How to increase post-purchase engagement
Contents
Looking to improve your post-purchase experience to increase engagement?
Why is post-purchase engagement important?
The post-purchase experience is as important as any marketing your brand does before a shopper makes a purchase.
In fact, the open rates of post-purchase emails are 17% greater than the average automated email. That’s because once a customer has made a purchase and is waiting for their order to be delivered, they are the most engaged emotionally. They’re both excited and anxious, which explains why most consumers are obsessed with order tracking. Our research has shown that shoppers consider the post-purchase experience to be the most emotional part of their shopping journey.
Yet, we also found that some retailers stop sending updates after the shipping confirmation email.
That’s a huge blunder, as you’re losing out on a golden opportunity to connect with your customers.
Benefits of post-purchase communication
If you take a proactive approach toward keeping your customers informed every step of the way — from order confirmation to shipping, delivery, delays, and even returns and exchanges — not only can you ease their post-purchase jitters but also leave a lasting impression on their minds.
If a customer has a positive interaction with your brand, they are more likely to make repeat purchases. Effective post-purchase communication can thus help you build stronger relationships with customers, and boost loyalty and retention while keeping “Where is my order?” (WISMO) support tickets to a minimum.
Essentially, when brands invest more time and energy into the post-purchase experience, they can engage customers by:
- Validating the customer’s purchases
- Providing real-time visibility into order statuses
- Directing the order tracking experience back to their website
- Gathering feedback about products and services
- Staying top of mind to boost loyalty and retention
- Encouraging repeat purchases via personalized recommendations
What is the post-purchase engagement process?
| Post-purchase phase | Key components |
|---|---|
| Immediately after purchase | Thank you message and order confirmation |
| Order fulfillment, shipping, and delivery | Regular order updates and notifications; branded tracking page |
| Returns management | Returns and warranty portal that facilitates self-service returns |
The post-purchase engagement process can be divided into a number of stages.
There’s the phase immediately after the purchase, which includes a “thank-you” message and order confirmation. Then, there’s order fulfillment, shipping, and delivery.
During this part of the post-purchase engagement process, your customers would ideally get order updates and notifications regularly. You can also use this phase to cross-sell and upsell relevant products or offer exclusive discounts for repeat purchases.
In some cases, post-purchase engagement can extend to the returns journey. If a shopper decides to return their purchase, you can facilitate the process through a self-service return portal. Then, you would proactively notify customers throughout the entire returns process and include promotional material within the communications.
Tips for effective post-purchase follow-up
To drive the best results from your post-purchase emails, keep the following in mind:
- Focus on turning every touch point or interaction into a moment of joy.
- Personalize the experience. Address the customer by their name, celebrate their birthdays or anniversaries of their first purchase, offer relevant product recommendations, share unique promo codes or discount vouchers, etc.
- Look for ways to give back to your customers. Incentives like free gifts for joining a loyalty program, upgrades, special discounts, etc., go a long way in making them feel valued and appreciated, especially if the order is running late.
- Think about how you can add value through your content. Share tips and tricks on how to make the best use of the items they’ve purchased or how to care for them, and send ideas for products that may complement the items they just bought.
Mapping out your post-purchase engagement strategy: How do you engage customers after purchase?
Now that we’ve discussed their importance, let’s take a look at some of the most common types of post-purchase updates that can help you engage customers effectively.
1. Thank you emails
Sometimes, a simple “thank you” message is all you need to let your customers know how much you value and appreciate them. But why stop there? You could sweeten the message with a free gift, a discount, or a coupon code that incentivizes them to come back to your store — even if they aren’t ready for another purchase yet.
2. Engagement with notifications via email or text
One of the best ways to alleviate “buyer’s remorse” and establish trust during the post-purchase journey is to send an order confirmation email that validates the customer’s purchase and sets proper expectations about the next steps. These emails should definitely confirm the contents and cost of the order, as well as shipping information and the estimated delivery date.
3. Survey feedback requests
It’s often a good idea to send customers a survey within a “Your delivery has arrived” update. Since they are the most engaged throughout this process, you are more likely to get a higher response rate than sending it several days after they have received their item. It also shows them that you value their opinion and are keen to improve. While you may not always be able to do something about the results, sometimes you may be able to pacify disgruntled customers with a replacement or a discount on their future purchases.
4. Personalized product recommendations
Post-purchase emails containing personalized product recommendations are a great way to stay top-of-mind and even create opportunities for repeat sales. If you aren’t doing this today, then it is a big missed opportunity to increase revenue. Just be sure that the recommendations that you are showing are relevant to the customer that the email is going to.
True Classic actually increased revenue by 29% by including personalized recommendations within their post-purchase emails and embedding their tracking pages on their own website.
5. Exclusive promotions and personalized loyalty rewards
Offering exclusive promotions, discounts, or freebies to your customers if they join your loyalty program is a great way to engage your customers, especially when it’s a first time shopper.
Then, once a shopper is a part of your loyalty program, they should receive updates on their status, points, or rewards that they have. This way, shoppers know what they can receive if they continue shopping with your brand, or if they have enough points or a high status already, they know they have a coupon, reward, etc., that they can use on their next purchase.
6. Tips and tricks
A bit of extra help never hurt anyone. In fact, most customers value emails from brands that offer a bit of extra hand-holding in the form of tips or tricks that help them make the most of the products they just bought.
Whether it’s instructions on how to care for or maintain their purchases, tutorials on installing and using them, or just the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions. They all qualify as useful post-purchase content.
7. Share social media posts and links
Every retailer understands the value of customer reviews. Not only do they serve as social proof, helping you build trust with new prospects, but also show that you value the thoughts and opinions of your customers.
It’s even better when you get customers to post on social media about your brand and their purchase. We suggest sharing links to social posts from other customers within your post-purchase updates and encouraging others to post about their purchase and tag you in it.
This is a great way to build a community around your brand and get some free marketing in the process.
8. Exclusive promotions for reviews and referrals
Word-of-mouth marketing is undoubtedly one of the most effective forms of marketing. Of course, if you give your loyal customers a little incentive, this can work even better, and help you gather feedback on your products. So, why not use your post-purchase engagement emails to do just that?
Final words
As you can see from the various ways you can use post-purchase communication, a sale shouldn’t mark the end of your relationship with a customer. In fact, it’s just the beginning.
By timing your emails effectively and using top-notch content that adds value, you can build stronger relationships with your customers that boost retention and increase revenue.
