What Are Post-Purchase Surveys?
Post-purchase surveys enable online businesses to gather valuable feedback on the customer experience. They can help streamline the purchase process, increase customer satisfaction, assess the delivery process, improve your product or service offering and personalise your marketing efforts.
How To Implement Post Purchase Surveys
Set Clear Objectives
Before designing your survey, define the specific goals you want to achieve. Common objectives include:
Understanding customer satisfaction with the purchasing process
Collecting feedback on product quality
Identifying pain points in the customer journey
Gauging the likelihood of repeat purchases or referrals
Gathering insights to enhance marketing strategies
Setting clear objectives helps in designing questions that provide actionable insights.
Keep It Simple
Keep it as easy as possible for the customer to complete. Stick to a range of options that they can select from, for example from ‘very dissatisfied’ to ‘extremely happy’ or use a range of 5 emoji faces to select from.
An optional free text box is a good idea to give people the opportunity to expand on their feedback.
You can automate and run different surveys to gather intel in several areas, and over time you’ll build up a picture of customer sentiment on the different topics which will enable you to take action.
For example, a survey around fulfilment might include questions like ‘how satisfied were you with the speed of your delivery?’
Regarding the product, you could ask ‘how likely are you to recommend the product based on its quality?’
And if you want to gather data about the on-site experience, you could try ‘how would you rate the ease of navigating our website?’
Get The Timing Right
The timing of the survey matters. Here are some options to consider:
Immediately after the purchase - Capture initial satisfaction with the purchase process and user experience
After the product has been delivered (3-7 days post-delivery) - Allows customers time to use the product and provide more informed feedback
Two weeks post-purchase - Focus on long-term satisfaction and post-delivery issues like returns or problems
Sending the survey at the right time increases the likelihood of relevant and insightful responses.
The timeframe for sending your survey depends on the survey topic - if it’s about the purchase experience, you could ask them for feedback immediately, on your website. If it’s about the delivery process, wait until a day or two after they’ve received their product and then send them a survey via email or SMS.
Analyse And Act On The Feedback
Collecting feedback is only valuable if you act on it. Here’s how to make the most of the data:
Identify trends - Look for common themes in feedback to spot areas for improvement
Prioritise actions - Address the most frequently mentioned issues first
Close the feedback loop - Notify customers if their feedback led to changes in products or processes. It builds trust and shows that you’ve listened to them
What Questions to Ask in a Post-purchase Survey?
15 Ideas for Great Post-Purchase Survey Questions
How did you hear about us?
This gives you insight into which channels are being most successful at having an impact with your visitors and customers.
Where do you come across our brand most often?
Discover which channels or platforms give you the most presence. This helps give you insights for future brand campaigns.
Which of these best describes you?
This is helpful to allow you to segment your customers to inform future marketing campaigns so you can speak more directly to people.
How does our pricing match up to your expectations?
Helps give you a feeling for whether your pricing is low, high, or about right.
What product should we release next?
Use your customers for some free market research - it might give you product ideas that enable you to get ahead of the competition and hit the market first.
Other question ideas:
Are you switching from another brand?
What other brands did you consider before purchasing from us?
Was there any part of our store that was difficult to use?
What do you wish we offered more of?
Which of the following best describes your perception of our brand?
Who is this purchase for?
What gender do you identify with?
Which of our benefits do you find most appealing?
How important is fast shipping to you?
How would you describe the affordability of our products?
