Sample Size Is Important

Asking consumers to participate in a short set of questions after an amazing event can be a downer sometimes. Why can’t we just have a great time with our consumers, show them we love them, hand them some great free stuff and let them go on their way to be our most loyal customers the rest of our lives? But it’s incredibly important to participate and collect accurate sample size results.

Why sample size is important?

At PortMA, we use the data collected during events to provide recommendations to our clients. We need statistical significance to do this, and you can only get that from a solid sample size. The bigger the better! The more responses we have, the more confident we are to provide recommendations to clients.

What is a strong sample size in experiential measurement?

At PortMA, we like to work with a sample size of at least 350 to 400 surveys per market. Why that number? Because it allows our teams to generalize the overall results with a comfortable level of confidence. It also lets us provide insights and direction on specific sub-segments. (Example below)

• Want to know how women in California are responding to your new brand of organic baby food compared to women in Texas? With 350 responses in each market, we can tell you!
• Want to know how males, 25 – 35 years old, like your brand of razors compared to males in other age groups? With 350 male responses, we can do that.

I don’t want the 350 per segment rule to be a definitive limit. With data, more is better! Just know that we can get you where you want to be with at least 350 responses from your loyal customer base.

Conclusion

The next time your friendly PortMA research manager recommends a sample size per segment for your next research project, I can promise you now it didn’t come from the fortune cookie they got with their lunch.

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