The 3 Steps That Will Drastically Improve Your Store’s Post-Purchase Experience

Someone just bought your product. You now have a new buyer, which is great, but the question of what to do next pops up. Here’s one thing to know: E-commerce stores that are successful have a great deal of repeat buyers. There are many reasons why someone would return to your store to buy another product. Perhaps the original product that they bought was stellar. Maybe you provided awesome customer service that encouraged their loyalty.

We’re going to talk about another way to encourage repeat purchases: the design of a smooth post-purchase experience. The experience that you provide should illustrate the image that your brand wants to portray, and it should guide the buyer to your other products and services.

1st Step: The Thank-You Page

We can almost guarantee that many online retailers don’t really pay attention to their “Thank You” message, but you definitely should. Here’s what is usually displayed in a page like this:

• The stock “Thank you for your purchase” language. This is vanilla, and it doesn’t really compel an action or spar any interest. Usually, there’s a mention that a confirmation email has been sent to the buyer’s email address.
• The summary of the order. This is a listing of the products that were bought and the total amount that was paid.
• Any payment or shipping information.

All three of those elements are absolutely necessary, but there are some improvements that can be made. The “Thank you for your purchase” verbiage is on nearly every page of its kind, and it doesn’t really do much. If your E-Commerce platforms allows, customize this page with a more personable message. Creating your own message will allow you to explicitly communicate your appreciation of the customer and his purchase, and it can help your brand stand out.

There are some additional things you can do on the thank-you page.

• Request the buyers to follow you on social media.
• Link to your online content and encourage them to be an active member of your online community.
• Inform the buyers of any support channels (e.g. live chat or a support center).

You should also link to additional products that complement the product that the buyer purchased. You can do this in the form of an upsell or a special discount.

The 2nd Step: The Order Confirmation Email

The order confirmation email is often very dull and routine. Usually, it confirms the order by listing the different products that were bought and the amount total for those products. Spruce up the tedious language that’s commonly used in these emails. Pepper these emails with personality, bright and descriptive words, and some humor (where applicable). A little bit of personality can help to separate your brand from the crowd.

The email confirmation is the perfect place to offer discounts on additional products. As an example, a 25% off “Thank You” discount will compel people to buy. Never assume that someone won’t buy your products. Though you never want to overdo it, you should encourage people to make additional purchases. If you don’t do this, you are leaving additional revenue on the table– that’s something you don’t want to do as an online retailer.

Make your emails visual. Incorporate a themed layout with some color. Usually, these type of emails are text-only.

Personality and humor can be a powerful addition. The purpose of using it is to cause people to remember your brand. When people remember your brand as being different than the countless other cold companies in the industry, it becomes more likely that they’ll open your future emails to see what you have to offer.

Encourage people to leave reviews (where applicable). If your product is listed on a website where people leave reviews, inform your buyers in the order confirmation email.

The 3rd Step: Continue the communication

Once the order has been shipped, don’t just close the communication with your buyers. This is the perfect time to…

• Follow up after they received their purchase. Ask them how they like the product and ask them to share their thoughts on social media or review sites.
• Offer upsells and discounts. Show products that complement the product that was purchased.

Conclusion

Once someone has clicked a “Buy Now” button, they’ve crossed the line from prospect to customer. You need to design a post-purchase experience that leverages this. The best way to do that is to create an environment that both encourages additional purchases and displays the character of your brand.

Are you ready to discuss your next eCommerce project with the leader in shopping cart website development and digital marketing? If so, contact Zen Agency today! We are a group of web development experts!