“How did you hear about us?”The survey guide: options, examples & best practices
One question shows you where customers really come from. This guide covers the answer options to offer, examples by industry, and how Shopify brands turn the answers into attribution data.
The question in its natural habitat: a UserLoop survey on the Shopify thank-you page.
The question your analytics can't answer
Click tracking misses the channels that actually build brands. Asking customers directly fills the gaps.
Illustrative
Last-click reports overclaim
Branded search and direct traffic soak up credit for demand created elsewhere. Customers tell you the true first touch.
Dark social is invisible
Group chats, DMs, and word of mouth carry no UTM parameters. No tracking pixel survives a group chat; a survey does.
Straight from the customer
Zero-party data is privacy-proof
Answers come straight from the customer. No cookies, no modeling, no consent-banner gymnastics involved.
Build your answer option list
The recommended default covers eight channels plus Other: Google or another search engine, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, friend or family member, influencer or creator, and podcast. Start there, or from your industry preset, then tune it to match where you actually spend.
Search & marketplaces
Social media
People
Audio & broadcast
Offline
Press & publications
How did you hear about us?
9 options- Google or another search engine
- TikTok
- YouTube
- Friend or family member
- Influencer or creator
- Podcast
- Other (please specify)always last
In the 6-9 sweet spot. Randomize the order when you publish.
Do
- Randomize the option order to remove position bias
- Always include Other with a free-text field
- Keep the list to 6-9 options, including Other
- Use one channel per option, no overlaps
- Follow up on friend and creator answers: ask who
- Revisit the list quarterly as your channel mix changes
Don't
- List every channel you have ever tried
- Offer "Social media" and "Instagram" side by side
- Bury the question after four others: ask it first
- Re-ask returning customers on every order
- Treat Other answers as noise instead of a discovery feed
- Copy a competitor's list instead of matching your spend
Example option sets by industry
Discovery patterns differ by category, so the best lists do too. Four proven starting points:
Fashion & apparel
Discovery lives on feeds and in closets: social first, search second.
- TikTok
- Friend or family
- Influencer or creator
- Saw it in a store
- Other
Beauty & skincare
Tutorial-led buying: short video and creators drive trial.
- TikTok
- YouTube
- Influencer or creator
- Friend or family
- Saw it in a store
- Other
Food & beverage
Tasted at events, spotted in stores, shared by friends.
- Friend or family
- Saw it in a store
- TikTok
- Event or market
- Podcast
- Other
Electronics & gear
Research-heavy: reviews, Reddit threads, and YouTube deep dives.
- YouTube
- Friend or family
- Podcast
- Amazon or marketplace
- Product review site
- Other
Where and when to ask
Timing decides your response rate. Ask on pages customers already visit, then follow up where they already read.
Thank-you page
Ask seconds after checkout, while attention is at its peak and the purchase is still front of mind.
60%+ respondOrder status page
Customers come back to track their delivery. The question gets a second chance with no extra sends.
Free second askPost-delivery email
Triggered by fulfillment events, it reaches everyone else once the product is actually in hand.
Reaches the restLink & QR
Packaging inserts, support conversations, and offline moments all route to the same question.
Offline coveredUserLoop runs all four placements from a single survey. See post-purchase surveys for Shopify
From answers to attribution
Collecting answers is the easy half. The value shows up when answers are grouped, joined to orders, and queried.
AI channel grouping
Free-text answers like "saw it on tt" are normalized into clean channels automatically, so open text stays usable.
Revenue per channel
Answers join to Shopify orders, so every channel shows order value and repeat rate, not just a response count.
Platform reports vs customer answers
The gap between what ad platforms claim and what customers say is where the budget decisions hide.
Ask your data in Claude or ChatGPT
With the UserLoop MCP server connected, "which channel drove the highest repeat rate?" is a prompt, not a project.
UserLoop's AI grouping open-text answers into clean channels.
Frequently asked questions
What is a "How did you hear about us" survey?
It's a one-question survey, often abbreviated to HDYHAU, that asks new customers which channel led them to your brand. Ecommerce stores usually run it on the post-purchase thank-you page, where response rates are highest, and use it to verify marketing attribution.
What options should a how did you hear about us survey include?
Cover your active acquisition channels plus the unmeasurable ones: Google or another search engine, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, friend or family member, influencer or creator, podcast or radio, and an Other option with a free-text field.
How many answer options should I offer?
Six to nine. Fewer buries real channels inside Other; more creates choice overload and lowers completion. Randomize the option order so position bias doesn't skew the results.
Where should I ask the question?
The post-purchase thank-you page converts best, typically 60% or more of buyers on UserLoop. The order status page catches repeat visits, and post-delivery emails reach everyone else. Signup and lead forms work too, just expect lower volume.
Is self-reported attribution accurate?
It's directionally strong and captures channels click tracking can't see, like word of mouth, podcasts, and group chats. Treat it as a complement to platform reporting rather than a replacement; the gaps between the two are usually the insight.
Should the question be multiple choice or open text?
Multiple choice with an Other free-text option converts best and keeps the data clean. If you prefer fully open text, AI grouping can normalize freeform answers like "insta ad" into clean channels automatically.
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