Equity Market Participation & Trading Behaviour Survey
Retail and institutional investors evaluate brokerage platforms, weigh trading costs, and navigate product complexity across asset classes, so you can sharpen acquisition targeting, refine pricing tiers, and fix conversion gaps in your onboarding funnel.
CONTEXT & RELEVANCE
Why run this survey now
Most brokers and platforms don't lose retail traders purely on commission rates. They lose them due to platform friction, misread risk appetite, weak onboarding signals, poor product-to-segment fit, and misaligned trading frequency assumptions, none of which fully show up in order flow data or platform engagement dashboards.
If you are...
- Retail brokerage vs discount platform
- Wealth platform targeting first-time investors
- Product head, equities or derivatives
- Revenue lead, retail trading acquisition
- Strategy head, capital markets growth
You're likely facing...
- Activation drop-off: KYC to first trade
- Segment fit confusion: active vs passive traders
- Full-service = costly/slow perception
- Discount brokers = cheap/unsupported perception
- Dormancy spike post-market volatility
This will help answer...
- Participation drivers beyond brokerage cost
- Activation drop-off stage and trigger
- Segment split: active vs passive traders
- Fee sensitivity by trading frequency
- Dormancy causes and reactivation triggers
RESEARCH THEMES
What This Survey Investigates
Eight interconnected research themes that map the complete retail investor journey from market entry to portfolio consolidation.
Market Entry & Triggers
- First-trade activation triggers
- Demat account opening channel
Platform & Broker Choice
- Broker selection criteria, ranked
- Platform switching intent signals
Trading Behaviour & Frequency
- Session frequency, intraday vs. delivery
- Order type usage patterns
Research & Signal Sources
- Pre-trade research channels used
- Analyst report vs. social signal reliance
Pricing & Fee Sensitivity
- Brokerage fee tolerance thresholds
- STT and levy awareness levels
Portfolio & Risk Posture
- Equity allocation as portfolio share
- Loss tolerance and stop-loss discipline
Trust & Regulatory Confidence
- SEBI regulation awareness and sentiment
- Grievance redressal experience
Engagement & Retention Signals
- Platform stickiness and dormancy triggers
- Feature adoption vs. churn intent
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 Equity Market Participation and Trading Behaviour Survey, we recommend a quant-first design with flexible data-collection modes to balance reach, depth, and verification across retail and institutional 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 capital markets space.
Retail investor channel preference & onboarding friction (India)
OBJECTIVE
WHAT WE DID
DELIVERED
Retail investor channel preference & onboarding friction (India)
Active trader product messaging & pricing corridor study (India)
Retail investor channel preference & onboarding friction (India)
OBJECTIVE
A digital-first brokerage needed to isolate why first-time equity investors stalled between account opening and first trade, and how full-service brokers and discount platforms differed in converting hesitant segments.
WHAT WE DID
Ran a structured quant survey across 600 respondents in 8 cities, capturing platform shortlisting criteria , onboarding drop-off triggers , KYC friction points , and first-trade confidence levels by investor tenure and income band.
DELIVERED
A friction map by onboarding stage, a segment framework separating hesitant first-timers from dormant account holders, and a ranked list of platform switching levers by investor profile and city tier.
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 first-time retail investors, active self-directed traders and HNI portfolio holders?
How will you measure platform preference beyond simple ratings?
Will the survey map the full investor onboarding and trading journey and drop-offs?
Can this survey inform product and pricing strategy?
How will findings improve our platform growth and trader activation strategy?
Still have questions?
Schedule a discovery call to discuss your specific needs and get a custom quote.