Breakfast, Data, and a Dash of Insight: How Oats Overnight Turned Surveys into Strategy

When Cesar Gonzalez joined Oats Overnight 7.5 years ago, the brand just began revolutionizing breakfast. Today, as the Marketing Director, Cesar wears many hats—managing everything from email and SMS marketing to overseeing social teams and even shaping the brand’s voice.

Oats Overnight, known for making mornings easier with their nutritious, delicious breakfast solutions, saw an opportunity to gather insights when customer engagement was at its highest—right after purchase. 

Implementing KnoCommerce’s post-purchase surveys was a no-brainer for Cesar, who recognized the value of capturing deep customer insights without disrupting the buying experience.

And the results? A 20-question survey with a staggering 58% response rate and a 77% completion rate. These surveys revealed everything from the top revenue-driving awareness channels to why customers choose Oats Overnight—whether for taste, health, or convenience. 

With these insights, Oats Overnight has optimized marketing spend, made strategic decisions about retail locations, and diversified sales channels. 

Why KNO Post-Purchase Surveys?

As a highly data-driven company, Oats Overnight has consistently recognized the importance of using data to inform decisions across product development, marketing, messaging, and attribution. 

But even with their data-centric mindset, a critical piece was missing—getting the complete picture of who their customers really were.

“It was too good of an opportunity to pass up—collecting hyper-relevant data when the customer’s interest is at an all-time high—while also being minimally disruptive to their experience,” said Cesar Gonzalez, Marketing Director at Oats Overnight.

One of their biggest frustrations was that they didn’t have the granularity to determine which customers were coming from specific platforms like TikTok or how they responded to different campaigns. 

“The ability to filter data based on post-purchase survey answers is something we just didn’t have access to before, and the ability to get really granular with the data in each survey has been incredibly helpful for us. Kno has been a great partner in enabling that functionality,” Cesar shared.

With Kno, this all changed. The team could now filter data based on specific survey responses, unlocking deep insights that were previously unattainable. 

Cesar explained, “With KNO, it’s extremely streamlined and easy to use. We don’t need endless exports, data logging, or manual entry to make meaningful connections.” And most importantly, Oats Overnight no longer had to rely solely on the metrics provided by ad platforms. 

The Secret Sauce Behind Oats Overnight’s Data Strategy

Let’s take a closer look at how Oats Overnight uses Kno’s surveys to inform their business initiatives:

Attribution

When understanding which marketing channels work, Oats Overnight goes straight to the source: their customers. 

One of the first questions they ask on their post-purchase survey is, “Where did you first hear about us?” 

This gives the Oats team accurate, self-reported data on the channels driving awareness. That insight helps them scale their ad spend in the right places and measure the effectiveness of their campaigns. Cesar explained, “Adding this layer of self-reported data on where people heard about us can be useful for fine-tuning our strategy.”

Product Development

Surveys also play a vital role in shaping Oats Overnight’s product development process. By sending targeted emails with a survey link to their customers, they gather feedback on existing products and test reactions to new flavors or concepts before launch. 

Take Oats Overnight’s new protein coffee product, for example. This additional product marked their first expansion beyond their core overnight oats offerings. Throughout the product development cycle, Kno played a crucial role in gathering customer insights at every stage—from initial product concepts to final tweaks. 

Using post-purchase surveys, the Oat’s team was able to fine-tune aspects like flavor profiles and formulas, ensuring the product resonated with customers.

Cesar, shared, “By incorporating Kno at each step of the process, it allowed us to optimize the product launch and make the product as appealing and effective as it could be.” He went on to explain that he not only had the confidence in a successful product launch but also in their customers’ continued interest and repeat purchases.

Messaging

One of Kno surveys’ most significant impacts is how Oats Overnight refines its messaging. Post-purchase surveys collect rich demographic data—such as occupation, gender, age, and household income—alongside customer motivations, like why they decided to purchase and their health goals. 

These insights give the brand a comprehensive understanding of its audience, allowing the Oats team to craft messaging that speaks directly to its customer’s needs, aspirations, and pain points.

Retail

Oats Overnight also uses Kno post-purchase surveys to gather valuable insights into customers’ in-store shopping habits. By asking where their customers shop—like Walmart, Target, or Costco—they can see which retailers have strong brand affinity. They also learn how frequently customers shop at these stores and which flavors they want to see on the shelves.

These insights help them strengthen relationships with current retail partners and provide solid data to pitch to potential partners.

KNO Dashboard

“The intuitive nature of the dashboard is really helpful and helps me look at the data quickly, learn quickly, and share with other teammates,” Cesar shared. 

Instead of sending CSV files or presentations, he explained that he shares the Kno dashboard directly with his team to provide real-time insights. Their research and development team also uses the dashboard to check feedback on existing and in-development flavors, allowing them to dive into the data, create audiences, and optimize products.

Crushing It with a 20-Question Survey: The Numbers Don’t Lie

Long surveys, when crafted effectively, can offer rich insights that help brands understand their customers on a deeper level. 

Even with 20 questions, the Oats Overnight team has seen a 58% response rate and an impressive 77% completion rate. When framed correctly, customers are willing to engage more deeply if they feel their feedback matters and if they’ve been conditioned to do so from the beginning.

As Cesar puts it, “A nice discovery we’ve made with KNO is that we can’t ask too many questions in a post-purchase survey. Don’t be afraid to ask too many questions.”

Each response is then synced into Oats Overnight’s Klaviyo account. The integration of Kno’s post-purchase surveys with Klaviyo allows Oats Overnight to take personalized messaging to the next level.

For example, in their post-purchase survey, one of the questions they ask is “What is the MAIN reason you purchased Oats Overnight?”

If a customer chooses “I was looking for a vegan option” as their top reason for purchasing – Oats Overnight can identify that right away and ensure that every message they receive is tailored to their vegan preferences. 

They’ll get testimonials from other vegan customers, invites to join the brand’s Facebook community where vegan flavors are a hot topic, and updates showcasing the best vegan options Oats Overnight has to offer.

Results That Speak Volumes

The Oats Overnight team used a 20-question survey that delivered big results: a 58% response rate and 77% completion rate. This survey gave them a treasure trove of insights, like:

• Which channels drive the most revenue
• How long it takes customers to make a purchase
• The top reasons people buy (taste, health, or convenience)
• What new products customers want
• Their health goals and priorities

Kno insights helped the team make smarter decisions. They optimized their spend across channels, pinpointed the best retail locations, and created stronger pitches to retail partners by leveraging real customer data.

As Cesar put it, “Kno gives us that extra layer of confidence when experimenting with new things.” 

With this self-reported data, Oats Overnight can take more calculated risks, diversify their sales channels, and find efficiencies, all while knowing they have the customer feedback to back it up.

Ready to learn how KNO can help your brand achieve similar results? Schedule a demo with us today!

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