Use Live Polls to Guide Brand Decisions

In today’s fast-paced market, traditional research is slow and costly for brands to understand user preferences. Online voting and live polls solve this by collecting opinions cheaply and efficiently, aligning decisions (new products, events) with user needs to avoid wasteful "self-focused" investments.

U.S. fast-food chain BurgerBite used these tools to boost its limited-edition burger launch success from 50% to 85%, with 42% higher user engagement year-over-year. The key: It used professional tools to design online polls and gather real-time feedback, grounding decisions in data.

1. BurgerBite’s Dilemma: High New Product Risks, Unclear Preferences

With 80 U.S. locations, BurgerBite focuses on "creative burgers + fast service." Planning a 2023 summer limited burger, it faced past failures—its 2022 "Avocado Spicy Burger," based on internal brainstorming, hit only 40% of sales targets and was pulled, wasting costs.

Marketing director Jake noted: "Offline surveys are slow and narrow. We spent over $100k promoting the avocado burger before learning users hated ‘avocado + spice.’ We needed online voting, but social media tools lacked complex survey questions and couldn’t track age/region preferences—data was useless."

2. Using Online Voting to Pick New Product Directions

Jake’s team used SurveyMars to design online polls in two steps:

1.Listed 6 burger ingredient combos, created a quick poll with two survey questions ("Which combo do you want?" "Price range?") and age/region filters.

2.Collected 23,000 responses in 3 days. SurveyMars data showed: 45% of 25-35-year-olds preferred "Pineapple Cheese Beef," 80% accepted $12-$15, and southern users liked spicier options.

"SurveyMars’ online poll maker has ready templates and auto-generates preference heatmaps," Jake said. "This let us adjust regional recipes precisely, no one-size-fits-all."

3. Using Live Polls to Refine Event Details

BurgerBite used SurveyMars’ live polls at in-store tastings:

Displayed real-time polls ("Spiciness? Drink pairing?") on screens; users voted via QR code, results updated instantly.

Added open questions for feedback like "softer buns" and "20% less sauce."

A final quick poll showed 92% support, with 60% of tasters sharing on social media to build buzz.

"Paper surveys were slow," Jake added. "SurveyMars’ live polls let us adjust issues on the spot, tripling efficiency."

4. Launch Results: Surpassed Sales, Higher Loyalty

The optimized "Pineapple Cheese Beef Burger" had region-specific recipe adjustments (spicier options in the south) and was priced at $13.9. Post-launch results exceeded expectations:

First-month sales hit 500,000 units (120% of the target), with users aged 25-35 accounting for 60%.

Member repurchase rates rose by 35%, and 40% of new users came after seeing friends share the poll.

80% more social engagement, with #BurgerBiteUserChoosesNewProduct getting 2M+ views.

5. 3 Tips for Effective Online Voting & Live Polls

From BurgerBite’s experience:

1.Focus survey questions on core needs: Avoid overcomplicating questions. Like BurgerBite, center survey questions on key decision points (e.g., ingredients, price). SurveyMars’ templates recommend questions based on scenarios (e.g., new product research) to prevent too many options.

2.Use live polls to boost engagement: In tasting events, live streams, or similar scenarios, use live polls to make users feel "their opinions matter" while collecting feedback quickly. SurveyMars’ live polls support large-screen synchronization and report exports for later analysis.

3.Analyze data with filters: Don’t just look at overall poll results. Add filters like "age" or "region," as BurgerBite did. SurveyMars’ online poll maker automatically categorizes data by filters, eliminating the need for manual Excel sorting.

6. Conclusion: Online Voting Isn’t Just a Formality

Many brands see online voting and live polls as "formalities" but overlook their decision-making value. In reality, good tools help brands quickly understand needs and reduce trial costs.

For small and medium-sized brands with limited resources, online voting offers the best value for money. Like BurgerBite, using SurveyMars for online polls and live polls lets you pinpoint preferences and boost loyalty—after all, products "chosen by users" are more likely to be "loved by users."

Q1: Can I create multiple-choice and single-choice online polls in SurveyMars, or is only one type supported?

A: SurveyMars supports both multiple-choice (select multiple options) and single-choice (select one option) online polls—you can choose based on your goal. For example, use single-choice for “Which event theme do you prefer?” (one answer) and multiple-choice for “Which features do you want in our app?” (pick all that apply). The poll editor lets you toggle between types with one click, and results auto-adjust to show counts/percentages for each selection type—no extra setup needed.

Q2: Is there a limit to the number of options I can add to an online poll in SurveyMars?

A: No—SurveyMars has no hard limit on poll options. You can add as many as you need, whether it’s 5 candidates for a team vote or 15 product names for a naming poll. The platform optimizes the layout automatically: options stack vertically on mobile (no side-scrolling) and stay readable on desktop. For clarity, we recommend keeping options under 10 when possible (to avoid respondent fatigue), but you’re free to add more for niche use cases (e.g., detailed preference polls).

Q3: Can I set my online poll to close automatically at a specific time, or do I need to close it manually?

A: Yes—you can schedule auto-close for online polls. In the “Poll Settings” tab, enable “Schedule Closure” and pick a date/time (e.g., “Friday, 5 PM”). The poll will shut down automatically at that time, and late respondents will see a custom “Poll Closed” message (you can edit this text). If you need to extend the poll, just update the closure time in settings—changes take effect instantly, so you don’t miss last-minute responses.

Q4: How do I prevent duplicate votes in my SurveyMars online poll to keep results fair?

A: SurveyMars has built-in anti-duplicate tools for fair polls. Enable “One Vote per IP Address” to block repeat votes from the same device/network (free for all users). For stricter control (e.g., official elections), use “One Vote per Email”—respondents enter their email, get a verification link, and can only vote once their email is confirmed. These features prevent vote stuffing, so your results reflect genuine preferences.

Q5: Can respondents see how others voted in real time when taking my SurveyMars online poll?

A: You decide if real-time results are visible. In “Poll Settings,” toggle “Show Real-Time Results to Respondents” on or off. If enabled, respondents see a live bar chart (e.g., “Option A: 40%, Option B: 60%”) right after submitting their vote. If disabled, results stay hidden until you manually share them (via link/PDF) once the poll closes. This works for both transparent polls (e.g., team lunch votes) and private ones (e.g., board member elections).