Most uninstall surveys get ignored, and the few answers that come back say "other". The fix isn't more questions. It's fewer, better ones, asked at the right moment. These are the four uninstall survey questions worth asking:
- What's the main reason you're leaving? (pick one)
- What would have made you stay?
- What did you mainly use us for?
- Anything else we should know? (optional)
Below: why each one is there, where to ask them in a SaaS product and in a Shopify app, and two templates you can copy.
Why most uninstall surveys get no useful answers
Four things usually go wrong. The survey arrives days later, when the person has moved on. It has too many questions. It lets people tick every reason, so you can't tell which one made them leave. And for Shopify apps, it asks the same question Shopify's own uninstall screen just asked.
The format matters too. A short, personal email with one open question usually gets more replies than a multiple-choice form, and the replies are more specific: a named bug, a missing step, a workflow that didn't fit.
People answer a person more readily than a form.
Where to ask: in the flow or by email
Where you can ask depends on who owns the moment someone leaves.
| Product | When you can ask | How |
|---|---|---|
| SaaS with its own cancel button | While they cancel | A short step in the cancel flow, before the final confirm |
| Shopify app, paid plan | When they cancel or downgrade in your app | The same short step on your app's billing page |
| Shopify app, uninstall | Right after they uninstall | One email, triggered by the uninstall |
Shopify apps can't add their own survey to the uninstall itself. Merchants uninstall from the Shopify admin, and Shopify now asks them for a required reason there, which you can see in your Partner Dashboard.
What you can do is send one email. Your app receives the app/uninstalled webhook as soon as the merchant removes it. Shopify then sends shop/redact 48 hours later, asking you to erase that store's data. So send the email within a few hours, while the reason is still fresh, and make sure your privacy policy covers it.
The 4 questions
1. What's the main reason you're leaving?
Pick one + Other
One answer, not several. This is the number you'll count every week, so it has to add up. Use the same list you tag feedback with elsewhere, so survey answers and support chats land in the same buckets.
Shopify apps emailing after uninstall: skip this one. The Partner Dashboard already has it. Start with question 2.
2. What would have made you stay?
Open text · most useful
"Too expensive" becomes "a plan under $10 for stores my size". "Missing a feature" becomes the actual feature. It also reads as a genuine question, not a form, which is why people answer it.
3. What did you mainly use us for?
Pick one or short text
This tells you who is leaving. If most people who leave over price used one small feature, that's a packaging problem, not a pricing one. Keep the options to your three or four main use cases.
4. Anything else we should know?
Optional open text
Most people skip it. The few who don't often write the most useful answer on the form.
Copy-paste templates
A · In-flow survey (SaaS cancel or in-app plan cancel)
Before you go: one quick question
What's the main reason you're cancelling?
- Too expensive for what I get
- Setup was too hard
- Missing a feature I need(selected)
- Something didn't work
- Support didn't help
- Only needed it for a while
- Switched to another tool
- Other
What would have made you stay? (optional)
Subscriptions support. We'd have stayed on the $29 plan.
Cancel my planKeep my plan
Keep the cancel button visible and working. Making people hunt for it doesn't save customers; it produces angry reviews.
B · Post-uninstall email (Shopify apps)
SubjectQuick question about [App name]
Hi [first name],
I saw you removed [App name] from [store name]. No hard feelings, and thanks for trying it.
Could you tell me in a line or two what would have made you stay? Just hit reply; I read every answer.
[Your name], [role] at [App name]
Send it from a real person's address, as plain text. No logo, no buttons, no discount code. One email, not a sequence.
What to do with the answers
Answers only help if they're counted alongside everything else customers tell you. Tag each answer with a main reason and anything else it mentions, add what that customer was paying, and look at the totals weekly. How to analyze customer feedback walks through that step by step.
- Reply to anyone who asked a question or described a bug. Some will reinstall once it's fixed.
- Compare survey answers with the rest of your feedback. Survey answers are short and often pick the first option that roughly fits. The same customer's last support chat usually tells you more.
Mistakes to avoid
- Chasing people after they leave. Calls, texts and repeated emails after an uninstall are a quick way to earn a 1-star review. One email is a question; five is a reason to complain.
- Required open-text fields. They get filled with "." to get past them.
- Changing the reason list every month. You lose the ability to compare weeks.
- Offering a discount to everyone who picks "too expensive". Some of them left for another reason and picked the first option.
FAQ
How many questions should an uninstall survey have?
Two to four. One pick-one question for the main reason and one open question for what would have made them stay cover most of what you need.
Should the questions be multiple choice or open-ended?
Both: one pick-one question you can count, and one open question that explains it. In an email, lead with the open question only.
Can a Shopify app show a survey when a merchant uninstalls?
Not inside the uninstall itself; Shopify owns that screen and asks for a reason you can see in the Partner Dashboard. You can ask when merchants cancel a plan inside your app, or send one email after the uninstall webhook.
When should I send the uninstall email?
Within a few hours. The reason is still fresh, and for Shopify apps you'll receive a data erasure request for that store 48 hours after uninstall.