Going AWOL as soon as customers hit the “Buy” button is the quickest way to lose their loyalty and earn a bad name for your business. On the other hand, improving your post-purchase customer experience gives you an edge over your competitors.
Remember that customer loyalty is the key driver for e-commerce and retail success. While most brands focus on customer acquisition, improving customer retention often provides you with a greater opportunity.
Loyal customers can also turn into brand advocates and that alone drives in the acquisition of its own.
In this post, we are going to discuss how you can create a great post-purchase customer experience.
Say Thank You
This might sound simple but it is true. Think of the last time you went to a restaurant or store, and none of the crew said “thank you” to you when you left. That kind of irked you, right?
No matter how huge your company is, it is imperative to show gratitude to your customers. After all, they could have made transactions with your competitors but they chose to purchase from you.
When someone purchases from you online or takes their purchases on the cash register, a simple thank you must be one of the first things that you should say to your customers. It does not matter whether it is in person or via email. What’s important is that you show how much you appreciate them.
In the long run, although some of your customers might not remember what you told them, they would definitely remember how you made them feel.
Encourage Feedback
Customer feedback can be a great source of how you can improve your products and services. And one way to gather that feedback is to create a survey.
Create a post-purchase customer survey to know whether your customers are satisfied with the products that they have purchased. You can send them this survey two to five days after they have purchased your products.
When you send out these questionnaires, you can segment your audience based on their purchase history, and ask a couple more important questions that will provide you with the most actionable data.
When you talk to your customers, approach them with a conversational tone that complements your brand, thanking them for buying, and providing them with discounts.
Offer Refund and Flexible Return Policy
Help decrease your customers’ post-purchase anxiety by letting your customers be fully aware of your refund and return policy.
By being transparent with this, you can slowly build trust with your customers as it shows that you are simply not just concerned about sales, but that you understand your customers’ needs as well.
Make the return of broken, non-functional items as easy as possible.
Similarly, you can also offer refunds by saying thank you to those who have at least tried your products, and asking them what issues they have encountered in your products. Doing so allows you to know what to rectify with your products.
Send Branded Confirmations
Every step of the purchasing process will provide you with an opportunity to reinforce your style and brand message to your customer.
Imagine receiving a tempting offer from one of your favorite brands and rushing to their site to purchase the item. Then, imagine how all of this excitement will fall flat once you receive a dull, automated message.
The good news is, you can still amp up this excitement with a branded confirmation that includes a more positive, personalized message. You can congratulate your customers for the recent purchase that they made, along with an image that matches your brand style.
Finally, make them feel good about making the purchase and allow them to identify more strongly with your brand.
Create “How-to” Guides
After a customer has brought a product, you want to make sure that they actually enjoy it.
Sending a how-to guide helps facilitate this, and it significantly reduces the number of returns from frustrated users who simply gave up trying to make your product work.
Creating how-to guides can be done in several ways. First is including an infographic on their email, embedding a video, or directing them to your site with a written guide.
Personalize Product Recommendations
Now is that time to put some data analysis into work. You can study your customers’ purchase history, and see what other things they have bought in conjunction with their recent purchase.
Tracking the products which are bought more frequently helps you easily track your sales. The more information that you have on your customer, the more you can create more personalized recommendations.
It is more vital than just guessing what their needs are. People will also hold your brand in much higher regard, and some will even turn into loyal customers in the long run.
Omnichannel Customer Support
Another way you can enhance your post-purchase experience is to provide your customers with omnichannel support.
For instance, you can offer assisted-service channels based on your customer’s experience. You can also offer them a tailored channel transition experience and have great customer service representatives that will help them with their needs.
Your support team can also capture important context that’s needed to resolve an issue quickly, delivering a more unified customer experience.
Repurchase Reminders
You can send out repurchase reminders through replenishment emails. Doing so allows you to take immediate measures regarding your limited-stock products. Not to mention that you are giving your customers ample time to finalize their orders.
These can be useful to all sorts of products from make-up to pet food. And the good news is that this can be done with very little effort on your end.
They can be sent out automatically with very little ongoing management. Just paying attention to this simple detail significantly enhances customer experience, as well as make your brand look more reliable in the eyes of your customers.
Final Thoughts
The post-purchase phase of the buyer’s journey helps you build strong customer loyalty. It also allows you to leave with a great lasting impression.
Remember that selling to your previous customers is a lot easier than winning over new ones.
The tips that we have mentioned in this article will help you build an ideal business environment that delivers an impeccable post-purchase experience.
Featured image credit: unsplash.com
