Buyers’ Point-of-Sale Code

Welcome to the Bizrate Buyers survey

The Bizrate Buyer Surveys combined is a free customer feedback and seller ratings collection tool that allows retailers to hear from their buyers through a pair of surveys, the first of which is offered immediately after purchase and the second is offered after expected order receipt. By utilizing the Bizrate Buyer Surveys, retailers are empowered with invaluable answers about the entire purchase and order receipt experience, as well as marketable seller ratings, with one JavaScript code.

This one code yields information on the following key topics:

• Loyalty metrics: Likelihood to Buy Again, Likelihood to Recommend, and Overall Satisfaction
• Merchandising
• Marketing
• Usability
• Order tracking and delivery
• Product Satisfaction
• Customer Support
• Demographics

In short, over 50 years of collective customer feedback experience, ranging from ecommerce to retail to traditional market research, has gone into the creation of our comprehensive suite of Buyers feedback products. With our offering, Bizrate sparks a dialogue between retailers and consumers in a way that is measurable and leads to insights, as well as a powerful action-oriented ‘to do’ list, helping retailers grow their ecommerce business and secure customer loyalty.

1.2 The composition of the Bizrate Buyers surveys

The Buyer Surveys point-of-sale survey invitation code is placed on the order confirmation only to generate an invitation for the customer to provide feedback. The standard invitation is sized 400 x 135 pixels, contains the retailer’s logo, the Bizrate logo, and invitation text, and is branded in the Bizrate color scheme. This text differs based on the retailers’ choice of consumer rewards (or the lack thereof) for survey submission. The invitation can be accepted, or closed, each with one click.

Upon acceptance of the invitation, a survey opens in a separate window or tab, depending on the browser.

Our standard code allows retailers to supplement customer ratings and reviews by providing additional information regarding the order. This pass-in product and order data, when combined with survey responses, allow a retailer to not only understand the details of the customer experience as it differs based on products purchased, but also fully rounds out customer profiles and improves customer service. Furthermore, by passing data through the survey invitation code, this more holistic picture of the customers’ experience is rendered without requiring the customer to answer incremental questions. This information is passed from the retailer to Bizrate via the survey code.

Taking full advantage of the supplemental, pass-in product information also allows Bizrate to invite consumers to share their purchases on Facebook on the retailers’ behalf. Bizrate’s Product Share feature is free and includes accompanying reporting.

2.0 Implementation

2.1 Technical overview

The implementation of the Buyer Survey point-of-sale invitation code is fairly simple. Section 2.0 instructs the setup of a JavaScript code that should be placed on the receipt or order confirmation page only.

When the receipt, or order confirmation, page loads, this JavaScript code calls Bizrate’s survey invitation system servers to present a survey invitation that is specific to each retailer’s site and accompanying Bizrate account settings. When passing Bizrate any data via this JavaScript code (aka on the backend), such as a URL for a purchased product, then that data is passed with the call to launch the survey invitation. Retailers who choose to host the invitation on their own servers will not be able to pass Bizrate supplemental data to take advantage of the related features.

Please note that the code in this document is “fully loaded” with the free data pass-ins included already to minimize the need for future code enhancements. If a retailer does not wish to utilize all of the free pass-in options available in the code at this time, then they can simply be left in the code as is and ignored. That way, if a retailer wishes to take advantage of the supplemental code and features in the future, then no code change will be required.

2.2 Getting your MID
The MID for an account is its unique identifier in our system. Each website should have its own account and attendant MID. The MID is used in Bizrate’s Buyer Surveys code to customize the invitation and survey experience according to the account settings. It is therefore critical that the correct MID be used in the survey code. Please read our post to see how to open an account if you do not have one and how to locate your MID.

2.3 The value of passing-in supplemental data with the survey invitation
The Buyer Surveys point-of-sale code is capable of passing-in alpha-numeric values, such as order ID, and “attaching” this data to survey responses.

Supplemental pass-in data provides the retailer with a more holistic picture of the customer and what they bought that resulted in the ratings and reviews given on the survey. It also makes this data easily accessible for Customer Service, who may want to respond to a customer’s ratings and reviews. Lastly, when the Product Data is passed in correctly, then Bizrate may provide its Product Share feature to retailers. Product Share allows consumers to share what they just purchased on Facebook.

Standard (free) pass-in data for the Buyer Surveys – defined

a. Customer data pass-in values

1. Order ID = order number or identifier = [ORDERID]
2. Total Order Value = total amount spent in the order = [TOTAL]
3. Zip Code = Billing zip code = [ZIPCODE]

b. Product data pass-in values set – up to 5 products per purchase may be passed

Product set:

1. Product URL = full web address (URL) of the product purchased’s product detail page = [URL]
2. Product SKU = unique product stock keeping unit or identifier; this must be the same “SKU” value used in the retailer’s product feed = [SKU]
3. Global Trade Item Number = unique, globally used, product identified inclusive of EAN, UPC, & ISBN= [GTIN]
4. Product Price = the price paid for the item = [PRICE]

2.4 Value pass-in setup

The placeholders for the values described below must be dynamically replaced upon load of the page with the appropriate data in order to pass them to Bizrate for features and reporting. (Note: All pass-in data must be enclosed by single quotes.)

1. orderId: Pass the order number in place of [ORDERID].

(Note: unless URL-encoded, this value may not include special characters.)

2. cartTotal: Pass in the total amount spent (in dollars) in place of [TOTAL].

(Note: cartTotal is a numeric field. Do not include alpha/special characters, such as $, or the data will not be accepted.)

3. billingZipCode: Pass the billing zip code in place of [ZIPCODE].
4. Product Data pass-in Product Set:
   1. URL: Pass the product URL in place of [URL].
   2. Product SKU: Pass the product SKU in place of [SKU].
   3. GTIN: Pass the product EAN, UPC, or ISBN in place of [GTIN].
   4. Product Price: Pass the price paid for the product in place of [PRICE].

(Note: Utilize all four Product Data pass-in values in a Product Set per product purchased. Up to 5 products per order may be passed, separated by pipes “|”; if multiples of the same item are purchased, then pass each in a separate Product Set.)

(Note: Make sure you replace the [placeholder] including the [] brackets with your data as shown in the examples below. Also, do not leave any spaces when replacing the values in the URLs and remember all pass-in values must be enclosed by single quotes.)

2.5 Code template for the order confirmation page with placeholders

To pass Bizrate the standard supplemental data, then replace all placeholders in the code below, including brackets, for all values that you wish to provide.

<!– Start Bizrate POS Code –>
<script language=”JavaScript”>
// var passin_x =; //comment out to default center or adjust horizontal position by pixel
// var passin_y =; //comment out to default center or adjust vertical position by pixel
// var orderId=[ORDERID];
// var z_index =; //default 9995
// var cartTotal=[TOTAL];
// var billingZipCode=[ZIPCODE];
// Pass up to 5 products from customer shopping cart
var productsPurchased=’URL=[URL]^SKU=[SKU]^GTIN=[GTIN]^PRICE=[PRICE]| URL=[URL]^SKU=[SKU]^GTIN=[GTIN]^PRICE=[PRICE]| URL=[URL]^SKU=[SKU]^GTIN=[GTIN]^PRICE=[PRICE]| URL=[URL]^SKU=[SKU]^GTIN=[GTIN]^PRICE=[PRICE]| URL=[URL]^SKU=[SKU]^GTIN=[GTIN]^PRICE=[PRICE]‘;
</script>
<script type=”text/javascript” src=”https://eval.bizrate.com/js/pos_[MID].js”>
</script>
<!– End Bizrate POS Code –>

(Note: up to 5 product sets can be passed in; sets must be separated by a pipe “|”. If multiples of the same items are purchased, then pass them in separate data sets.)

2.6 Code template for the order confirmation page without placeholders

Copy and paste the JavaScript code below to your website’s receipt or confirmation page, updating the [MID] field if it does not already show your unique account identified. This code template contains all standard, free data as described in section 2.4. The appropriate data must be dynamically placed into their corresponding values upon load of the page in order to pass to Bizrate for reporting. The values need to fall between the equals-sign (=) and the single quote (‘) or caret (^). (Note: All pass-in data must be enclosed by single quotes.)

<!– Start Bizrate POS Code –>
<script language=”JavaScript”>
// var passin_x =; //comment out to default center or adjust horizontal position by pixel
// var passin_y =; //comment out to default center or adjust vertical position by pixel
// var orderId=;
// var z_index =; //default 9995
// var cartTotal=;
// var billingZipCode=;
// Pass up to 5 products from customer shopping cart
var productsPurchased= ‘URL=^SKU=^GTIN=^PRICE=|URL=^SKU=^GTIN=^PRICE=|URL=^SKU=^GTIN=^PRICE=|URL=^SKU=^GTIN=^PRICE=|URL=^SKU=^GTIN=^PRICE=’;
</script>
<script type=”text/javascript” src=”https://eval.bizrate.com/js/pos_[MID].js”>
</script>
<!– End Bizrate POS Code –>

(Note: if you decide not to send any or all pass-in data, then leave the entire code intact with blanks as shown.)

3.0 Quality assurance

Once the code setup is complete it’s important to check if the implementation was successful.

1. Place a test order from the retailer’s site with actual product(s).
2. The survey invitation should pop-up on top of the order confirmation page. If the pop-up invitation is blocked due to a pop-up blocker, then a DHTML pop-in invitation is rendered with the same design.
3. When the invitation is clicked, the Bizrate Buyer Surveys point-of-sale survey should open in a separate window or in a separate tab, depending on your browser.

Here is an example of a Bizrate invitation that is similar to what you should see on the order confirmation page with a successful implementation:

If your test order experience was not in alignment with the above, then there may be a problem with your implementation. Please review the following common errors to troubleshoot the problem.

 

3.1 What if the invitation does not look like this or does not appear? The most common errors and solutions:

1. The invitation does not appear.
   1. Check that the retailer’s MID was placed in the code, including the removal of the brackets [].
   2. If the MID and bracket removal are correct, then there may be a conflicting script on the page. Try moving Bizrate’s code to the top of the page body (within the body tags) to remedy the issue.
2. The invitation reads “this online store” in lieu of the retailer’s name and logo.
   1. Check that the correct MID was placed in the code, including the removal of the brackets [].

   i. See Section 2.2 for instructions to get your MID. If you don’t know your login information, then please click on the “forgot your password” link on the login page.

   2. Check that the retailer’s name was entered and logo was uploaded when the Shopzilla account was created. Login at merchant.shopzilla.com to check the name and logo, and update them if necessary. If you don’t know your login information, then please click on the “forgot password” link on the login page.
3. A different retailer’s name and logo are appearing on the invitation.
   1. The incorrect MID was placed in the code. Fix immediately.

i. See Section 2.2 for instructions to get your MID. If you don’t know your login information, then please click on the “forgot your password” link on the login page.

4. The retailer’s name appears, but not the logo.
   1. Retailers provide Bizrate with the two logos used: one in the invitation and one in the surveys. Please visit our post to see logo specifications and how to upload your logo.
5. The invitation renders properly, but does not look like the example above.
   1. There are several standard (free) looks and feels for the invitation that have been optimized to gain the highest invitation acceptance rates. For example:

Referred to as the “reward” invitation. This invitation has the highest survey response rate.



Referred to as the “value” invitation. This invitation has the second highest survey response rate.



Referred to as the “sweepstakes only” invitation. This invitation has the third highest survey response rate.



Referred to as the “no incentive” invitation. This invitation has the lowest response rate as our testing confirms this invitation reduces the survey response rate by 30%.



6. Part of the invitation renders properly, but not the entire invitation. It may look like the retailer’s site covers it in some places.
   1. In order for the survey invitation to always be on top, we have set our Z Index to 9,995. We therefore recommend that retailers use layer levels of 9,994 or lower, however this value is configurable in the point-of-sale survey invitation code should an issue arise with a conflicting layer. This is described in further detail in section 4.4.

If you have questions or experience issues, then please review the FAQ section which we keep up to date. If the FAQs do not answer your question(s), then please contact your Bizrate account manager for assistance and include your complete order confirmation page browser source code as a text (.txt) attachment. You may also email us this information at bizrateinsights@bizrate.com.

4.0 Optional Settings

4.1 Invitation positioning setup

The survey invitation defaults to a position in the center of the browser window. This parameter can be set to position the survey invitation elsewhere in the shopper’s screen by modifying the coordinates in passin_x and passin_y to any desired integer. If the pop-up invitation is blocked due to a pop-up blocker, then a DHTML pop-in invitation is rendered using the X and Y positions calculated in pixels as well.

4.2 Serving the invitation: pop-up versus embedded

The survey invitation is a 400 x 135 pop-up by default that automatically switches to a DHTML pop-in in the presence of a pop-up blocker. To change the serving of the invitation to an embedded (inline) presentation or a DHTML presentation at all times, Bizrate makes a change on its end . Retailers do not need to change or adapt the code in any way.

For an embedded presentation, the retailer must place the code on the page in the exact location in which they want the invitation image to appear, which should always remain above the fold with at least 400 x 135 pixels of clean real estate for the invitation to render. (Note: embedded survey invitations typically reduce consumer response rates dramatically (50-67%).

4.3 Percentage based serving

If you wish to have the Bizrate survey invitation offered to less than 100% of orders, then please contact your Bizrate account manager or bizrateinsights@bizrate.com to request this additional code and implementation instructions.

If there are other settings that you would like to request, then please contact your Bizrate Insights account manager or email us bizrateinsights@bizrate.com.

4.4 Z Index Configuration

If an existing layer covers the Bizrate survey invitation preventing proper display or complete display of the invitation, then the Z Index of the survey invitation may be increased to render the invitation on top of all other content on the page. As with all values replaced in this script, the value must be followed by a semicolon to prevent a JavaScript error.

Note: the Z Index value may not be set lower than the default of 9,995.

5.0 Support Information

5.1 Survey system supported browsers

Bizrate’s Buyers Survey invitation and survey work with the following browsers:

5.2 Security concerns

The code in this document utilizes https to ensure that all calls from secure receipt pages (https) are made secure (SSL). If your order receipt or confirmation page is not secure, then remove the “s” for a non-secure http call.

5.3 Contact us

Do you still have questions?
If you have questions or experience issues, then please review the FAQ section which we update for additional help.

Would you like to setup a meeting to review?
Then please contact your Bizrate® Insights account manager or email us bizrateinsights@bizrate.com.

 

Click here to download the Buyers Survey implementation documentation in PDF format.