Customer relationships do not start building when you contact them for the first time. They begin when a customer makes a purchase decision. And your hard work begins after that to keep them engaged and ensure they return to purchase.
Post-purchase emails are an excellent way to do that without burning a hole in your pocket when done in a certain way.
We’ve discussed the advantages, five practical tips, and types (with examples) of post-purchase messages that can help you build lasting customer relationships. Ditch the on-and-off communication and follow this guide for maximum customer engagement.
Table of Contents
What are Post-Purchase Emails?
Post-purchase emails are a series of transactional emails sent to a recently purchased buyer. These emails are sent promptly and are essential to an efficient marketing tactic.
A post-purchase email flow is created when these emails are sent on time with appropriate marketing content. Post-purchase emails include order confirmations, promo codes, tracking IDs, delivery updates, etc.
These emails highly encourage repeat business and improve customer relationships.
Why are they important?
Nothing keeps a customer more hooked than a new product on its way to them. That is what makes post-purchase communication so efficient. Here’s why they are essential:
They encourage sales
After purchasing, promotional emails are often used to suggest related/ complementary products to customers who have purchased from you.
This presents you with an opportunity to increase the average order value. Including reordering options and promoting new products boosts sales by encouraging customers to make additional purchases.
They reassure customers
Confirming the successful completion of a customer’s transaction and providing essential details like order details and shipping info reassures customers.
This improves customer satisfaction by relieving their worries and improving their experience with you, leading to higher satisfaction. Keeping in touch with customers after a purchase also helps retain them.
By sending relevant and personalized emails, you remind customers of the brand and its offerings, which increases the likelihood of future purchases.
They build brand loyalty
You can easily build brand loyalty by expressing gratitude and providing excellent customer service assistance (as and when needed) via emails after customers make a purchase.
Loyal customers are more likely to purchase again and recommend your brand to others.
You can also provide customer support and return/refund information in these emails to ensure customers can easily access assistance if they encounter purchase issues. This prevents frustration and builds trust.
To further strengthen brand loyalty, introduce referral programs encouraging customers to refer to friends or share their purchases on social media. This helps with new customer onboarding through word-of-mouth marketing.
They are an excellent way to get reviews/ feedbacks
Requesting product reviews and feedback through follow-up emails is a cost-effective way to collect customer testimonials. This helps improve your business’s credibility and influence other customers’ buying decisions.
You can include surveys and questions about the shopping experience and products to collect valuable data about customer experience to improve your products and services.
They engage customers
Customer engagement is easier than it sounds. A simple thank-you message, order confirmation, order updates, and related information/ products help engage customers and make them remember your brand when they consider purchasing again.
It all depends on how well you frame your emails. It also signifies that your business is organized and has a well-defined process for handling orders.
Sale updates, promotional coupons, and exclusive deals are all excellent ways to build curiosity and keep them engaged.
But how can you craft a post-purchase email? Let’s discuss:
How to Write a Good Post-Purchase Email?
Here are five essential tips to write an effective post-purchase email:
Relevance and Value
Your email must provide value to a customer and understand the timing and relevance of an email before sending it so it doesn’t feel like spam.
When a customer makes a purchase, sending emails about new launches immediately after does not make sense. That is a time when they require order details and confirmation.
Once you finish relevant order updates, you can send promotional or new launch emails.
Observe Customer Behavior
Time is gone to guess your customer’s spending habits and buying behaviors. You must utilize data smartly to drive future campaigns. Post-purchase messages can be framed based on customer behavior, like spending, browsing, last-purchase, etc.
You can also use a combination of this data to understand where they spend most of their time on your website and what their repeat purchases are. It will take monitoring and a deeper understanding of their behavior, but it will be worth it.
Say, for example, you want to offer repeat customers loyalty programs, but what are the criteria? You can set criteria like customers who have spent more than $2000 can join while you can offer first purchase coupons to new ones.
Segmentation is Important
Segment your recipient based on first-time purchases, repeat, and onboarding customers to communicate with them efficiently. This way, it’ll be easier for you to communicate with them based on a buyer’s journey so they do not feel overwhelmed.
Segmentation helps personalize your messages to specific groups of customers. For example, you would send a new launch update to an existing customer and relevant product updates to an onboarding customer.
Sending generic messages to all will do more damage than good if you seek to nurture long-term relationships.
Frequency
How often you send your emails matters. Why? Even without including spam, an average person receives about 100-120 emails daily, which is a lot.
If you email them daily, they will not notice them, which can lead to email fatigue. So, knowing how often to send an email is as important as the context of it.
People do admire online personal space. Post-purchase communication is already a longer process than one would imagine, which includes multiple steps (discussed later). Before you know it, you’ve sent 7-10 emails to an individual.
Sending promotional emails at this stage increases the chances of them unsubscribing from your mailing list and, even worse, reporting your emails as spam.
You can avoid this by thoroughly monitoring your click-through and engagement rates to identify any unexpected actions and improve your strategies as required.
Run A/B Test
To deliver exactly what resonates with your audiences, you must run continuous tests and optimize accordingly. Customer behavior changes over time, and to keep them engaged, you must keep optimizing your campaigns.
Experiment with different subject lines, follow-ups, and sign-offs to understand which works best and use them for future campaigns. If and when you notice changes in customer behavior, monitor their actions and improve your strategies accordingly.
For example, you sent two promotional emails to a smaller audience with different subject lines to test which one has a better open rate.
Subject line 1: “2 surprises inside- Click to know more!”
Subject line 2: “The CHASE comes to an end. Special offer inside!”
Now, you must track both open rates to analyze which performs better and send the better one to your target audience. This helps you gain real-life experience with your content, which is invaluable.
Let us now discuss the post-purchase process of a product, with examples for each type.
The 7 Types of Post-Purchase Emails (With Sample Emails)
Post-purchase emails must be attention-grabbing but not too clever or witty. Irrespective of the industry or service, there is a fixed post-purchase process from the time of purchase to the time of delivery.
The process is discussed below with examples; feel free to copy them and customize them as required:
Order Confirmation
This is the initial email you send immediately after a customer completes their purchase. It serves as a receipt and confirmation that the order has been successfully placed and includes typical details like the order number, purchased items, quantities, prices, and the total amount.
| Subject: Order Confirmed Hi [customer’s name], Thank you for your order. Here are the details of the purchase order for your reference: Order Number: [Number] Order Date: [Date] Delivery Date: [Expected Delivery Date] Billing Address: [Address] Delivery Address: [Address] Items/Services Ordered:
Payment Details: [Payment Details] If you have any questions or discrepancies, please do not hesitate to contact us at [Your Contact Email] or [Your Contact Phone Number] as soon as possible. We will update you on [Email ID] [Phone Number]. Best Regards, Team [Company Name] [Contact Email] [Contact Phone Number] |
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Shipping
The shipping email provides information about the order’s progress as it leaves the warehouse and is coming to the customer. It contains information like estimated delivery dates, order details, invoices, and a tracking link for the shipment.
| Subject: Your Order [Order ID] Has Been Shipped Dear [Customer’s Name], We are pleased to inform you that your order [Order Number] has been successfully shipped and is now on its way to you. Thank you for choosing [Company Name] for your [product/service] needs. You can track your shipment by visiting the [Shipping Carrier’s Website] and entering your tracking ID. Shipping details: Order Number: [Number] Order Date: [Date] Arriving By: [Estimated Delivery Date] Shipping Carrier: [Carrier Name] Tracking ID: [ID] Delivery Address: [Address] Items Shipped & Remaining (if any):
Please contact [Brand name] at [Brand website] for any queries or help with your order. Best regards, Team [Company Name] [Customer Service Email] [Customer Service Phone Number] |
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Tracking/ Updates
Even when you’ve sent a tracking link to your customers, it is generous to keep sharing order updates/ delays as and when needed. Post-purchase messages with tracking updates are always welcome and opened with curiosity.
| Subject: Delivery Update for Order [Order ID] Dear [Customer’s Name], We hope this message finds you well. Here is an update on the status of your recent purchase and its expected delivery. Order Number: [Order Number] Order Date: [Order Date] Shipping Address: [Shipping Address] Arriving By: [Estimated Delivery Date] Order Summary:
We are pleased to inform you that your order is currently in transit and is on schedule for delivery. Our shipping partner, [Shipping Company Name], is handling the delivery, and you can track your package using the following tracking number: [Tracking Number]. To track your order’s progress, please visit [Tracking Link], where you will find real-time updates on the location and estimated delivery time. If you encounter any issues with tracking your order or have specific delivery instructions, please get in touch with our customer service team at [Customer Service Email] or [Customer Service Phone Number]. If you have any questions or require further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us. Thank you for choosing [Your Company Name] for your purchase. Best Regards, Team [Company Name] [Customer Service Email] [Customer Service Phone Number] |
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Delivery Confirmation
A delivery confirmation email confirms that the order has been successfully delivered to the customer’s specified address. It must be sent immediately after the delivery and include the delivery date, order details, and the recipient’s name.
| Subject: Delivery Confirmation for Order [Order ID] Dear [Customer’s Name], Your [Company name] order has been delivered! Thank you for shopping with [Brand’s name]. Rate your delivery experience with us. Items Delivered:
Order ID: [ID] Delivery Date: [Date] Billing Address: [Address] Delivery Address: [Address] Please contact [Brand name] at [Brand website] for any queries or help related to your order. Best Regards, Team [Company Name] [Customer Service Email] [Customer Service Phone Number] |
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Returns (If applicable)
If any customer wants to return any product, and you allow so, return updates must be regularly sent to the customer, including pickup, address, and refund details.
| Subject: Return Update – Return of [Item] [Return Request Number] Dear [Customer’s Name], Here is an update on your recent purchase return request for [Item] [Return Number]. Return Details: Return Request Number: [Number] Return Request Date: [Date] Item/Order Number: [Number] Return Method: [Method] We have carefully reviewed your return request and are pleased to inform you that your return has been approved. Here are the details for your reference: Item Details: Item Description: [Description] Purchase Price: [Amount] Total Refund Amount: [Amount] Return Process: [Mention the entire process and instructions] Once we receive the item and inspect its condition, we will process your refund promptly. You can expect to receive your refund in the original form of payment within [expected timeframe for the refund processing]. Please contact [Brand name] at [Brand website] for any queries or help with your order. Best Regards, Team [Company Name] [Customer Service Email] [Customer Service Phone Number] |
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Feedbacks
Feedback emails are an excellent way to connect with customers and are integral to post-purchase messaging. They often consist of links to surveys, product reviews, and incentives in the form of coupons/ offers.
Feedback can help improve your brand value and identify areas for improvement, so it’s vital to collect them.
| Subject: Your Feedback is Important For Us! Dear [Customer’s Name], Thank you for choosing [Company Name]. We hope you have been enjoying the products you recently purchased from us. Your satisfaction is of utmost importance to us, and we would greatly appreciate your feedback to help us continuously improve our offerings. Your opinion matters, and we kindly invite you to share your thoughts and insights by taking a few minutes to complete our feedback survey. Your input will help us understand what we’re doing right and where we can make enhancements to serve you and our other valued customers better. Click this link to Take the Survey: [Link] We look forward to hearing from you and continuing to serve you. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our customer support team at [Customer Support Email] or [Customer Support Phone Number]. Best Regards, Team [Company Name] |
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Promotions
Promotional content related to the purchase is also essential to post-purchase emails. You can follow up with:
- Restocking emails
- Recommendations
- Loyalty Programmes
- Sale
- Birthday and Milestone sale
| Subject: Thank You For Your Recent Purchase! Dear [Customer’s Name], At [Company Name], we truly value your support and would like to express our sincere gratitude for choosing us for your recent purchase. Your satisfaction is our top priority, and we’re always looking for ways to enhance your shopping experience. As a token of our appreciation, we’re excited to offer you an exclusive promo code! Promo Code: THANKYOU15 Discount: 15% off your next purchase Valid Until: [Expiry Date] Redeemable Online: [Link] This is your chance to shop again and enjoy a fantastic discount on a wide range of products/services we offer. Whether you’re looking to restock your favorite items or explore something new, our store has something for everyone. How to Redeem Your Discount:
If you have any questions or need assistance with your shopping experience, our friendly customer support team is here to help. Feel free to contact us at [Customer Support Email] or [Customer Support Phone Number]. We look forward to serving you again in the future and continuing to exceed your expectations. Happy shopping, and enjoy your savings! Warm regards, Team [Company Name], [Website Link] |
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These post-purchase emails can help increase your customer engagement and drive more sales. However, post-purchase messaging comes a little later in the sales cycle.
Building a solid pipeline of potential customers through effective lead generation is a crucial first step in creating lasting customer relationships and maximizing your sales and growth.
Swordfish AI is an effective contact finder and prospecting platform that provides up-to-date and accurate contact and additional information about your leads to help you get started with outbound marketing. Let’s see how it works:
Swordfish AI: The Best Platform For Accurate Email Addresses
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Swordfish works with top data providers like Hoovers, Dun & Bradstreet, and Experian. Swordfish’s advanced sourcing filters, like industry tags, departments, and locations, refine your searches even more and make prospecting easier.
Swordfish Features
Here’s how Swordfish works to provide you with the most accurate contact information:
Chrome Extension
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Prospector
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File Upload
You can upload a CSV of your contact data to fill in the missing details of your prospects with the file upload feature. Export it anywhere in the same format. It allows you to fill in the blanks of your CRM or ATS.
Reverse Search
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API
Swordfish allows you to sync premium cell phone data and business emails to your custom application with its API.
Outbound marketing helps you connect with leads and nurture them using the right strategies so they can engage with your business and, eventually, make a purchase.
Swordfish has recently partnered with Bombora, the largest aggregator of B2B intent data, to provide you with company data ready to purchase your services and then unlock accurate contact data, including exclusive cell phone information with Swordfish.
Conclusion
Post-purchase emails are followed by promotional emails that utilize different tactics to engage customers.
The period between when a customer purchases and the product is delivered is crucial, and effective communication is of utmost importance at this point. You must follow the tips discussed in this blog to create your post-purchase message for maximum engagement.
We have also discussed different emails in the post-purchase flow, with examples you can utilize for your business. To encourage customers to your brand, you must first introduce them to it and the value you can provide them.
Swordfish AI helps with this by providing you with a vast database of accurate individual and company contact information so you can target your leads effectively. It also provides intent data so you can identify companies who are ready to buy with you today.
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