Chances are high, most of your advertising and marketing methods and workflows are geared towards acquisition.
As a result of with no fixed stream of recent prospects, you’ll by no means hit your progress objectives.
However, as entrepreneurs, our work is simply simply starting on the level when a client locations their first order. Now your focus shifts to constructing a mutually useful long-term relationship with them by:
- Letting them know when their order will arrive
- Explaining your alternate and returns insurance policies
- Serving to them get essentially the most out of their buy
- Encouraging them to assessment your product
- Asking them to refer a buddy
- Tempting them with an upsell or cross-sell supply
Briefly, you want a complicated post-purchase workflow that delights prospects, solutions their questions, makes them stay up for their subsequent order, and finally turns them into fully-fledged model advocates.
With that in thoughts, on this article I’ll clarify precisely what superior post-purchase workflows appear like — and I’ll present real-world examples that will help you construct your individual.
However first…
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Why You Want Superior Submit-Buy Workflows for Ecommerce
Within the cut-throat world of ecommerce, it’s all too straightforward to fixate on poaching prospects out of your rivals on the expense of fostering relationships together with your present prospects.
That is borne out by the truth that simply one in 5 ecommerce professionals have a devoted buyer retention price range, whereas nearly two-thirds allocate extra price range to acquisition than retention.
That is sensible if you happen to’re confronted with a binary selection between acquisition and retention. In spite of everything, so long as your merchandise are half-decent, you’ll inevitably retain some prospects — however you (most likely) received’t choose up any new ones with out making a concerted effort.
Nevertheless it’s not a binary selection, is it? There’s no cause you possibly can’t do each.
Entrepreneurs ought to completely be committing extra time, effort, and price range to retaining present prospects.
Particularly provided that analysis from Gorgias reveals repeat patrons signify simply over a fifth of the typical ecommerce model’s buyer base, but account for:
- 44 p.c of income
- 46 p.c of complete orders
In the event you’re trying to up your retention sport, constructing a post-purchase e mail workflow is an apparent place to begin.
It units expectations early and places prospects on the trail to changing into loyal repeat customers.
And for the elimination of doubt, having a lot of loyal prospects is unquestionably a good factor. Zendesk discovered that 52 p.c of customers exit of their option to buy from their favourite manufacturers, whereas Yotpo found that 56 p.c of loyal prospects will spend extra on a model — even when cheaper options exist.
Sounds good, proper?
Okay, so we’re agreed: manufacturers needs to be focusing extra on retention. And post-purchase workflows are one of the vital efficient methods to show first-time patrons into loyal repeat prospects.
Now, let’s take into account what a complicated post-purchase ecommerce e mail workflow may appear like…
Strive This 8-Contact Superior Submit-Buy Workflow for Ecommerce (That Construct Loyalty)
The primary “part” of your post-purchase workflow facilities on transactional emails: these despatched to particular person prospects who carry out a particular motion (on this case, putting an order).
In line with Silverpop, transactional emails have a mean distinctive open price of 45 p.c, which is about twice as excessive as non-transactional emails.
That makes them a significantly precious email correspondence actual property. But many manufacturers don’t get the total advantages as a result of they solely present essentially the most primary data.
Add these e mail varieties to your post-purchase workflow to reply frequent questions, spark pleasure, and assist prospects get the highest-possible enjoyment from their new product…
Electronic mail #1: Order Affirmation Emails
Order confirmations are the crown jewels of the transactional e mail world, with spectacular common open charges of 58+ p.c.
Clearly, they’re not predominantly a advertising and marketing e mail. Prospects count on order affirmation emails to include necessary data like:
- The product(s) they ordered
- The order worth
- The transport technique and deal with
However supplied you give all of them these necessities, there’s nothing to cease you including a little bit aptitude to your order confirmations.
In my first instance, razor subscription firm Estrid makes the shopper be ok with their buy by explaining {that a} portion of the sale goes to the model’s charity companions:
What higher option to guard in opposition to purchaser’s regret than telling prospects that their actions will assist help trigger or two?
Electronic mail #2: Delivery Affirmation Emails
As soon as they know their buy went by means of easily, prospects eagerly await the transport affirmation e mail, which tells them once they’ll lastly get their palms on their shiny new product.
Once more, open charges are by means of the roof for these transactional emails, so why not use them to help your advertising and marketing efforts?
Glossier does this by sparking pleasure with some efficient e mail copywriting that prompts prospects to clear some shelf area forward of their supply date:
Electronic mail #3: Supply Affirmation Emails
The ultimate step within the transactional e mail part of your post-purchase workflow is to verify that the shopper’s order has been delivered efficiently.
Ostensibly, supply affirmation emails give customers a possibility to succeed in out if there are any points with their product (or if it simply hasn’t turned up).
However you possibly can additionally use them to share precious details about their new buy, identical to flower supply firm Bloom & Wild does right here:
This easy e mail units prospects’ expectations about what their flowers ought to appear like, which little question saves a bunch of calls and emails to Bloom & Wild’s help crew.
If transactional emails are the meat and potatoes of your post-purchase workflow, the subsequent part — your advertising and marketing e mail sequence — is the champagne and caviar.
These emails are all about delighting the shopper by offering tons of added worth and (hopefully) encouraging them to:
- Write a assessment
- Suggest you to family and friends
- Purchase extra stuff
Listed here are 5 e mail varieties to think about for this stage of your workflow…
Electronic mail #4: Ship a Thank You Electronic mail
Consider thanks emails as a midway home between transactional and advertising and marketing emails.
On one hand, they supply the kind of primary data you’d count on from a transactional e mail, reminiscent of a quick abstract of the shopper’s buy.
Canadian pet provides retailer Houses Alive reveals us how that appears:
However this isn’t simply one other transactional e mail, as a result of it additionally shares a little bit of Houses Alive’s model story — sort of such as you’d get in a welcome e mail:
This helps prospects perceive who you might be and what you stand for — a wise play in a world the place 82 p.c of customers choose a model’s values to align with their very own.
Electronic mail #5: Request a Product EvaluationÂ
Over 93 p.c of customers learn critiques earlier than shopping for on-line from unfamiliar manufacturers.Â
So it’s clearly in your finest pursuits to generate as many critiques as doable.Â
And there’s no higher time to ask than simply after a buyer receives their new product, as a result of they’re almost definitely to be excited about it (and able to inform the world).
One phrase of warning: don’t count on prospects to do all of the work.Â
As a substitute, remind them of what they love about your product, or what led them on their path to buy. That approach, it’s loads simpler for them to seek out the phrases for his or her assessment.
As an example, natural juice model Evergreen applauds prospects for placing their well being first by buying its natural wheatgrass juice, and prompts would-be reviewers to share their wheatgrass journey:
Electronic mail #6: Share Further Product Information
We customers are notoriously fast to leap to conclusions.
As an example, analysis printed within the journal Behaviour & Info Know-how claims that it takes us simply 50 milliseconds to evaluate the visible attraction of a web site.
Most prospects ought to take a little bit longer to make their thoughts up about their newest buy. But when they’re not received over quick, it’s extremely unlikely they’ll advocate it to their associates or purchase from you once more.
For that cause, it is sensible to share supplementary details about your product to assist prospects get essentially the most doable profit and delight from it.
Plant subscription and supply model Rooted does this by sharing an introductory infographic explaining how prospects ought to unbox their newly arrived vegetation with out damaging them within the course of.
The entire thing is simply too massive to incorporate in full, however right here’s a quick tidbit:
It is a good transfer.
As a result of if the shopper’s first notion of your product entails damaging it whereas opening the field, you possibly can kiss goodbye to a glowing assessment.
Electronic mail #7: Promote an Upsell or Cross-Promote Provide
Timing is the whole lot within the e mail advertising and marketing sport.
Positive, you’re determined to generate extra gross sales and income out of your newly acquired prospects.
However if you happen to strike too quickly, you danger coming off as pushy, which may flip them off your model fully.
As such, it pays to attend till late in your post-purchase workflow to focus on customers with an upsell or cross-sell promotion.
When the time comes, ensure that your supply is related. Three-quarters of customers count on manufacturers to grasp their distinctive expectations and desires, so don’t count on to get wherever with a generic gross sales pitch.
As a substitute, take a leaf from Ten Thousand’s e book by encouraging prospects to “full” their order with a bunch of complementary merchandise:
Even higher, strive boosting conversions by pairing upsell and cross-sell emails with a limited-time supply — reminiscent of a proportion low cost or free transport — if the shopper buys one other product within the subsequent 24 hours.
Electronic mail #8: Ask for a Referral
Referrals could be a useful income, with one research revealing that prospects referred by different prospects:
- Generate greater revenue margins
- Show extra model loyaltyÂ
- Present a better buyer lifetime worth
In fact, prospects must get to know your model and product earlier than they really feel snug recommending them to their nearest and dearest.
However if you happen to’ve nurtured them with a well timed upsell supply, shared precious product data, and coaxed them into writing a assessment, there’s an honest likelihood they’ll additionally really feel snug referring family and friends.
Reductions are a robust pressure on the subject of driving referrals, with analysis from Point out Me citing them because the fourth-biggest cause folks refer manufacturers — solely behind model trustworthiness, nice customer support, and free transport and returns.
Simply be sure you hold your supply easy, succinct, and enticing. As a result of prospects want a compelling (and easy-to-understand) cause to exit to bat for you.
Trend model Italic will get it proper with this referral e mail, which affords a $15 low cost for each the referrer and the shopper they refer:
Increase Buyer Retention & Repeat Orders With Drip
Retention is all about understanding what makes your prospects tick.
Are they focused on a particular product class? Do they browse half-a-dozen merchandise then place an order the next day? Have they bought an everyday buy frequency?
The extra you recognize, the higher you’ll be capable of ship distinctive, extremely customized buying experiences — which, in turns, means your prospects are extra more likely to develop into repeat patrons.
Drip provides you all of the instruments to make that occur.
Our highly effective segmentation options allow you to deliver collectively advertising and marketing, retailer, and customer information to create conduct and engagement-based buyer segments — opening the door to laser-targeted messaging that compels customers to purchase from you again and again.
Sounds good? Take us for a check drive by signing up on your 14-day free trial.
