Quantitative Research Methods: How to Choose & Apply the Right Approach
The harsh truth is 32% of Indian startups fail because they build products nobody wants. Another 15% get the pricing wrong, according to GrabOn Startup Statistics 2025. Both problems have the same root cause: poor research or no research done at all. The startups that make it past? They test their assumptions with quantitative research methods before committing resources. They validate demand, test price points, and confirm feature priorities using actual numbers from real potential customers.
This guide teaches you how to choose and apply the right quantitative research methods for your business. Everything here is practical, tested, and built for Indian businesses.
What is Quantitative Research?
Quantitative research methods collect and analyze numbers to answer business questions. Unlike qualitative research that explores opinions, quantitative research gives you measurable proof you can act on.
Here’s an example: “How do you feel about our pricing?” This gets you to give your opinions. “On a scale of 1-10, how likely are you to buy at ₹999?” gets you data. One is a conversation. The other is evidence you can measure, compare, and use to predict what happens next.
The difference between Quantitative and Qualitative Research
Qualitative research answers “why” questions. It captures emotions and motivations through words and observations – “Why did users click? What made them choose that red button?”
Whereas Quantitative research answers “how many” questions. It uses numbers and statistics. For example, “60% of users clicked the red button.”
Smart research uses both. Numbers show what’s happening and words explain why it matters.
Want to learn more? Read: Qualitative vs Quantitative Research: How to Choose the Right Approach
4 Main Types of Quantitative Research Methods
Selecting from various quantitative research methods means understanding different research designs. Here’s what works for most Indian startups, SMEs, and academic researchers:
1. Descriptive Research:
This quantitative research answers the question “what is happening” right now with numbers.
Use this when: You’re sizing your market, understanding customer demographics, mapping behavior patterns, making market entry decisions, or prioritizing which features to build.
Real example: A fashion brand surveyed 1,000 women before launching their new beauty line. The data told them exactly which features mattered and what price point worked. Product launched successfully.
2. Correlational Research:
This shows relationships between variables. It doesn’t prove cause and effect, but it shows patterns worth investigating. Like noticing that customers who use feature X also tend to renew more often.
Use this when: You want to find relationships between metrics, optimize what you’ve already built, understand customer behavior, or figure out what matters most.
Real example: A researcher studied how fake news affected Indian voters during elections. Surveyed 500 people. Found clear patterns between misinformation exposure and voting choices.
3. Experimental Research
It works on the golden rule: “testing before you launch.” Just change one thing, and measure the result. One of the simplest examples is the greatest A/B test- version A vs version B, which wins?
Use this when: You need proof something works before rolling it out everywhere. Perfect for A/B testing, pricing experiments, conversion optimization, and feature launches.
4. Quasi-Experimental Design
It’s an experiment where you compare two or more variables, you don’t have full control but it still gives you useful answers.
Use this when: Perfect A/B testing isn’t possible but you still need to measure impact. Great for regional rollouts, pricing changes, marketing campaigns, or when business reality gets messy.
What Are the Steps to Choose the Right Quantitative Research Method?
Follow this framework to pick appropriate quantitative research methods for your needs:
Step 1 - Define Your Research Question
Get specific. “Should we expand to Pune?” is too vague. Try: “What percentage of Pune’s target demographic would pay ₹999/month for our service?” that you can measure.
Step 2 - Assess Budget & Resources
Be true to what you can really spend. Start with free tools like Google Forms, GA, and as your business expands, move to simple A/B testing tools. When you feel your entity can afford taking help outside, you can take help from research experts.
Step 3 - Select Data Collection Method
Decide the quantitative data method based on your findings. Suppose, if you are sizing your market, use surveys or public data. Testing a feature? Run A/B experiments. To understand user behavior, track analytics data. ThinkSurvey is great when you need quick, targeted insights from specific customer groups.
Step 4 - Determine Sample Size
Figure out how many responses you need. Let’s say for most startup decisions, 200-400 responses give you 95% confidence with a ±5% error margin.
India’s diversity matters here. A Bangalore sample doesn’t represent Bhopal. Break your sample across regions if you’re targeting multiple markets. ThinkSurvey’s geographic targeting helps, you can request participants from tier-1, tier-2, or tier-3 cities based on your plans.
Step 5 - Analyze & Apply Insights
You don’t need any fancy degrees; Excel and Google Sheets work fine in quantitative research methodology. Calculate averages, create pivot tables, and look for clear patterns. Focus on findings from numbers and use them to make strong decisions.
Each quantitative research design gives different types of insights, helping startups make smart decisions faster.
Quantitative Data Collection Methods: Practical Tools for Researchers
As now you know how to choose the right quantitative research method, the next step is to figure out how to collect the data. Here are the most practical options for Indian startups:
Surveys & Questionnaires
The easiest way to start. Google Forms is absolutely free for everyone. But here’s the problem most founders hit: finding people to take your survey.
Instead of begging your LinkedIn network to fill out forms, you get access to pre-qualified participants across India. Need responses from working professionals in tier-2 cities? With the help of ThinkSurvey, you will target people who actually match your customer profile.
Take NewNorm Foods, they needed to test their plant-based food concept. Surveyed 300+ people through ThinkSurvey. Got clear data on taste preferences and pricing. Launched with confidence instead of guesses.
Secondary Data Analysis
This quantitative research method costs nothing and works great for early-stage startups. India has solid public data if you know where to look:
- gov.in: Government stats on demographics, economics, industry
- CMIE (Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy): Economic and business data
- NASSCOM reports: Tech sector insights
- RBI publications: Financial and banking trends
Observational Data
Your product already creates data. For example, Google Analytics can track user behavior automatically. Observer conversion rates, feature adoption, user retention, session time, and drop-off points carefully.
Why Indian Start-ups & SMEs Choose ThinkSurvey?
ThinkSurvey solves the biggest problem in startup research: finding the right people to survey. Get instant access to thousands of verified Indian participants segmented by age, location, income, profession, and behavior.
ThinkSurvey helps you launch surveys in minutes, collect responses, and make data-backed decisions faster. From product validation to pricing tests, Indian startups trust ThinkSurvey for quick, affordable, targeted research. 500+ companies are already using ThinkSurvey for product launches, market entry, and customer insights. Don’t fall behind, get in touch with our team today.
