About author: Jack Evans brings his extensive experience in digital marketing to the table, specialising in paid social strategies that drive growth for e-commerce and DTC brands.
Imagine the scene – you’ve just had a brand new customer make a purchase from your brand. Nice work!
You give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back – maybe you spin around in the chair, or do a little dance. You do you – whatever feels right.
But before you pop the champagne, you start to wonder – how can I build on this new customer relationship?
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Can I keep them coming back for more?
How do I maximise future revenue and turn this one-time customer into a loyal, repeat buyer?
When acquiring new customers is 7x more expensive than retaining old ones, the answers to these questions could be the difference between plain sailing with scaling your store, and a stern sit down with your accountants.
So, if you want to work email marketing magic and keep customers coming back for more, you need post-purchase emails.
Ok, but what exactly are post-purchase emails?
Whenever you contact a customer via email after a sale, this is considered to be a post-purchase email.
They’re almost always automated and set to deliver after certain triggers (e.g. a ‘thank you’ after a purchase or a shipping confirmation note) – but the potential for post-purchase emails is vast, and they can serve a huge number of purposes for your business.
In this article, we’re going to run through the 5 key benefits of running post-purchase email sequences, and the advantages they can offer your brand.
1. They’re dynamite for cross-sells and up-sells
Cross-selling and up-selling can be extremely effective ways to boost store revenue on autopilot – and post-purchase emails are the perfect place to make this happen.
You can utilise customer data to identify the kind of products they’re buying, and recommend similar items via email – or ideally, encourage them to upgrade to more expensive versions.
If you’ve ever caved to one of those ‘customers like you also bought’ nudges, then you know how devilishly persuasive they can be!
It’s important not to overload your sequences with too much of this content, because your messaging might become predictable. However, when used correctly, cross-selling and up-selling can work wonders, and drive significant revenue increases.
Wondering when to strike with a product sale or coupon offer?
Gary Vaynerchuk’s “Jab, jab, jab, right hook” rule is a brilliant ratio to follow here. Focus on adding value for the first 3 emails – the jabs – and then push for a sale with the 4th.
2. They collect valuable conversion assets
Conversion assets like product reviews and UGC are incredibly effective at boosting performance both within your ad campaigns and on-site. What better time to request this customer content than after a recent purchase?
If customers have recently engaged with your brand, their memory is fresh, and that makes post-purchase emails the perfect place to reach out and start collecting them.
This UGC can inspire confidence in other users, provide you with high-return creatives to use in your advertising campaigns and even boost your on-site conversion rates, so it’s not something you want to miss out on.
If you’re interested in learning more about the benefits of UGC, we’ve actually written a whole post about it here. Convenient, right?
3. They grow loyalty and boost repeat business
With ever-increasing customer acquisition costs, the key to driving long-term, sustainable growth for your store lies in getting first-time customers to come back for more.
Post-purchase emails are the perfect place to kick that process off and start boosting that all-important Customer Lifetime Value (CLV).
So, playing on what we’ve learned from Gary Vaynerchuk, steer clear of pummelling your list with sales-heavy messaging. Instead, focus on creating value-packed emails that educate your audience about your products and position your brand as an authority within your niche.
The result? Trust, loyalty and repeat business. The next time your first-time customers are in the market for your products again, they’ll be significantly more likely to come back to you – instead of heading over to your competitors.
4. They build anticipation – and decrease return rates
Post-purchase emails don’t just build loyalty and drive repeat business – they can also reduce the number of return requests you get.
How?
Two words – education and anticipation.
Whilst some customers are going to return products because of faults or damages, a large percentage of them will send their parcels back because of plain ol’ confusion.
Regardless of how straightforward you might think your product is to use, you need to give your customers a clear explanation. This doesn’t have to be hard, either. A simple 5-step video will tick all the boxes you need.
Want to take things up a level? Couple this video with some background on your brand, information on how the product was sourced and made, and the key product benefits that they can expect to see. By the time their order arrives, they’ll be brimming with anticipation, excitement and brand trust.
Not only will you see a dip in return rates, but you’ll also reduce the number of support tickets you receive. Trust us – your customer service team will thank you!
5. They help you intercept negative reviews
Sometimes, it’s best to go back to customer service 101.
You wouldn’t believe the amount of brands that neglect their customers in the days after their order – and this gives you the perfect chance to stand out.
So, 1-2 days after their product has been delivered, send an automated email to check in on their order and offer any potential support.
Proactive customer service like this is gold dust for building trust, and it makes your brand look all the more credible when compared to the competitor stores that keep quiet at this crucial stage.
Plus, if customers believe you’re on the ball with your customer service, they’ll be all the more likely to recommend you to their network and circle back to your store next time they’re in the market for your products. Think about it – when was the last time you went back to a store that was late on delivery and ghosted your support emails?
So there we have it! The 5 undeniable benefits of running post-purchase email sequences. We told you they can do a lot for your brand, didn’t we?
Consistency really is the key here – keep testing different approaches and maintaining positive communication with your customers. If you keep your email content fresh and utilise shopper data correctly, you’ll be driving loyal, repeat business in no time!
