Customer journeys don't end with purchases, they barely get started. The way you handle customer interaction following purchase will determine whether your brand becomes a trusted partner or just another email they ignore. This is where post-purchase emails come to play.
The ultimate goal of every business is to generate sales. It requires a lot of time, energy, and effort to acquire and produce products, set up online stores, advertise, craft social media ads, and funnel customers through the checkout process.
While seeing your pocket full of cash after successfully converting a customer might make you feel like you’ve accomplished your goal, your job is far from over.
This article explains exactly what post-purchase emails are and how they can make your customers feel appreciated after they make a purchase.
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A post-purchase email is simply a series of transactional emails sent whenever a customer makes a purchase on your eCommerce store. These are sent to recent customers, usually a couple of days after they have made a purchase.
Post-purchase emails can ask about their experience using your products or services. They can also be used to collect reviews and display feedback to help you retain the customer and know what and where to improve.
Before we discuss the types and best practices of post-purchase emails, here’s why you should send post-purchase emails:
Sending post-purchase emails is the most effective way to generate more reviews, which have been proven to boost traffic and sales. Moreover, post-purchase emails can increase the lifetime value of your customers as well as customer retention.
The importance of positive product reviews cannot be overstated. Studies show that products receive an average of 108% more traffic when they have more reviews.
The more product reviews you will have, the higher your products will rank on Google search results. The result is an increase in traffic to your site and an increase in revenue.
Reviews also grow your conversions by giving your customers more confidence to make purchases. As an example, let's say you wish to make a large purchase like buying a mattress online. Unfortunately, you cannot physically feel the mattress or cannot get your hands on the model you want in a store nearby.
So how do you know that the mattress will feel just right - not too soft or not too hard?
By providing your customers with key insights necessary to make informed buying decisions, product reviews can ease the purchasing decision barriers. It is unlikely you would buy a new mattress without any recommendations and reviews since you will spend almost one-third of your life there.
It is clear from this example that an increase in positive reviews boosts sales. Send customers a post-purchase email that includes a simple, streamlined, mobile-friendly way for them to review the products they have purchased.
The most common barrier for potential customers to make their first purchase with your company is their lack of knowledge about your products and services.
You might also have trouble if you are just starting out and haven't had a chance to collect reviews or build an audience yet. The concern however vanishes once the customer receives the order.
Consequently, acquiring a new customer costs five times as much as making a sale to a previous one. This proves how crucial customer retention is.
Engaging with your customers after purchase and improving their satisfaction is an excellent way to boost customer retention and lifetime value. Customer retention can translate into higher profits since it is easier to sell to existing customers than it is to acquire new ones.
This is a no-brainer. Once a customer purchases your products, the best way to retain them is through a post-purchase email campaign.
Put some thought into these post-purchase emails to show that you care about your customers. Their loyalty will keep them coming back!
Here are a few types of post-purchase emails that you should know about.
Creating good customer experiences is the goal of this email. It adds a small, thoughtful touch that shows customers you value their business.
A 'Thank You' email should be simple and straightforward, include a picture of what was ordered, and include the next steps (including a tracking link).
Additionally, you can include photos and/or descriptions of products that you would like to recommend next. In this way, the customer will likely make a repeat purchase or at least get ideas for his next purchase.
It is essential to send these messages to your customers after their purchase so that they are reminded of what they bought, how much they paid, and where and when they will receive their products.
A confirmation email should contain two things:
By offering such information, you help your customers feel more secure about shopping with you.
Shipping confirmation emails should contain details about the product they ordered, a tracking number, and a thank you message. A tappable tracking button would have been helpful here since it is mostly plain text.
The post-purchase process now includes a standard email asking customers to provide reviews. And guess what? They work.
Customers' reviews not only help them make decisions, but they also help you determine what items to carry in your inventory as a store owner. Set a cadence that fits your products to set up this feedback request on autopilot.
These emails are best suited to companies that sell consumable goods that have a short shelf life such as food, beverages, cosmetics, vitamins, or baby care items.
The last thing you want is for your customers to run out of products and make an emergency purchase from a competitor. In that case, you should send them replenishment emails reminding them it's time to reload.
It is important for you to know all the best practices for creating post-purchase emails. Here are a few tips for generating email content that will drive great results.
Thank you. The simplest of words, yet with such tremendous power.
The best way to show our gratitude is to always say "Thank you" on time. Thank your customers. They made a great choice, so congratulate them. Thank them for choosing the product and wish them a smooth and enjoyable experience.
Showing gratitude is a simple but effective method. Just a few words (example shown below) once the purchase is complete might tip the scales in your favor and help you establish a long-term relationship.
Humans get easily distracted, so the text of your email must be short, simple, and to the point. You are sending this email to request reviews, so be sure to include a specific call to action.
Avoid banners, links to other parts of your website, or any other calls to action that might discourage customers from leaving reviews.
Keep in mind that clients feel hesitant when purchasing something from you for the first time. Stay in touch with them throughout the ordering process through the post-purchase emails to make them feel confident.
You should send them an order confirmation right after the payment has been processed.
When a brand does not provide transparency about the status of delivery of their purchase, customers decide not to do business with them again. Keep customers in the loop on the status of their purchase, especially if there is a delay.
Provide customers with updates about the progress of their orders by sending them a number of emails regularly.
Customer relevance is important in email marketing. An email that does not offer value or bring customers even the slightest benefit is not worth their time.
Your post-purchase emails should include a receipt with the amount paid, information about the item's delivery status, and contact information to reach customer service.
Consumers seek certainty and transparency when making purchasing decisions. Don't turn them down!
We know how easy it is to create your post-purchase email campaigns and forget about them while you focus on more important tasks.
Don’t let this happen. Develop a post-purchase email campaign, measure results continuously, and look for opportunities to improve.
Regularly testing your campaigns to improve them is a good practice, as well as an essential step in learning which emails resonate with your subscribers. It will also allow you to track changes in customer behavior and adapt your marketing campaigns accordingly.
It is a good idea to run multiple tests to find your best post-purchase email.
In today's shopping world, customers expect personalized experiences at every step of the way. Researches found that personalized subject lines generated a 26% higher open rate.
Instead of saying "Hey guys" or "Hey there", try "Hey Tom". This way, you can easily make customers feel special and noticed by referring to their names.
Additionally, thank the client for purchasing a particular product. Make sure to include a picture of the product so they know what to review.
Each customer is unique, which means that every email marketing approach should not be the same. Each buyer personas possess their own specific characteristics.
Therefore, if you send a generic post-purchase email, your audience will ignore it. Using segmentation to send relevant emails can help you nurture more customers.
For personalizing post-purchase experiences, segmentation is the key. You can establish relationships with consumers more effectively by segmenting your products. It will make building relationships easier for you.
Here are some quick tips for you to create post-purchase emails that work.
Simple and clean designs are best for post-purchase emails. The important elements of your email should be placed in the upper portion whenever possible. This makes the call to action visible even if shoppers don't scroll through the entire email.
When your font is small, your customers will struggle to read and they may miss the whole point of post-purchase emails. In order to make sure your email is readable on mobile devices, it's important to use a readable font size. You want your email to be readable regardless of the device, so choose a font size of 16 or 18.
Make it easy for your customers to write a review. Put a picture of the product you want people to review next to the "Write a Review" action, along with a button that leads right to the form. You should also note that mobile devices are operated by finger and not a mouse. Hence, replace tiny links with larger buttons.
In today's age of digital marketing, post-purchase emails can be extremely useful. They can help you increase revenue, improve customer engagement, and reduce your marketing expenses.
We hope these tips of post-purchase emails have inspired you, and the best practices you found here will help you develop the most effective post-purchase campaigns you can think of.
Want to verify your email list to maximize the performance of your post-purchase email campaigns? Get started with VerifyBee for free today!
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