Acquiring skills on how to use post-purchase engagement strategy to increase product sales are cheaper.
According to the Harvard Business Review, acquiring a new customer is anywhere from five to 25 times more expensive than retaining an existing one. So, after the hard work you put into turning someone into a customer, you need to make sure you keep them around.
Because when a customer sticks around for a long time, they’ll become loyal to your brand and they’ll purchase from you over and over again.
For example, suppose a customer has bought a new dress, you can send out an email along with the delivery update, which can educate the customer regarding different ways that dress can be worn. Furthermore, you can suggest relevant accessories and more.
This ensures a sense of satisfaction in the customer and creates a feeling of importance.
But, after a customer makes that initial purchase, how do you keep their attention and how can you continue to excite them? Luckily, thanks to email and social media, you can easily stay in touch with your customers and keep them interested in your business.
Here’s how to increase customer engagement post-purchase
Create A Unique Order Confirmation Email
An order confirmation email is the first post-purchase opportunity you have to engage with your customers. Most brands neglect this opportunity to take the customer relationship to the next level.
Consumers expect an email receipt, and 64 percent are open to additional marketing messages. Use this email to incorporate ways to delight and engage further with your customers.
Test Engagement Frequency
Along with determining the best content and products to share with your existing customers, brands also have to time post-purchase engagement for optimal response. In some cases (like promoting upsells) this could be a few days or a week after the customer buys.
In other cases, brands might wait several weeks or months before contacting customers again. A few examples of the varying timeframes used to engage customers include:
• Turning new customers into loyal customers.
• Increasing the average frequency that customers buy.
• Marketing seasonal opportunities to non-seasonal customers.
• Engaging with customers who haven’t returned in several months.
Each of these goals would have its own email list to engage existing customers. A customer who visits the online store four or five times per year would receive emails to bring them up to six or seven times per year.
Customers who haven’t shopped in more than six months might receive a coupon to re-engage them with the brand.
If your brand doesn’t have a post-purchase engagement strategy, even to solicit feedback from customers, then your eCommerce business is missing out on opportunities to sell to existing customers.
Your brand can continue marketing to new customers while ignoring existing ones, but your ROI will suffer and your company will spend more than needed to reach revenue goals.
Suggest Complementary Products
It’s more likely that a brand will include a link to the latest arrivals that have no relevance to the customer’s order. Go above and beyond by making relevant suggestions tailored to your customer’s interests.
Request Customer Feedback
Tapping into post-purchase engagement doesn’t necessarily mean asking customers to buy from you again — at least, not immediately. Many brands use email communication with customers to encourage them to connect on social media or give feedback on their overall experience.
A few post-purchase email options include:
• Encouraging customers to leave reviews of the items they bought.
• Asking customers to take customer service quizzes on the overall experience.
• Inviting customers to follow your brand on social media or sign up notifications.
These post-purchase emails allow you to market to your customers on other channels while turning your customers into brand ambassadors. As long as you offer quality products and top-notch customer service, these requests should lead to positive reviews and feedback.
Brands that are struggling with this form of engagement can also offer discount incentives or exclusive gifts to encourage customers to leave a review or complete a survey. These incentives have the added bonus of encouraging customers to return to your store and buy again, reinforcing customer loyalty.
Your work doesn’t stop at just selling the product. If you can find a way to create touchpoints with your customer after the sale has happened, the effects could be long-lasting.
