4 Steps of the Post-Purchase Experience

One customer taken care of could be more valuable than $10,000 worth of advertising.

(Jim Rohn)

The following are four steps a retailer should follow to successfully create a post-purchase experience.

1) Acknowledge the problem

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Most e-commerce companies (unfortunately) have not worked out a concept for the post-purchase journey. The transaction does not end for the customer when he clicks the "buy" button. After a buyer orders something online, they still need to receive the product.

However, before his package arrives, there is a gap in communication between the retailer and the customer: the so-called "experience gap." Here, it is up to marketers to create a consistently positive experience and deliver it to the customer (literally and figuratively). With parcelLab, we are trying to close this gap with our technical solution.

2) Continue conversation

One of the parts of the customer journey that marketers should focus on is the post-purchase experience. Rather than sending customers to a third-party website, many major brands have implemented a custom shipping tracking solution that provides clarity to the delivery process. Shoppers are notified of the status of their shipment at any point in the Journey, can check the shipping status themselves, and can browse items on cross-sale. All of this happens without leaving the retailer's online store. As a result, retailers not only gain more website visits, but also reduce the volume of customer service calls.

3) Increase relevance

While customers are waiting for their shipment to be delivered, they are more likely to be receptive to communicating with the retailer. This is especially the case when content is personalized. According to one study, 76% of all shoppers prefer retailers that use personalized, customized information to create a relevant customer experience. Merchants achieve cross-sell sales through personalized on-site promotions such as "you might also like" items. These are based on the customer's previous purchases. Among other things, this increases relevance and, with the help of the post-purchase funnel, boosts customer loyalty a little.

However, during the "Experience Gap" there are also a variety of things that could fail and upset the customer: Delivery of the wrong item, wrong shipping address, damaged item, late delivery, etc. Unpredictable things happen all the time, but there is an opportunity to prepare for them.

4) Proactive measures

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One bad experience alone does not mean a lost customer. What matters is how much the brand is able to react in such situations in a timely manner. Successful brands solicit feedback at the time of delivery because this is the time when problems are most likely to be identified. Using the right, end-to-end, post-purchase marketing tools, brands can monitor customer behavior and take proactive action. This allows issues to be resolved quickly and in a timely manner.

A best-in-class post-purchase experience is becoming more and more established in our industry. Therefore, retailers should promote this customer-centric attitude in their business and ensure that marketing, supply chain, e-commerce and customer support are aligned with the rest of the company's values, creating a world-class post-purchase experience at all times.

Online entrepreneurs need to create an end-to-end post-purchase experience so that users become long-term and loyal customers. As a result, customers are satisfied not only with the product, but also with the entire journey at all times.