If your brand wants to build a loyal customer base that guarantees you a higher customer lifetime value, takes the pressure off constantly bringing in new customers and allows you to grow your profit margins, then post purchase engagements are of the utmost importance.
Now customers do not always have the same preferred channel of communication. While some prefer to receive phone texts, others prefer emails, social media messaging or even calls.
In this informative read, we’re going to take a more detailed look at the importance of post purchase emails in building customer engagement.\
An Introduction to Post Purchase Emails
Emails are among the most used marketing tools, and considering they have an ROI of $36 for every $1 spent, it’s no wonder why.
Post purchase emails, as the name suggests, are emails that are sent after a purchase has been made. This could include emails that are sent immediately after a purchase, emails with delivery and tracking information, emails that have promo codes or discounts for repeat customers, feedback request emails and more.
Defining the Ideal Post Purchase Email Flow
When these post purchase emails are timed correctly, have the right content and are the appropriate type of emails for the occasion, you get what is called a post purchase email flow.
A great post purchase email flow will help you enhance customer satisfaction and open up opportunities for repeat sales, helping you build a loyal customer base. Here’s an example of what the ideal post purchase email flow ought to look like.
1. Confirmation Email
This is the email you send as soon as a customer has made their first purchase from your brand, confirming that the financial transaction has been successful.
The subject line on confirmation emails generally include a thank you. Here are some examples, assuming your brand name is Fair Trade.
“Thank you for buying from Fair Trade.”
“Thank you for your purchase, and welcome to the Fair Trade Family.”
“Congratulations on your first Fair Trade purchase!”
Confirmation emails ought to include details of what the customer purchased. The purpose of this email is to confirm to the customer that their payment has been processed, and that you are working on their order.
2. Order Update Email
The second email in the post purchase email flow is the order update email. Obviously, your customers will want to know what’s happening with their order.
These orders are the ones in which you ought to include delivery and tracking information. Examples of subject lines for order update emails include:
“Your order is on the way!”
“Track your order delivery now.”
“Yay, your order will reach you soon!”
3. Product Tips Email
The third email in your post purchase email flow ought to be an educative one, especially if you’re selling or manufacturing products such as consumer electronics.
These emails are meant to help your customers learn how to set up and get the most out of their purchase. Here are some subject line examples.
“Fair Trade TV set up guide.”
“How to make the most out of your new Fair Trade grinder.”
“Set up tips 101.”
4. Feedback Email
Once the customer has received, set up and used it for a while, it is time to email them and ask them for feedback. Use this as an opportunity to understand what the end users feel about your products, and use their feedback to plan future improvements/designs.
Feedback emails could either be personal emails asking for feedback (these work brilliantly for small businesses who want to build a rapport with their customers) or a survey form.
Here are some email subject lines to help you get started.
“How has your experience been?”
“We want to hear from you.”
“Did we do alright?”
5. Sales Emails
By the time we get to this part of the post purchase email flow, considerable time would have passed since the customer made their first purchase.
Here is when you use email marketing strategies to cross-sell related products, or upsell the next version of the product they purchased.
Here are some email subject lines that will help you do just that.
“Upgrade your old juicer with the new…”
“Convert your TV into a home theater.”
“This new amplifier will change your audio experience.”
Of course, not every customer is going to become a repeat customer. Some people may need a little extra incentive to make their second purchase. Here are some subject lines to entice them.
“Discount coupons inside!”
“20% off on your next order, just for you!”
“Use code XXX to get a discount on your next purchase!”
Understanding the Importance of Post Purchase Emails
Here are some reasons why every business ought to have a well planned post purchase email flow.
Post purchase emails allow brands the perfect opportunity to thank their patrons. This makes the customers feel valued.
Post purchase emails that contain information such as product tips and product registration information help build trust in the brand.
Emails that contain feedback surveys and ask for reviews from customers also help establish the brand’s reputation as one that cares about their customer’s opinions.
Increased brand awareness, trust and customer satisfaction all lead to repeat purchases, increased customer loyalty and increased customer lifetime value.
Post purchase emails are a great source of data and insights that can influence future design decisions and marketing campaigns. This includes reviews, what type of emails have the highest open rates, which products have the highest click rates, and more.
Post Purchase Email Best Practices
Building a successful post purchase email campaign may not be difficult, but it definitely needs to cover certain touchpoints in order for it to deliver the desired results. Here are some post purchase email best practices to help you plan your next email campaign.
1. Do Not Forget to Thank Your Customers
The order confirmation email is the beginning of the post purchase email flow, and is of paramount importance. Be sure to begin this email by thanking your patrons for their business.
This is because “Thank you” mails have an open rate of around 42.51%, and conversion rate of more than 10%.
2. Timing is Everything
Be sure to time your post purchase emails properly. For example, the purchase confirmation email ought to be sent pretty much immediately after a sale has been made to have the desired impact.
On an average, maintain a gap of around four days between each follow up email.
3. Keep the Messaging Clear
Customers expect brand interactions to be clear. This means the message you want to convey in your post purchase emails ought to be clear.
For example, your confirmation email should contain the time of sale, the exact details of the product that was purchased, and the details of the payment, including amount and method of payment.
4. Keep the Emails Short
No one has the time to read long emails, especially when they’re from a business. Keep your post-purchase emails short and to the point.
5. Personalize Emails
Personalization of emails makes customers feel more appreciated than generic emails do. This includes addressing them by name, customizing cross-selling and upselling offers based on their purchase history, sending them a discount coupon for their birthdays and more.
6. Segment Your Customers
Segment your customers to ensure you can create unique email content to target each segment. This is sure to increase the reach of your post purchase email campaign.
Here are some factors to consider while segmenting your customers.
Segment them based on which of them are first time customers and which of them are repeat customers.
Segment them based on how often they engage with your brand on your ecommerce store.
Segment customers based on the value of their purchases. Reserve VIP offers for your customers with larger basket values.
Target customers with incomplete purchases in their basket as a separate segment.
Customers who sign up for your loyalty programs ought to be segmented separately and offered unique rewards.
7. Include Contact Information
Add value to your post purchase emails by including customer service contact information, so that if your customers do require assistance, they know exactly who to reach out to.
8. Involve A/B Testing
Fine tune your post purchase email strategy by applying A/B testing to every aspect of your post purchase email campaign, be it the subject lines, content, design elements or CTAs.
Build an Effective Post Purchase Email Campaign with Dyrect
The first thing you need to build an effective email campaign is first party data, and Dyrect gives you access to that, even if you sell using a third-party ecommerce website like eBay or Amazon.
Our software is easy to integrate with your existing marketing tools, allowing you to create unique email campaigns and personalized offers to make the best of the first party data that our single click product registration tool gives you access to.
Connect with our team today to learn what makes Dyrect the preferred post purchase experience partner for leading global brands. We’re sure you will soon be a part of the growing Dyrect family.
