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A good customer experience is no longer about where they discover your brand up until when they make a purchase. The post-purchase experience now matters as much!
Post purchase experience includes a number of customer moments that occur right after the purchase is made. This includes confirmation of their orders and keeping in touch with the customers till the order is delivered.
For the purpose of this blog, we are focusing on the experience right after a purchase is made which includes the post purchase page, thank you page and the order status page.
Here is our POV on what you can include in each of these pages to make the most out of the post purchase experience:
Page-wise post-purchase checkout customizations we recommend to improve customer experiences
While you can customize the post-purchase checkout experience any way you like, here’s what we recommend to those using our app, Checkout Wiz:
Thank you page
1. Improve your thank you page
A "thank you" page can do a lot more than what most eCommerce businesses use it for. It's not just for expressing your gratitude. You can also get repeat conversions from this page. How?
On this page, only the customers who've already made a purchase land – they trust you enough to spend their hard-earned money on you. This means it’ll be easier for you to get more sales from them compared to the random traffic you get on your product pages.
Moreover, customers tend to leave the eCommerce store after a purchase. But if your thank you page is interesting enough, it can help you reduce bounce rates. Keep your customers engaged, and they’ll explore more, increasing the chances of additional purchases.
Here are some tips to make your “thank you” page better:
- Personalize the message: Address the customer by name and make them feel valued.
- Suggest related products: Offer complementary items and products they might be interested in.
- Provide social sharing options: Encourage customers to spread the word about their purchase.
- Collect feedback: Use surveys or reviews to gather valuable insights.
- Offer exclusive discounts: Motivate them to return for their next shopping spree.
Remember, a thank you page is where the post-purchase experience begins. By strategically creating a thank you page, you can turn a one-time shopper into a loyal customer, making the most out of the first post-purchase touchpoint.
2. Offer post-purchase discount code
Impulse buying is common in e-commerce, but it often comes with buyer's remorse. Some customers may second-guess their purchase, leading to order cancellations.
However, offering a post-purchase discount code is an effective solution for this. It not only keeps the guilt away but also enhances the post-purchase checkout experience.
When customers receive a discount code after making a purchase, they are less likely to cancel their order. This keeps your sales intact and also fosters a stronger connection with your brand.
Here's how you can offer the discount code on the post-purchase checkout page:
The page should have a prominently displayed discount code on the thank you page right after a customer's purchase confirmation. Make it clear, compelling, and time-sensitive to encourage immediate use.
3. Share a gift card
Nothing says "thank you" quite like a gift. By sharing a gift card with your customers after their purchase, you enhance the post-purchase checkout experience.
Whether it's a monetary gift card or a credit to use on their next purchase, this gesture is a win-win for both you and your customers.
Customers appreciate the added value, and it incentivizes them to return to your store for more shopping. This not only increases sales but also builds customer goodwill.
You must make it easy for customers to redeem their gift cards during the checkout process, ensuring that they feel valued and rewarded for their loyalty.
You can use apps like GiftKart to easily offer gift cards to your customers and ensure that they can be redeemed easily.
Also Read: Best Shopify Apps for your Gift Cards
4. Source attribution
Source attribution refers to tracking and identifying the sources that brought customers to your online store. These can be sources like social media platforms, search engines, email marketing, or referral links.
By understanding where the customer is coming from, you can offer them a more personalized post-purchase checkout experience.
Source attribution data also provides insights into which channels and campaigns are most effective in driving conversions. By identifying these sources, you can tailor the post-purchase experience accordingly.
5. Demographics identification
Demographic identification is about gathering information about your customers' age, gender, location, and other key demographic details.
Demographics data helps you understand and tailor the post-purchase checkout experience for the unique characteristics of your customer base.
Knowing your customers' demographics allows you to personalize your communication and offers.
Let’s say you have a diverse customer base of customers from all across the globe. You can then offer multilingual post-purchase content or location-specific recommendations.
Understanding demographics also helps you create more relevant and engaging follow-up emails or thank you pages.
6. Provide contact information and FAQs
Another checkout customization we recommend on the thank you page is to include details like your customer helpline and FAQs on shipping. This assures the customer acquired that they can reach out to your brand easily should there be a need for the same.
Addressing post-purchase anxiety is known to help improve customer experiences with the brand.
7. Survey requests
You need to get insights from your customers' experiences and sentiments to refine your post-purchase checkout experience.
After a customer has successfully completed their purchase, consider inviting them to participate in a survey, where you can measure their satisfaction and gather Net Promoter Score (NPS) data.
By proactively seeking how they’re feeling about the purchase or what you can do better, you demonstrate your commitment to improving your service.
You can use NPS surveys to measure customer loyalty and identify areas for enhancement. You should keep the survey concise and relevant, focusing on their specific purchase journey. Once you get the responses, be responsive to show the customers that you actually care.
8. Ask them to subscribe
Post-purchase checkout experience doesn’t end after the order is delivered. It’s an ongoing process. Ensure that you are engaging with your customers consistently to build lasting relationships.
Encourage your customers to subscribe to receive exclusive updates, offers, and promotions via their preferred communication channels, whether it's email, SMS, WhatsApp, or more
Here are some best practices you need to follow for getting their subscription:
- Transparent opt-in: Always ask for explicit consent before sending any marketing communications.
- Preference options: Provide customers with the flexibility to choose their preferred communication channel. Some might prefer email, while others opt for SMS or messaging apps like WhatsApp.
- Frequency control: Allow subscribers to manage the frequency of updates. Respect their choice to receive daily, weekly, or monthly communications to avoid overwhelming them.
- Valuable content: Deliver content that adds value. Exclusive offers, early access to sales, and informative updates are more likely to retain subscribers.
- Anti-spam measures: Clearly state your commitment to anti-spam policies. Assure customers that their information will be kept secure and won't be shared with third parties.
By implementing these best practices, you not only invite customers to stay connected with your brand but also establish trust and respect in your post-purchase checkout experience.
Post-purchase page
1. Post-purchase product recommendations
Enhancing the post-purchase checkout experience doesn't stop at a thank you page. One effective strategy to make customers' shopping journeys better and simultaneously boost sales is by offering personalized product recommendations.
When it comes to post-purchase product recommendations, it’s essential that you only recommend products that align with your customer's preferences and buying behavior. Suggesting irrelevant items will only annoy your customers.
There are many ways to incorporate personalized product recommendations into the post-purchase experience:
- Post-purchase email campaign: Send a follow-up email after a customer's purchase, featuring product suggestions based on their recent transaction. This not only shows that you understand their needs but also encourages them to return for more.
- On-site upselling and cross-selling: Right after checkout, upsell and cross-sell by showing related or complementary products. This approach can significantly increase your average order value.
No one implements the product recommendation strategy better than Amazon to optimize the post-purchase checkout experience. Amazon suggests products based on individual customer profiles which take into account purchase history, demographics, recently viewed products, and more factors.
2. Loyalty sign-ups
The whole point of offering a good post-purchase checkout customization is to boost customer loyalty.
One effective strategy to boost loyalty is by encouraging customers to sign up for loyalty programs. After they've made a purchase, invite them to join your loyalty program to access exclusive benefits and rewards.
By offering irresistible incentives, such as discounts, early access to sales, or loyalty points for future purchases, you not only ensure a positive post-purchase experience but also keep customers coming back for more.
Loyalty sign-ups build a sense of community and make your customers feel valued and appreciated, which ultimately strengthens their bond with your brand.
3. Get social media engagement
As your customers eagerly wait for the product, you can strategically reach out and encourage them to engage with your content on social channels.
Display your trending or the most recent posts on your post-purchase page, encouraging them to visit your profile and interact with it. This is also a great way to establish another channel of communication with the customer to remain on top of their minds.
4. Run engaging quizzes
Another post-purchase checkout customization we recommend our customers is to set up interactive quizzes.
Quizzes are a gamification strategy that proven to help businesses boost their customer engagement rate. But at the same time, they are also a goldmine for businesses to get to know their customers better.
You can set up a quiz on the post-purchase page that is targeted at understanding personal preferences and expectations from the brand. By offering a cashback on participation, brands can get insights that can be useful towards improving existing products or launching new collections.
5. Give cross-sell offers
Cross-selling involves offering customers complementary or related products to what they've already purchased.
75% of companies have revealed that approximately 30% of their total revenue is generated through cross-selling—which is a lot to be ignored.
So when a customer buys a mobile phone from your eCommerce store, you can suggest a related product bundle, which has a mobile case, earphone, and screen protector. And when customers see that these items are on discount, they are more likely to buy them.
You can reach out to them by saying:
"Hey John, thank you for choosing MobileShop for your mobile phone purchase! To make your experience better, we have an accessories bundle for you:
- Screen protector
- Mobile Case
- Earphone
Order now to get a 15% discount on these items. Hope you have a seamless mobile experience."
Note: You can also implement this checkout customization on the order status page with a relatively lesser discount to create FOMO around getting a good deal.
Recommended Read: Everything about upgrading from checkout liquid to checkout extensibility
Order status page
1. Tracking and delivery experience
The post-purchase journey goes beyond the checkout, and one critical aspect of this journey is the tracking and delivery experience.
To ensure customer satisfaction and reduce anxiety, it's essential to provide timely updates at every stage of the order process.
Customers should be informed when their order is being processed, shipped, in transit, out for delivery, and when it's successfully delivered. These notifications provide a sense of assurance and help customers plan for the receipt of their products.
Post-delivery, it's equally important to notify customers about your exchange and return policies. Clearly mention when products can be returned, especially in cases of damage or defects. Additionally, specify when items can only be exchanged, such as when there's a size or variant discrepancy.
2. Request product reviews
If it is a repeat customer, you can also use the order status page to request product reviews on previously purchased items. This helps you gather more social proof to display to new visitors, helping you boost conversion rates.
Additionally, you can also offer cashback on the type of product reviews submitted - for example, those with pictures and short videos.
3. Donation requests
Several surveys have found that consumers support brands that are associated with good causes. That’s why we think post-purchase is the perfect time to show you support a cause or are actively participating in helping it.
This can be done by adding donation requests on the thank you page. You can ask customers to submit a donation after they’ve completed checkout. Ensure you also add a supportive message that explains how those donations are going to be used.
Note: This checkout customization can also be used on the post purchase page.
Offer a better post-purchase checkout experience with Skai Lama
The post-purchase checkout experience is a goldmine where you put your efforts on customers with high chances of conversion.
By customizing and optimizing each touchpoint, you can turn one-time shoppers into loyal customers.
We understand how important the post-purchase journey is. That's why we are consistently building apps that help you tap into the full potential of the post-purchase experience.
To leverage all the post purchase customizations offered by Shopify, you will need to migrate your Shopify checkout from Checkout.liquid to Checkout extensions. You can get started with this short video with everything you need to know about Checkout migration:
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