Improve Post-Purchase Ecommerce Experience With These 5 Tips

Let’s be real. A “thanks for shopping with us” post-purchase message is the bare minimum. Sure, it’s nice. But it’s a placeholder message that will fade into memory as soon as the browser closes.

So what can you do to stand out from the crowd and earn repeat customers?

You guessed it: build an amazing post-purchase experience that exceeds customer expectations.

What Is The Post-Purchase Experience?

The post-purchase experience is how you engage with your customers after they've bought something from you. This could involve providing order and shipping information, asking for feedback, or displaying product recommendations. Since your customers are fully focused on this stage, creating a positive customer experience helps you stand out and increases the chance of repeat business.

💡 91% of consumers say they are more likely to shop with brands that provide personalized recommendations (Accenture).

Going big with expensive campaigns to get new customers isn't necessary. It's simpler and more cost-effective to keep your existing customer since they already know and appreciate you. No reason to let them go! 

For a brief moment in time, you have 100% of your customer’s attention.

We all engage in the online purchasing experience. Think about the last time you were genuinely impressed by a post-purchase experience. Nothing comes to mind? Exactly.

Simply put: An amazing post-purchase experience provides you and your shop with a number of key benefits you and your business can’t afford to ignore.

Five Reasons You Need An Amazing Post-Purchase Experience

Before developing a customer retention strategy, it's important to understand why your Shopify store needs an amazing post-purchase experience, and how to build one into your customer journey.

#1: More Sales

We live in an attention economy.

Right now, your competitors are working hard to capture your customer’s attention via email campaigns, paid social media ads, and more.

But something magical happens when your customer completes a purchase at your store. 

For a brief moment in time, you have 100% of your customer’s attention. This is a golden opportunity to engage your customer with new products and last-minute promotions seemingly designed just for them, so you can increase sales and boost your AOV (average order value). 

💡What about my conversion rate? You’re asking the right questions. One of the best things about a post-purchase offer is you can’t hurt your conversion rate since the offer happens after the initial purchase.

In reality, you have already done the hard work of reeling in your customer in the first place. All the ads, copy, conversions, and credit card details have been entered, and they have chosen you and your product.

By creating a valuable and enticing post-purchase experience for your customers, you validate their purchase decision. This improves customer retention by giving customers a reason to choose your business again and again.

#2 More Control

Whether you let proprietary AI (like what you find with Rebuy) do the work or dial in the promotional details yourself, you have total control over the post-purchase offers you display. 

Top brands use the post-purchase opportunity to offer subscription upsells, highlight non-hero products, promote seasonal offers, and more. The possibilities are endless, so get creative!

Your existing customers were already drawn to you because of your knowledge and your product, so use that singular expertise to make them love you through little extras like:

• Feedback - Offer a discount code on a future purchase in exchange for feedback on the products or even the site itself. 
• Product Samples - Doing something to make a customer's experience special doesn't have to be hard. Consider sending something extra with their package, like a small product sample. Just a little something they weren't expecting. 
• Thank You Notes - Your parents were right when they encouraged you to write thank you cards. A personalized note can have a bigger impact on your customer's mindset than just giving them something to buy. A special note might just inspire them to spread the word about their positive, unique experience.
• Branded Packaging - Clever or attractive packaging can make your customers feel like they are opening a fun gift, rather than something they actually chose and paid for. It doesn’t have to be expensive either; colorful tissue paper, personalized stickers, or tying a ribbon around the item can change your product from “I pulled this from the warehouse shelf” to “I packed this with love just for you.”

#3 Cost Efficiency

We understand that your customers may not have the disposable income they once did. You might even feel like some of your strategies aren’t keeping up with changes in the market.

The good news? Equipping your shop with a well-engineered post-purchase engine offers you evergreen solutions to reduce many of the costs that have been stressing you out.  

• Shipping costs — Say goodbye to pricey shipping costs. With a post-purchase engine such as Rebuy, you don't need to fret about double shipping bills. They make sure your original order gets edited so you can save on all that extra cash.
• Overhead costs — Get rid of that extra stock blocking up your warehouse. Stop the hoarding and start using post-purchase cross-sells to miraculously move that slow-moving merchandise off the shelves and into the hands of your willing customers.
• Advertising costs — When your customer accepts your post-purchase upsell or cross-sell, you save the ad dollars you would have spent on your newly-converted customer and thus improve your ROAS (return on ad spend).

#4 More Brand Loyalty

You know what’s better than just making a sale? Designing a positive post-purchase experience that builds real customer loyalty.

Having a hassle-free return and exchange policy is like giving customers a big hug without making it weird.

When your customer’s post-purchase experience is positive, it strengthens your brand image and increases the likelihood of repeat purchases. Why not show your customers they’re important by building a thoughtful post-purchase experience that’s all about them? Trust us. You’ll feel good about it. (And your customer will, too.)

Here are just three ways to improve post-purchase behavior, increase customer satisfaction, and earn more repeat customers:

• Dynamic Discounts — Maximize post-purchase conversion with dynamic discounts. With the click of a button, you can add, update or remove discounts and make sure you're getting maximum profit out of every sale.
• Time-Limited Offers — Such offers are an ideal way to tap into the FOMO of every online shopper. What better way to get people to act fast and take advantage of exclusive deals? Use this sense of urgency to your advantage so you can increase the chances of conversion.
• Intelligent Personalization — Think of intelligent personalization as a personal research assistant. It gathers customer data and valuable insights in order to improve the post-purchase experience for even more customers. This data-driven approach enables you to increase sales while building customer loyalty and satisfaction.

How Your Return Policy Influences Post-Purchase Behavior

Okay, let's take a moment to talk about returns. 

Returns are a huge part of the customer experience and having a clear returns policy makes it an absolute breeze. After all, why worry about the purchase when you can easily send it back if you don't like it? Plus, getting a refund helps too!

A hassle-free return and exchange policy is like giving customers a big hug without making it weird. It shows them that customer satisfaction is your highest priority and gives you an edge compared to other businesses. Who doesn't love satisfied customers?

When customers know they can count on a reliable and convenient system, it boosts their confidence and makes them far more likely to make you their virtual bff and bookmark your site as a favorite place to shop.

💡 PRO TIP: Provide a return postage sticker along with the paperwork included with the order to show your customer how simple a return is. 

#5 Less Dead Stock

Dead stock isn't just a cool buzzword (or a true crime podcast about a murder at Woodstock). It refers to inventory that doesn't sell, and it's bad for your wallet. Dead stock can occur for many reasons; such as outdated items, limited variety, or customers simply finding better alternatives elsewhere.

Holding onto merchandise in the hopes that it will sell someday is a guaranteed losing strategy. (Large retailers know this, which is why they have clearance and liquidation functions.)

Dead stock hurts because of the initial investment but can double or triple when you consider the cost of carrying it on your shelves. (Not to mention the more desirable items that could be occupying that space). Knowing when to cut your losses and clear it out is a tough-but-critical skill to develop.

Once you have made the choice to clear through your slow products, you will have to find an outlet to get rid of them quickly. Offering targeted upsells and cross-sells after purchase can help move slow-moving products out of your inventory.

So, go ahead and declutter your online store. Marie Kondo would be proud!!

Transform Placeholder Moments Into Revenue-generating Experiences

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