5 ways to write an effective shop quiz for DMs

We all know shop quizzes or any sort of interactive experience works well to drive sales, but get this: they work even better in DM’s! The reason is simple, it’s more personable to have a 1:1 conversation with someone to help curate a product that is just right for them.

The experience and conversation you create for the user when they interact with your brand can ultimately decide if they will turn into a customer or not – so let’s talk about what works.

How do you create an engaging, interactive, and conversational shop quiz experience to turn a user into a customer? Here are 5 pointers to apply that have proven to be effective:

1. Take the work off of the customer

Shop quizzes are all about learning more about a customer with a goal to get them matched with the most relevant products. Although it is some work to take a quiz, customers are happy to answer questions when it's clear that it will benefit them. It's essential to make it known that this entire experience is all about getting them a great result.

The simplest way to take the work off the user is to pay close attention to the tone of voice and the choice of words you use within the experience. Your goal is to let someone feel like you’re providing value to them or taking care of them in some way so they have incentive to continue the experience.

For example, "Take our Flavor Quiz to find your match" sounds like the customer has to do the work, as opposed to "Take our Flavor Quiz to get matched with your new favorite flavor." It’s pretty clear the second option illustrates that we are going to do the heavy lifting here. So ultimately you want to shy away from “do this so that you can do that” and lean more towards “do this so we can do that for you.”

2. Have a strong first question

Getting the first message to resonate with your audience is critical because this is where the highest drop off occurs in any conversation. The goal is to make it as seamless as possible to get a quick response. We already know they’re interested because they started the conversation, so now is the perfect time to ask a low-lift, easy-to-answer question like: “Let’s get you furnished with pieces you’ll love 😌 So, what are we shopping for?” with answer options being “My new place✨” or “My current place💖”

3. Make sure there’s a purpose for each question

A common question that many brands have is “How many questions should we have in our shop quiz?” There is no universal number for this. The experience can be as short or as long as you want, taking into consideration the questions that are being asked are relevant to the customer.

Relevant meaning: The customer’s answer will help reveal why the product is right for them specifically, or will help you match them to the right product within your inventory. (Bonus: Everything you learn can also help inform your product and marketing!)

Because they’re sharing all this great info, you’ll be able to acknowledge their answers, and speak to why the product(s) are a fit based on what they share.

A great strategy within the shop quiz is to use your acknowledgement message as a 2-in-1 to also speak to why a particular product is a fit based on their answer to the question you just asked. For example, if the previous question was “Do you have a timeline for this project?” and the answer they choose is “This month” You can respond with something like “We offer free delivery and assembly in just 7 days!” This way you not only acknowledged what they said, but you also were able to highlight a key value prop and show the customer that you will be taking care of their needs before jumping into the next question.

It’s important to remember that this is a conversation!

4. Talk to them like they’re your friend

Let’s imagine you’re on the phone with your best friend. You wouldn’t say "How do you typically spend a night off?" you’d probably say something more along the lines of "Hey, it’s Friday night, what's the plan?” Same goes with DMs! When you’re having a conversation with your audience, treat them like your friend. That makes the interaction more personable and less robot-ey. Even adding emojis can make it fun 🤗 (unless it really doesn't align with your brand's tone)!

In addition to this, make sure you’re acknowledging the user wherever possible. When your friends speak to you, you don’t just blow them off (hopefully not!). It’s nice to acknowledge their response before moving onto the next question, same goes for DM conversations!

5. Product Matching & Sale Closing

Now that you know more about your customer, you want to use their answers to offer a personalized product match. You can use this time to highlight any key value props of their product match that you think would help drive a sale, and surface a few of their perfect products (we typically match between 3–5 depending on the store).

When displaying the user’s product match(es) it’s important to think about how you present it. If your product tends to have a higher price point and that has proven to drive people away, maybe using a review or product description in its place will result in more clicks.

Again, there is no universal rule on how to do this. You have to consider what will resonate with your audience and be particular on how you display your offers and products to them.

Following these 5 pointers can help create an effective conversational shop quiz for DMs: opening with a strong first message, asking questions with a purpose, allowing the user to feel taken care, and finally, providing a curated solution.

DMs have proven to be an effective channel for brands to learn about their audience if done right. The overall goal here is to create an enjoyable experience for users while the brand collects learnings and conversions from their audience.

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