Likelihood is, most of your advertising methods and workflows are geared towards acquisition.
As a result of with out a fixed stream of latest clients, you’ll by no means hit your development objectives.
However, as entrepreneurs, our work is barely simply starting on the level when a consumer 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 trade and returns insurance policies
- Serving to them get essentially the most out of their buy
- Encouraging them to evaluate your product
- Asking them to refer a pal
- Tempting them with an upsell or cross-sell provide
Briefly, you want a complicated post-purchase workflow that delights clients, solutions their questions, makes them look ahead to their subsequent order, and in the end 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 personal.
However first…
Why You Want Superior Publish-Buy Workflows for Ecommerce
Within the cut-throat world of ecommerce, it’s all too straightforward to fixate on poaching clients out of your rivals on the expense of fostering relationships along with your present clients.
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 alternative between acquisition and retention. In spite of everything, so long as your merchandise are half-decent, you’ll inevitably retain some clients — however you (in all probability) received’t decide up any new ones with out making a concerted effort.
However it’s not a binary alternative, is it? There’s no purpose you possibly can’t do each.
Entrepreneurs ought to completely be committing extra time, effort, and price range to retaining present clients.
Particularly provided that analysis from Gorgias reveals repeat consumers characterize simply over a fifth of the typical ecommerce model’s buyer base, but account for:
- 44 % of income
- 46 % of complete orders
For those who’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 clients on the trail to changing into loyal repeat buyers.
And for the elimination of doubt, having plenty of loyal clients is certainly a good factor. Zendesk discovered that 52 % of shoppers exit of their method to buy from their favourite manufacturers, whereas Yotpo found that 56 % of loyal clients will spend extra on a model — even when cheaper alternate 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 crucial efficient methods to show first-time consumers into loyal repeat clients.
Now, let’s think about what a complicated post-purchase ecommerce e-mail workflow may appear like…
Attempt This 8-Contact Superior Publish-Buy Workflow for Ecommerce (That Construct Loyalty)
The primary “part” of your post-purchase workflow facilities on transactional emails: these despatched to particular person clients who carry out a particular motion (on this case, putting an order).
In accordance with Silverpop, transactional emails have a median distinctive open price of 45 %, which is about twice as excessive as non-transactional emails.
That makes them a severely 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 widespread questions, spark pleasure, and assist clients 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 count on order affirmation emails to include necessary data like:
- The product(s) they ordered
- The order value
- The transport technique and deal with
However supplied you give all of them these necessities, there’s nothing to cease you including a 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 method to guard towards purchaser’s regret than telling clients that their actions will assist assist a great trigger or two?
E mail #2: Delivery Affirmation Emails
As soon as they know their buy went via easily, clients eagerly await the transport affirmation e-mail, which tells them after they’ll lastly get their palms on their shiny new product.
Once more, open charges are via the roof for these transactional emails, so why not use them to assist your advertising efforts?
Glossier does this by sparking pleasure with some efficient e-mail copywriting that prompts clients to clear some shelf house 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 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 priceless details about their new buy, similar to flower supply firm Bloom & Wild does right here:
This straightforward e-mail units clients’ expectations about what their flowers ought to appear like, which little question saves a bunch of calls and emails to Bloom & Wild’s assist workforce.
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 evaluate
- Advocate you to family and friends
- Purchase extra stuff
Listed below are 5 e-mail varieties to think about 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 data you’d count on from a transactional e-mail, similar to a quick abstract of the shopper’s buy.
Canadian pet provides retailer Houses Alive exhibits us how that appears:
However this isn’t simply one other transactional e-mail, as a result of it additionally shares a bit of Houses Alive’s model story — type of such as you’d get in a welcome e-mail:
This helps clients perceive who you’re and what you stand for — a wise 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 Evaluate
Over 93 % of shoppers learn opinions earlier than shopping for on-line from unfamiliar manufacturers.
So it’s clearly in your finest pursuits to generate as many opinions as potential.
And there’s no higher time to ask than simply after a buyer receives their new product, as a result of they’re more than likely to be excited about it (and able to inform the world).
One phrase of warning: don’t count on clients to do all of the work.
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 loads simpler for them to seek out the phrases for his or her evaluate.
For example, natural juice model Evergreen applauds clients 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 Further Product Information
We shoppers are notoriously fast to leap to conclusions.
For example, analysis revealed within the journal Behaviour & Info Know-how claims that it takes us simply 50 milliseconds to evaluate the visible enchantment of an internet site.
Most clients ought to take a 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 suggest it to their mates or purchase from you once more.
For that purpose, it is sensible to share supplementary details about your product to assist clients get essentially the most potential profit and pleasure from it.
Plant subscription and supply model Rooted does this by sharing an introductory infographic explaining how clients ought to unbox their newly arrived crops with out damaging them within the course of.
The entire thing is just too large to incorporate in full, however right here’s a quick tidbit:
This can be 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 evaluate.
E mail #7: Promote an Upsell or Cross-Promote Provide
Timing is the whole lot within the e-mail advertising recreation.
Certain, you’re determined to generate extra gross sales and income out of your newly acquired clients.
However for those who 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 buyers with an upsell or cross-sell promotion.
When the time comes, be certain that your provide is related. Three-quarters of shoppers 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 clients to “full” their order with a bunch of complementary merchandise:
Even higher, attempt boosting conversions by pairing upsell and cross-sell emails with a limited-time provide — similar to a proportion low cost or free transport — if the shopper buys one other product within the subsequent 24 hours.
E mail #8: Ask for a Referral
Referrals may be a useful income, with one examine revealing that clients referred by different clients:
- Generate larger revenue margins
- Show extra model loyalty
- Present the next buyer lifetime worth
In fact, clients must 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 provide, shared priceless product data, and coaxed them into writing a evaluate, there’s a good likelihood they’ll additionally really feel comfy referring family and friends.
Reductions are a robust drive relating 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 transport and returns.
Simply remember to hold your provide easy, succinct, and engaging. As a result of clients 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 provides 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 clients tick.
Are they all for a particular product class? Do they browse half-a-dozen merchandise then place an order the next day? Have they acquired an everyday buy frequency?
The extra you already know, the higher you’ll be capable of ship distinctive, extremely customized purchasing experiences — which, in turns, means your clients are extra more likely to change into repeat consumers.
Drip provides you all of the instruments to make that occur.
Our highly effective segmentation options allow you to deliver collectively advertising, retailer, and customer information to create habits and engagement-based buyer segments — opening the door to laser-targeted messaging that compels buyers to purchase from you again and again.
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