Vendor Questionnaire
WARM UP and INTRO
 Hi, thank you for agreeing to be interviewed.
 Introduce self. Share some personal things (children’s ages, favourite sport, etc.).
 Please relax, are you comfortable?
 I am here to talk about what life is like as a shopkeeper/ business person/ trader/ etc. I am doing this
because there is a company wanting to do some new things around here and we want to ask you about it.
SAY: It is really easy, we are just going to ask some questions about the business and then talk to you about a
new idea that might be coming and see what you think of it. Please remember it is confidential.
LOCATION
CODE
1
2
3
GENDER
Male
Female
4
5
Merchant’s name:
Phone number:
Address:
A
1
2
3
4
5
BANK ACCOUNT OWNERSHIP & USAGE
Do you have a bank account?
How far away is the bank from your
home/shop?
How long does it take you to travel to the
bank from your home/shop (one way only)?
How many times do you go to the bank
each week?
Which bank is it?
1. Yes
2. No
Write in (Kms, Metres)
If NO – GO TO
NEXT SECTION
Write in (Minutes, Hours)
Write in (number)
1. [Name of Local Bank]
2. [Name of Local Bank]
3. ………
Write in
6
Why did you choose that bank?
1
Vendor Questionnaire
B
1
2
3
MOBILE PHONE OWNERSHIP & USAGE
Are into technology, or do you like
1. Into technology
the old way of doing things?
2. Like old way
1. Yes
Do you have a mobile phone?
2. No
Write phone model here:
If yes, what is your phone model?
4
Which carrier is it with?
5
How is the reception quality?
6
Do you use SMS or texting?
7
If YES, How often would you send
or receive SMS or text?
C
If NO – GO TO
NEXT SECTION
1. Carrier 1
2. Carrier 2
3. Carrier 3
4. Carrier 4
5. Other
1. Good most of the time
2. Comes and goes – inconsistent
3. Bad most of the time
1. Yes
2. No
1. More than once each day
2. Every day
3. Every few days
4. Every week
Less often
BUSINESS DESCRIPTION
Write in:
1
What is your main business?
2
How many years have you operated your current business?
3
How many days per week is your business open?
4
How many hours per week?
6
Does your business hold any licenses to trade or operate?
7
Do you maintain accounting books for your business?
8
Do you have any other businesses or a sideline?
9
Do you sell primarily to individual customers?
10
Do you sell to market vendors or informal sellers?
11
Do you sell anything to other business customers, like
business to business sales?
12
Do you wholesale anything or are you a distributor for any
product to other businesses?
D
Write in years:
Circle
1
2
3
4
5 6
7
Write in total hours per week
1. Yes
2. No
1. Yes
2. No
1. Yes
2. No
If YES, what kind?
1. Yes
2. No
1. Yes
2. No
1. Yes
2. No
1. Yes
2. No
IF YES, please describe
AGENCY FOR MOBILE MONEY OR RECHARGE CARDS
2
Vendor Questionnaire
1
Do you sell recharge cards or top
ups?
2
Are you an agent of any mobile
money service?
3
How long have you been a mobile
money agent for?
E
1
2
3
1. Yes
2. No
1. Yes
2. No
If YES, name them
IF NO – Go to
next section
Write in:
1. Months
2. Years
STAFF
Do you have any family members
working in the business?
Do you have any paid employees
that are not related to you?
How many employees do you
have altogether?
1.
2.
1.
2.
1.
Yes
No
Yes
No
Number of family working here _________
2. Number of other employees ___________
3. TOTAL
Now I would like to ask you about your regular costs in running the business.
(Here the Currency is denoted as N. The currency as well as the amount will change depending on the
market under study, and the currency denominations being used in the market)
Local Currency
F
COSTS
1
How much rent do you pay for your premises?
2
How much are your electricity costs?
3
N
Circle one –
PER WEEK / PER MONTH
1. Per week
2. Per month
N
1. Per week
2. Per month
How much are your water costs (if any)?
N
1. Per week
2. Per month
4
How much are your gas costs (if any)?
N
1. Per week
2. Per month
5
How much is your wages costs?
N
1. Per week
2. Per month
6
How much is your transportation costs?
N
1. Per week
2. Per month
7
Taxes?
N
1. Per week
2. Per month
8
License fees?
N
1. Per week
2. Per month
9
Any other regular costs?
N
1. Per week
2. Per month
10
How much budget do you set aside for
personal/family consumption?
N
1. Per week
2. Per month
Now I would like to talk about some of the top selling products you have. Let’s pick 6 of these.
G
TOP SELLERS
Product (write in each)
How many do you
sell in a week?
What is the selling price
for one of these?
What is the buying price for
one of these (what do you
pay for these goods when
you buy them?)
3
Vendor Questionnaire
1
2
3
4
5
6
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
Now I would like to talk about sales.
H
SALES
2
3
4
5
6
7
I
How many customers do you serve in a day,
on average?
How much cash do you usually have on hand
as a minimum, every day?
How much cash will you have on hand,
usually, at the end of the day?
N
N
N
1. Yes
2. No
Do you take cash to the bank during the day?
How much cash do you feel safe keeping on
hand?
What are your daily profits, altogether, on
average?
N
N
OTHER INCOME
1
Do you have any other sources of income?
2
If yes, approximately how much?
J
1. Yes
2. No
N
SOURCE OF GOODS
1
Write in number
How many times each week do you buy goods or
inventory?
Write in answer
2
Where do you go to purchase your goods?
3
Do you have purchase arrangements with wholesalers?
4
Do any of your wholesalers deliver to you?
K
1
2
INVENTORY and LOANS
Do you know the value of the inventory you keep
on hand?
Do you have any loans?
1.
2.
1.
2.
Yes
No
Yes
No
N
1. Yes
2. No
4
Vendor Questionnaire
3
4
IF YES, How much do you repay each week for
the loan?
How many days or weeks do you have to repay
your loan?
N
Note interval
1. ___ hours
2. ___ days
3. ___ weeks
4. ___ months
5. ___ years
Write in answer
5
Where do you get your loans?
6
Do you ever loan money to your customers? Or
offer items on credit?
L
1
2
GENERAL ITEMS
Are there any periods of time, where your
business transactions are larger or smaller? In
other words, are there regular times when
business slow or heavy?
1. Yes
2. No
Write in:
Is business generally getting stronger, getting
weaker or staying steady?
7
How many of your customers would you say
might have a bank account?
8
Do your customers ever complain about not
having access to banks? Do your customers
wish there were more banks?
1. Stronger
2. Weaker
3. Steady
1.
1.
1.
1. Many or most
2. Some
3. None or very few
1. Yes
2. No
Now I would like to tell you about a new idea. It is called [M-Money/ name of service]. It is
being offered by a company called [PSP/ client name]. [M-money/ name of service] uses a
mobile phone to provide financial and payment services. This is a way to transfer and receive
money, pay for things, and save money – through a phone. It is a way for all kinds of people
to use a phone instead of carrying cash.
M
INTEREST IN BEING AN AGENT
1
How appealing do you think this idea is?
2
What would you say are the benefits of it? What do
you like about the idea?
READ OUT
1. Very appealing
2. Appealing
3. Not appealing
5
Vendor Questionnaire
3
What would you say are the problems with it? The
things you dislike about it?
4
Mobile Money Agents offer cash in and cash out
service, a transfer service and also help customers to
open a Mobile Money account. If you were given the
training you need and the equipment you need to be
a Mobile Money Agent for [PSP/ client name], how
interested would you say you would be in doing this?
5
IF NOT INTERESTED Why are you not interested?
6
Thinking about how many customers you might have
for mobile money, and how popular you think it might
be, how many transactions do you think you might do
in a day? (Just your impressions or best guess is
fine)
7
How many cash reserves do you think you might
need every day? (Just your impressions or best
guess is fine)
READ OUT
1. Very interested
2. Interested
3. Not interested
IF NOT
INTERESTED, ASK
NEXT QUESTION
THEN GO TO THE
NEXT SECTION
Write in
8
Would holding larger amounts of cash create any
issues for you? If yes please describe them to me.
9
Do you think [PSP/client name] is a good partner for
the Mobile Money service we have talked about?
11
N
What if a bank delivered this type of service? Would
that be better than getting the service from [PSP/
client name]?
N
1. Yes
2. No
IF YES Please explain
1. Yes
2. No
1. Yes, bank better
2. No, [PSP/client name] better
If Yes, ask the name of the bank they would like
for this service. Write here:
EDUCATION
1
Finally, can you please tell me the highest
level of education that you have completed?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
No formal education
Primary school
Middle high school (10 or 11 years)
High school (12 or 13 years)
Technical or trade school
Some university
University degree
Post-graduate
Refused
Thank you very much for your time today.
Date:
6
Vendor Questionnaire
Interviewer Name:
7