About Dynamic Variables

Dynamic variables can be leveraged in In-Platform Surveys to help tailor each survey to the individual respondent. In the survey output, the variable itself is replaced with the specific item that applies to the panelist’s trip. Using variables helps with panelist recall, as it pipes in specific details from the qualifying transaction. Below are some examples:

Survey Questions using Dynamic Variables	What the Panelist sees in the Survey Output
Why did you choose [brand]?	Why did you choose Diet Coke?
What led you to shopping at [banner]?	What led you to shopping at target.com?
How would you compare [retailer] to other stores on the selection of [majorcat]?	How would you compare Walmart to other stores on the selection of bath tissue?

Using Dynamic Variables in In-Platform Surveys

Dynamic variables are available for use in both pre-written questions in the question bank and custom questions you write yourself. To add a variable, simply select the X button in the question builder, or add a [ and begin typing the name of the variable.

List of Variables

Below is a list of the different variables used within In-Platform Surveys. You can learn more about the different variables by exploring Numerator's Product Hierarchy and Store Hierarchy.

Pro Tip: To help with panelist recall, it is best practice to use the most specific level of the hierarchy as possible within survey questions.

Variable	Variable Type	Description	Example
[date]	n/a	Date of the transaction	Oct 16th 2024
[brand]	Product-related	The name of the individual product	Cheerios, Honey Nut Cheerios, Multi Grain Cheerios
[parentbrand]	Product-related	The group of individual brands owned by the same parent company	Cheerios
[subcategory]	Product-related	Higher up the product hierarchy, a specific division in the category	Cereal Mainstream
[category]	Product-related	Higher up the product hierarchy, made up of subcategories	Cold Cereal
[majorcat]	Product-related	Higher up the product hierarchy, made up of categories	Breakfast Cereal
[banner]	Store-related	The name of the individual store where the purchase was made	Walmart, Walmart Neighborhood Market, walmart.com
[retailer]	Store-related	The group of individual banners owned by the same parent retail company	Walmart
[channel]	Store-related	The specific retailer groupings based on main products sold an/or general distribution method	Mass, Online
[parentchannel]	Store-related	General groupings of similar channels	FMCG, eCommerce
[quota_group_name]	Group-related	Pipe in the name(s) of any quota group(s) used

Add Previous Answer

Add Previous Answer allows you to pipe a respondent’s earlier response into a later question in your survey. This is especially useful when you want to reference what someone previously selected, making questions feel more personalized and helping with respondent recall.

How to Use Add Previous Answer

In the question builder, select Add Previous Answer.
A list of eligible prior questions will appear.
Choose the question whose response you’d like to reference.

The selected response will automatically be inserted into your question text or answer option in brackets, like other variables.

Example: Asking a follow-up question about what they like most about their previously chosen favorite coffee spot.