Just because a customer has reached the checkout, doesn’t mean your hard work is over. In fact, your relationship with that customer has only just begun. It’s time to zero in on the post-purchase experience.
The success of your online store is about so much more than just getting a customer to checkout. In reality, acquiring a new customer can cost five times more than retaining existing ones. That’s why it’s important to focus on what happens after a customer hits the buy button. It’s essential to encourage them to keep coming back, and here’s where a strong post-purchase strategy can help.
In this article, the leading Shopify Plus agency Velstar shares five tried and tested tactics for delivering an exceptional post-purchase experience—one that will drive repeat engagement, encourage referrals, and increase your revenue.
1. Go above and beyond with your post-purchase email experience
Most brands’ post-purchase emails contain order information, including a purchase summary and a delivery timeline. If this is you, then you’re missing a trick. To enhance the post-purchase experience, get creative and personable with your email marketing strategy to empower customers to keep engaging with your brand. This is also an effective customer retention strategy.
Here’s an example. Aside from including the basic transactional information that customers already expect, why not delight them with a juicy discount on their next purchase? Or try out a refer-a-friend incentive to encourage brand engagement. You can even use these emails to proactively answer questions they might have about the product they just bought.
The order confirmation email by Riutal, includes a $5 refer a friend voucher.
2. Provide customers with timely support
With 89% of consumers admitting they’re more likely to make another purchase after a positive customer service experience, mastering the post-purchase customer support process can make a real difference to your bottom line.
Sometimes, after a purchase, a customer can have questions about delivery or returns. It’s during this time that the customer-brand relationship is vulnerable. You have to remember that customers can become easily frustrated waiting for answers. It’s important to make it easy for customers to contact you via the channels they use the most.
If your customers are more active on Instagram, they should be able to get in touch with you via direct message. Queries often spill out onto posts, so it’s essential to be proactive and respond in the comments.
We’d recommend implementing the all-in-one customer service technology, Gorgias, which will enable you to automatically publish personalized answers.
Also, why not add a live chatbot to your site? That way your customers don’t have to go searching for the right way to contact you, just like how Santo Remedio has done it:
You can also try outsourcing live chat support agents for an even more personalized approach.
3. Keep your customers updated on delivery timelines
As mentioned above, customers expect basic information about their orders. But this shouldn’t stop at a confirmation email. Instead, continue to keep your customers updated on the whereabouts of their delivery.
Giving your customers a timeline helps manage expectations, reduces customer tickets, and provides an overall good impression. These updates can be provided via email or SMS.
Clothing and apparel giant, ASOS does a great job of keeping their customers informed of delivery updates via SMS.
4. Wow customers with a memorable unboxing and post-purchase experience
The unboxing experience is the first physical touchpoint your customer has with you. When done well, it can be a real competitive differentiator.
Here are some things to consider to ensure your packaging won’t let you down:
- Exterior: The outside of your packaging should be on-brand, easy to open, and the right size for your products.
- Interior: Think about how you would like to reveal your product, avoid wasteful extras, and focus on protecting your products
- Personalization and extras: Make your customer feel special by putting their name on a personalized card, surprise them with a ‘just for you’ discount, or include some product samples.
An unforgettable unboxing experience triggers positive emotions and encourages customers to share the experience with friends and family. In some cases, this experience can even make it on their social media feeds.
Subscription beauty brand, Birchbox create a memorable unboxing experience with well-designed custom packing, whilst describing each product and how it can be used.
5. Ask your customers for feedback
Show customers how much you care by asking them for feedback about their experience. This will make them feel like valued members of your community. It will also help identify areas of improvement for your business so you can take action.
When it comes to collecting feedback, don’t use generic customer feedback forms. This will have the opposite effect and your customers will probably just ignore it. Instead, ask for feedback in a customer-centric way.
How? Start by building a review request into your post-purchase emails—but do it in a way that ensures satisfaction. For example, you could send an email saying: Did you love it? Tell us just how much in a review. If not, let’s exchange it.
Wrapping up
The post-purchase experience is your gateway to establishing a lasting impression on a customer, so it’s important to ensure it’s exceptional. Implementing the tactics discussed in this article will ensure you’re well on your way to success.
But remember, every brand is different, and it takes time to perfect the process. Keep a close eye on your retention rates and continually adjust your strategy to meet your customers’ needs. If you’re looking for more advice on how to optimize the overall customer experience, feel free to book a free consultation and we’ll walk you through it.
But if you’re more into finding ways to scale your eCommerce business, Velstar is your best bet. Get in touch with one of our experts, and they’ll be more than happy to chat.
