How to Create an NPS Survey in Shopify
Understanding customers is key to growing your Shopify store. An NPS survey is a powerful tool for this. It is a simple metric that measures loyalty and predicts growth.
This guide shows how to create and analyze an NPS survey using the Apricot Surveys app. Turn customer feedback into a powerful engine for improvement.
Why Shopify Merchants Should Care About NPS
What Is a Net Promoter Score Survey?
Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a single question metric that measures customer loyalty. That’s by asking one simple question:
"How likely are you to recommend [Your Store Name] to a friend or colleague?"
Customers respond on a 0 to 10 scale.
Respondents are placed into one of three groups depending on their score
- Promoters (9 to 10): Loyal enthusiasts who will keep buying and refer others.
- Passives (7 to 8): Satisfied but unenthusiastic customers who are vulnerable to competitive offerings.
- Detractors (0 to 6): Unhappy customers who can damage your brand through negative word of mouth.
Subtract the percentage of detractors from the percentage of promoters to calculate the NPS score.
Note: Passives are not included in the calculation. Although, their feedback provides valuable context for improvement.
Why NPS Matters for Ecommerce
NPS is vital for the SaaS industry and the same goes for ecommerce. A high NPS is directly linked to customer loyalty, satisfaction, and repeat purchases.
Ecommerce NPS is influenced by factors such as:
- Purchase frequency
- Delivery experience
- Product satisfaction
Hence, a great product delivered late results in a lower score than a good product delivered on time.
Ecommerce brands usually score between 40 and 55. You’ll also find that exceptional brands reach above 70. Overall, promoters are more likely to buy again and become powerful advocates.
The Shopify Specific Advantage
Shopify merchants have an advantage in regards to collecting NPS data. That’s because you can trigger surveys at specific moments in the customer journey:
- Post purchase
- Post delivery (order status page)
- After a support interaction
Capturing feedback when the experience is fresh leads to the best results. Furthermore, Shopify enables you to segment respondents by product line, customer tier, or purchase history.
How to Structure Your NPS survey Shopify
The Core NPS Question
The heart of your survey is the NPS question itself. The standard wording is:
“How likely are you to recommend [Your Store Name] to a friend or colleague?”
This question works because it is simple, direct, and universally understood. It directly measures the customer's overall sentiment about your brand.
It’s tempting but don’t modify this question. Consistency is key to benchmarking your score over time. The value of NPS lies in its standardized nature.
Therefore, changing the question invalidates your ability to compare your results month-over-month or against industry benchmarks.
The Follow-Up Question
A score without context is just a number. To get even more specific feedback, you can tailor the follow up prompt based on the score group:
- For detractors (0 to 6): “What could we do to improve your experience?”
- For passives (7 to 8): “What would make you more likely to recommend us?”
- For promoters (9 to 10): “What did you enjoy most about shopping with us?”
This targeted approach encourages more thoughtful and actionable responses.
Optional Secondary NPS Survey Questions
You can occasionally add a secondary question if you have a specific hypothesis to test. For example, you might want to ask about delivery satisfaction or a specific product feature.
However, it's crucial to avoid survey fatigue. The golden rule is to keep your NPS survey under 60 seconds. One effective optional question is:
“How satisfied were you with the shopping experience today?”
This can help you correlate overall satisfaction with loyalty, but use it with caution. Your primary goal is to get a high response rate on the core NPS question.
Creating an NPS Survey in Shopify with Apricot Surveys
Step 1: Installing Apricot Surveys and Choosing the NPS Template
First, you'll need to install the Apricot Surveys app from the Shopify App Store.
Once installed, you'll be greeted with the initial dashboard. Click “Create Survey” to access the list of beginner-friendly templates.
It’s a good idea to start with Net Promoter Score (NPS).
Step 2: Customizing the NPS Questions
Now, it's time to tailor the survey. Apricot Surveys offers over 16 question types + email, including open-text fields and rating scales. You can easily add the follow-up and any optional secondary questions here.
Merchants can click “Add New Question” to edit or add questions. The “NPS question type” controls the layout. It also allows Apricot to calculate the score in Analytics.
Here’s how the survey builder looks and where you can access the custom question list:
Step 3: Designing the Survey to Match Your Store’s Branding
A branded NPS survey in Shopify feels more authentic and can increase response rates. In the “Style & settings” panel you can customize the survey's colors, fonts, and layout. This helps to match your store's branding.
Step 4: Publish the survey
You can embed the NPS survey directly into the post purchase experience. Within Apricot Surveys select the "Thank You Page (Post-Purchase)" channel.
Checkout the guide on Thank You Page (Post-Purchase) for detailed steps.
Once you are satisfied hit the "Publish" button.
Reading Your NPS Results
Understanding Your NPS Score at a Glance
The Apricot Surveys dashboard displays the current NPS score as responses arrive. It automatically categorizes each respondent as a promoter, passive, or detractor. That makes it simple to see a clear overview of customer sentiment.
You'll see a visual breakdown of these groups. Hence, you can quickly determine the health of your customer relationships.
Segmenting Responses to Find Actionable Insights
A single NPS score is not enough and segmentation provides further insights. Use the analytics tools in Apricot Surveys to filter responses. It’s a good idea to start with the product line, customer tier, or purchase frequency.
Let’s say the overall NPS is 45. However, you notice it’s only 20 for customers who bought a specific product. That means you know the product or its delivery experience needs immediate attention.
Apricot Surveys allows for this level of deep dive filtering and segmentation.
Turning Feedback into Improvements
In practice you’ll need to read open ended responses, identify patterns, and pick one improvement to test.
- Detractors mention slow shipping: It's time to review your fulfillment partner and shipping options.
- Passives say good but not great: Consider implementing a loyalty program or a post purchase upsell to increase engagement.
- Promoters consistently praise a specific product: Feature it in your marketing campaigns.
Remember that NPS is a loop that you can’t treat as a one time project. Track it monthly or quarterly for best results. You’ll see if the changes made are moving the needle.
A Quick Note on Benchmarks
It’s helpful to know that an NPS for ecommerce of 40 to 55 is typical. Although your own trend matters more than the absolute number. Don’t get discouraged if your score is below average.
You’ll find that a steady upward trend is a better indicator of success than comparing yourself to industry averages.
Common Mistakes Shopify Merchants Make with NPS Surveys
- Sending the Survey Too Early: Sending a survey after checkout skews the score toward the checkout experience. Ideally wait until the customer has had time to receive and use their purchase.
- Asking Too Many Questions: Don't turn this into a customer feedback survey. The power of NPS comes from its simplicity. Stick to the core question and one open ended follow up. It helps to maximize the response rate.
- Ignoring the Passives: Passives are customers who could become promoters with the right nudge. Take the time to review their feedback separately. It can reveal opportunities to improve their experience and increase loyalty.
- Never Acting on the Feedback: Asking for feedback and then doing nothing is worse than not asking at all. It shows customers you aren't listening.
Start Your First NPS Survey Today
An NPS survey in Shopify is a simple way to measure customer loyalty and satisfaction. The goal is to establish a consistent feedback loop. This provides meaningful improvements to your products and services.
Listen to your customers and show them you're acting on their feedback. It goes a long way toward building a stronger brand. If you’re ready to start collecting NPS feedback on your Shopify store, give Apricot Surveys a try.
https://apricotsurvey.com