Running a Customer Survey Over the Holidays

The quiet days between Christmas and the new year are a surprisingly good time to ask customers what they think. Memories of their holiday shopping are fresh, inboxes are calmer and many people have a few spare minutes. Here is how to run a short, respectful customer survey that gives you useful answers for the year ahead.

Most small businesses know they should ask customers for feedback more often. The trouble is timing. In the run-up to the holidays, everyone is too busy. In January, you are planning and catching up. By spring, the details of the holiday season have faded from customers' minds.

That leaves a sweet spot: roughly Boxing Day through the first week of January. Customers have just shopped with you, often for gifts, and the experience is fresh. Many are off work, scrolling more and happy to share an opinion if the ask is short and friendly. This guide walks you through planning, writing, sending and using a holiday customer survey without annoying anyone.

Why survey customers over the holidays?

A survey sent in late December captures something you cannot get any other time of year: how your business performed under real pressure. The busiest weeks reveal where delivery, staffing, stock, communication and checkout held up and where they did not.

• Fresh memories: customers can still recall wait times, packaging and how staff treated them.
• New customers: holiday shoppers often include first-timers and gift buyers who may never come back unless you understand why they chose you.
• Planning input: answers arrive just as you set priorities for the new year.
• Goodwill: a thoughtful thank-you plus a request for input can make customers feel valued during a warm, generous season.

There is a caveat. The holidays are also personal time. Your survey should feel like a polite, optional request, not homework. Keep it short and easy to skip.

Decide what you want to learn

The biggest reason surveys fail is that they try to answer everything. Before writing questions, choose one to three goals. Every question should serve one of them.

Good goals for a holiday survey

• Understand how smooth the buying and delivery experience felt during the busy season.
• Find out why first-time customers chose you and whether they plan to return.
• Learn which products, services or gift options people wanted but could not find.
• Test interest in an idea for next year, such as a gift subscription or a workshop.

Goals to avoid

Do not use the survey to collect data you will not act on, to sell something in disguise or to fish for testimonials. If you want reviews, ask for them separately and honestly. In the US, the FTC's 2024 rule bans buying fake or incentivized positive reviews, so never tie a reward to a positive rating.

Write questions customers will actually answer

Short, clear questions get better answers. Aim for 5 to 10 questions in total, with most taking a few seconds each.

Question types that work well

• Rating scales: "How easy was it to find what you wanted?" on a 1 to 5 scale.
• Multiple choice: "How did you first hear about us?" with a short list plus "Other."
• Yes or no: "Did your order arrive when you expected?"
• Open questions: "What is one thing we could do better next holiday season?"

Wording tips

• Ask about one thing per question. "Was delivery fast and well packaged?" mixes two topics.
• Avoid leading phrasing like "How much did you love our new gift wrap?"
• Use plain words your customers use, not internal jargon.
• Put easy questions first and open questions near the end.
• Make most questions optional so people can skip what does not apply.

Set up and send your survey

You do not need specialist software for a small survey. Form builders such as Google Forms, Microsoft Forms, Tally, Typeform or Jotform all handle simple surveys. Check current features, pricing and privacy policies, especially where responses are stored, before you choose one.

1. Build the form. Add your questions, mark most as optional and add a short intro that says how long it takes.
2. Test it. Fill it in yourself on a phone and a laptop. Ask a colleague or friend to try it and time how long it takes.
3. Choose your audience. Decide whether to survey all recent customers or a segment, such as people who bought in December.
4. Check consent. Make sure you are allowed to contact the people on your list for this purpose (more below).
5. Write the invitation. Keep it warm, short and clear about time, purpose and any incentive.
6. Send at a calm time. Late morning on a weekday between Boxing Day and early January often works, but test what suits your audience.
7. Send one reminder. A single gentle reminder a few days later usually lifts responses. Do not send more than that.
8. Close the survey. Set a clear end date, such as the second week of January, so you can start analyzing.

Invitation template

Privacy, consent and incentives

A survey invitation is still a message to your customers, so the usual rules apply. In the UK and EU, PECR and GDPR rules on consent apply to marketing emails, and you need a lawful basis to process survey answers. In the US, commercial emails must follow CAN-SPAM, which requires a clear unsubscribe option and a valid physical postal address. A genuine feedback request may be treated differently from a marketing message in some places, but if your survey also promotes products, assume marketing rules apply.

Some practical habits keep you on the right side:

• Only collect personal details you actually need. Anonymous surveys often get more honest answers.
• Say how you will use the answers and how long you will keep them.
• Link to your privacy notice in the form.
• Keep survey data in a secure place with limited access.

Should you offer an incentive?

A small thank-you, such as entry into a prize draw or a small voucher for everyone who completes the survey, can lift responses. If you run a prize draw, publish clear terms: who can enter, closing date, how the winner is chosen and when they will be contacted. Rules for prize promotions vary by country, so check local requirements. And remember, never make an incentive depend on positive answers or reviews.

This section is general information, not legal advice. If you handle sensitive data or run larger promotions, speak with a qualified professional.

Turn answers into decisions

A survey is only worth running if you use the results. Once it closes, set aside an hour or two to work through the responses.

Template: survey results tracker

Copy this table into a spreadsheet to turn responses into actions. The rows below are made-up examples.

• Read every open answer. Group them into themes and count how often each comes up.
• Look at ratings by segment. First-time customers may see things differently from regulars.
• Pick three actions. You cannot fix everything. Choose the changes that matter most to customers and are realistic for you.
• Close the loop. Send a short "You said, we did" update or social post in a few weeks. It shows respect and makes the next survey easier.

Frequently asked questions

The bottom line

The days after Christmas give you a rare window to hear from customers while their holiday experience is still fresh. Keep the survey short, ask only what you will act on, respect privacy and consent, and send it when people have time to breathe.

Then do the part most businesses skip: turn the answers into a few real changes and tell customers what you did. That is how a simple holiday survey becomes a better year for everyone.