Surveys vs Quizzes in Ecommerce

In e-commerce, asking questions is always a good choice, and that raises the question: surveys vs quizzes- which one?. Doesn't matter if you're asking the questions in a quiz or survey format; it's always important to do it. But going one step further and asking the right questions in the right format would be even better. 

A lot of brands make the mistake of treating surveys and quizzes as the same tools, and sometimes they just use both of them just for engagement. There's nothing wrong with wanting to use a survey or quiz for engagement; however, that's not what both of them are built for. Yes, surveys and quizzes both ask questions, but they are built for different goals in the sales funnel, and they can provide very different outcomes.

To avoid missing revenue, let's understand the differences. This is exactly what today's article is about. To put it very briefly on a surface level, we can say that surveys are data or feedback to help the brand improve its operations in terms of products, website, etc., and quizzes help the customer make a better purchase. 

We will provide an even deeper breakdown about quizzes and surveys to help you use these tools for higher conversion rates, lower return rates, and better long-term outcomes.

 So if you're ready, let's go. 

Surveys vs. Quizzes: The Main Definitions

Before breaking down the strategies and metrics to understand these concepts, it's better to immediately understand what they are and what they're built for.

What is an E-commerce Survey?

An e-commerce survey is a data tool designed to collect feedback, preferences, and post-purchase information from your customers. It is an inward-looking data tool. Its main goal is to gather information that helps you, the merchant, optimize operations, understand customer insights, or fix problems in the purchase process.

Now that we know that an eCommerce survey is an opinion pool or a suggestion box, here's an example. You can have a post-purchase pop-up survey that asks “How did you hear about us?” or you can send an email days after delivery and ask “How would you rate the quality of your recent purchase?”

Exit intent survey example

After getting the answers, you would know what to look for in terms of how to use customer feedback to improve your store.

What is an E-commerce Quiz?

An e-commerce quiz is a discovery tool that serves as a digital personal shopper assistant, guiding customers to personalized product recommendations based on their specific needs. It is a more outward-looking tool as opposed to a survey. 

This doesn't mean merchants don't benefit from an e-commerce quiz. There are tons of benefits to a quiz, from engagement to data collection to higher purchase rates. But the main goal that e-commerce quizzes cover is helping customers choose from a huge catalog, educating the shoppers, and guiding them to the correct purchase. 

An example would be a questionnaire consisting of 10 questions on a skincare side, asking about skin type, concerns, and lifestyle, and as a result, the customers will get a morning routine based on those answers and a bundle directly to their carts.

Product recommendation quiz example

Key Differences in Survey vs Quiz

We already mentioned that the main similarity between quizzes and surveys is that they both ask questions. In surveys vs quizzes is also in how you use them. Knowing where to place these tools, what value you have to exchange, and how you collect your zero-party data are all part of the differences.

Placement in the Sales Funnel: Surveys vs Quizzes

Starting with this because where a question is on the website can dictate the next step for the customer.

Quizzes are at the top and the middle of the funnel. They're usually much more noticeable, and customers need immediate access to them. This is because shoppers at this stage often experience difficulties making a choice or looking for a certain product. A quiz turns passive browsers into engaged participants, encourages them to interact with content, and smoothly converts them into active buyers before they leave.

Surveys are either in the middle or the bottom of the funnel. Because surveys are usually used after a customer has already interacted with or purchased from your brand, they tend to appear post-checkout, in an email or an exit-intent trigger to catch users and understand why they decided to leave.

Value Exchange: Surveys vs Quizzes

What this means is that to get answers, you have to offer something in return. And the psychology behind what you offer is the first difference between these two formats.

Quizzes offer instant answers. The user gives you 3 minutes of their time and, in return, gets an immediate, highly customized answer. For example, if the quiz is something along the lines of “find your exact foundation shade match with this quiz. The reward is real-time value that directly benefits the customer's decision-making process in that exact moment.

Surveys rely on rewards. Because surveys mainly benefit the business, the value exchange is not very symmetric. You're asking for the customer's time to help you improve your products and services. To solve this, brands and merchants have to rely on building brand loyalty, trust, and little ways in which they can negotiate this exchange. For example, you can include this in your survey or similar strategy by saying “Take our 3-minute feedback survey for 10% off your next order.”

The choice between pre-purchase quizzes and post-purchase surveys can have a big impact on how customers engage with your store. According to data breakdowns from platforms like RevenueHunt and others, interactive product recommendation quizzes have an average completion rate of 69% and can increase conversion rates by up to 5.5% among customers who complete them. 

Traditional post-purchase and customer feedback surveys, on the other hand, typically see response rates of 15% to 25%. While they may not drive immediate sales, they provide valuable insights that help improve customer retention and the overall shopping experience over time.

Zero Party Data Collection: Surveys vs Quizzes

Both quizzes and surveys are really great tools for collecting zero-party data. It is data that customer intentionally shares with a brand, things like certain preferences or concerns and purchase intent. There are different ways you activate this data collection when it comes to quizzes and surveys because quizzes are a lot more immediate and surveys are a lot more strategic.

Quizzes trigger real-time action. The second a shopper answers a question, the quiz uses that data to tailor their experience on the spot, showing the right products, customizing the offer, and saving those preferences to personalize future emails.

Surveys drive big-picture decisions. Survey answers are grouped to help you spot broader trends. You use this data to improve product quality, fix weak spots in your store, and refine your overall marketing strategy over time.

Which one to use: Surveys vs Quizzes?

If you're still questioning whether you should create a quiz or launch a survey instead, here are specific scenarios that you might have in a solution, and which one to choose.

Problem: high traffic but bad conversion rates

Here, your tool would be a product recommendation quiz. The reason is that high traffic with low sales usually means visitors are getting overwhelmed with your big catalog and leaving it because they cannot make a decision. Since we already know a quiz acts as a digital salesperson, guiding these confused customers step by step to the exact product they need would help you increase your conversion rates.

Problem: Uncertainty about which marketing channels are increasing sales

Here, a survey is the obvious answer. There are many privacy updates and very confusing, fragmented ad tracking, and dashboard data doesn't always tell the whole story. So, asking a very simple question like “How did you hear about us?” on a "thank you" page will give you reliable data straight from the customers who pay you.

Problem: product returns are way too high

This is a situation in which it would be even better to use both of the tools. In other words, use a survey to understand what the biggest reason is behind returning products, and then run a quiz to make it even easier for the customers. For example, if you've run a survey and found out that sizing is a repeated problem, not only can you just fix your product descriptions to eliminate the confusion, but you can also build a sizing quiz that asks the customers their measurements, fit preferences, etc.

Problem: not knowing what to launch next

Here, it would be better to use a survey and send an email to the loyal customers. Guessing what the market wants won't be the best decision, but asking people who have already spent money with you, trust you, and use your brand frequently would give you a better understanding of what people want. It's a targeted email survey, and you can ask them what they wish you offered.

No matter the scenario, one thing that you can keep in mind is that if you want the shoppers to make a decision right now, a quiz is always the answer. If you want to gather information about how to make better decisions, how to improve the quality of your products, etc send a survey. 

There is no harm in using both of these tools to make the most out of your brand and the best for your customers. No surveys vs quizzes because you can use a recommendation quiz on your website to help guide or engage your customers, and then, after the quiz turns visitors into customers, you can use surveys to collect more information to improve. 

Conclusion: Surveys vs Quizzes

If you still want to stick with one of the tools only, that is no problem at all. Here's a general table to glance over after we have broken down surveys vs quizzes main differences, some of the similarities that they share, and their use cases.

E-commerce is a very big and diverse place. Every customer has different preferences within an industry, different preferences when it comes to solving the problem, and different psychology․ When you sell a product through the e-commerce industry, it's important to have the right tools, to know how to improve, and also take into account the preferences of your customers. Which is why there shouldn't be surveys vs quizzes; using both surveys and quizzes together would definitely be an investment that will pay off in the long run․