Somewhat higher; Much higher

   Explores surprise relative to an expectation; it does not identify the maximum acceptable price.

4. Which one factor most affects how you judge the value of this box?

   Single choice · Number of meals and servings; Convenience; Ingredient quality; Menu suitability; Delivery included; None of these

   Identifies one priority from a defined list, so it cannot discover every possible reason without further research.

5. What would be your main reason not to buy the box?

   Single choice · Total price; Portion quantity; Cooking effort; Menu does not fit my needs; Subscription commitment; No reason from this list

   Distinguishes a price concern from a mismatch elsewhere in the offer.

6. How often would this box fit your dinner routine at the stated price?

   Single choice · Every week; Two or three weeks per month; About once a month; Less often; Never

   Connects the purchase setting to a routine. Do not multiply these stated answers into a revenue forecast.

Specify the unit, commitment and alternatives

Per-serving and per-box prices answer different questions. State both where useful, but keep the total payable amount visible. Include delivery, serving sizes, meal count and whether the buyer can skip or cancel. A recurring commitment can change the reaction even when the price is identical.

Before running the example, settle whether the box is a one-off purchase or subscription and explain the terms. Keep all alternatives constant except the variable you intend to investigate. If the cheaper option also has fewer meals, the comparison cannot isolate price.

Read the pattern, not just likely-to-buy

Look at the full response distribution. High perceived value with low purchase interest can indicate that the offer is appealing but irrelevant to the audience or routine. Low value and frequent price objections suggest a different follow-up from low interest caused by unsuitable meals.

Use predefined comparisons to explore whether patterns differ by audience group. Preserve group counts and missing responses. Do not describe a small subgroup difference as a reliable market segment simply because it produces an interesting chart.

Know which pricing question this answers

This template explores reactions to a specified offer. It does not calculate an optimal price, price elasticity or a demand curve. Asking likelihood at several prices is not automatically an implemented Gabor-Granger design, and a few price questions do not create a conjoint analysis.

Simulated stated interest is a starting point for further investigation. Actual purchase behavior, a specialist pricing study or a controlled live offer test may be needed for your decision. Keep costs and commercial constraints alongside the research rather than letting a single survey percentage set the price.

Before you run the study

Check every question and option against your decision. These are editable starting points, not validated instruments. A standard InstaSights study supports up to ten questions; repetitions for alternatives count separately. Confirm the proposed audience and available comparisons in the app. Individual open-ended comments are not included. Simulated responses do not establish what real customers will do.