Last Updated: October 2024
Post-purchase customer experience is a thing that you should prioritize over customer acquisition.
That’s because 41% of revenue in the US comes from repeat purchases[1] that are driven by a great post-purchase customer experience.
In this guide, you will learn 13 tips on how to enhance the post-purchase experience of your customers.
1. Follow up
A sale is not an end in itself, it is the beginning of a long-term relationship. The real work begins after a customer has clicked on the Buy Now button and completed check-out.
Follow-ups can not only enhance your customers’ post-purchase experience but can also encourage your customers to re-purchase from you.
In fact, repeat purchasers are 5 times more valuable than new ones. According to Adobe, the average revenue per visit for repeat purchasers is 497% higher compared to regular shoppers.[2]
How to follow up? A good place to start immediately after they buy from you. A simple “thanks for shopping with us” is a good start. And then, “What else can I help you with?”
2. Commit to customer service and success
Customer service is not just a secondary thing anymore, rather it’s one of the most important things according to consumers.
So important that poor customer service can become a reason for ended business relationships:
In a survey, 92% said they would stop purchasing from a company after three or fewer poor customer service experiences; 26% of those would stop after just one.[3] 67% of customers would proactively dissuade others from using a company that provided poor service.[4]
But things become totally favorable when you commit to providing great customer service:
A 2018 survey by Gladly reported that customer service was a key factor in continuing to do business with a company. 68% of those surveyed, in fact, would be willing to pay more if customer service is excellent.[5]
Furthermore, customers feel highly satisfied when they experience great customer service. As a result of its ongoing commitment to customer service and success, Workday has achieved a 97 percent customer satisfaction rating.[6]
And satisfied customers would most likely repurchase from you along with recommending your brand to their peers.
3. Engage with customers through multiple touchpoints
Whether it’s social media, phone, email, website, or live chat, you should be engaging with your customers through all these touchpoints.
Why? The time has long gone when customers mostly used to buy products in-store. Today, consumers use an average of almost “six touchpoints” when buying an item.
Some studies also revealed that:
- 67% of consumers now expect to use messaging apps when talking to a business.[7]
- 71% of customers desire a consistent experience across all channels.[8]
- 59 percent of customers consider it more important to get an individual answer to their questions than to get their problem solved as quickly as possible.[9]
- Highly-engaged customers spend 60% more per transaction.[10]
That is why it has become crucial to be omnipresent if you want to have a leg up on the competition.
Furthermore, this will also help you keep your existing customers engaged and connected with your brand.
4. Be a consultant, not a salesperson
Overt sales tactics do not work, moreover, they can make customers abandon purchasing from you at all.
According to research, the average rate of cart abandonment is over 88%.[11]
Instead of being a salesperson, try to build long-term customer relationships based on value and position yourself as the obvious choice.
Here’s how: Run surveys to understand what shoppers really want. Customers like learning about how others are using the same products they bought.
You can create helpful relevant content to enhance their customer journey. This is a proven way to increase customer satisfaction with their purchase.
5. On-time delivery
72% of customers rated on-time delivery as the number one reason to visit an online store again. Providing an accurate ETA and notifying them proactively in case of delay can have customers rooting for your store. Include delivery information on a pop-out box as soon as the customer has checked out.
Sometimes, they face significant post-purchase issues with the order delivery or using your software, so it is very important to:
a). have a smart knowledge base that is full of articles and information that they can search
b). offer assistance to them and access to this knowledge base in the marketing/transactional emails that are sent out to them
6. Automate order tracking
Enable on-page order tracking widgets for on-demand information from any time zone or continent.
Customers appreciate it if you can tell them exactly when their order would arrive. Generate automated email confirmations on check-out. If there’s going to be a delay, let them know right away.
7. Simplified returns policy
A major sticking point for up to 70% of shoppers is a complicated return policy. Companies that are most successful are the ones that focus on building a brand rather than counting pennies.
So, any goodwill that you offer to your customers is going to be paid back to your brand in reputation, word of mouth, and repeat purchases. A single purchase is a chance for you to prove to your customers why they should do business with you again. Don’t focus on the money.
Pro tip: Offer guaranteed refunds on returned items with no shipping fees. Customers will love you for it.
8. Take ownership if something goes wrong
Offer to replace an item a customer did not like. Narvar’s survey found that 44% of customers think that it is perfectly normal to have second thoughts on items after receiving them.
Also, if a package is damaged in transit, arrange for an expedited replacement to win extra brownie points with customers. It builds trust and makes the customer’s experience memorable.
9. Thanking the customer is not merely being polite
A thank you may seem like an automatic thing to say after a customer has purchased something from you. Narvar’s research suggests that 76% of customers appreciate the gesture.
Offer personalized recommendations on related products to buy on the checkout page as the big e-commerce giants do.
10. Offer free support to build an emotional connection
Make sure you create a setup to repair, fix or replace an item that a customer has received even if they face an issue past the warranty period.
Again, the target is not to make a sale, the target is to turn a mere customer into a lifelong fan! Offer very quick response times and specialized help whenever the customer needs assistance.
11. Give to a worthy cause
Generosity does not go unnoticed. When you promote worthy causes and ask your customers to pitch in, you engage their desire to contribute to the community.
It is a great way to start a conversation and influence opinion. 39% of all online shoppers prefer brands that support social causes and like to make a contribution, according to the survey.
12. Loyalty points
There is another dimension to generosity that customers deeply care about- loyalty points.
Getting rewarded for buying from your store and redeeming points for getting complimentary deals gives customers added incentive to buy from you again.
Tip: To maximize returns, tailor your loyalty program, according to specific age groups.
13. Track, track, and track
An analysis is very important! You need to be able to set up systems and processes to be able to track the most important source of issues for your customers and then see if your strategies to resolve them improve the CSAT and NPS.
Use Google Analytics to get to know your customers’ psyche: track on-site search queries, map buyer behavior with conversions achieved, and track how long it takes customers to buy from the time they land on your site.
Study heat maps of the most popular pages on your store and look for clues that might help you drive customer engagement and understand your customers’ needs.
Customers prefer to shop online because of the convenience it offers them. If you can amp up their shopping experience by visualizing how they’d want to be treated, you can turn them into loyal customers for life. You can deal with a specialized provider if you’re facing issues setting these up on your own.
Conclusion
So now you must have got to know where your business might be lacking behind and what you need to do to enhance your post-purchase customer experience. And it’s crucial to provide your customers with an excellent post-purchase experience indeed.
Lastly, we would say your prime motive should not be to make a sale, rather it should be to help your customers and gain their trust and loyalty with excellent customer service.
To keep your customers engaged and give them a seamless experience, choose an on-demand 24X7 customer support outsourcing agency like Helplama. Our team comprises native English-speaking representatives skilled in providing world-class live chat, email, and phone-based support to customers around the world.
Additionally, try Saufter for free! It’s a complete e-commerce solution for customer support, automated order issue tracking, self-service returns center, automated reviews & UGC collection, and much more.
Sources:
[1] [2] Adobe Digital Economy Index | Adobe Analytics
[3] [5] [8] [9] What Customers Want And Expect (forbes.com)
[4] Customer Service Expectations Are Rising – Is Your Business Keeping Up? (forbes.com)
[6] Workday Named a Leader in Gartner Magic Quadrant for Cloud (globenewswire.com)
[7] Consumers Prefer Businesses That Use Chat Apps (businessinsider.com)
[10] The Four Drivers of Customer Engagement (linkedin.com)
[11] Shopping cart abandonment rate by industry 2020 | Statista