Building a Repeat Customer Base through Post Purchase Email Campaigns
By Megan Ouellet, Director of Marketing
January 23, 2012
Online shopping this past holiday season was at an all time high. comScore reported that consumers spent $37.2 billion online between November 1 and December 31 in 2011, a 15% increase over 2010. Cyber Monday was the busiest online shopping day bringing in $1.25 billion, but there were nine other billion dollar days during the holiday season.
Many factors went into that success. More customers are shopping on smartphones and tablets, e-retailers promoted specials and began sending email campaigns earlier, and online retailers simply have more tools and technology that make it easier for them to target and engage customers, gain trust, and drive sales.
Online retailers worked hard to reach the record levels of holiday sales,but now the real challenge begins – keeping customers interested and buying again and again. One of the biggest problems every online retailer faces is how to turn one-time buyers into repeat customers. Studies have found that only five percent of new customers will return to a site and only three percent will make a second purchase. Even more alarming is the fact that when new customers return to a site, their shopping cart abandonment rate is 64% higher than the average abandonment rate.
The same study found that new customers are twice as likely to return to a website if they receive a remarketing campaign. That’s why having a post purchase strategy and automated email campaigns are so important, especially in the weeks following the busiest online shopping season in history.
Post purchase campaigns are extremely useful to both customers and marketers. They provide beneficial information customers need regarding their purchases as well as a unique opportunity for marketers to connect with a captive audience and an easy opportunity to upsell and cross sell related products to gain that vital second purchase. Types of post purchase campaigns to consider include:
- Purchase / shipment confirmation
- Loyalty programs
- Bounceback incentive
- Product care / instructions / support
- Review request
- Surveys
- Product recommendations
- Cross-sell / upsell
- Birthday / anniversary messages
- Product replenishment
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