Chances are high, most of your advertising methods and workflows are geared towards acquisition.
As a result of with no fixed stream of latest prospects, you’ll by no means hit your development targets.
However, as entrepreneurs, our work is barely simply starting on the level when a client locations their first order. Now your focus shifts to constructing a mutually helpful long-term relationship with them by:
- Letting them know when their order will arrive
- Explaining your change and returns insurance policies
- Serving to them get essentially the most out of their buy
- Encouraging them to overview your product
- Asking them to refer a good friend
- Tempting them with an upsell or cross-sell supply
In brief, you want a classy 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 to be — and I’ll present real-world examples that will help you construct your personal.
However first…
Â
Â
Why You Want Superior Put up-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 along with your current 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 for those who’re confronted with a binary selection between acquisition and retention. In any case, so long as your merchandise are half-decent, you’ll inevitably retain some prospects — however you (in all probability) gained’t decide up any new ones with out making a concerted effort.
However it’s not a binary selection, is it? There’s no purpose you’ll be able to’t do each.
Entrepreneurs ought to completely be committing extra time, effort, and price range to retaining current prospects.
Particularly on condition that analysis from Gorgias reveals repeat consumers signify simply over a fifth of the common ecommerce model’s buyer base, but account for:
- 44 % of income
- 46 % of complete orders
If you happen to’re trying to up your retention recreation, constructing a post-purchase e-mail workflow is an apparent place to start out.
It units expectations early and places prospects on the trail to changing into loyal repeat consumers.
And for the removing of doubt, having a lot of loyal prospects is certainly a good factor. Zendesk discovered that 52 % of shoppers exit of their approach to buy from their favourite manufacturers, whereas Yotpo found that 56 % of loyal prospects will spend extra on a model — even when cheaper alternate options exist.
Sounds good, proper?
Okay, so we’re agreed: manufacturers must be focusing extra on retention. And post-purchase workflows are one of the vital efficient methods to show first-time consumers into loyal repeat prospects.
Now, let’s take into account what a complicated post-purchase ecommerce e-mail workflow may appear to be…
Strive This 8-Contact Superior Put up-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 selected motion (on this case, inserting an order).
Based on Silverpop, transactional emails have a mean distinctive open price of 45 %, which is about twice as excessive as non-transactional emails.
That makes them a significantly priceless 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…
E-mail #1: Order Affirmation Emails
Order confirmations are the crown jewels of the transactional e-mail world, with spectacular common open charges of 58+ %.
Clearly, they’re not predominantly a advertising e-mail. Prospects anticipate order affirmation emails to include vital data like:
- The product(s) they ordered
- The order value
- The delivery methodology and deal with
However supplied you give all of them these necessities, there’s nothing to cease you including slightly 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 approach to guard towards purchaser’s regret than telling prospects that their actions will assist help a very good trigger or two?
E-mail #2: Delivery Affirmation Emails
As soon as they know their buy went via easily, prospects eagerly await the delivery affirmation e-mail, which tells them after they’ll lastly get their fingers on their shiny new product.
Once more, open charges are via the roof for these transactional emails, so why not use them to help your advertising 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:
E-mail #3: Supply Affirmation Emails
The ultimate step within the transactional e-mail part of your post-purchase workflow is to substantiate that the shopper’s order has been delivered efficiently.
Ostensibly, supply affirmation emails give shoppers a chance to achieve out if there are any points with their product (or if it simply hasn’t turned up).
However you’ll be able to additionally use them to share priceless details about their new buy, similar to flower supply firm Bloom & Wild does right here:
This straightforward e-mail units prospects’ expectations about what their flowers ought to appear to be, which little question saves a bunch of calls and emails to Bloom & Wild’s help staff.
If transactional emails are the meat and potatoes of your post-purchase workflow, the following part — your advertising 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 overview
- Advocate you to family and friends
- Purchase extra stuff
Listed here are 5 e-mail varieties to contemplate for this stage of your workflow…
E-mail #4: Ship a Thank You E-mail
Consider thanks emails as a midway home between transactional and advertising emails.
On one hand, they supply the kind of primary information you’d anticipate from a transactional e-mail, equivalent to a short abstract of the shopper’s buy.
Canadian pet provides retailer Properties Alive exhibits us how that appears:
However this isn’t simply one other transactional e-mail, as a result of it additionally shares slightly of Properties 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 sensible play in a world the place 82 % of shoppers desire a model’s values to align with their very own.
E-mail #5: Request a Product EvaluateÂ
Over 93 % of shoppers learn critiques earlier than shopping for on-line from unfamiliar manufacturers.Â
So it’s clearly in your greatest pursuits to generate as many critiques as attainable.Â
And there’s no higher time to ask than simply after a buyer receives their new product, as a result of they’re most probably to be excited about it (and able to inform the world).
One phrase of warning: don’t anticipate 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 method, it’s rather a lot simpler for them to seek out the phrases for his or her overview.
For 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:
E-mail #6: Share Extra Product Data
We shoppers are notoriously fast to leap to conclusions.
For example, analysis printed within the journal Behaviour & Data Know-how claims that it takes us simply 50 milliseconds to evaluate the visible enchantment of a web site.
Most prospects ought to take slightly longer to make their thoughts up about their newest buy. But when they’re not gained over quick, it’s extremely unlikely they’ll suggest it to their associates or purchase from you once more.
For that purpose, it is sensible to share supplementary details about your product to assist prospects get essentially the most attainable profit and pleasure from it.
Plant subscription and supply model Rooted does this by sharing an introductory infographic explaining how prospects ought to unbox their newly arrived crops with out damaging them within the course of.
The entire thing is simply too huge to incorporate in full, however right here’s a short 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’ll be able to kiss goodbye to a glowing overview.
E-mail #7: Promote an Upsell or Cross-Promote Supply
Timing is every little thing within the e-mail advertising recreation.
Certain, you’re determined to generate extra gross sales and income out of your newly acquired prospects.
However for those who strike too quickly, you danger coming off as pushy, which may flip them off your model utterly.
As such, it pays to attend till late in your post-purchase workflow to focus on consumers with an upsell or cross-sell promotion.
When the time comes, ensure that your supply is related. Three-quarters of shoppers anticipate manufacturers to know their distinctive expectations and desires, so don’t anticipate to get anyplace with a generic gross sales pitch.
As a substitute, take a leaf from Ten Thousand’s guide 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 — equivalent to a share low cost or free delivery — if the shopper buys one other product within the subsequent 24 hours.
E-mail #8: Ask for a Referral
Referrals could be a useful income, with one examine revealing that prospects referred by different prospects:
- Generate increased revenue margins
- Show extra model loyaltyÂ
- Present a better buyer lifetime worth
After all, prospects have to get to know your model and product earlier than they really feel comfy recommending them to their nearest and dearest.
However for those who’ve nurtured them with a well timed upsell supply, shared priceless product data, and coaxed them into writing a overview, there’s a good likelihood they’ll additionally really feel comfy referring family and friends.
Reductions are a robust drive in relation to driving referrals, with analysis from Point out Me citing them because the fourth-biggest purpose folks refer manufacturers — solely behind model trustworthiness, nice customer support, and free delivery and returns.
Simply make sure you hold your supply easy, succinct, and engaging. As a result of prospects want a compelling (and easy-to-understand) purpose to exit to bat for you.
Vogue model Italic will get it proper with this referral e-mail, which gives 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 fascinated about a selected product class? Do they browse half-a-dozen merchandise then place an order the next day? Have they bought a daily buy frequency?
The extra you already know, the higher you’ll have the ability to ship distinctive, extremely customized buying experiences — which, in turns, means your prospects are extra more likely to grow to be repeat consumers.
Drip provides you all of the instruments to make that occur.
Our highly effective segmentation options allow you to carry collectively advertising, retailer, and customer knowledge to create habits and engagement-based buyer segments — opening the door to laser-targeted messaging that compels consumers to purchase from you again and again.
Sounds good? Take us for a check drive by signing up to your 14-day free trial.
