Questions it can answer
- How do our customers make purchases?
- What should we focus on in the purchase process?
- Who are our competitors?
What is a path to purchase survey?
Path to purchase surveys build understanding around how customers make a purchase decision. These surveys are used when optimizing an existing purchase journey to ensure that the journey meets the needs of the customers with the aim of increasing conversions. They can also be used when designing a new purchase journey to understand what’s most important for customers. The data collected through these surveys is especially effective when combined with customer journey mapping as they provide quantitative evidence for each step in the journey.
Related guide: See our guide to customer journey mapping.
Do it faster with a Claude skill: Survey designer. Builds a first draft of this study in Claude that you can edit before you send it.
The questions in this template
These are the questions in the Great Question path to purchase survey template. Replace the text in angle brackets with your own.
Are you the primary decision maker for <insert product or service category topic>?
Yes / No
- Yes
- No
How do you typically find out about <insert product or service category topic>?
Multi Select
- Recommendations from friends, family or colleagues
- Social media
- Searching the internet
- TV commercials
- Online advertisements
How long will you typically spend researching <insert product or service category topic>?
Single Select
- Less than 1 hour
- A few hours
- 1 day
- Several days
- 1 week
- Several weeks
- A month or longer
- I don't spend any time researching
When choosing <insert product or service category topic> what is most important?
Multi Select
- Price
- Convenience
- Familiarity with the brand
- Reviews
- Quality
Which of the following brands did you consider purchasing from?
Multi Select
- Brand 1
- Brand 2
- Brand 3
- I don't know or can't remember
How did you make your purchase?
Single Select
- At the official website of the brand
- At an online retail site (amazon.com for instance)
- In store
- Over the telephone
Overall how satisfied are you with the process of purchasing <insert product or service>?
Linear Scale
- Extremely dissatisfied
- Somewhat dissatisfied
- Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied
- Somewhat satisfied
- Extremely satisfied
What could have been better about the process of purchasing <insert product or service>?
Long Text
Advantages
- Capable of collecting large volumes of data quickly
- Relatively simple to setup, collect and analyze data
- Broad range of data can be collected with a single survey
Limitations
- Can be difficult to generate a depth of understanding as survey questions are fixed for all participants. Consider pairing your survey with an interview to generate deeper insights.
- Responses are biased towards people motivated to complete the survey.
- Respondents may misunderstand questions and provide inaccurate answers.
Frequently asked questions
What questions go in a path to purchase survey?
Whether they made the decision, how they found out about options, how long they spent researching, what mattered most, which brands they considered, where they bought, and how satisfied they were with the purchase process. Ask about a recent purchase so answers are concrete.
When should I send a path to purchase survey?
Shortly after purchase, while the steps are still fresh. For B2B, within a few weeks of the deal closing.
How does it relate to customer journey mapping?
The survey gives you the numbers for each step of the journey; a journey map shows the steps in order. Use interviews to draft the map and the survey to see how common each path is.