Attribution surveys have become one of the most reliable ways for Shopify merchants to understand where their customers are actually coming from. As tracking gets harder thanks to privacy changes and multi-touch journeys, more brands rely on a simple question like:
“How did you first hear about us?”
Naturally, this leads to an important question for Shopify store owners: “Do I need an app to run attribution surveys on Shopify?”
The short answer is yes. Shopify does not include built-in attribution survey tools, nor does it allow you to place survey questions on the post-purchase page without an app. If you want clean, structured, first-party data, you need a dedicated survey app such as Grapevine Surveys.
Why Attribution Surveys Matter for Shopify Brands
Attribution is harder today than ever. Between privacy updates, cookies expiring, tracking blockers and customers discovering brands in more places, your analytics often only show part of the story.
Attribution surveys help fill the gaps by giving you:
- First-party customer feedback that is not blocked by browser or device changes
- Channel insights that analytics alone cannot reliably detect
- Context on how customers really discovered your brand
- Better decisions about where to invest marketing budget
That is why high-growth Shopify brands use a simple attribution question as part of their standard post-purchase flow.
You can learn more about attribution surveys here:
Attribution surveys on Shopify
For a real-world example of attribution in action:
Post-purchase survey spotlight: Precision Hydration
Why Shopify Cannot Run Attribution Surveys Natively
Shopify is excellent at managing products, carts and orders, but it is not built to run structured attribution surveys on its own. There are a few key limitations.
1. No Survey Builder for the Thank-you Page
Shopify does not include a native survey builder for the order status page. You cannot simply add a “How did you first hear about us?” question to the thank-you page without using an app or custom development.
2. No Structured Storage for Responses
Even if you send customers to an external form, Shopify will not:
- Attach attribution responses to orders
- Store answers in the customer record
- Segment responses by new vs returning customers
- Provide reporting on attribution over time
3. No Automatic Post-purchase Question Placement
Attribution questions work best when they appear immediately after checkout. Shopify does not offer a built-in way to place interactive survey components here without an app.
4. No Attribution Reporting Tools
Shopify’s standard analytics do not include first-party attribution reporting based on customer responses. To collect, store and analyse this kind of data, you need a specialised solution.
For more background on using apps for surveys generally, you can also read:
Why the Post-purchase Page Is the Best Place to Ask Attribution Questions
You can email customers or add survey links to other pages, but the post-purchase page is where attribution questions perform best.
Higher Accuracy
Customers answer based on fresh memory when they are still thinking about their purchase. This increases the accuracy of responses to questions like:
“How did you first hear about us?”
Higher Completion Rates
Post-purchase attribution surveys regularly see much higher completion rates than email surveys or standalone forms. The question appears at a natural point in the journey, and it only takes a few seconds to answer.
Cleaner Attribution Data
A simple attribution question can reveal:
- Channels that analytics never reported
- Influencers, creators or affiliates by name
- Specific podcasts, blogs or newsletters
- Offline channels such as events or retail
- Word of mouth and referrals
Rich Segmentation
When responses are linked to orders, you can analyse:
- Which channels drive the highest AOV
- Which channels bring the most repeat customers
- Which channels tend to be discount-driven
- Which channels are growing or declining over time
What an Attribution Survey App Lets You Do That Shopify Cannot
A dedicated attribution survey app like Grapevine Surveys unlocks functionality that is not available in Shopify by default.
1. Ask “How Did You First Hear About Us?” on the Post-purchase Page
The standard attribution question appears directly on the order status page after checkout, without requiring any custom code. This makes participation effortless for customers.
2. Connect Answers to Orders and Customers
Grapevine can link each response to:
- The specific order
- Order value and line items
- New vs returning customer status
- Discount codes and campaigns
This turns simple survey answers into rich, actionable data for your marketing and merchandising decisions.
3. Reveal True Acquisition Channels
Analytics might say “Paid Social”, but attribution surveys often reveal that customers actually discovered you via:
- Organic social content
- Creator or influencer shout-outs
- Word of mouth from friends
- Podcasts or YouTube
- Affiliates or content partnerships
This clarity helps you allocate budget more effectively.
4. Combine Attribution With NPS and CSAT
Many merchants run more than one question after checkout, for example:
- “How did you first hear about us?” (attribution)
- “How satisfied are you with your experience today?” (CSAT)
- “How likely are you to recommend us?” (NPS)
Grapevine Surveys supports all of these survey types in a single flow. You can read more here:
5. Track Trends Over Time
As your marketing mix changes, so will your attribution results. With a dedicated app, you can monitor:
- Which channels are growing in share
- Which channels are declining
- Which channels bring in the most valuable customers
This turns attribution surveys into an ongoing feedback loop rather than a one-off project.
Why Grapevine Surveys Is a Strong Choice for Attribution on Shopify
Grapevine Surveys focuses on the types of post-purchase surveys that matter most to ecommerce brands, with attribution right at the centre. It is built specifically for Shopify merchants who want a simple, reliable way to collect first-party insight.
With Grapevine Surveys, you can:
- Show attribution questions on the Shopify post-purchase page
- Capture first-party acquisition data at scale
- Link responses to orders and customers
- Combine attribution with CSAT and NPS
- Install and configure everything without writing code
To learn more about attribution surveys with Grapevine, start here:
Attribution surveys on Shopify
For more guides, ideas and real brand examples across all survey types:
Grapevine Surveys resources and guides
Can You Run Attribution Surveys Without an App?
It is possible to collect some attribution feedback without a dedicated app. For example, you could:
- Send a survey link by email after the order
- Embed a form on a separate page of your site
- Add attribution questions to a pop-up on your store
However, these methods usually lead to:
- Lower response rates compared to post-purchase surveys
- Data that is not automatically tied to orders or customers
- More manual work to merge and analyse the results
For a consistent, scalable attribution setup inside Shopify, a dedicated post-purchase survey app like Grapevine Surveys is almost always the stronger option.
Conclusion: Yes, You Need an App to Run Attribution Surveys on Shopify
Shopify does not offer native tools to run attribution surveys or place questions on the post-purchase page. If you want to:
- Ask customers how they first heard about your brand
- Collect first-party attribution data at scale
- Link answers to orders, products and customer segments
- Combine attribution with CSAT and NPS feedback
- Use attribution insights to shape your marketing strategy
then you do need an app to run attribution surveys on your Shopify store.
Grapevine Surveys is designed for exactly this use case. It helps Shopify merchants collect attribution, NPS and CSAT data on the post-purchase page and turn that insight into better marketing decisions and stronger growth.
