Making a sale on your site feels great! But that first transaction is just the beginning — what you do following the purchase has a big impact on whether a new customer becomes a returning customer. So, why is this important?
According to a report from Adobe's Digital Index, 40% of an online store's revenue comes from repeat customers. These big spenders represent only 8% of total visitors, so even a slight increase in the number of people who return to your website can lead to big jumps in the amount of money you're bringing in.
How can you keep customers coming back?
Let Them Know What's Happening
You should send two emails out following a purchase:
The good news is that our eCommerce platform automatically sends out a confirmation email right after a purchase is made, and also sends a shipped email, along with the tracking number, if you mark an order as shipped in either the editor or one of the mobile apps.
How can you keep customers coming back?
Let Them Know What's Happening
You should send two emails out following a purchase:
- A confirmation message letting the customer know their order has been received.
- A message letting them know their order has been shipped, making sure to include a tracking number.
The good news is that our eCommerce platform automatically sends out a confirmation email right after a purchase is made, and also sends a shipped email, along with the tracking number, if you mark an order as shipped in either the editor or one of the mobile apps.
It gets better. You can customize these emails so the messaging matches your personality and brand. Personalized confirmation messaging is your first post-order chance to make a real connection with your customers.
Be Great at Shipping
Your customers expect it'll take a certain amount of time to receive an order. They're likely well aware you're not a wizard and thus have to rely on the same delivery services as any other business.
That said, the faster a package arrives, the happier any customer will be. Try to ship packages out the same day, or at least within 24 hours, so you're not tacking extra days on to the total shipping time. Use label and postage printing services like Shippo (available in the Weebly App Store) to speed this process along and save money while you're doing it.
Be Great at Shipping
Your customers expect it'll take a certain amount of time to receive an order. They're likely well aware you're not a wizard and thus have to rely on the same delivery services as any other business.
That said, the faster a package arrives, the happier any customer will be. Try to ship packages out the same day, or at least within 24 hours, so you're not tacking extra days on to the total shipping time. Use label and postage printing services like Shippo (available in the Weebly App Store) to speed this process along and save money while you're doing it.
Take your shipping prowess even further by making the unboxing process a unique experience for your customers. This doesn't have to be a huge deal or expense. Online photography store Photojojo includes a tiny rubber dinosaur with every shipment. Customers like these dinos so much that many post photos to services like Instagram to show them off.
There's a good chance cute dinosaurs are not the right style for your business. Instead you can use thank you notes, magnets, stickers, tiny metal robots, printed recipes, higher quality boxes and packing paper; there are tons of options to set your business apart in a way that's appropriate to the brand you're building.
Follow Up
You have your new customer's postal and email address now. Put them to use.
There's a good chance cute dinosaurs are not the right style for your business. Instead you can use thank you notes, magnets, stickers, tiny metal robots, printed recipes, higher quality boxes and packing paper; there are tons of options to set your business apart in a way that's appropriate to the brand you're building.
Follow Up
You have your new customer's postal and email address now. Put them to use.
Isn't everyone inundated with printed and email marketing messages, though? Yep, and it's because both forms of marketing are effective. Doesn't mean you can't stand out.
Instead of mailing your new customer some sort of offer they probably won't even open, send them a postcard with an interesting photo on it. Include a handwritten note thanking them for their order from last month and letting them know you're available if they need anything else. Who doesn't like getting a nice postcard?
Instead of sporadically emailing marketing messages to previous customers whenever you're hoping to run a sale, engage them with a monthly newsletter through a service like Weebly Promote. Include tips on how to use your products, talk about new additions to your store, tell stories from the past month, and perhaps even include a coupon code in the message if you feel like that'll encourage readers to come back and shop with you.
Follow these tips and that one time shopper will become a two time, three time, four time (or more times) repeat customer!
Instead of mailing your new customer some sort of offer they probably won't even open, send them a postcard with an interesting photo on it. Include a handwritten note thanking them for their order from last month and letting them know you're available if they need anything else. Who doesn't like getting a nice postcard?
Instead of sporadically emailing marketing messages to previous customers whenever you're hoping to run a sale, engage them with a monthly newsletter through a service like Weebly Promote. Include tips on how to use your products, talk about new additions to your store, tell stories from the past month, and perhaps even include a coupon code in the message if you feel like that'll encourage readers to come back and shop with you.
Follow these tips and that one time shopper will become a two time, three time, four time (or more times) repeat customer!
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