How to Protect Shopper Loyalty

The make-or-break moment in ecommerce isn’t when the customer clicks “buy”—it’s everything that happens after.

How you follow up with consumers after they’ve decided to give you their hard-earned money is what determines whether or not they’ll be a one-and-done buyer.

Confirmation emails
Shipping preferences
Tracking updates
Return options

These are just some of the considerations you need to weigh when evaluating your brand’s post-purchase experience.

‍But with so much else to do, is it really worth my time as a retailer to pay attention to post-purchase?

In a word?—Absolutely.

Here are five things you need to know about the power of post-purchase.

Consumer open rates for package-tracking emails are 70%

Why should you care?

A 70% open rate means your package-tracking emails are your best marketing emails.

Product suggestions, seasonal promotions, additional discounts and incentives—if you want potential buyers to see your messaging, package-tracking emails are your most valuable digital real estate.

Branded order-tracking pages can grow conversions by +31%

Why should you care?

Branded tracking pages more than allow shoppers to check-in on their orders.

They also allow brands to invite shoppers back to their website to browse and purchase additional products.

In online retail, getting shoppers back to your digital storefront is critical to driving repeat sales volume. When consumers access a retailer website via a branded tracking page, they are more likely to make an additional purchase than if they arrive through another channel.

Time-on-site increases by as much as +37% when branded tracking pages are used

Why should you care?

If time is money, getting consumers to spend more time on your website should be worth its weight in gold.

Shoppers who access a retailer’s main website via a branded tracking page can spend almost 40% more time-on-site than shoppers who arrive via another channel.

A strong return policy influences 1 out of 3 consumers

Why should you care?

In the ultra-competitive world of online retail, an incremental advantage over your competition can deliver a major benefit to your bottom line.

Offering a hassle-free return policy—free, boxless, multifaceted (mail, lockers, etc.)—can be a real difference-maker in the eyes of consumers, motivating them to buy your products over your competitors’.

As many as 1 out of every 2 shoppers will utilize a drop-off location network, if available

‍Why should you care?

From return lockers at CVS to boxless returns at FedEx Office, providing online shoppers with access to a robust drop-off location network is more than a good PR move—it’s an intelligent financial decision.

When products are returned via a drop-off location network, it reduces your brand’s freight costs, improves your bottomline, and gets much-needed inventory back to your distribution centers up to five-days faster than traditional mailed returns.