Best questions for ecommerce shopper survey about site search effectiveness

Here are some of the best questions for an ecommerce shopper survey about site search effectiveness, plus tips on designing them for actionable insights. We’ve found that Specific lets you build these surveys in seconds with AI.

Best open-ended questions for ecommerce shopper survey about site search effectiveness

Open-ended questions invite ecommerce shoppers to share honest, detailed feedback in their own words. These are ideal for uncovering how people actually use site search, what’s frustrating, and what they expect. It’s smart to start with open-ended questions when you want to explore “why,” surface pain points, or spark in-depth follow-up discussions. With site search being a crucial touchpoint—80% of shoppers use search as their main way to find products [1]—this qualitative insight is gold.

1. What do you usually look for when using our site search?

2. Can you describe your most recent experience using our search bar?

3. What was easy or difficult about finding products through search?

4. Did anything frustrate you about the search results? Please explain.

5. How does our site search compare to other online stores you use?

6. What would you improve about site search on our store?

7. Is there anything missing from the search experience?

8. When you can’t find what you’re looking for, what do you do next?

9. How do you feel about the suggestions or autocomplete in our search bar?

10. What would help you find products faster when searching our site?

Best single-select multiple-choice questions for ecommerce shopper survey about site search effectiveness

Single-select multiple-choice questions are perfect when you need to quantify patterns or make it easier for someone to get started. They offer structure—useful for segmenting feedback and kicking off a deeper conversation. For many shoppers, this format is less intimidating than writing long answers. You can capture clear trends, then use targeted follow-ups to go deeper if needed. Since conversion rates are 3-5 times higher for users who utilize site search versus those who don’t [1], structuring questions this way helps measure what truly moves the needle.

Question: How often do you use the site search when shopping here?

• Always

• Sometimes

• Rarely

• Never

Question: How relevant are the search results to what you want?

• Always relevant

• Usually relevant

• Sometimes relevant

• Rarely relevant

• Never relevant

Question: What is your biggest challenge when using our site search?

• Results aren’t relevant

• Search is slow or unresponsive

• Can’t find specific products

• Suggestions/autocomplete don’t help

• Other

When to followup with "why?" If a shopper picks an answer that signals frustration or preference—for example, “Search is slow or unresponsive”—it’s smart to ask “Why does this bother you?” or “Can you share an example?” That’s often where the real insights come out. If you stop at the multiple-choice option, you’ll never see what’s truly blocking their purchase. Always let Specific or your interviewer dig in when an answer could mean a lot of things.

When and why to add the "Other" choice? "Other" is a must if you think you might not have covered every possibility. It lets shoppers voice emerging concerns or unexpected issues. These “Other” responses, especially when combined with a follow-up, often surface needs you didn’t anticipate.

NPS question for ecommerce shopper survey about site search effectiveness

The Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a powerful, easy-to-compare metric. Even for a site search effectiveness survey, it makes sense to ask: “Based on your experience with our site search, how likely are you to recommend our store to a friend?” It quantifies satisfaction on a 0-10 scale and signals loyalty. Critically, following up on extreme responses (low or high) reveals root causes—valuable for product teams.

We’ve built a ready-to-use NPS version for this case—try this NPS survey builder tailored for ecommerce shoppers.

The power of follow-up questions

Automated follow-up questions can turn a static survey into a dynamic conversation. You may have seen this in action: someone gives a vague reply, and an expert gently nudges them to clarify or elaborate. That’s what Specific’s AI-powered follow-ups do, probing for context or detail—saving you hours you’d otherwise spend chasing answers by email.

• Ecommerce Shopper: “I can never find the product I want.”

• AI follow-up: “Which type of products are you usually searching for when this happens?”

• Ecommerce Shopper: “The suggestions are annoying.”

• AI follow-up: “Can you tell me more about what makes the suggestions annoying for you?”

How many followups to ask? Generally, 2-3 is enough before you risk survey fatigue. Specific offers an option to end the thread as soon as you have enough context, which keeps the experience snappy and respects people’s time.

This makes it a conversational survey: You’re not blasting questions—you’re uncovering real stories, pain points, and ideas through a flowing interaction.

AI survey response analysis: Even when you generate lots of unstructured data by letting shoppers speak freely, it’s now easy to make sense of it all. Specific’s AI survey analysis tools summarize the key themes, trends, and actionable requests—in seconds, not days.

AI-powered, dynamic followup questions are a new capability—it’s worth generating a survey just to see how rich and conversational the responses can become.

How to compose a prompt to generate great questions

Getting the best questions out of ChatGPT or similar tools is all about using the right prompt. Here’s a simple place to start for ecommerce site search:

Suggest 10 open-ended questions for Ecommerce Shopper survey about site search effectiveness.

But AI works even better when you give it more context—why you need the survey, what you already know, what your goals are. Here’s the next level:

We’re a mid-size online retailer aiming to improve our product discovery experience. Our analytics show only 40% of shoppers find what they want on the first try. Suggest 10 nuanced open-ended questions for Ecommerce Shopper survey about site search effectiveness, focusing on pain points, expectations, and ideas for improvement.

After you get a list of draft questions, sort and organize them by theme for better coverage:

Look at the questions and categorize them. Output categories with the questions under them.

Finally, pick the categories with the most value (for example, “Search result relevancy” or “Comparison to other sites”) and go deeper:

Generate 10 questions for categories Search result relevancy, Search speed, and Suggestions/autocomplete.

What is a conversational survey?

Traditional surveys feel cold and rigid—think endless checkboxes, no eye contact, no follow-ups. AI-generated conversational surveys, though, feel like a natural chat: you ask a question, listen to the answer, then probe intelligently. This is why respondents are more likely to engage and give you richer, more honest feedback. Instead of just form fields, you get a fluid exchange that adapts to what someone says in real time.

Why use AI for ecommerce shopper surveys? Using an AI survey generator like Specific is the fastest way to get expert-level, high-ROI survey questions. You can create a survey tailored to your audience and topic just by describing what you need. The difference is obvious in response rates—and in the quality of actionable feedback you gather.

Specific is known for its best-in-class user experience for conversational surveys, making both creation and participation engaging, natural, and effective for everyone involved.

See this site search effectiveness survey example now

Instantly experience how conversational surveys can uncover what your shoppers really think—gain better feedback, richer insights, and transform your site’s search performance with just one survey. Don’t miss the power of AI-driven, follow-up smart surveys that are proven to boost engagement and deliver actionable results.