Quick tip for maximizing POS survey response

By Allen Porter | February 9, 2017

Reading time: 2 minutes

Shopper Inspects A Selfridges Plc Till Receipt On Oxford Street In Picture Id629313250

Abstract

Providing a voice- and Internet-based option for POS surveys.

Research Topics:: Consumer Research | Point-of-Purchase Research | Survey Design
Industry/Market Focus:: Consumers
Content Type: Research Industry Voices

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Editor’s note: Allen Porter is vice president customer success at software firm Survox, St. Louis. This is an edited version of a post that originally appeared here under the title, “One effective way to maximize POS survey response.”

Retailers that don’t ask paying customers to participate in a survey after making a purchase are the exception these days, and for good reason. Getting customer experience feedback while the shopping experience is top-of-mind is important across a number of metrics.

The vast majority of POS surveys require people to go online to participate. In many cases that automatically excludes a significant number of customers, especially if you cater to older demographics or those in lower income brackets.

To get the true voice of your customer, it’s important to make sure that you’re including a way for all customers to take your survey. According to Pew Research, 13 percent of the U.S. population doesn’t have Internet access, and another 13 percent are infrequent users – going online just a few times or less per week. That equates to a significant number of retail consumers who aren’t hanging out online. And, their business is important, so it’s a good idea to make sure their needs are being met.

An effective way to make your customer experience surveys accessible to the maximum number of customers is proving a voice-based option. Including both a URL and a toll-free number for a voice-response survey option on your POS receipts may extend the reach of your survey. And it will provide multiple ways for all customers to participate.

Most of us have our phones with us at all times, so offering a phone survey option also makes it possible to get feedback quickly, especially if the experience was outstanding. That said, some mobile users will also find it more convenient to access and respond to the survey using a numeric keypad vs. using the device’s keyboard.

POS surveys will continue to be a valuable way to get relevant and timely feedback on the customer’s purchase experience. Providing multiple ways for consumers to participate will maximize the quantity of responses by making your surveys available to a larger audience.