Written By: eyos Marketing | Last Updated: November 2022
For customers, the journey doesn’t have to end when they a product. This is the time for businesses to extend their communication, improve customer relationships and build customer loyalty.
It can cost a business five times more to attract a new customer than to retain the ones they already have.
Post-purchase emails are a cost-effective way to remind customers about other relevant products and services they might be interested in. This way, the brand can continue the engagement with the customer long after they have left the store and keep the brand fresh in their customer’s minds.
Let’s dive in to see how post-purchase emails can improve customer engagement.
What is a post purchase email?
Post-purchase emails are any communication with customers based on their purchase triggers. These emails are usually transactional and contain information about a customer’s purchase but can also be used to provide information on how to select their next purchase.
The best way to improve customer engagement through these types of emails is to send an order confirmation email straight after a customer has purchased a product. However, there is a respected timeline to wait until the product has been delivered to send an email requesting a product review.
If this sequence of emails has been properly aligned on a timeline, businesses can start to see an improvement in their customer engagement.
Post-purchase email examples
Now that you understand how post purchase emails works, let’s see what content should be sent to customers.
Order confirmation
This is the first stage of communication after a customer has purchased a product. This type of email not only confirms the purchase but offers an opportunity to build trust.
These types of emails also give peace of mind to a customer, allowing them to develop loyalty to the brand.
Educational guides
Some products may need how-to guides or tips to fully understand how it works. Going the extra mile and assisting a customer with this type of email can give them confidence in the brand.
This may help repeat purchases and increase the chance of customers buying other relevant products.
Loyalty programs
When a customer has bought a product in-store, businesses can offer digital receipts to continue the buyer journey. These digital receipts can offer personalised discounts via post-purchase emails which can lead to a customer loyalty program.
Loyalty programs not only encourage the customer to return to the shop but can also result in word of mouth with a customer’s family or friends.
Referrals
Like loyalty programs, referral emails can allow customers to spread the word about a product they’ve purchased. If a customer refers a friend or family member to the store, they may receive a generous discount on their next purchase.
This can allow a business to maximise its customer engagement and maximise their revenue.
Product Recommendations
As we know, once a customer has made a purchase, the point of sale hasn’t ended there.
Cross-selling or upselling are great opportunities for businesses to recommend products, especially when they’re related to the products a customer has just purchased.
A business could use cross-selling in a post-purchase follow-up email to recommend an additional product to complement the original purchase. However, by using upselling, a business could suggest a better version of the product that may be new to the store.
Best practices for post purchase emails
To improve customer engagement through a post purchase email, the content needs to be engaging. Here are some tips to engage customers:
- Make sure the content is well written: The email content needs to be communicated clearly and effectively.
- Ensure customers are happy with their purchase: This shows the customer that there is genuine concern for their needs, allowing businesses to create a more personalised experience.
- Email timing is key: Businesses should set up automated emails so that customers receive emails on time.
- Keep customers wanting more: Customers will always want to know what’s next. This is why giving them a sneak peek into more of a collection online allows businesses to upsell to their customers.
What is the benchmark for open rates in post purchase emails?
Open rates can determine how the content is performing in post-purchase emails. Open rates for post purchase emails are 17% higher than the average email automation.
Open rates are calculated based on the number of subscribers who have opened the email by the number of subscribers it was sent to overall.
The open rate benchmark for all industries is 58.58% in automated post-purchase emails with a click rate of 3.88%. The click-through rate calculates how many subscribers have clicked on the call to action or link within the email.
For post-purchase emails, the benchmark percentage shows an impressive amount of engagement from customers, proving to be a worthwhile process for businesses to implement.
Get advice on post-purchase emails today
Unlock the power of in-store data with eyos. Our software is used by retailers all over the world, to improve customer engagement using post-purchase emails.
Digital receipt software makes it possible to connect 100% of in-store transactions to a platform of your choice. And that means huge amounts of valuable data at your fingertips – ready and waiting to be put to great use in your next marketing campaign.
If you’d like to find out more about digital receipts and how they work, get in touch with our team.
Additional Reading
What Features Should Small Businesses Look for in Retail Software?
How Digital Receipts Improve the Customer Retail Experience
What is Offline Conversion Tracking?
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