The art of writing product recommendation quiz questions for quizzes that convert

Whether it’s software that creates a seamless checkout experience, analytics tools that track customer activity on your site, or an email marketing platform that auto-sends cart abandonment emails, you’ve got hundreds of tools to help your e-commerce brand succeed. 

While some tools are more necessary than others, we’d argue the most essential is one many e-commerce brands often overlook: product recommendation quizzes. Not only do they improve e-commerce personalization, but they also:

• Increase the time shoppers spend on your site

• Boost sales

• Drive traffic to your site

• Build trust with shoppers

• Provide invaluable zero-party data (ZPD) and customer insights

• Give shoppers tailored product suggestions that boost customer loyalty

It’s not an exaggeration when we say that product recommendation quizzes can change the game for e-commerce brands who use them. But there’s a catch—you need to create effective quizzes.

That means asking the right quiz questions to engage shoppers and match them with a perfect-fit product. If you don't ask questions that reveal enough customer data to make on-point recommendations, shoppers might leave dissatisfied and you miss out on valuable data.

We’ll show you how to write product recommendation quiz questions that uncover crucial information about your customers and allow you to suggest personalized product matches.

Product recommendation quizzes and marketing personalization

​​Gone are the days when using the [first_name] merge tag was enough to qualify as marketing personalization. Sure, we're all innately more interested in things that relate to us directly or use our names. But for true personalization, using someone's first name (only) just doesn't cut it anymore.

Customers want to be treated as individuals. The best way to do that? Personalization. It’s become the new standard—and expectation—for how brands engage with their customers. And with unprecedented access to their data, consumers demand you understand them as individuals and their unique wants and needs.

Just look at my “Recommended Stations” from Spotify. Every station aligns with the music I listen to most. It feels like Spotify gets me and created stations based on my individual interests. 

And here's why that matters for your e-commerce brand:

• 78% of shoppers are more likely to become repeat buyers if you personalize

• McKinsey found that nearly 80% of consumers have recommended or paid more for a brand that personalizes experiences

• 65% of customers expect brands to adapt to their changing preferences—but an overwhelming 61% feel like companies treat them as a number

With countless benefits and the expectation of personalization, savvy e-commerce brands are creating more personalized customer experiences... and they're using product recommendation quizzes to do it.

What is a product recommendation quiz and how does it help with personalization?

Before we get into how product recommendation quizzes improve e-commerce personalization, let’s briefly define it. 

A product recommendation quiz plays matchmaker between shoppers and your products by asking questions about lifestyle, wants, needs, interests, and more. Using the answers shoppers share, you can recommend personalized product matches that show you listened while building instant trust.

And while product recommendation quizzes are fun for quiz takers, don’t underestimate their value as a powerful marketing tool for personalization, too. Done right, a product recommendation quiz:

• Increases the time shoppers spend on your site by encouraging active participation in the product recommendation quiz—shoppers are aware that they need to be intentional with their answers to get personalized product matches

• Makes data collection—specifically ZPD—effortless, so you can not only send tailored product suggestions, but use that data for personalization efforts in other areas, like better segmentation, email marketing, and more

Personalization goes far beyond a one-time interaction. Sure, product recommendation quizzes make tailored product suggestions only when someone completes the quiz... 

But the data that comes from the quiz lets you segment your audience, send content your customers actually care about, personalize your messaging, and nurture browsers into eventual buyers.

3 types of product recommendation quizzes

Consumers have spoken—personalize our experience or we’ll go somewhere else. And with so many ways to personalize and open access to customer data, brands have no excuse to not deliver the personalized experience consumers expect. 

Whether you’re already using personalization strategies or figuring things out, product recommendation quizzes are a proven method for personalization (and a must-have for your marketing strategy). Here are three to try. 

The “logic” behind product recommendation quizzes

While product recommendation quizzes are fun to take (and make), the goal is to be more than just an exciting experience—it’s about suggesting products that match a shopper’s needs or wants. To do that, you need to ask relevant quiz questions that guide shoppers toward that perfect match. 

That’s where logic comes into play. Logic lets you create a product recommendation quiz that asks relevant questions only by responding to answers and skipping irrelevant questions. 

Logic also lets you create tailored paths (branching) based on someone’s answer. Let’s say you’re asking someone if they have curly hair or straight hair. If they’ve got curly hair, you might lead them to questions about frizz. If their hair is straight, you might ask follow-up questions about oily hair.

Branching and logic allow you to create a personalized quiz experience—building trust by asking thoughtful questions that guide shoppers to personalized product matches. Product recommendations that align with their unique wants, needs, and interests.

6 tips for writing effective product recommendation quiz questions

They might seem straightforward, but there's a lot to consider as you create your product recommendation quiz. First and foremost, put yourself in your customers' shoes. Would you want to answer 25 questions? Or fill out a form that sends you completely irrelevant product suggestions?

Take your time and be intentional—and follow these six tips.

The best product recommendation quizzes are those built with the customer in mind and focused on creating a personalized experience. To do both, design a quiz shoppers want to fill out—keep it short, ask relevant quiz questions, and engage shoppers visually. 

Product recommendation quizzes: the answer to e-commerce personalization

What was once considered a nice-to-have is now a requirement for shoppers you want to engage with your brand. They expect personalization. And not surface-level personalization—real, data-driven personalization at every touchpoint.

You have a big opportunity to build trust and create personalized experiences for your customers while driving sales. And it starts with product recommendation quizzes. 

These interactive quizzes give you the ZPD you need to personalize now and in the future. They build trust by delivering personalized product matches. They are the answer to e-commerce personalization.

Ready to give them a try? Try Typeform.