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Post-purchase survey template: 40 questions, grouped by the decision they help you make

By Peter Coolen · · 8 min read

A post-purchase survey should never ask more than three questions at once, so a 40-question template is not a survey; it’s a bank to pick from. Each question below is tied to a decision (where to spend, what to fix, what to stock, who to email) and most come with the bad version people usually write. Copy the question and its answer options into your survey app; in Cool& Post Purchase Survey the first six groups are also installable as one-click recipes.

1. Attribution: where to spend (ask first-time customers)

  1. How did you first hear about us? Options: Instagram · TikTok · Facebook · YouTube · Google search · A podcast · A friend or family member · An influencer or creator · A blog or article · A physical store or event · Other (please say).
    Bad: “How did you hear about us?” with 20 options including “Online” and “Social media” (too vague to act on).
  2. Which podcast? (follow-up, open text).
    Bad: skipping the follow-up; “Podcast” alone doesn’t tell you which show to renew.
  3. Which creator or influencer? (follow-up, open text)
  4. Roughly how long ago did you first hear about us? Today · This week · This month · Longer ago. Tells you how long your channels take to pay off.
  5. Did you compare us with other shops before ordering? Yes, and chose you for price · Yes, for quality or reviews · Yes, for delivery · No, I came straight here.
    Bad: “Did you consider competitors?” (yes/no, no reason).
  6. Was there a specific post, ad or video that made you decide? (open text, optional)

2. Why they bought: what to lead with

  1. What made you choose us? Price · Quality · Reviews · Fast or free shipping · Sustainability · The brand · A recommendation · A specific product I couldn’t find elsewhere.
    Bad: “Why do you love our brand?” (leading).
  2. Who is this order for? Myself · A gift · My household · My business. Gift orders need different follow-up timing.
  3. Is this your first order with us? Yes · No. (Only if your app can’t detect it; Cool& Post Purchase Survey can.)
  4. What are you hoping this product will do for you? (open text)
  5. Did a discount code influence your decision? I wouldn’t have ordered without it · It helped · I’d have ordered anyway.
    Bad: not asking, then reading every code as incremental.
  6. Where did you get the discount code? Your email · A creator · A coupon site · A friend · Other.

3. What almost stopped them: what to fix

  1. What almost stopped you from ordering? Nothing · Shipping cost · Delivery time · Price · Not sure about the size or fit · Not sure it was right for me · Trust (new shop, reviews) · Checkout or payment issues · Other.
    Bad: “Did you have any concerns?” (yes/no).
  2. What would have made the decision easier? (open text, shown only if 13 ≠ Nothing)
  3. Was any information missing from the product page? Size or fit · Materials · Shipping times · Returns · Photos · No, it had what I needed.
  4. Was it easy to find what you wanted? 1–5 stars.
  5. Was it easy to pick your size? (shoes/apparel only) Yes · I guessed · I used the size guide · I ordered two sizes.

4. Checkout experience: friction

  1. How easy was ordering? 1–5 stars. Follow-up on 1–3: “What could be smoother?”
    Bad: “Rate your experience” with no follow-up.
  2. What could have gone smoother? Finding the product · Adding to cart · Shipping options · Payment · Creating an account · Something else (open text).
  3. Did you order on your phone or a computer? Phone · Tablet · Computer. (Only if your app can’t tell; cross-check with the rating.)
  4. Was the shipping cost what you expected? Lower · About right · Higher.
  5. Did you use Shop Pay, Apple Pay or another express checkout? Yes · No · I didn’t see one.

5. NPS and loyalty

  1. How likely are you to recommend us to a friend? (0–10) Follow-ups by score: 0–6 “What could we do better?”, 7–8 “What would make it a 10?”, 9–10 “What did you like most?”
    Bad: one follow-up for everyone.
  2. How likely are you to order from us again? Very likely · Likely · Not sure · Unlikely.
  3. Would you like a reminder when it’s time to reorder? Yes · No. (Consumables; feeds a Klaviyo flow.)
  4. Have you bought from us in a physical store? Yes · No · I didn’t know you had one.

6. Product and range: what to stock

  1. What else would you like us to sell? (open text)
    Bad: a list of options you’ve already decided on.
  2. Which of these would you buy if we made it? (multiple choice, 4–6 real candidates)
  3. What were you looking for that we didn’t have? (open text)
  4. How do you usually use [product]? (multiple choice, product-specific)
  5. Which size or variant do you wish existed? (open text)

7. Audience and segmentation: who to email

  1. Which of these describes you best? (3–5 personas in your customers’ words, e.g. for a cycling shop: Commuter · Weekend rider · Racer · Buying for someone else).
    Bad: age brackets with no use for them.
  2. How often do you buy [category]? Weekly · Monthly · A few times a year · This is a first.
  3. What’s your main interest? (multiple choice, maps to Klaviyo segments)
  4. Would you like to hear from us by email, SMS or not at all? Email · SMS · Both · Neither.
  5. Which topics would you like emails about? New products · Discounts · How-to guides · Behind the scenes · None.

8. One-off questions for specific moments

  1. Before Black Friday: “Are you planning to buy gifts from us this season?” Yes · Maybe · No.
  2. After a site redesign: “Did anything about the new site confuse you?” No · Yes (open text).
  3. After a price change: “Was the price what you expected?” Lower · As expected · Higher.
  4. For international orders: “Was it clear who pays import duties?” Yes · No · I’m not sure yet.

How to build a survey from the bank

  • Pick one question from group 1 or 3 as the first question. That’s the survey for most stores.
  • Add at most two more, and use skip logic so follow-ups appear only when relevant (Podcast → which podcast; score ≤ 6 → what could we do better).
  • Rotate secondary questions monthly instead of adding them. Response rate drops with every question shown.
  • Keep answer options to 6–9, add “Other” with a text box, and put the options you care about least near the top so position doesn’t inflate them.
  • Save each answer with its order so you can read revenue per answer later; counts alone will mislead you.

For the wording itself, see post-purchase survey questions: good and bad examples. The first question has its own guide, “How did you hear about us?”: good and bad answer options, and how to avoid survey fatigue explains why fewer questions get more answers.

FAQ

How many questions should a post-purchase survey have? One to three on the Thank You page. Longer surveys belong in email, with an incentive.

What’s the single best post-purchase survey question? “How did you first hear about us?” with 6–9 channel options and an “Other” text box; it’s the one question your analytics can’t answer.

Should I offer a discount for completing the survey? Not on the Thank You page; response rates are already 30–50% and incentives attract careless answers. Save incentives for email surveys.

Ready to put one live? Here’s how to add a survey to your Shopify Thank You page, and how the Shopify survey apps compare. For the NPS questions in group 5, see NPS on the Thank You page with Shopify Flow.

Written with AI, idea and final edit by Peter Coolen.