What is an exit-intent survey?
An exit-intent survey opens when a visitor looks about to leave a page and asks why they are going. It catches people at the one moment they can tell you what stopped them.
Asking at the door
Most visitors leave a website without saying why. An exit-intent survey asks them on the way out: when the pointer heads for the browser's tabs or close button, a short survey opens with one question, such as “What is the main reason you are leaving today?”
The answers explain numbers that analytics can only count. A high exit rate on the pricing page tells you people leave, and an exit-intent survey tells you whether the price feels too high, a feature is missing or they are still comparing options. Each reason points to a different fix.
Exit-intent surveys suit pages where leaving costs you something: pricing, sign up, the cart and key product pages. They are for visitors who haven't bought or signed up yet. For customers who end a plan, a cancellation survey on the cancel page fits better.
- Opens
- When a visitor moves to leave the page
- Asks
- One question, usually multiple choice with an Other option
- Shown on
- Pricing, sign-up, cart and key product pages
- Used for
- Finding what stops visitors from signing up or buying
- Also called
- Exit survey, exit popup survey
How exit intent is detected
On a computer, exit intent is read from the mouse: when the pointer leaves the window through the top, toward the tabs, the address bar or the close button, the visitor is probably about to go. Phones and tablets have no pointer, so tools watch for a sign that does the same job, such as a fast scroll back to the top of the page.
Neither signal is certain. Some visitors move the mouse up to open another tab and come back, so keep the survey short and easy to close.
| Device | Read as exit intent |
|---|---|
| Desktop | The pointer leaves through the top of the window |
| Phone or tablet | A fast scroll back to the top of the page |
Exit-intent survey questions
Ask one closed question with a short list of reasons, and add an Other option with a text box for the rest. A second, optional question can ask what would have changed their mind.
- “What's holding you back from signing up?”
- “Did you find what you were looking for?”
- “What would you need to know before deciding?”
- “What stopped you from completing your order?”
Where to show an exit-intent survey
Show it on the pages where a visitor leaving means a lost sale or sign up, and limit it to people who haven't converted yet.
- The pricing page, for first-time visitors
- The sign-up page, before the form is sent
- The cart or checkout, for shoppers with items in the cart
- Key product or feature pages
- Never on an order confirmation page, where leaving is expected
How to read exit-intent survey answers
Count each reason and turn it into a share of all answers. Then separate the reasons you can act on from the ones you can't: just browsing is useful to know, and the next step comes from the reasons you can fix.
Say 400 visitors answer in a month. 160 are just browsing, 100 couldn't find what they wanted, 80 find the price too high and 60 need more information. Browsing makes up 40%, and the largest reason you can fix is finding things at 25%, which points to navigation and search before price.
- Just browsing
- 160 answers, 40%
- Couldn't find it
- 100 answers, 25%
- Price too high
- 80 answers, 20%
- Need more information
- 60 answers, 15%
- Largest reason to fix
- Couldn't find it, 25%
Exit-intent surveys vs cancellation surveys
Both ask why someone is leaving. They ask different people at different moments, and their answers lead to different fixes.
| Exit-intent survey | Cancellation survey | |
|---|---|---|
| Who | Visitors who haven't bought or signed up | Customers ending a plan |
| When | As they move to leave a page | On the cancel page |
| Asks | What stopped them | Why they are canceling |
| Leads to | Fixes to pages, pricing and messages | Fixes to the product and service |
Exit-intent surveys in Usertick
Exit intent is one of the triggers on every plan. On desktop it opens the survey when the pointer leaves through the top of the window, and on touch screens on a fast scroll back to the top. Combine it with another condition under Any, such as a scroll to 50%, and add a short wait if you like.
Targeting keeps the survey on the right pages and people: included pages such as those starting with /pricing, devices, countries, and new or returning visitors, all on every plan. Show frequency stops it from coming back on every visit after someone closes it. The Exit intent template starts with a reasons question and an optional open question, and Leaving the store adapts it for online shops.
Results shows the reasons question as a donut with each answer's share and count, and Usertick reads the written answers to the open question for their theme and sentiment.
Mistakes to avoid with exit-intent surveys
Small choices that keep the results useful.
- 01
Showing it on every page
Exit intent on every page asks people who left happy. Keep it to pricing, sign up, the cart and other pages where leaving costs you.
- 02
Asking too many questions
A visitor on the way out gives you seconds at most. Ask one reasons question and keep any follow-up optional.
- 03
Leaving out an Other option
Your list of reasons is a guess. An Other box with a text field catches the reasons you didn't think of.
- 04
Asking the same visitor every time
A survey that returns on every exit annoys returning visitors. Set a wait after a close, or show it only to first-time visitors.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, with a different signal. Phones have no pointer, so exit intent on touch screens is read from a fast scroll back to the top, and Usertick detects it that way.
Keep the two apart. A discount changes why people answer, while a survey on its own gives you their real reasons; if you test an offer, show it to a separate group.
Enough that the shares stop moving much from week to week. With only a few dozen answers, read each written answer and treat the percentages as rough.
No. An employee exit survey asks people leaving a job why they are going, usually by email or a link. An exit-intent survey asks website visitors as they leave a page.
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