> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.zigpoll.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.zigpoll.com/guides/how-to-turn-first-time-buyers-into-repeat-customers.md). # How to Turn First-Time Buyers into Repeat Customers Ask first-time and returning buyers different questions, and use the answers to earn the second order and grow subscriptions The second order is where a DTC brand starts making money. The first one paid for the ad. Yet most post-purchase surveys ask every buyer the same question, which means the first-timer gets asked about the product they haven't received and the fifth-time buyer gets asked how they heard about you. Split them. Each group knows something the other doesn't, and the two sets of answers together describe the path from the first order to the fifth. *** ## Survey A — First-time buyers Target with the **New Customers** preset under **Settings → Targeting**. ### Question 1 — What almost stopped you? A **Long Answer** question. First-timers are the only people who can describe the friction of a first purchase: the shipping cost that surprised them, the size chart they didn't trust, the promo code that didn't work. The returning buyer has stopped noticing. See [How to Find Out Why Visitors Aren't Buying](/guides/how-to-find-out-why-visitors-arent-buying.md). ### Question 2 — What are you hoping it does for you? A **Single Choice** question with your real use cases, or a **Long Answer**. This is the expectation the product has to meet. It shapes the onboarding email (send the content for the job they actually have) and it's the baseline for the post-delivery survey: did it do what they hoped? ### Question 3 — How would you like to hear from us? A **Multiple Choice** question: **"What kind of emails are you interested in?"** * New products * Sales and discounts * Tips and how-tos * Just my order updates Letting customers self-segment on day one is the cheapest unsubscribe prevention there is. The buyer who ticked "just my order updates" and then gets four promotional emails a week is the one who churns from your list before the second order. *** ## Survey B — Returning buyers Target with the **Returning Customers** preset. Put this survey *above* Survey A in your Surveys list, because Zigpoll serves the first survey whose rules match. See [Layered Post Purchase Surveys](/tutorials/layered-post-purchase-surveys.md). ### Question 1 — Why did you come back? A **Single Choice** question: **"What brought you back today?"** * I ran out and needed more * I wanted to try something new from you * A sale or discount * An email or text from you * I'm buying it as a gift this time * A friend asked me where I got it This is the one question only a returning buyer can answer, and the answer is your retention strategy. "I ran out" says the replenishment reminder matters and the timing should match the actual usage cycle. "A sale" says your repeat revenue is discount-dependent. "Try something new" says cross-sell is working and should be in the first-order flow. ### Question 2 — Do you wait for a sale? A **Binary choice** or **Single Choice** question: **"Do you usually wait for a sale before you order?"** Honest answers here tell you how much of your promotional calendar is pulling demand forward rather than creating it. ### Question 3 — What should we make next? A **Long Answer** or **Ranked Choice** question. Repeat buyers are your most qualified product-research panel: they know the product, they like it, and they're already paying. [How to Prioritize Your Product Roadmap](/guides/how-to-prioritize-your-product-roadmap.md) covers reading these answers. *** ## Survey C — Subscriptions If you sell subscriptions, the **Contains Subscription** and **Does Not Contain Subscription** presets split buyers one more way. **One-time buyers of a subscribable product:** ask **"What stopped you from subscribing?"** as a **Single Choice**: * I wanted to try it first * I don't use it regularly enough * I don't like being locked in * The discount wasn't worth it * I didn't notice the option Each answer is a different fix: a trial-to-subscription email, a flexible cadence, a clearer cancel-anytime promise, a bigger discount, or a more visible toggle on the product page. **New subscribers:** ask **"What made you subscribe?"** so you know which of those fixes is already working. **Subscribers on a renewal order:** ask **"Is the delivery cadence right?"** with *Running out too early / Just right / Building up too much*. Cadence mismatch is the most common reason for a quiet cancellation, and it's one you can fix in the subscription settings before it happens. [How to Reduce Churn and Cancellations](/guides/how-to-reduce-churn-and-cancellations.md) covers the exit survey for the ones you didn't catch. {% hint style="info" %} Subscription renewals create new Shopify orders, so a Thank You page survey can show on them. To keep renewals out of a survey meant for new orders, see [Keeping subscription renewals out of order surveys](/polls/targeting-settings.md#keeping-subscription-renewals-out-of-order-surveys). {% endhint %} *** ## After delivery: did it meet the expectation? The first-order survey captured what the customer hoped for. A few days after delivery, an [Order Delivered](/tutorials/order-delivery-survey.md) email survey closes the loop with **"Did it do what you hoped?"** and a **Satisfaction** question. A first-time buyer who says no is a lost second order unless someone reaches out, so route those answers to support with a [Gorgias](/integrations/gorgias.md) or [Zendesk](/integrations/zendesk.md) action. [How to Measure the Delivery and Product Experience](/guides/how-to-measure-the-delivery-and-product-experience.md) covers this survey in full. *** ## Reading the results * **Compare the two groups' order values.** Zigpoll attaches order value to each answer ([Order Stats](/tutorials/order-stats.md)). Returning buyers who came back for "something new" usually carry a higher average order than those who came back for a sale, which tells you which flow deserves the investment. * **Read "why did you come back" against time since last order.** Export from the **Table** tab with order dates, or ask Z-GPT Chat. If "I ran out" buyers reorder at 45 days and your replenishment email goes at 30, the email is early. * **Watch the first-timer hesitation themes month over month.** Z-GPT Insights clusters them. A theme that disappears after you ship a fix is the proof the fix worked. *** ## Act on it * **Klaviyo** — Write the email preference and the intent as profile properties with a [Question Logic](/questions/question-logic.md) action, then branch the welcome flow on them. See [Klaviyo Segmentation](/tutorials/klaviyo-segmentation.md). * **Replenishment timing** — Set the reminder flow's delay from what "I ran out" buyers actually report, not from a guess. * **Shopify** — **Add Customer Tag** with the subscription objection, so a [Shopify Flow](/shopify-app/shopify-flow.md) can send the right follow-up. * **Reward the second order, not the first** — A [Promo Code question](/tutorials/adding-discount-codes-to-your-survey.md) at the end of the first-time survey gives new buyers a reason to come back, with a code you can track. *** ## Related {% content-ref url="/pages/YFzREtUZcgu9ROgx8E6b" %} [How to Reduce Churn and Cancellations](/guides/how-to-reduce-churn-and-cancellations.md) {% endcontent-ref %} {% content-ref url="/pages/bNh5dnZIwu9WipcijsKg" %} [Layered Post Purchase Surveys](/tutorials/layered-post-purchase-surveys.md) {% endcontent-ref %} {% content-ref url="/pages/ONZbTE8bnyvcrHwFaSly" %} [Advanced Shopify Targeting](/tutorials/advanced-shopify-targeting.md) {% endcontent-ref %} --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. 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