Survey template

Post-purchase survey

Right after a purchase is the one moment people remember exactly why they bought. This template captures the trigger, the objection that almost stopped them, and how they'll judge whether it was worth it — the jobs-to-be-done a flat satisfaction score never reveals.

Best for: Founders and marketers sharpening positioning and reducing buyer hesitation.

The questions

1. What was going on that made you start looking for something like this?

   Long text

   The triggering event — the JTBD 'first thought' that kicks off a purchase.

2. What were you using or doing before you bought this?

   Long text

   Reveals the real alternative you won against — often a workaround or nothing.

3. What almost stopped you from buying?

   Long text

   The objection you cleared this time and are still losing other buyers to.

4. What finally tipped you into buying?

   Long text

5. How will you know in a month whether this was worth it?

   Long text

   Their success metric — and your retention and onboarding north star.

6. How did you first hear about us?

   Short text

7. How likely are you to recommend us to someone with the same problem?

   NPS

   An early loyalty read taken at peak intent, right after the decision.

How to run it well

• Send within a day of purchase — the trigger and the objection are vivid now and gone by next week.
• Read the 'almost stopped you' answers as a conversion backlog; the objection one buyer cleared is the one others bounce on.
• Turn 'how will you know it was worth it' into your onboarding goal — deliver that outcome and you've pre-empted the refund.
• Quote the buying-trigger language verbatim in your landing page; customers describe the problem better than your copywriter.
• Segment by 'how did you hear about us' to see which channels bring buyers who actually convince themselves versus need convincing.

FAQ

When should a post-purchase survey go out?

Within 24 hours, before the reasoning fades. The buying trigger and the objection that almost won are sharp right after the decision and vague within a week.

Why ask how they'll measure success?

Their definition of success is your retention target. If you know the outcome they're judging you on, your onboarding can drive straight to it instead of guessing.

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