The Problem
The site originally used a simple free-text "Where did you hear about us?" field, which produced messy, inconsistent data that was hard to analyze and impossible to segment by specific partner brands or campaigns. The brand wanted to turn this into a structured, on-brand survey element directly in the cart, with predefined options (partner boxes, events, in-store, other brands) and the ability to maintain and update the list over time as new partnerships launched. It also needed to stay unobtrusive, so it wouldn't hurt conversion while collecting reliable acquisition data at scale.
The Solution
We implemented a structured "Where did you hear about us?" component on the cart page, replacing the free-text box with a controlled set of options managed in a Shopify metafield. The question appears in the cart once a product is added, with a primary dropdown ("How did you hear about us?") and, for specific answers like "I tried a free sample", a second-level list of partner brands. Answers are configured in the metafield, so adding, removing, or rotating brands happens through data rather than code. Options are sorted alphabetically, with "Other" pinned to the end, and all responses are stored in a structured way in the backend so marketing can break down orders by acquisition source.
Why It Mattered
This turned a noisy, free-form field into a clean, structured data source, so the brand can actually trust and use the "Where did you hear about us?" answers in their reporting and channel mix decisions. They can quantify how many customers discover them through specific partner boxes, events, or other brands, adjust co-marketing spend accordingly, and rotate options over time without a development cycle for each update. Because the question is embedded lightly in the cart and uses clear, finite choices, it fits naturally into checkout behavior and maintains conversion while significantly increasing the quality and usability of acquisition data.
Technical Details
Built in the Shopify theme on the cart page, using Liquid and JavaScript to render options from a dedicated Shopify metafield (research_where_did_you_hear). The backend research layer stores selected values in a structured database format rather than free text, so reporting by specific option and sub-brand is possible. Options are loaded and sorted alphabetically by default, with "Other" always last. Updates to the list are made by editing the metafield content, so adding or removing brands is a content operation, not a code change.
