I think the folks at ‘Happy or Not’ have it right — a quick satisfaction survey that a six-year-old kid could answer. This type of quick surveying could very easily be done via smartphone. Of course the trick is getting shoppers to download an app or agree to being surveyed, but I think it’s doable. Soliciting customer feedback has never been more important but, as we’ve discussed on past posts, the methods and intent in the way it’s largely being conducted today are problematic — producing more marketing fodder than true customer insights.

Too invasive, too long, too complicated, too many and — as pointed out — shopping is a personal and private journey. Frankly, it’s not the retailer’s business. If you want and value shoppers’ opinions then they become consultants that you need pay for their opinions. All too often these surveys are invasive and masked as retailers seeking to improve their service when it is nothing more than adding more data to an even bigger data pile. All of which leads to nothing of value at all! Certainly not for the shopper. The survey process simply opens the door to Google and Doubleclick’s creepy ad serving and unwelcome SPAM.

Keep it short, keep it simple, keep it clean-looking and people will answer on their smartphones. Make them work at it and they’re gone.

The issue for shoppers is one of time and convenience. No one wants to consume a large amount of time responding to survey whether on their mobile device or in another medium! Isn’t the reason we all love our mobile devices partly because they save us time? Why would we then take away time from our day on a mobile device answering a survey? I think the future of surveys lies with AI and machine learning techniques to analyze unstructured data from sources like social media where the retailer is talked about by consumers. Those analyses will tell the retailer more about how they are perceived by shoppers than any directly initiated survey.

The retailers that are actively communicating with their shoppers via mobile are currently collecting feedback via mobile. Full disclosure: we make line-free mobile checkout applications for retailers. One of the most popular features for both shopper and retailer is the ability to leave instant feedback directly at the end of their trip. We see this as a trend that will continue to grow. The more retailers are comfortable with their mobile platforms and the more shoppers are using their smartphones to engage with the retailers, the more we will see shoppers using mobile to provide direct feedback.

In research practice we learn that the validity of consumer answers depends on whether they believe the line of questioning and the research itself is productive. (Consumers have a BS meter that detects frivolous lines of questioning.)

Given the incredible overuse and abuse of customer surveys, it’s smart NOT to move them mobile. Consumers do not believe these surveys are valuable and the data gathered in them is generally worthless (when it comes to truth). Unfortunately, managers are hooked on these surveys to justify their decisions.

My advice: we must stop believing that cheap research like these surveys is worthwhile. Instead, take the time and money to do serious, in person research work. What retailers will discover is that research will find incredible strengths that they can leverage for profit.

Customers are surveyed to death. What was once a way to let retailers and others know you thoughts have become ubiquitous. I have actually been asked to complete a survey about their survey! Enough is enough. It’s like a retailer who plasters their windows with signs. There are so many people don’t read them.

Sometimes a survey on a phone can be considered an intrusion. The phone is “high priced real estate.” If you can find your way onto a consumer’s phone you are just beginning to play the game. Honoring the relationship by offering a good app, easy to use, no friction, no hassle, etc. is the next step. It should be seen as a privilege to have a place on their phone, so don’t abuse it. If you’re going to ask something of the consumer through their mobile device, it better be important … to both of you. If there is no value to the consumer, you will lose them.