Post-Purchase Strategy is as Important as the Purchase Itself

Providing great shopping experiences that compel customers to make purchases is the goal of every brand. However, there are other aspects to the purchase experience for growth-minded retailers that are  as crucial to the bottom line as the purchases themselves.  

Customer loyalty doesn’t only come from providing great products or exceptional service, it comes from how a customer feels after they’ve made their purchase. 

Customer experience is key to why post-purchase is perhaps the most overlooked aspect of customer retention in ecommerce. Not only does it provide a great platform to give customers an experience that values their time and money, it also opens up opportunities for touchpoints that have a nearly unparalleled click and engagement rate. 

This article will discuss multiple aspects of the post-purchase experience that contribute to giving customers great value for their money and how investing in a post-purchase experience will be a high ROI investment for brands that creates consistent customer retention. 

DELIVERY EXPERIENCE MATTERS

After a product is purchased comes the part of the experience the consumer is most interested in: receiving their purchase! Narvar, an industry leader in post-purchase experience, reports that 60% of consumers are more likely to choose a merchant who can tell them exactly when their product will be delivered. 

Customers want reassurance and to have confidence that the information given to them by retailers is correct. That trust is one reason post-purchase is paramount: giving consumers reliable information  creates long-standing relationships. 

This helps merchants as well because emails and correspondences that have delivery information in them are opened and clicked through at an exponentially higher rate than other forms of outreach. 

Sending a customer an update on their delivery date is a great time to include cross-promotional materials and upselling opportunities in that outreach because customers always want to know when they’ll receive their purchase.  

Narvar has robust solutions for the delivery component of post-purchase that include comprehensive time-in-transit data and configurable fulfillment rules. 

CONSUMERS WANT TO KEEP UP WITH THEIR PURCHASE WHILE IT TRAVELS

As important as the delivery experience is to post-purchase satisfaction, product tracking is equally important. Tracking is an underutilized aspect of the post-purchase experience. It allows brands to build unique and creative experiences for customers that are specific to their brand, from location-based design to shipment status, the tracking page of a website can be just as considered as any other page in a solution. 

Similar to the high clickthrough and engagement rate of delivery notifications, updates on tracking offer merchants a high-contact touchpoint. By reaching out through text or email with tracking updates, merchants receive an opportunity to communicate other info to consumers, such as promotions or other marketing assets. 

The tracking stage is also a crucial moment to build trust between merchant and consumer. By providing correct and timely information, merchants build a relationship with their customers. Customers who have a good experience are more likely to make purchases with a brand again. 

EASY RETURNS RETAIN CUSTOMERS

Not every purchase works out. The most successful brands make returning a purchase and making another purchase, as convenient as possible. 

Some important steps to make returns easy are to reduce the labels and boxes necessary to make a return, and instead provide shipping labels and easy to open and reseal, allow customers to make returns from their home or at convenient drop-off locations, and provide refunds promptly. 

These three variables are crucial in retaining customers because brands that accomplish them make their products a lower commitment; they entice customers to try things they wouldn’t normally try which boosts revenue and creates retention. 

Narvar are industry leaders in return standards, and any merchant looking to create higher customer retention, grow conversion rates, and see a higher revenue would be well served by using Narvar products for their post-purchase needs. 

Corra has been a long-time partner and supporter of Narvar. We have a multitude of experiences implementing Narvar for various projects and integration use cases, and all of them have seen positive results by investing in their post-purchase experiences. 

Contact us today to learn about how integrating Narvar for your commerce solution is the right next step.