A post-purchase email is any email a company sends to customers after they have purchased a product or service.
These emails typically contain basic information about the product purchased, but may also include promotional or educational material to retain the customer or encourage them to make their next purchase.
For example, post-purchase emails include order confirmation emails or delivery completion emails.
But you can also send a thank you email or a request for a review.
The timing and content of post-purchase emails vary depending on when exactly the customer purchased the item. Order confirmation emails job function email database are best sent immediately, while waiting until the item has been delivered and the customer has had time to use it before sending an email requesting a review.
“Post-purchase emails and text messages are a great opportunity to get the ball rolling on engaging customers in subsequent purchases,” says LimeSpot CEO Sharon Goldstein.
And Magnet Monster CEO Adam Kitchen advises: “Focus on improving the customer experience rather than driving additional sales. Most brands see their biggest drop-off after the first purchase, simply because they bombard users with emails so frequently that they unsubscribe before the company has a chance to deliver any value. Put yourself in the customer’s shoes and think about what your emails should look like.”
3 Reasons Why You Should Send Post-Purchase Emails
Kevin Marvinak, vice president of partnerships at ShipBob, admits that implementing post-purchase emails hasn’t always been easy — but it’s always been worth it.
Here are 3 key reasons why post-purchase is this the customer’s first purchase from you or is he a regular customer? email sequences are so important:
1. Customers want them
Post-purchase email chains used to be reserved for brands savvy in email marketing. They required resources, data, and a connection of systems that didn’t work well together.
Now, companies like Shopify, Klaviyo, and BigCommerce have made it easy to create email campaigns that would have been too complex for the average marketer to manage 10-15 years ago.
According to Marvinak, all this has led to customers being much more interested in post-purchase emails – and rightfully so. It would be a big oversight not to follow up with a follow-up email for the full five days until the customer receives their package.
“Where is my order?” is the question most often asked by customers. In such situations, post-purchase emails can be a great help in building trust in the brand.
2. They create Amazon Prime-level trust
For most people, companies like Amazon are the gold standard for on-time delivery. However, small and medium-sized businesses don’t have that level of trust — at least not right away.
This is where post-purchase emails come in. They are a valuable way to communicate with customers not only when things are going well, but also when something is wrong. For example, if a snowstorm hits the city where your warehouse is located, you can let your customers know about it to warn them of possible delays and put their minds at ease.
3. They increase the customer’s lifespan
Post-purchase emails primarily provide your b2b phone list customers with important information about their orders. But email chains can be used for other purposes, too: for example, to tell more about your brand and products, or to highlight why buying from you was the right decision.
Lindsay Arellano, director of email and SMS at Curio, says not sending post-purchase emails is a missed opportunity. “Many brands focus solely on the pre-purchase experience and fail to recognize the importance of the post-purchase experience to drive customer loyalty and engagement.”
When done correctly, post-purchase emails can help you:
- bring people back to the site again,
- lay the foundation for repeat orders,
- make sure the customer is happy with the order,
- collect user feedback,
- ensure good customer service.
How Post-Purchase Emails Work
Post-purchase emails are some of the most valuable emails you can send. According to Klaviyo , post-purchase emails have nearly 17% higher open rates than regular emails.
For example, based on data from the last quarter of 2022, revenue per recipient from post-purchase emails was highest in the automotive, sporting goods and equipment, and home goods industries. Post-purchase emails in any of these categories can lead to cross-selling or upselling, given that these industries typically offer accessories and other related products.
