Why is Post-Purchase Experience Important? 

An excellent post-purchase experience helps you stand out in today’s highly competitive market as how you treat your customer after the sale can be a differentiator. 

1. Retention - A positive post-purchase experience increases the customer’s decision to repurchase the product, decreasing the customer acquisition costs and increasing the lifetime value. 
2. Brand Loyalty - A positive post-purchase experience can make your customers feel valued and well-treated after the purchase and are more likely to return and become loyal customers, Increasing the brand reputation and trust. 
3. Referrals and Word of mouth - Customers who have a great post-purchase experience are more likely to recommend your product to friends and family. Similarly, a poor experience can result in a negative brand review, damaging the reputation of your brand. 
4. Reduced returns and complaints - A well-structured post-purchase support system can help customers resolve issues without resorting to product returns or complaints. Offering resources can help reduce delivery complaints and product returns. 
5. Upselling and Cross-selling Opportunity - Engaging with your customers after a purchase opens up opportunities to introduce your products and services. Satisfied customers are more likely to consider additional purchases if their initial experience was positive. 

The Untapped Potential of Post-Purchase Experience and Optimization

The cost of acquiring new customers is increasing rapidly, this growing expense makes it crucial to focus on the post-purchase experience.While new customers are important, they require time and resources to acquire. On the other hand, getting your previous customers to make an additional purchase is easier. 

Bain’s research shows that the longer a customer stays with a brand, the more they spend. In the apparel industry, a customer's 5th purchase is usually 40% larger than their first. Also, customers who stick around for over 30 months spend 67% more than they did in their first 6 months.

Clearly, repeat customers are likely to provide more value over time. So how do you encourage more repeat purchases through post-purchase experiences? 

Kristen LaFrance emphasizes the importance of the post-purchase period especially in eCommerce, 

“In online retail, you don’t have the face-to-face interaction you’d get in a physical store, so post-purchase is when you really have a chance to build that customer relationship.”

The period between placing their order and receiving the product is an opportunity to educate your customers, address concerns and build excitement for their purchase. This elevates the ordinary experience into a great one and can turn first-time buyers into loyal customers. 

Strategies to Create the Best Post-Purchase Experience

1. Understand the customer journey

‍The first step in creating a good post-purchase experience is to understand what happens when a customer completes checkout. 

Check out how Subscription Analytics can help you understand the customer journey and behaviour. 

First, understand where the order information goes after confirmation. How long does it take to process, pack and ship the order? With this knowledge, you will be able to create effective communications that you can send your customers to engage with them. For example, If orders are packed within 24 hours of ordering, you can include this in the confirmation email along with an estimated shipping timeline or an upsell opportunity. 

Mapping out the post-purchase journey also ensures a consistent and seamless experience across all touchpoints, allowing you to create a well-organized, easy-to-navigate order page improving customer satisfaction and conversion rates.

2. Creating a memorable unboxing experience

People are always excited to receive their packages, and delivering your products in a unique and well-designed way can make your brand stand out. Making the unboxing process an enjoyable experience can spark delight and leave a lasting impression on your customers.

This works really well for subscription businesses where customers receive their subscription boxes regularly. By creating a well-designed experience, you can create a sense of excitement with each order, fostering customer loyalty and connection with the brand. 

3.Easy returns and exchanges

Order returns are a frustrating experience, it can happen when a customer is dissatisfied with their purchase due to various factors. Brands need to make this process as seamless and transparent as possible to maintain customer satisfaction. If a brand complicates this process, the chances of the customer not returning are higher. 

By offering a simple, customer-friendly return or exchange process, businesses can help ease some of the anxiety associated with returns and potentially retain these customers for future purchases. 

4. Send post-purchase email campaign

Sending personalized post-purchase emails should be a crucial part of your email marketing strategy. These emails help keep customers engaged throughout their journey and can be a key element of your brand’s marketing plan. 

Order Confirmation Emails - Letting your customers know that their order has been received and will be shipped, reassuring them that their product is on its way. 

Shipping- Confirmation Emails - Sending a shipping confirmation email with tracking details with real-time automated tracking can keep your customers informed throughout the delivery process. 

Post-Delivery Email - You can also follow up with an email asking questions about the order, their feedback, and the quality of the product. These emails can be an upselling opportunity for purchasing refills or subscribing if they are happy with the product or the delivery experience. 

Sale and Discount Offers - You can send upcoming sale and discount offer emails offering coupon codes in the mail, or you can create an email marketing campaign with special discounts to people who have bought the product recently as an upselling opportunity. By setting up these emails, you can boost customer engagement, increase sales, and build lasting relationships with your customers.

5. Ask for feedback and reviews

In today’s digital age, everybody looks for the brand’s reviews before buying anything from them. The more feedback and reviews you gather the more insights you gain about their experience and satisfaction giving you a chance to gather more reviews and improve your customer experience. 

You can ask for a review or feedback a few days after the product is delivered. This can be done by a survey form or by encouraging your customer to leave a review on the website. You can later use these reviews to boost conversions by placing them on the product description page. 

How to Innovate the Post-Purchase Experience

Looking to further enhance your customer journey? Here are some ideas on how you can create a more engaging post-purchase experience.

1. Gamify the Post-Purchase Experience - Add a fun element by gamifying the post-purchase experience. Incorporate rewards, badges, leaderboards in your loyalty program can increase customer engagement. These gamification experiences can keep customers coming back for more. 
2. Enhance Loyalty Program - Try investing your time in creating a reward program. You can track customer’s purchases and offer personalized incentives that keep them hooked to your brand. Provide them with exclusive offers to keep them engaged. 
3. Build a Community - You can create Facebook/Reddit/Discord groups or encourage your customers to follow or mention you on social media. By reposting user-generated content on Instagram, Facebook or YouTube you can showcase how people use your products. This can create a sense of belonging and will strengthen customer loyalty.

Summing Up 

The post-purchase experience is crucial for every eCommerce business. Delivering great customer service after the sale boosts engagement, and also helps the brand stand out.