Market research report template with a survey method, findings and charts

Cobble and Crema runs a coffee cart and is deciding whether to apply for the vacant morning trading permit on the Ashby Junction station forecourt. Before committing to the permit fee and a second cart, it surveyed 210 commuters on the forecourt over ten weekday mornings to find out how often they buy coffee on the way to work, where they buy it now, what they will pay and what would make them switch.

The answer supports the move, with conditions. Almost two thirds of commuters surveyed buy coffee on three or more days a week, and 41 percent of buyers use the station kiosk, which most of them find slow. Speed matters more than price: 47.7 percent of buyers named a shorter wait as the main reason they would switch, against 22.1 percent who named price. A cart that serves in under three minutes at the 7:15 to 8:00 am peak, and takes orders ahead, has room to win.

The research set out to answer four questions, each tied to a decision the business has to make before applying for the permit.

Two interviewers ran a face to face intercept survey on the forecourt from Monday 14 September to Friday 25 September 2026, on all ten weekday mornings between 6:30 and 9:00 am. They approached every third person walking toward the platforms, asked whether the person was commuting to work, and read 12 questions from a tablet. Each interview took about 90 seconds; 210 were completed out of 388 approaches, a response rate of 54 percent.

No names, phone numbers or email addresses were collected. Each person was told who was asking and why, that taking part was voluntary and that they could stop at any time. The survey was run in line with the principles of the market research codes of conduct: honesty about purpose, voluntary participation and no selling under the guise of research. Nobody was offered a free coffee for taking part, to avoid biasing the price questions.

The sample skews toward 25 to 44 year olds, who made up 58.6 percent of respondents, which matches what the interviewers saw on the forecourt. Interviews were spread across the morning, with the most in the 7:15 to 8:00 am peak, when the forecourt is busiest.

Of the 210 commuters, 137 buy coffee on the way to work on three or more days a week, and 75 buy it every working day. Only 38 never buy coffee on the commute. The 172 who buy at least once a week are the market for the cart, and the rest of the findings are based on them.

The station kiosk is the largest single source, used by 71 of the 172 buyers, or 41.3 percent. A further 37.2 percent buy at a cafe near their workplace, 12.8 percent at a petrol station or convenience store, and 8.7 percent elsewhere. Asked about the kiosk, 49 of its 71 customers described the wait as too long, and the median wait they reported was six minutes.

Buyers were asked the most they would pay for a regular flat white from a cart on the forecourt. Just over half, 52.3 percent, would pay $5.00 or more, and the most common band was $5.00 to $5.49. The kiosk currently charges $4.80, so a cart priced at $5.20 would sit above it and inside the range most buyers accept.

The longest wait buyers said they would accept on the way to a train had a median of three minutes. Asked whether they would order ahead by text or app and collect on the way past, 71 of the 172 buyers, or 41.3 percent, said yes, rising to 52 of the 88 interviewed in the 7:15 to 8:00 am peak.

The survey reflects ten mornings in September at one station and may not hold in winter, when more people buy hot drinks, or in school holidays, when commuter numbers fall. Stated willingness to pay is usually higher than what people actually pay, so the price finding should be tested in the first month of trading. People who refused to take part may differ from those who did; refusals were highest in the 7:15 to 8:00 am peak, the group the cart most wants to reach.

The findings are strong enough to apply for the permit, and weak enough on price and season to test before committing to a second cart outright. The steps below keep the commitment staged.

The trial tests the survey against real behaviour. Each measure has a threshold set now, before trading starts, so the decision on a permanent second cart is made on the numbers rather than on how the month felt.