When to send it
Most small brands have a picture of their customer that is part data and part guesswork. This survey replaces some of the guesswork. Send it to recent buyers through your order or delivery email, and share it with followers through your Instagram bio or a story link sticker. Using both is useful in itself: each channel has its own link, and every response shows which one it came from, so you can compare people who have bought with people who only follow you.
The answers change slowly, so once or twice a year is plenty.
Why these questions
The first page is about the purchase: how they first heard about you, who they were buying for, and what they were looking for when they found you. The last of these is the most revealing. Customers describe the job your product does for them, which often differs from how you describe it yourself. Anyone buying a gift is asked about the occasion, which helps you plan around birthdays, festivals and weddings. Followers who haven't bought yet have their own option, so they can still take part.
The second page is about habits: where else they shop for things like yours, and where they spend time online. The first shows who you're really competing with, whether that's a big marketplace or the shop down the road. The second shows where your marketing time is best spent.
The final question is an optional age band, and the description says it can be skipped. The survey deliberately asks nothing about income, health, religion or other private matters. You don't need them to understand your customers, and asking would put many people off finishing. Keep it that way if you edit the template.
The coupon
Everyone who finishes sees a 10% code for their next order on the thank-you screen. A shared code works here because the survey is public on Instagram and asks for nothing personal; if the code travels a little further than intended, the cost is small. Mention the code in your story so followers know there's something in it for them.
What to do with the answers
Start with "what were you looking for". Group the answers into three or four themes and compare them with the words on your homepage and product pages. If customers describe the product differently, borrow their words. Then read where they heard about you next to where they spend time online: the overlap is where your next marketing effort belongs.
Compare Instagram responses with order email ones. If followers want something your buyers never mention, that gap may explain why they haven't bought. For a single source question on the order confirmation page, see where did you hear about us?. To test how much customers would miss your product, use the product-market fit survey.