How eCommerce Post-Purchase Emails Turn Transactions into Lasting Relationships

eCommerce post-purchase emails aren’t just a routine part of the transaction – they are a golden opportunity for you to connect, engage, and provide value to your customers even after they have made a purchase.

Have you ever noticed the satisfying anticipation that comes after clicking the ‘Place Your Order’ button? That’s right, that eager wait for the confirmation email to hit your inbox, validating your latest online purchase. 

It’s like a virtual high-five from the digital shopping world, letting you know that your shopping success is official. Just as you eagerly await those post-purchase emails to land in your inbox, your customers are also looking for that assurance from you. 

However, most eCommerce brands ignore post-purchase emails and miss out on the chance to convert customers into loyal advocates. 

In this post, we will understand eCommerce post-purchase emails in-depth and learn how to harness their potential to create lasting customer relationships. 

What Are eCommerce Post-Purchase Emails?

Post-purchase emails are automated emails sent to customers whenever they purchase a product or service. These emails are typically sent to confirm the purchase, share shipping details, and more so that customers stay up-to-date with their order status. 

However, these emails are far from just transactional notifications – they are a strategic tool that savvy e-commerce businesses use to engage, delight, and retain customers long after the initial sale.

In other words, eCommerce post-purchase emails also include promotional or educational content to encourage clients to buy again. 

The Importance of eCommerce Post-Purchase Emails 

Post-purchase emails have a 217% higher open rate than traditional emails and boast click-through rates of over 6.4%. Sending post-purchase emails helps improve brand credibility as buyers are kept informed at every stage of the post-sales journey till their order is delivered. 

Simply put, it provides a continued touchpoint with your customers after they have made a purchase. Let’s look at why eCommerce post-purchase emails are critical to your customer relationship strategy.

They help build trust

These emails serve as confirmation that the order has been successfully placed and is on its way. 

This confirmation email provides a sense of security and trust, which is crucial for customers who might be hesitant about online transactions. 

64% of consumers appreciate order confirmation emails, considering them a “welcome” to a brand.

They increase your upselling and cross-selling opportunities

Post-purchase emails can be a subtle way to introduce customers to related or complementary products. Several studies have shown that post-purchase upsells can increase your average order value (AOV). 

This presents a lucrative opportunity to increase the overall value of each transaction.

They help you win repeat purchases and customer loyalty

Post-purchase emails pave the way for repeat business. According to MarketingSherpa, 61% of consumers appreciate receiving recommendations for complementary products. 

Moreover, loyal customers are more likely to engage with these emails and consider future purchases from your store.

Offers data-driven insights

Using email marketing automation tools to run your post-purchase campaigns, you can easily keep track of your email performance. 

Analyzing the engagement, such as open rates and click-through rates of post-purchase emails, can provide valuable insights into customer behavior and preferences. 

These insights can be used to optimize future marketing strategies, increasing conversions and revenue. 

Read also: eCommerce Product Recommendation Emails You’ll Love

Types of Ecommerce Post-Purchase Emails

There are several types of eCommerce post-purchase emails, each serving a different purpose in nurturing customer relationships and enhancing the overall shopping experience. 

Here are some key types.

Order confirmation email

Order confirmation emails are the bread and butter of post-purchase emails. It provides a sense of security to customers that their order has been received and is being processed and shipped. 

It confirms the purchase details, including the items ordered, quantities, prices, and shipping information.

Besides, order confirmation emails have an average open rate of around 70%. They are like the virtual equivalent of getting a receipt after shopping at a physical store. 

When you order with Amazon, you get the following confirmation email. It confirms your order with an order confirmation number followed by a short message informing the customer that they will update you once the order is shipped. 

It then displays the complete order information, including the expected delivery date, address, and order summary. 

The brand leverages cross-selling opportunities by also providing product recommendations under ‘Frequently bought together with items you bought.’ 

Shipping updates emails

A survey by Narvar revealed that 83% of consumers want to receive regular updates about their orders.

Shipping update emails keep customers in the loop about the whereabouts of their eagerly awaited purchases. It gives them the joy of tracking their package’s journey to their doorstep! 

Here’s how Zara does it – short and simple. 

The email simply tells you your order number #XXXXX is shipped, and has a tracking link. 

Delivery confirmation email 

Ding-dong! Your package has arrived. Nothing can match the satisfaction of an order getting delivered to a customer. 

Delivery confirmation emails confirm the successful receipt of the order. It’s a final touchpoint to ensure customers are satisfied with their purchase experience.

Moreover, delivery confirmation emails can have an impressive open rate of around 60%. 

Here’s how H&M, a fast-fashion brand, does it. 

It sends out a delivery confirmation email with a small message confirming the delivery from their side. 

And, it also extends the courtesy to reach out to them in case there’s any issue with the order, followed by the order details. 

Feedback and review request email

After the customer has had a chance to use the product, this request email asks for feedback and encourages them to leave a review. 

Such emails aim to gauge customer satisfaction with the product or service ordered, along with the time taken for delivery. It helps ecommerce brands improve their delivery services as well as the quality of products or services sold.

Besides, research from Spiegel found that products with reviews have a 270% higher likelihood of being purchased than those without.

Here’s a really good eCommerce post-purchase feedback email example by Freakins. 

Freakins is a Mumbai-based Denim Wear brand catering to diverse body types, occasions, and preferences. Its feedback email is really impressive, given that it allows customers to review the product in the email itself. 

It increases the chance of consumers reviewing it right there without the hassle of clicking on a link and getting directed to a different page. 

Product recommendation and cross-selling emails

Post-purchase emails are also a prime opportunity to introduce customers to other products they might like based on their purchase history. These types of emails can generate a 20% increase in revenue.

These emails aim to improve customer retention and encourage repeat purchases by providing suggestions on similar or related products to the order the buyer recently placed.

Purplle is an eCommerce platform that sells all kinds of skincare, beauty, and wellness products. 

Based on your purchase and browsing history, it sends timely product recommendation emails to encourage purchases. 

Restocking emails

Restock emails, also known as replenishment emails, are another tactic to retain customers and encourage repeat purchases. 

It also persuades buyers to subscribe to brands to get their favorite products delivered at regular intervals at discounted prices without placing an order every time.

Here’s another post-purchase email example from H&M. 

It lets you ‘Notify Me’ when a product is out of stock and immediately sends you an alert once it becomes available. This entices customers to act fast before their favorite item goes out of stock again. Moreover, it keeps them engaged with the brand. 

Exclusive offers and discounts email

To incentivize repeat business, you can send special offers or discounts to customers who have recently made a purchase. It’s a great way to reward their loyalty and encourage them to return for more. 

Lenskart is an Indian multinational eCommerce platform that sells the latest sunglasses, contact lenses, eyeglasses, etc. 

Here’s an email Lenskart sent out during Diwali festive offers – best for gifting your friends and family. 

User guide emails

Providing a user manual or experience guide can enhance customer satisfaction and reduce support queries. For example, Sugar Cosmetics sells beauty and makeup products. They realized that consumers need help on how to use the product correctly. 

Here’s one how-to guide email that explains how to use foundation cream perfectly. 

The email contains various tips to ace up applying your foundation game. Such helpful content like this guide helps your customers get the most from their purchase.

Read also: 5 eCommerce Email Personalization Strategies [+ Examples]

7 Inspiring eCommerce Post-Purchase Email Examples You Should Check Out

Here are a few more examples of creative post-purchase email ideas to look at.

1. Urban Company

This is an order confirmation email from Urban Company. 

Urban Company is a digital platform that provides various at-home services such as home cleaning, appliance repair, beauty treatments, plumbing, carpentry, renovation, etc. 

Once you book their service, Urban Company instantly sends an email confirming your chosen service. 

It further informs you about how the company will assign a professional one hour prior to the service time and adds a CTA, helping users access the booking on the app as well.

2. Decathlon

This is a classic example of feedback email. Decathlon is one of the largest selling platforms for sports-related goods and apparel worldwide.  

It simply asks its customers to rate the product based on their experience. 

What I really liked about this email is that Decathlon try to make it witty by rating its customer as 10 out of 5 stars. Smart, isn’t it? It helps set a friendly rapport with the customers. 

By asking customers for feedback, Decathlon is trying to show that it cares about its buyers’ opinions and will incorporate their suggestions towards improving the quality of its products and services.

3. Country Bean

Country Bean, India’s first flavored coffee brand, surely knows how to keep its customers engaged. It knows how tempting it could be for coffee lovers to wait for their favorite flavor to arrive. 

As soon as their order gets shipped, Country Bean makes sure to send out a shipping confirmation email to keep them informed (and excited!). 

4. Smytten

Here’s another shipping email example from an Indian eCommerce brand named Smytten, which provides beauty products from more than 1,200 brands. 

This email stands out from other shipping emails by adding a guide on using the product. Consumers trying out contact lenses for the first time will appreciate this email. 

It adds ‘how to wear contact lenses’ and a go-to guide on ‘how to remove contact lenses’ through easy-to-understand visuals. A brownie point, for sure! 

5. Dr Batra’s

Every Indian household is familiar with Dr Batra’s – a popular homeopathic brand specializing in hair and skin care products. Dr. Batra sends an email confirming the delivery date with the ‘Track Package’ link. 

The brand keeps the email short while only highlighting the delivery date, informing its customers that the wait is over and the package will soon arrive. Did you know that 54% of customers surveyed would give repeat business to a brand that can predict the package arrival date?

Are you doing the same for your eCommerce business? 

6. Amazon 

Amazon is the largest eCommerce platform for a reason. Not only do they offer attractive prices and easy return/exchange policies, but their popularity also stems from their effective email marketing. 

Amazon has been able to capture a large market share in India by doing a great marketing job. Every time you make a purchase or browse their site, Amazon leverages it to send out recommended products that might be useful to a user. 

This makes it easy for consumers to search for and buy their favorite products without browsing hundreds of options on their website. 

In this eCommerce post-purchase email example, Amazon has sent me product recommendations from the health personal care category based on my recent searches. Pretty impressive, isn’t it? 

It helped me narrow down my options while also allowing me to compare their prices easily.  

#7. Bata

While no brand likes to see a customer returning the product, it’s inevitable. Like it or not, how easy is your return/exchange process is vital in encouraging consumers to choose your brand. 

When a customer places a return request, brands should immediately send out a confirmation email stating the status of their order return. It’s a part of the post-purchase email strategy, and Bata knows how to do it right. 

Bata is an international footwear brand headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. Once a buyer requests a product return, Bata immediately sends a confirmation email, informing them that the request has been accepted. 

The email also contains other necessary information, including the time to return and refund, product name and price, quantity, and order number. It ensures detailed information by also adding the mode of return and refund as chosen by the customer (an important piece of information for an order return email).

Read also: A Comprehensive Guide To eCommerce Email Segmentation

Best Practices For eCommerce Post-Purchase Emails

Crafting effective eCommerce post-purchase emails requires finesse and strategy. Here are some best practices to help you create impactful post-purchase email campaigns to boost engagement.

Promptness is key

For post-purchase emails, timing is crucial. Customers want to know whether their order has been accepted as soon as they place it. Thus, sending post-purchase emails minutes after a buyer has made an order is better than scheduling them after a few hours. 

Further, post-purchase email is not a standalone email. Instead, it’s a full-fledged email marketing campaign that consists of an email series to be sent at the right time. 

Using an email automation tool, you can easily set up an order confirmation email followed by shipping confirmation, delivery status, feedback email, and so on. 

You can easily trigger and schedule your emails to automate the whole process of email sending. It can create an impression and help you yield the maximum benefits of sending post-purchase emails. 

Keep it short and simple

Unlike other eCommerce emails, such as welcome emails and cart abandonment emails, post-purchase does not have to be extravagant. The best post-purchase emails usually contain information essential for the customers. This might include the order number, tracking line, item details, mode of payment, and expected delivery date. 

Do not try to add large blocks of text that do not offer any valuable information to the users. 

Clear and concise subject lines

Subject lines primarily determine email open and click-through rates. Your email subject lines should be clear, concise, and relevant. They should reflect the purpose of the email and grab the recipient’s attention. 

Avoid misleading or clickbait-style subject lines.

Create anticipation and excitement

Once you are down your post-purchase email funnel, you can use it to build anticipation and excitement among buyers for any upcoming promotions, sales, or to-be-launched products and services. 

Use a conversational and engaging tone. The content should be relevant and valuable, whether it’s order updates, product recommendations, or exclusive offers.

This way, post-purchase emails improve customer retention as they keep customers prepared for what lies ahead.

Personalization

Personalized emails have a much higher engagement rate compared to generic ones. After all, who doesn’t like to be addressed by their name? 

“Nikita, your order is confirmed.”
“Nikita, your order is arriving today! Are you excited?” 

Or,

Your order is confirmed!
Your order is arriving today!

Which one would you prefer? Let me guess, the first one! Addressing customers by their names shows that you value them as individuals, not just sales.

Besides, adding a touch of personalization has become easy with the use of email marketing automation tools. Why miss out on such a great opportunity to build strong customer relationships?

Segment your audience based on customer behavior

Any good email marketing practice includes segmenting your audience. Here, you can do advanced segmentation of your customers and send different emails to different segments. 

For instance, you can segment customers based on how many orders they have placed and send exclusive offers to high-spending customers. 

Similarly, for new customers, you can send out product recommendations based on their browsing activity on your website. In essence, send tailored emails that align with each segment’s preferences.

Maintain consistency and frequency

One major mistake I’ve seen eCommerce brands make often is that they bombard their customers/subscribers with a lot of emails. It’s good to maintain a consistent email frequency but not overwhelm them.

For instance, if a customer is part of the cart abandonment email flow, they shouldn’t receive the same email in the post-purchase flow. 

Read also: Advanced Segmentation Strategies for eCommerce Emails

Automate Your eCommerce Post-Purchase Emails Flow 

Gone are the days of manually sending out order confirmations, tracking updates, and review request emails. With the power of automation, you can create a seamless and efficient email journey that works tirelessly in the background, leaving you with more time to focus on growing your business.

However, it’s all about selecting the right tools, crafting compelling email content, and setting up automated triggers that align with your customer’s journey. Whether you are a small eCommerce brand or a booming online marketplace, post-purchase email automation can transform how you connect with your customers.

Using EngageBay’s email automation software, you can easily set up a post-purchase email flow using different triggers, ensuring that they reach the right person at the right time. And the best part? You set it up once, and it keeps working for you. 

No more worrying about sending emails at odd hours or missing out on crucial touchpoints. Your customers receive a consistent and tailored experience, enhancing their journey with your brand.

What’s more, you get to choose from a wide variety of built-in templates to create post-purchase emails, use A/B testing for subject lines and email content, segment your audience, and send bulk emails with just a few clicks.

Read also: Mastering the eCommerce Abandoned Cart Email

Wrap Up

eCommerce post-purchase emails are a great way to increase customer retention and build brand authenticity. 

Post-purchase emails are a testament to a brand that cares beyond the sale. How you continue to engage, inform, and delight your customers after their purchase speaks volumes about your commitment to their happiness. 

Start crafting post-purchase emails, and remember that each email is a chance to solidify your brand’s place in your customers’ hearts and minds.