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What is a HDYHAU Survey?

A “How Did You Hear About Us?” (HDYHAU) survey collects zero-party data—information customers voluntarily provide about how they discovered your brand. This data is valuable because:
  • Privacy-resistant: Not affected by cookie blockers, iOS privacy features, or ad blockers
  • Top-of-funnel visibility: Captures awareness channels that tracking can’t see (word of mouth, podcasts, TV)
  • Validates tracking data: Cross-reference with your analytics to identify attribution gaps
Zero-party data complements (not replaces) your tracking-based attribution. Use both for a complete picture of your marketing performance.
See: Zero-Party Attribution

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Survey Placement & Timing

Display the survey immediately after purchase on the order confirmation/thank-you page.Pros:
  • Highest response rates (15-30%)
  • Customer is already engaged
  • Memory is fresh
Cons:
  • Can slow checkout flow slightly
For optimal response rates, display the survey on the thank-you page. Most survey tools (Fairing, KnoCommerce, Zigpoll) support this placement out of the box.

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Survey Setup

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Question Copy

ElementRecommendation
Question”How did you first hear about us?”
Introduction textLeave blank (keep it short)
Placeholder text”Choose an option”
Button text”Submit”
The word “first” is important—it prompts customers to think about initial discovery, not their most recent interaction.

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Standard Response Options

Include channels where you actively market. Order matters for accurate data:
Add these if you have meaningful spend or presence:
  • Pinterest
  • Snapchat
  • Streaming TV / CTV
  • Linear TV
  • Radio
  • Billboard / Out of Home
  • Direct Mail
  • Reddit
  • Twitter / X
  • LinkedIn (B2B)
  • Bing Search
Always include “I don’t remember” as an option. Without it, customers who genuinely don’t recall will select a random channel, polluting your data. Research shows 10-20% of respondents legitimately don’t remember.

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Survey Settings & Best Practices

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Response Order

Randomize Options

Randomize the display order of channels to prevent position bias (first options get selected more often).

Pin Bottom Options

Keep “I don’t remember” and “Other” pinned at the bottom—these should always be last.

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Control Option (Validation Check)

Add a “control” channel you don’t use to detect random clicking: 
Example: If you don't advertise on TV, include "TV Commercial" as an option.
If this control option receives significant responses (>5%), it indicates:
  • Customers are clicking randomly
  • Your question may be confusing
  • Response data quality may be compromised
A well-designed survey should see <3% responses for the control option.

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Response Settings

SettingRecommendation
Responses per customerOne response only (prevents duplicate data)
Free-form “Other”Enable—captures channels you haven’t listed
Required vs OptionalOptional (required surveys reduce completion rates)

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Improving Response Rates

1

Keep it short

One question is ideal. Each additional question reduces completion by ~20%.
2

Mobile-friendly design

Ensure options are tap-friendly on mobile (most Shopify traffic is mobile).
3

Visual design

Match your brand’s look and feel. A cohesive design feels less intrusive.
4

Consider incentives

Some brands offer discount codes for survey completion (use sparingly—can bias responses).

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Customer & Order Tagging

Enable tagging so responses flow into SourceMedium and your other analytics tools.

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Tag Format

Use a consistent prefix for easy filtering:
PrefixExample Tag
HDYHAU-HDYHAU-Facebook
PPS-PPS-TikTok
survey-survey-Podcast
Most survey platforms (Fairing, KnoCommerce, Zigpoll) support both customer tags and order tags. Enable both for maximum flexibility in reporting.

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Platform-Specific Setup

Fairing

Enterprise-grade surveys with advanced targeting and A/B testing.

KnoCommerce

Zero-party data platform with multi-question flows.

Zigpoll

Lightweight surveys with Shopify-native integration.

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Using Survey Data in SourceMedium

Once tagging is configured, HDYHAU data appears in these modules:
ModuleTag Type Required
New Customers AnalysisCustomer tag
Last Order AnalysisCustomer tag
Orders Deep DiveOrder tag
Post-Purchase Survey ModuleOrder tag
The Post-Purchase Survey Module provides dedicated reporting for zero-party data. Contact the SourceMedium team for access.

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Backfilling Historical Orders

If you have survey responses from before your tagging was configured (spreadsheets, old survey tools, manual records), you can backfill tags to historical orders.
Best for tagging a few dozen orders manually.
  1. Go to Orders in Shopify Admin
  2. Filter or search for the orders you need to tag
  3. Select the orders (checkbox)
  4. Click More actions → Add tags
  5. Enter tag (e.g., HDYHAU-Facebook)
You can select up to 50 orders at a time in the Shopify admin.
Tag format matters. Use the same prefix format (HDYHAU-, PPS-, etc.) as your survey tool to ensure SourceMedium can recognize and report on all your zero-party data consistently.

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Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Forces customers to guess, corrupting your data. Always include this option.
More than 12-15 options overwhelms customers. Group similar channels (e.g., “Social Media” instead of listing every platform).
First options receive disproportionate clicks. Randomize to get accurate distribution.
“How did you hear about us?” captures discovery. For last touchpoint, use “What brought you back today?”—but this is usually better captured via tracking.

Attribution Health Overview

Strategies for improving your overall attribution coverage.

Fairing Integration

Connect Fairing survey responses to SourceMedium.

KnoCommerce Integration

Set up KnoCommerce for zero-party data collection.

Channel Mapping

How survey responses map to your channel groupings.