We always want to know more about why people purchase. How did they find out about the brand? What drove them here, now? While attribution was becoming more costly, I looked to my team of engineers who specialized in Optimizely and asked if we could collect survey responses after a user had successfully purchased, before they created an account. I got to work.
I worked with my designer on the questionnaire:
I integrated AirTable to get all of the responses and we were live. As the responses started flooding in, it was so invigorating. I got to see a lot of great, positive feedback. "Everything went smoothly. The way making a purchase online should be done." It felt good to hear people talk so highly of the experience, as long as they did everything right.
The Not So Good
I started to see a pattern, and it started to grow. A few responses would slightly complain about promo codes not working. I decided to test it out: I tested out a promo code and it applied! The user must be entering the promo code in wrong. But it kept appearing. "PROMO CODE NOT WORKING" another response would say.
Promo Code Fix
I tried it again, this time, with a different membership type: basic. Turns our promo code offers (created by marketing) only apply to our premium membership types. I reviewed the email and saw the fine print, but users were just not reading it. Moreover, when I tried entering a promo code for a basic membership type, the error message just said, "error, try again!" I was mortified. That's our experience when someone tries to enter a promo code that can't be applied to a specific plan. I sought to change that.
Updated Promo Code Error Messaging
Again, I worked with Optimizely for a quick, band-aid solution. Promo codes are getting revamped on the backend in a large way, but it won't be a few months until we can get it launched. I decided to write something that was applicable to all errors and ensure the user reads the fine print of the promo they have received.
As you can see, the new messaging had an overwhelmingly positive effect. What's more important, those responses completely stopped. Users knew why their promo codes weren't working, and the system was working in their favor.
Learnings
- Always try to get as close to your users as possible
- Quick solves can have major impact
- Keep thinking of edge cases or ways that the experience wouldn't go smoothly