The "Post-purchase upsell" scenario builds on a successful conversion, where a potential buyer then becomes a regular, loyal customer.
Table of contents
- 01 What are the benefits of a post-purchase upsell?
- 02 What are post-purchase emails?
- 03 Why is email so important for upselling products?
- 04 When should you send post-purchase emails?
- 05 What stages make up the post-purchase upsell process?
- 06 Summary
01 What are the benefits of a post-purchase upsell?
A post-purchase upsell contributes to:
- Turning first-time buyers into active customers.
- Increasing revenue from active customers.
- Increasing the average shopping cart value.
Making a purchase should be only the beginning of the seller's interaction with the customer.
During the busiest online sales periods, such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday in November, you may see a higher volume of online transactions. It's worth developing a post-purchase upsell strategy ahead of time. A post-purchase upsell helps you build a lasting relationship with the customer and build trust in the brand and its products.
02 What are post-purchase emails?
Post-purchase emails are the communication you send after a customer makes a purchase. They can be sent at different times - for example, right after delivery and again a few days later. This lets you check on the customer's satisfaction. They can also be distributed as automated SMS messages or Web Pushes.
Some examples of post-purchase emails include themed messages such as order confirmations, offers with promo codes, or requests for product reviews.
03 Why is email so important for upselling products?
Post-purchase emails are an essential part of the marketing strategy of any e-commerce business. These messages retain the customer and can be used to build customer loyalty as well as to upsell products.
Thank-you-for-your-purchase emails
The first benefit of post-purchase emails is the chance to thank customers for their purchase while letting them know that their order is being processed. This helps build a positive relationship between the company and its customers, while also encouraging repeat purchases in the future.
Collecting post-purchase feedback
Post-purchase emails give companies an excellent opportunity to collect product feedback from customers about what they liked (or didn't like) in their experience with the company so far. This data is invaluable when the time comes to make improvements or introduce new features or changes to the product offering.
Improving the conversion rate
One of the best ways to improve your online conversion rate is to leverage user-generated content and reviews - so-called UGC (user generated content). As part of this post-purchase email sequence, you can send an email requesting a personal product review.
According to research conducted by Klaviyo, post-purchase emails enjoy a 217% higher open rate than traditional emails.
04 When should you send post-purchase emails?
When deciding when to send post-purchase messages, it's important to consider how soon after the transaction the customer should receive the message. Generally speaking, messages of this kind should be sent quickly after the order is placed.
05 What stages make up the post-purchase upsell process?
The main elements of a successful post-purchase upsell process include keeping customers informed about every stage their order is at. It's important to familiarize yourself with the process below and check that every step in your store works flawlessly:
- Order confirmation email.
- Shipping dispatch notifications.
- Shipment tracking information (and other delivery-related updates).
- Customer support in the event of delays or problems with the order.
- Returns management, described in a clear and straightforward way.
- Surveys or questionnaires about feedback.
- Thank-you messages that reinforce the positive experience with your brand.
- A sales message.
06 Summary
The post-purchase upsell is the moment when a one-time buyer can become a regular, loyal customer. A well-planned sequence of post-purchase emails - from a thank-you, through delivery updates, to a review request and an upsell offer - builds trust in the brand and increases the average cart value. Remember to send messages quickly after the transaction and to guide the customer through every stage of order fulfillment.