Demat Account Usage & Brokerage Selection Survey
Map how retail investors evaluate platforms, compare brokerage fees, and choose between full-service and discount brokers, so you can sharpen acquisition targeting, refine pricing tiers, and reduce platform churn.
CONTEXT & RELEVANCE
Why run this survey now
Most brokers don't lose demat account holders purely on brokerage fees. They lose them due to platform friction, weak onboarding, poor research support, misaligned product discovery, and unmet service expectations, none of which fully show up in account activation reports or trading volume dashboards.
If you are...
- Full-service broker losing to discount rivals
- Discount broker defending margin pressure
- Product head, demat or trading platform
- Revenue lead, retail brokerage growth
- Strategy head, wealth or capital markets
You're likely facing...
- Activation-to-trading drop-off gap
- Full-service vs discount fit confusion
- Fee sensitivity vs service value tension
- Platform stickiness vs switching risk
- Dormant account reactivation pressure
This will help answer...
- Broker selection drivers beyond fees
- Onboarding-to-first-trade drop-off stage
- Segment preference: full-service vs discount
- Brokerage pricing tolerance by investor type
- Platform switching and retention triggers
RESEARCH THEMES
What This Survey Investigates
Eight interconnected research themes that map the complete demat account holder journey from broker discovery to long-term portfolio engagement.
Discovery & Activation
- First broker touchpoint, channel
- Account opening trigger events
Broker Selection Drivers
- Primary selection criteria ranked
- Discount vs. full-service trade-off
Onboarding & KYC
- KYC completion friction points
- Time-to-first-trade duration
Platform & Tools
- Trading app feature usage frequency
- Charting, screener, research tools
Pricing & Charges
- Brokerage fee sensitivity by segment
- DP charge, STT awareness levels
Usage & Engagement
- Trade frequency, segment mix
- Dormancy triggers, reactivation patterns
Trust & Support
- RM access, grievance resolution speed
- SEBI compliance, fund safety perception
Switching & Loyalty
- Multi-broker holding, primary broker share
- Churn triggers, retention incentives
SAMPLING STRATEGY
Tell us about your ideal sample
Help us understand your target respondent profile. Select what applies, we'll design the optimal sample plan based on your inputs.
METHODOLOGY
Survey approach
For the Demat Account Usage and Brokerage Selection Survey, we recommend a quant-first design with flexible data-collection modes to balance reach, depth, and verification across investor segments.
EXECUTION PROCESS
How we execute
A proven 9-step process from scoping to delivery, designed to ensure quality, speed, and actionable insights.
Define the decision frame
Confirm objectives, target cohorts, geographies, and reporting cuts
Define the decision frame
Design the instrument
Build workstream modules mapped to outputs (drivers, friction, pricing, retention, trust)
Design the instrument
Lock the questionnaire
Review wording, sequencing, LOI, and competitive context; approve final version
Lock the questionnaire
Pilot and calibrate
Test comprehension and ease quality; refine quotas and remove friction where needed
Pilot and calibrate
Run fieldwork
Execute collection with active quota management and feasibility controls
Run fieldwork
Assure quality
Dedupe, attention checks, speed/consistency rules, removals with audit trail
Assure quality
Prepare the dataset
Clean data and deliver codebook/variable definitions
Prepare the dataset
Analyse and synthesise
Driver ranking, leakage diagnostics, pricing bands, segment insights
Analyse and synthesise
Deliver and align
Executive deck (optional dashboard) and leadership readout with recommendations
Deliver and align
COMMERCIAL TERMS
Request a Commercial Proposal
Pricing depends on cohort, geography, sample size, approach, LOI, and deliverables. Configure below for an indicative estimate.
Select Sample Size
Geography
Select Mode of Survey
Length of the Interview
$0.00
+ applicable taxes
Cost Breakdown
Note: Estimate is indicative only. Final pricing is subject to scope finalization after discovery call.
REFERENCE CASELETS
Reference
Real-world examples of survey work in the retail investing and brokerage space.
Retail investor onboarding friction & platform switching (India)
OBJECTIVE
WHAT WE DID
DELIVERED
Retail investor onboarding friction & platform switching (India)
Brokerage brand perception & fee sensitivity among HNI investors (India)
Retail investor onboarding friction & platform switching (India)
OBJECTIVE
A digital-first brokerage needed to isolate why first-year account holders stalled after KYC completion, and what drove platform switching among active traders versus passive SIP investors within 6 months of account opening.
WHAT WE DID
Ran a structured quant survey across 600 respondents in 8 cities, capturing onboarding step completion rates , first-trade latency , feature discovery patterns , and stated reasons for switching or dormancy by investor segment and age cohort.
DELIVERED
A friction map by onboarding stage, a segment-level dormancy framework separating intent-gap from experience-gap cases, and a ranked list of platform feature levers most likely to convert dormant holders into first-trade completers.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Common Questions
Answers to frequently asked questions about this survey mandate.
What decisions will this survey enable?
Who is the buyer vs who are the respondents?
Can we see differences between discount brokers, full-service brokers and bank-linked demat providers?
How will you measure brokerage selection beyond simple ratings?
Will the survey map the full demat account opening journey and drop-offs?
Can this survey inform product and pricing strategy?
How will findings improve our demat account acquisition and activation rates?
Still have questions?
Schedule a discovery call to discuss your specific needs and get a custom quote.