E-commerce managers invest almost all their resources in optimizing the user journey up to the point of purchase. But what actually happens after the customer has completed the order?
This is exactly where post-checkout communication comes in, an often overlooked but extremely important phase in the customer lifecycle.
Post-checkout communication is also known as after-sales or post-purchase communication and refers to all interactions that a company undertakes with its customers after they have made a purchase. From order confirmation to follow-up emails and personalised offers - this area of e-commerce offers enormous potential that is often a blind spot.
1. Why post-checkout Communication is exciting
Post-checkout can complete the customer experience and deepen the relationship between customer and company. By supporting and accompanying the customer even after the purchase, companies show their appreciation and interest in a long-term customer relationship.
Furthermore, post-checkout communication offers a smart way to generate additional sales by taking advantage of cross-selling and up-selling opportunities. By recommending relevant products or services that match the original purchase, businesses can encourage the customer to buy again and increase their basket value.
Overall, effective post-checkout communication helps to increase customer satisfaction, strengthen brand loyalty and contribute to a company's long-term success in e-commerce.
2. Possibilities in Post-Checkout Communication
In after-sales communication, there are various touchpoints and tools for repeatedly contacting customers and strengthening customer loyalty. These includes:
1. DISPATCH CONFIRMATION E-MAILS
These emails confirm the shipment of a product and provide an opportunity to present the customer with further information about the product, tips on how to use it or exclusive offers. Information from the customer's search history or products matching their current order process can also be presented.
2. DELIVERY TRACKING UPDATES
Regular updates on delivery status, including delivery time forecasts, estimated delivery times and tracking links, provide the customer with transparency and confidence in the shipping process.
3. FOLLOW-UP-Messages
After the product has been delivered, follow-up messages can be sent to ensure that the customer is satisfied with their purchase. These messages can also include an invitation to rate the product or shopping experience.
4. CUSTOMER RATINGS AND FEEDBACK
Integrating customer reviews and feedback is an important part of after-sales communication. Customers can be encouraged to share their opinions and experiences, which not only provides valuable feedback for the company, but also helps other potential customers with their purchase decision.
5. CUSTOMER SERVICE AND SUPPORT
Effective customer service and support are crucial for post-checkout communication. Customers should be able to get support for questions or problems, whether by phone, email or live chat. Experience shows that using a post-purchase platform can reduce service volumes by a high double-digit percentage.
3. Best practices for Post-Checkout Communication
By implementing the following best practices, your business could also build effective post-checkout communications that help to strengthen customer loyalty, generate additional sales and build long-term customer relationships.
1. AUTOMATED E-MAIL SEQUENCES AFTER CHECKOUT
Automated email sequences are an effective way to reach customers immediately after their purchase. These sequences can serve multiple purposes, such as order confirmation, providing shipping information, thank you messages and even follow-up emails to ensure the customer is satisfied with their purchase. By automating these processes, companies can save time while ensuring that every customer receives the information they need.
2. PERSONALIZATION AND INDIVIDUALIZATION OF COMMUNICATION
Personalized post-checkout communication is critical to increasing customer engagement and capturing their attention. By collecting data on customers' purchasing behavior, preferences and interactions, companies can create personalized messages that are tailored to the exact needs and preferences of each individual customer. This can help strengthen customer loyalty and increase the likelihood of repeat purchases.
3. INTEGRATION OF CROSS-SELLING AND UP-SELLING OFFERS
Integrating cross-sell and up-sell offers into post-checkout communication is an effective way to increase average order value and generate additional sales. By offering customers complementary products or services that match their initial purchase, companies can further drive customer interest and encourage them to buy more products or upgrade. By targeting these offers in the checkout process or in follow-up emails, companies can effectively maximize cross-selling and up-selling.
4. USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS FOR FURTHER INTERACTIONS
Social media channels offer another way to stay in touch with customers after checkout and encourage them to interact further. Direct messaging tools such as WhatsApp, WeChat, Meta Messenger or Instagram Direct Messages can be used to inform customers about new products or offers, share customer reviews and experiences and even offer exclusive discounts or promotions.
4. Tools and Technologies for optimizing Post-Checkout Communication
By using suitable tools and technologies as well as analyzing and focusing on best practices and successful implementations, companies can optimize their post-checkout communication and ensure long-term success in e-commerce.
OVERVIEW OF AVAILABLE SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS
A variety of software solutions are available to companies to optimize their post-checkout communication. These include email marketing platforms such as Mailchimp, Klaviyo or HubSpot, which enable companies to set up and manage automated email sequences. In addition, customer relationship management (CRM) systems such as Salesforce or Zoho CRM offer functions for tracking customer interactions and personalizing communication.
Particularly noteworthy are e-commerce specialist companies such as ParcelLab and Paqato, which primarily focus on automated customer communication in relation to the shipping process.
In direct comparison, ParcelLab offers track-and-trace pages with real-time monitoring and proactive communication with the customer. Paqato, on the other hand, enables proactive multi-channel communication, allowing cross-selling to be utilised in the shipping process.
Here is an example of Paqato's strategy:
Source: Screenshot from Paqato to visualize personalized post-checkout communication
For a comparison of the various software solutions for after-sales communication, take a look here at OMR Reviews.
FUNCTIONALITIES AND FEATURES TO IMPROVE COMMUNICATION
These software solutions offer a range of functionalities and features that help companies to improve their post-checkout communication. These include the segmentation of customer lists, the personalization of emails based on customer behaviour, the integration of cross-selling and up-selling offers and the automation of follow-up emails. In addition, some platforms also offer A/B testing functions to test and optimize the effectiveness of different communication strategies.
For more ideas for recurring traffic and more efficient visitor recovery, click here.
5. Case Studies of Post-Checkout Communication
Numerous companies have already successfully implemented and benefited from post-checkout communication strategies, including MediaMarkt and Saturn.
A case study on Marketing Börse reports a particularly high open rate for the emails sent. This was around 71% on average. MediaMarkt and Saturn were able to generate around 3.5 million additional customer contacts in the November/December 2018 period alone.
FARFETCH, a fashion company presents the benefits of post-purchase communication in a video for its customers on its own website and identifies with ParcelLab's strategy.
In a case study, the success of a 79% customer return is presented. It also shows that around 72% of FARFETCH customers leave positive feedback after receiving the ordered goods.
You can find more information here.
Source: screenshot from ParcelLab's blog about post-purchase communication of luxury brands
6. The future of Post-Checkout Communication in E-Commerce
In the future, post-checkout communication in e-commerce is likely to rely even more heavily on personalisation and individualisation. Companies will increasingly use data analysis and artificial intelligence to develop tailored communication strategies based on customers' individual preferences and behaviours. In addition, multichannel approaches will become increasingly important to reach and engage customers across different channels, be it via email, SMS, chatbots or social media.
POTENTIAL INNOVATIONS AND NEW OPPORTUNITIES
One potential innovation in post-checkout communication is the increased integration of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR).
Companies could use AR and VR technologies to offer customers personalized product previews or post-purchase virtual shopping experiences that further enhance the shopping experience and strengthen customer loyalty. This is now more and more implemented in the corporate world before the purchase. The best example is the opening of the H&M Metaverse store.
Source: H&M's first virtual showroom in April 2022 with the innovative "Story Cherish Waste" collection
In addition, advances in voice assistants and voice technology could lead to companies increasingly relying on voice-driven interactions to support and inform customers after checkout.
7. Do you use Post-Checkout Communication?
In conclusion, it should be emphasised that effective post-checkout communication not only helps to achieve short-term goals such as increasing sales, but also to build long-term customer relationships that ensure a company's long-term success. By continuing to provide value to their customers post-purchase and actively supporting them, companies can establish themselves as trustworthy and reliable partners and achieve long-term growth in e-commerce.
We encourage you to implement this e-commerce hack in your store and test post-checkout communication yourself. Feel free to share your experiences, ideas and success stories with us.
