Products » Education » Ask and You Shall Receive

The key to success is knowing what you are doing right and how to do it even better. Do you ever wonder what keeps your customers coming back for more? Why not ask them?

Fostering a close relationship with your loyal patrons enables you to understand their needs in an ever-changing environment. What buyers’ desire today may not be the same as what they want six- or even three months from now. By establishing a strong connection with your customers, you can get honest feedback to vital questions.

What type of questions should you ask? The best questions are ones that allow you to learn more about your customers than your competitors know about them.

Let’s take a look at some key questions…

1. What characteristics do you look for in a web store?


2. What could our company do to better serve you?


3. What do you dislike about shopping online?


4. What have we done that impressed you?


5. What type of change in our web store would make you stop shopping with us?


6. What additional product would you like to see in our store?


7. Do you subscribe to our email newsletters? If not, why?


8. Would you like us to implement a frequent buyer program?


9. If you ran our store, what would you do differently?


10. What would you tell our webmaster, if you had a chance?

This list should help get the creative juices flowing. There are many questions that you could ask. Tailor your inquiries to suit your specific needs. Ask questions that will allow you to strengthen the connection between you and your customers. Remember to encourage respondents to expand on their answers. The better you understand their needs, the easier it will be to grow your relationship.

How should you ask these questions? There are several methods that you could use to gather feedback. Possible scenarios include: add a survey to your website, send an email survey, or conduct a focus group. Try using multiple methods to reach more buyers.

Let survey and focus group respondents know how much you appreciate their feedback. Verbal thanks are great, but an added bonus is even better. Offer customers a token of your appreciation for their valuable responses. Maybe something to bring them back again soon; perhaps a small gift certificate or a great coupon would fit the bill.