Customer journey analysis reveals the hidden friction points that cost ecommerce stores sales every day. When you know exactly where your customers struggle—whether it’s product discovery, cart friction, or the delivery experience—you can solve conversion issues fast. The secret isn’t just in reviewing analytics, it’s in asking great questions. With AI surveys, you can dig deeper, faster, and make journey analysis part of your daily growth workflow.
Uncover how customers find and evaluate your products
The product discovery phase is the first critical touchpoint in ecommerce, setting the stage for everything that follows. If customers can’t find what they want quickly—or understand why it’s right for them—they’re gone. To uncover these early challenges, I like to ask:
How did you first come across our website?
What were you hoping to find, and did you find it right away?
Which page or feature helped you decide if a product was right for you?
Was there anything confusing or missing during your initial search?
To dig even deeper, follow-ups are key:
If a customer says, “I just browsed around,” probe with “What caught your attention during your browsing?”
When someone mentions using the search bar, ask, “Was it easy to find relevant results, or did you need to adjust your search terms?”
Create a customer journey survey focusing on how shoppers discover products, what influences their initial interest, and what information they need before considering a purchase
One of my favorite tactics is letting AI follow-ups step in when an answer is vague or generic—helping move from “I just clicked around” to “I always start with the sale page because it’s the fastest way to spot deals.” If you want to see how these dynamic follow-ups work in practice, take a look at automatic AI follow-up questions—they turn surface answers into actionable insights every time.
Identify the friction points that kill conversions
Cart abandonment costs ecommerce businesses billions annually. In fact, the average cart abandonment rate is a staggering 73.94%, meaning nearly three-quarters of shoppers ditch their purchase after adding to cart [1]. To finally understand the “why,” you have to ask questions that aren’t afraid to get specific, such as:
What stopped you from completing your purchase today?
Was anything unclear about shipping costs or delivery times?
Did you experience any surprise fees at checkout?
How did you feel about the trust and security of our checkout process?
Did you attempt to check out on mobile or desktop?
Conversational surveys really shine here—they catch the emotional reasons behind abandonment (“I worried the product might not arrive in time for a birthday” or “the checkout page felt sketchy, so I left”). When you compare traditional static surveys to conversational AI-powered ones, the quality of insight jumps:
Traditional cart survey | Conversational AI survey |
- “Why did you abandon your cart?” | - “Walk me through what happened after you added items to your cart.” |
Design a survey to understand why customers add items to cart but don't complete purchase, focusing on unexpected costs, trust issues, and checkout complexity
Since unexpected extra costs are the top reason (48%) for abandonment [1], these follow-ups matter. And with AI survey response analysis, I can instantly chat with the results, summarize themes, and spot at-risk conversion patterns before they balloon into lost revenue.
Transform delivery from necessary evil to competitive advantage
That moment after a customer buys—when they’re waiting for that package—is no less crucial. The delivery experience means everything for repeat business and word-of-mouth. I don’t just ask, “Did your order arrive on time?” Instead, I dig into:
How would you rate your delivery experience, and what stood out?
Were updates about shipping clear, helpful, and timely?
Did the packaging meet your expectations for the product type?
Were there any issues with the carrier, handoff, or tracking?
What’s really interesting: Delivery expectations aren’t one-size-fits-all—a jewelry customer expects stunning packaging, while a pet food shopper just wants on-time arrivals. AI-driven survey logic adapts to these nuances. For example, if a customer mentions a delay, a smart follow-up is, “Did the delay impact how likely you are to order from us again?” or “Were proactive updates provided about when your package would arrive?”
Build a post-purchase survey that measures delivery satisfaction, uncovers specific pain points in the fulfillment process, and identifies opportunities to exceed customer expectations
With the AI survey editor, customizing these survey flows by product type or customer segment is as easy as chatting—the survey adapts so you never miss key delivery feedback.
Make customer journey analysis an ongoing practice
If you're not running these surveys regularly, you're missing out on understanding why customers choose competitors over you. Tracking changes in the journey—not just one-off problems—lets you see whether fixes actually improve conversion, loyalty, and satisfaction. For example, as peak shopping seasons roll in, seasonal patterns emerge that require shifting your questions: Did shoppers abandon because expedited delivery was too costly in December? Did more first-time buyers struggle with checkout during major sales?
With Specific, you can easily launch conversational survey pages for targeted, one-off journey analysis, or set up in-product conversational surveys for ongoing, unobtrusive feedback. AI-powered analysis doesn’t just save time—it reveals patterns, wording, and behaviors even expert researchers overlook.
Want to start analyzing your highlights, friction points, and opportunities in minutes? Go ahead and create your own customer journey survey—and turn every insight into action.