How to Use Quizzes to Boost Conversions During the Holiday Season
If there’s one holiday hack that truly makes a difference, it’s knowing your customers better than anyone else. What better way to do that than by getting them to tell you exactly what they want? Enter: quizzes. Not just for fun, quizzes are an excellent tool for turning clicks into loyal customers.
Picture this: you’re on a site, answering a few quick questions, and suddenly, you’re seeing personalised product recommendations that feel just right. That’s the power of quiz data, especially during the holiday rush, when shoppers are searching for gifts and crave a tailored experience.
Learn how to use quizzes to boost conversions, strengthen customer retention, and give your holiday marketing a personal touch—all with data your customers are happy to share.
Why use quizzes in the first place?
The humble quiz has come a long way from lighthearted entertainment to a powerhouse tool in email marketing. At their core, quizzes are a fun, interactive way for customers to share their preferences or goals. For marketers, they’re gold mines of zero-party data—information that customers willingly provide, giving you a deeper understanding of what they’re actually looking for.
Once customers complete a quiz, their responses are stored and connected directly to their profiles in your email platform, allowing you to personalise future interactions with precision.
Market research quizzes offer several valuable benefits:
You’ll be able to send targeted product suggestions based on what you know your customers actually want, increasing the chance they’ll make a purchase.
Enhance your segmentation and group customers by interests, preferences, or needs to tailor your messaging for future campaigns further.
Quizzes get customers engaged, making them more likely to open, click, and interact with emails and, therefore, your brand.
Personalised recommendations drive more sales from existing subscribers, especially during high-traffic holiday periods.
Knowing your customers’ preferences lets you nurture long-term relationships with more relevant, meaningful content, which leads to stronger retention.
Quizzes don’t just gather data—they harness the power of personalisation in ways that resonate deeply with your audience. Connecting quiz responses to email platforms like Klaviyo allows you to tailor your automated flows to each customer’s unique preferences. Imagine a welcome series introducing them to products aligned with their quiz answers or a post-purchase email that suggests complementary items. Even browse abandonment emails can feature dynamic blocks showing recommendations based on quiz results. These insights allow you to move beyond one-size-fits-all marketing and deliver experiences that feel bespoke. This is great for engagement at every step of the customer journey.
How to design a quiz that converts
Creating a quiz that converts means designing an experience your audience wants to take—and one that guides them naturally toward products or solutions they’re genuinely interested in. Let’s break down the essential steps to crafting a high-converting quiz.
Come up with relevant questions
First things first: your questions need to feel tailored and specific. Avoid generic questions that don’t give much insight, and instead, think about what you want to know to help personalise recommendations. But remember, multiple-choice answers are your best bet for keeping questions quick to answer and, above all, more convenient for data usage.
During the holiday period, these questions could be framed around what customers expect from sales (BFCM) or what kind of Christmas gifts they’ll be after (bundles, personalised products etc.).
Example: Instead of “What are you looking for?” try something like, “Which product would make holiday shopping easier right now?” or “What’s the #1 quality you value in [your product category]?”
Use images to make it easier for your audience to visualise their answers.
Image source: Tortuga Backpacks
2. Curate an engaging experience
Quizzes shouldn’t be a chore. Use visuals, short questions, and simple language to create a quick, engaging experience. Keep the quiz to around 3-5 questions, and make sure the flow feels natural. If you want your quiz to be longer, let your customers know in advance and highlight its benefits.
If possible, add a touch of your brand’s personality here—humour, style, or something unexpected that sets you apart. And be sure to optimise the mobile compatibility, as this is where your customers will most likely find your quiz.
Tip: Add progress indicators, like a percentage bar or “Question 3 of 5,” so users know they’re almost done. This makes them more likely to complete your quiz.
Image Source: Jones Road
3. Craft compelling call-to-actions
Your quiz results are the perfect spot for a solid but friendly call-to-action (CTA). Before sending them, have the email sign-up field as the final stage of your quiz, as the user will be more likely to give up their information here—the effort of answering your questions compensates for the friction of signing up.
Use the results email to direct customers to a curated selection or offer, ideally with a tailored recommendation based on their responses. Make it personal and clear why they should take the next step.
Tip: Instead of a generic “Shop Now,” try “Discover Your Perfect Match” or “Shop Your Results” to create excitement and drive clicks.
Leverage integrations to maximise quiz impact
Designing a quiz that converts is only part of the equation—using the right tools to integrate and optimise your quiz can make a world of difference. Two platforms we highly recommend are Okendo and Octane AI, both of which assist in gathering, utilising, and leveraging customer data.
1. Octane AI: Build smarter, more interactive quizzes
Octane AI allows you to create engaging product quizzes that collect valuable zero-party data. By integrating with platforms like Klaviyo, Octane AI connects quiz responses directly to customer profiles, making it easy to personalise follow-ups and automate targeted email flows.
Why it’s great for quizzes:
Simple drag-and-drop quiz builder to design tailored experiences.
Syncs quiz data directly with Klaviyo, enabling precise segmentation and personalised marketing.
Provides dynamic product recommendations based on user responses, increasing the likelihood of conversion.
Whether you’re helping shoppers choose gifts during the holidays or showcasing tailored bundles, Octane AI ensures the data collected is actionable and impactful.
Explore Octane AI
2. Okendo: Turn Feedback into Enhanced Personalisation
Okendo is known for customer reviews, but it also works as a powerful tool for collecting insights through quizzes. By integrating with Klaviyo, Okendo enables brands to build trust and optimise product recommendations based on real customer data.
Why it’s great for quizzes:
Lets you incorporate reviews or testimonials into quizzes, boosting credibility and engagement.
Captures additional insights about preferences or expectations during the quiz process.
Enhances email campaigns by combining quiz insights with verified customer reviews, delivering a richer, more persuasive experience.
Okendo helps bridge the gap between data collection and trust-building, making it an excellent addition to any quiz.
Explore Okendo
What’s next? Get the most out of your quiz data
Your quiz data is a roadmap to understanding your customers on a deeper level. Now that you’ve gathered valuable insights through your quiz, it’s time to put that data to work to influence your Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Christmas campaigns. The holiday season is all about reaching the right customers with the right offers at the perfect moment.
Analyse and apply quiz insights
Start by reviewing your quiz completion rates and engagement levels. High completion rates mean you’ve created a quiz that resonates with your audience, while lower rates might signal areas to simplify or adjust the experience.
Look closely at responses to spot trends. This can reveal customer preferences, challenges, and goals you can address directly in your content and product recommendations.
Regarding your holiday marketing, identify if customers are looking for gift bundles, seasonal products, or stocking fillers. Do they prioritise fast shipping or value limited-edition items? These insights help you craft product recommendations and emails that resonate. For instance, if most customers are after unique gift ideas, feature personalised or exclusive products in your BFCM and Christmas emails.
Segmentation and personalisation
Holiday shopping is fast-paced, so segmentation is key to effectively connecting with customers. Use quiz data to create segments based on holiday-specific interests, like gift preferences or shopping behaviours. One tip? Create user personas to bring these segments to life.
For example, 'Carol the Christmas Enthusiast' buys early, plans every detail, and loves finding the perfect gift for everyone on her list—she’d appreciate early-bird offers and personalised gift guides. Contrast that with 'The Grinch,' a last-minute shopper who buys only for close family and friends and would value quick-shipping options and curated lists of popular items.
By building segments around these personas, you can deliver tailored offers and 'Top Picks' lists that truly resonate with each group, maximising conversion potential.
Integrate data across channels
Consider integrating quiz data with other platforms for a full-circle view of your customers. Sync quiz data with your CRM or email platform to ensure customers see consistent messaging across channels—whether they’re browsing your site, opening your emails, or scrolling on social media. For BFCM, highlight limited-time offers; for Christmas, promote “Order by [Date] for Guaranteed Delivery.” This approach keeps your holiday messaging strong and coordinated.
Tip: If you're using Klaviyo, you can sync your new segments with Meta and Google ads audiences via native integration linking the accounts in just a few clicks. Read more on that here.
Continuous testing and optimisation
Finally, use your quiz data as a basis for testing and refining your strategy—holiday campaigns are ideal for this. A/B test different types of messaging, gift ideas, or holiday bundles for specific groups within your post-quiz segments. Experiment with various subject lines, product collections, and CTAs (like “Shop Stocking Stuffers” vs. “Limited Edition Gifts”) to see what drives the most clicks and conversions. See what worked for BFCM and apply it to your festive campaigns. You’ll keep your strategy more closely aligned with what your audience values most through ongoing adjustments.
Final Thoughts
Quizzes are powerful tools for creating a more tailored holiday shopping experience for your customers. Collect meaningful data (that’s been handed to you on a silver platter, may I add), and you’ll be able to make each interaction with your audience more relevant, converting clicks into loyal customers and ensuring your BFCM and Christmas campaigns stand out.
Use your quiz insights to drive strategic personalisation, create thoughtful holiday segments, and make every email feel like a perfect match for the season.
Need more help with the technical stuff? Don’t hesitate to get in touch. We partner with some of the best in the quiz-making game, like Octane AI, so our data-driven team can bring you the whole package from set-up to analysis.
