If you do not have a Post Purchase flow setup and ready to go, you are creating long term damage to your business because you are ignoring the most critical aspect of your business... your customers!
The Post Purchase Flow is one of the most important flows because it takes care of your customers and gives special thanks to them. It reduces refunds by talking about the product, how to use it, its positive reviews, and testimonials. It creates a bond between your business and the customer by teaching them about your company values. It gets more sales by incentivizing cross-sells. It creates user-generated content (one of the most valuable resources you need) via pictures, video testimonials, reviews, and ambassadors.
By focusing on your customer after they purchase, you significantly help in creating a lifetime customer. And as a business owner, you know how important that is and how much cheaper it is compared to a new customer.
This does not cover the transactional emails which are sent automatically containing order and shipping information. This is for all the emails that surround transactional emails.
So let's jump into it!
What is a Post Purchase Flow?
A Post Purchase Flow is the email sequence you send out right after a customer purchases a product.
How do I segment the Post Purchase Flow?
There are two core ways.
First, segment your first time customer from your repeat purchasers. For first time customers, your copy will focus more on bringing them into the world of your company, teaching them about your brand and products, and appreciating them for choosing you. For your repeat customers, you talk about how much you value them, give them things that are special as a reward, and focus on selling less popular products to them if they already bought your core offerings. With repeat customers, you can also ask for referrals and push harder for UGC (user-generated content) since you know they already like your brand.
Secondly, you can segment by specific product they purchased. Focus first on your most profitable or highest margin products. You can create content that talks specifically about the product they bought and help them use it. (FAQs about product, unboxing, setup, how to use the product effectively, what others thought about the product, how it helped others, etc)
Post Purchase Flow for First Time Purchasers
We will separate the post purchase flow for first time purchasers into 4 categories. First, the Pre Arrival Sequence is sent when the product is in the mail and the customer has not yet received the product. Then the Cross Sell Sequence starts which offers up sells, cross sells, discounts, and expirations. Third is the Engagement Sequence, where you focus on helping them with questions, asking them questions, offering relevant blog content, and teaching them about your philosophy. Finally, there is the UGC Sequence that focuses on gathering resources of your customers supporting your products.
Pre Arrival Sequence
In the Pre Arrival Sequence, we aim to build excitement for receiving the product, reduce buyer's remorse, reduce the number of refunds, and build trust and likability towards your brand.
I've listed the general order of emails you will send out below. They are an important category of email, or the goal of the email, that you can brainstorm from to design an email that best fits your company.
Thank you Email
Show your appreciation for your customer by thanking them for their purchase and welcoming them into your family. For more connection, this can even be a note from the company's founder. Or, if you have a philanthropic aspect of your business, remind them that their purchase made a difference and a portion of your profit was donated. Tell them what a difference they made and make them feel positive about their purchase.
Send the first thank you email immediately after purchase. You can include the order and shipping information in this email as well. Encourage them to get further involved in your world by inviting them to your social channels.
Content / Social / Product Tips
In this email, you can send content that is relevant to the product they bought, or give tips on how to effectively use the product they bought.
Educate them on your brand, introduce your brand philosophy and company identity, and include your social channels.
Company Identity
In this last email of the Pre Arrival Series, make them feel bonded to your company by saying "we believe what you believe". Understand the demographic of your audience and show them that you think the same things and support the same things. Tell them about who you are as a company. Establish authority in your space. Show you have common ground with your customer and tell a story.
Cross Sell Sequence
The purpose of the cross sell sequence is to make additional sales by offering other products they haven't purchased or are the second most popular.
You typically don't want to sell your most popular product since that is most likely what they purchased in the first place. As I mentioned above, you can segment these emails based on what specific item they bought so that your cross sells are the most effective.
Some email platforms can use dynamic automation which automatically offers the appropriate cross sell depending on their first purchase.
This part of the sequence increases the lifetime value of a customer and creates more repeat purchases.
Discounts
Offer a discount on the item you are cross selling as a reward for being a customer.
Presell Articles
Send an article that talks about the problem that your cross sell item solves. This prepares the customer to buy the cross sell item. It hammers in why the customer needs this product.
Expiration
Always include an expiration email for every discount email you send out. A large chunk of your purchases will occur in the last moment of the deadline. Tell them they only have one more day to purchase the cross sell until the discount is over.
Engagement Sequence
The goal of the engagement sequence is of course to build engagement, likability, and trust between you and your subscriber.
Blogs
Continue to educate them on your brand and talk about your brand philosophy. Have them engage with your content on your website (the CTA of your email). You can also casually (not pushy) promote other products at the bottom of your email.
Product Tips
Now that you know your customer has received the product, teach them how to get the most out of it. Tell them tips and tricks, show them what other people are doing with the product. Offer support by suggesting they call or email you for questions about the product. Promote social channels so they can get further involved in your community. Your purpose here is to make them as happy as possible with your product and have them get the most value out of it.
This all will increase customer satisfaction, reduce refunds, and increase reviews for your product.
Brand Philosophy
Once again, communicate another aspect of your brand philosophy. Make them like your company.
Ask Questions
Send an email that asks them a question - expect them to reply to the email. This has many benefits. It increases your email reputation which increases your email deliverability because email clients like to see back and forth communication. It creates a bond between you and your customers. Finally, it can give you content ideas for blog posts depending on what question you ask your customer.
Remind them that you see them as real people. Not only transactions. Remind them that your company is filled with real people that they can talk to. You're not just another stuffy company that they have no bond to.
User-Generated Content
User-generated content is one of the most valuable sources you can have in your business because it is one of the biggest trust builders that helps a company make more sales. You need to have a user content generator that automatically provides you with this content. Examples of valuable content are people in photos with your product, people giving your video endorsements, text testimonials, and reviews.
Giveaways
Have monthly or ongoing giveaways that offer products or discounts in exchange for user-generated content. You can reward your best customers by offering them entry to exclusive high-value giveaways in exchange for video reviews.
Always give clear instructions for how someone can participate in the giveaway. Make it as simple as possible.
Customer Surveys
Request that your customers fill out a survey and phrase it as if they are doing you a favor that you need help with. Make the survey is as easy to complete as possible or at the very least appears extremely easy. Offer a reward for completing the survey or stress the importance or impact the survey has when completed.
Incentivized Video Reviews
In exchange for store credit, discounts, or gift cards, ask your customers to create a short video of themselves and your product and talk about the product. Tell them you will use this for your website. Include an expiration date for the offer or you will not get many responses! People need deadlines or they will not prioritize it.
Give them specific instructions on what to talk about in the video, how long to make it, how to give it to you, and how they will receive their reward.
Referral Programs
Offer your customers a reward (gift card, discount, etc) for referring a friend to your business. The referral must be a new customer and they must of course make a purchase.
Repeat Purchasers
Repeat purchasers should be treated differently than first time buyers. They show loyalty and they tell you that they like you, your brand, and your products. For this, they deserve acknowledgment and an even bigger thanks!
You know that they are already more familiar with your brand so you do not need to talk about it as much as the first time buyer sequence. This group of people has already received all those emails.
Instead, you can educate them about the other things you have to offer that aren't part of your core or most common product.
Thank you
Have the first email be dedicated to them and thanking them. Acknowledge what a great customer they are and appreciate them.
Content
Use a content email to talk about something your repeat purchaser finds interesting and values.
Presell Tips
Send multiple content emails that talk about a problem your buyer has that another one of your products can fix. The content should help them solve their problem, but even more importantly, convince them that your product will solve their problem.
Do not offer a discount in the presell emails you send out.
Referral Program
Since repeat buyers have proven that they like your brand, ask them to send you a referral in exchange for a gift card.
Timer for Refill / Consumable
If you have a product that requires refills, start an automatic timer in your email series that will ask them if they want a refill after the average amount of time between refills has passed.
These principles should give you a thorough outline for how to implement a killer Post Purchase flow to your business! Hope that was helpful, and of course, let me know if you need me to expand on anything.
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source https://www.reddit.com/r/Emailmarketing/comments/i7casq/the_perfect_post_purchase_email_flow_reduce/
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