If you think your job’s done after some creative marketing campaigns, ease-of-use website development, and finally user-friendly checkout process, you’re not.
The post-purchase experience is what keeps your customers coming back to buy from your brand. But first, what do we mean by post-purchase experience in the eCommerce world?
What Is Post-Purchase Experience?
The segment in a consumer’s journey after the sale is being made, i.e., after the customer successfully places their order on the website, is termed the post-purchase experience.
A post-purchase experience includes all of the following –
- Shipping and delivery elements
- Visual outlook of product and packaging
- Customer-behaviour based segments
Did you know that 56% of customers claim to be disappointed by the post-purchase experience received from an eCommerce site?
While as a brand, you focus on creating a seamless buying experience for your customers from across the globe, there is another world where you might lose out on the sellers if your post-purchase experience is not reliable enough.
Why Post Purchase Experience Matters?
There are various reasons why every online retailer should integrate a hassle-free post-purchase experience for their customers.
Builds Brand Loyalty
The better your post purchase experience is, the more likely it is for you to retain your customers easily. Around 88% of customers rely on actionable customer experience rather than mere assurance.
Less Stress On Acquisition
Let’s face it, it’s cheaper to retain existing customers than acquire new ones in a short span of time. Customer retention only happens where there your customer is constantly content with the services your post-purchase experience provides.
Enhances Customer Reviews
Before making any purchase online, almost every customer turns to view customer reviews from previous purchases. If your brand’s delivery of post-purchase experience is top-notch, most of the reviews written are majorly on the positive side.
Contributes To Consumer Insights
Your customers are your best business advisers. A good post-purchase experience helps your customers share their insights. This involves reaching out to your customers and asking if they’re satisfied with the services. A personalised feedback acquisition method adds further value to the brand-customer relationship.
How To Deliver A First-Class Post-Purchase Experience?
Convince Customers To Trust The Process
Transparency is the key to consumer trust when it comes to procuring products from online stores. As a brand, the best way to do so is by sharing detailed but real-time tracking updates with your buyers from the point of checkout till the product is delivered to their doorstep. To make the digital experience memorable, a trackable delivery process at every step of transit minimizes their fear of getting a delayed product, as well as reduces cancellations.
Recommendation Of Related Products
The more, the better. This holds true even for a customer who has already made the purchase. Recommending other products related to the current order helps your customer browse through your collections and make additional purchases if needed, but most importantly, you know what your customers’ exact needs are and give it to them. Incorporating your brand’s logo, name, and product categories into the tracking page is one way to ensure your customers are always in the loop about what you’re offering.
Relay Information
Many times, customers don’t know how to deal with roadblocks in the post-purchase journey. While providing a customer support number is recommended, it is not always the only option. You can include all about the product being purchased on the checkout page as well as how to use it more efficiently. Selling your products from leading eCommerce websites like Amazon, Etsy, and eBay helps in doing so; here, you can also include how-to guides, information brochures, FAQs, and more.
Ask For Reviews
Asking for feedback from customers is one of the best ways to understand your customer’s experience after using your product, even if the feedback might not always be appreciative. Every wayward feedback can help you work on your product’s loopholes and help sustain a happy customer for the long term. Additionally, a brand page without reviews doesn’t look good for the brand’s value.
Let Them Know You Care
An occasional “Thank You” works wonders in taking your relationship with the customers to retain a long-lasting relationship. You can do so by sharing creative assets such as thank you cards, decorative packaging, and free goodies with the product being shipped. Moreover, digital assets such as thank you emails, discounts, or offers on the next order also help to show your brand can go the extra mile for the customers.
Conclusion
More often than not, brands tend to overlook the delivery of top-notch post-purchase experiences to their existing customers and instead look to acquire newer buyers. With an end-to-end delightful experience, buyers already purchasing your products or using your services can be your brand’s next loyalists and advocate your brand in building a dedicated customer base.
