Top 10 Post-Purchase Email Ideas For Ecommerce (With Examples)

Do you remember Los Del Rio? 99.9% will answer no, although they are the most famous one-hit wonders of all time (singers of the hit dance single - Macarena). How does that have to do anything with post-purchase emails? That’s simple without the right post-purchase email, there’s a huge chance you will also be a one-hit wonder to your customers. 

Any new customer is taking a leap of faith when making their first purchase. So you don’t want to stop at the “thank you for making a purchase with us” page. You have to take your retention efforts a step further and have a complete email campaign ready to be sent out after any new or even old customer makes a purchase. 

In this article, we will shed light on how eCommerce businesses can write the best post-purchase emails to retain customers, increase sales and improve email marketing ROI.

Table of Contents:

• What are post-purchase emails?
• Why are post-purchase emails important for your ecommerce business?
• Tips on writing the best post-purchase emails
• The best 10 post-purchase emails ideas you can send with examples:
1. Order confirmation emails (thank you emails)
2. Shipping confirmation emails
3. Review request emails (customer feedback)
4. Replenishment and restocking emails
5. Product email recommendation emails and cross-selling emails
6. Win back emails
7. How to emails
8. Loyalty emails
9. User-generated content emails
10. Special occasions emails 

What are Post Purchase Emails? 

A post-purchase email is any email you send to your customer after purchasing from your eCommerce store. It includes the order details, a thank you for choosing us section, and an estimated delivery time. Experts have been saying it’s better to have a full post-purchase email campaign consisting of several emails, each serving a different purpose:

• A thank you email
• Shipping confirmation 
• Survey or ask for reviews
• Product recommendation 
• Loyalty programs

Why are Post Purchase Emails Important for Your Ecommerce Business?

Thanks for ordering with us! It’s not the end of the customer’s journey but rather the start. Post-purchase emails have proved that it does make a difference with both loyal customers and new customers.

 As a matter of fact, 64% of customers categorize order purchase confirmation emails as the most important messages in their inboxes. So, here are a few reasons why post-purchase emails are important:

• Brand Loyalty: when customers receive a positive post-purchase experience, they tend to be more loyal to the brand resulting in future purchases.
• Customer retention: E-commerce businesses have discovered it is cheaper to keep a customer than to obtain a new one. In fact, it is 10 times more expensive to acquire new customers, and 80% of your brand sales come from your loyal customers, whereas only 20% are from new ones. 
• Customer engagement: the emails offer an excellent opportunity to keep the customers engaged with the brand even after the purchase. 
• Post-Purchase experience: maintain a conversation with the customer through emails to leverage and create more purchases.

Tips On Writing The Best Post Purchase Emails

To create the best post-purchase emails that increase sales, you need to: 

• Be optimistic and build enthusiasm with the customer while waiting for their order to arrive.
• Highlight when the customer can expect delivery by making sure they can track their delivery and by adding an accurate estimated delivery time in order confirmation emails.
• Personalize your emails and stay far from basic generic emails.
• Use a positive and soft tone of voice while writing your emails so it would feel like you care about what you message them.
• Create a unique flow of emails for international customers. They wait for long periods and pay more for delivery, so try to use soft tones and be reassuring. 
• Don’t keep the customer out of the loop! Consider the timing of your email because if you don’t send an email right away after they make the sale, they will feel left out.
• Customers expect to know everything about their order starting from the very first step. It's important to show the customers what’s next in the process. for instance when the shipment will arrive. 
• Automate your Email marketing campaign to save time, money, and effort. 

The Best 10 Post-Purchase Emails Ideas You Can Send (With Examples)

Now let's take a look at some of the best post-purchase emails ever sent!!

1- Order confirmation emails (thank you emails)

As soon as a customer clicks “buy” they expect to receive an order confirmation email. By adding a simple thank you to this email, you will humanize your brand and establish a strong connection between your business and the consumer. You’ll find in the example below, Homes Alive pets are not shy about expressing their gratitude.

2- Shipping confirmation emails

From the moment a customer makes a purchase, they are sitting in anticipation of the order fulfillment. Accordingly, the shipping confirmation emails may be the most important and awaited email in the post-purchase campaign.

In the following example, Brooklinen sent out a short email that contained all the relevant information a customer needs to track their shipment. In shipping confirmation emails, content is much more important than flash.

3- Review request emails (customer feedback)

Feedback is essential for any eCommerce business. By sending surveys, you will better understand your customer base. For example, the eCommerce store, Sun Of A Beach, sends an email asking customers to rate them. In addition, they add a 10% coupon to encourage customers. 

4- Replenishment and restocking emails

Replenishment emails are particularly valuable for eCommerce businesses that sell products used daily or weekly. In this example, ILIA sends constant emails to remind their customers to make their purchases on time, so they never “run out”. 

5- Product email recommendation emails and cross-selling emails

This type is a great way to retreat the attention of customers back into the purchase cycle. However, you should use data from their previous purchases to create customized recommendations because they’ll respond better to relevant recommendations. For example, Adidas sent an email featuring a number of products that will complement the products the customers already purchased.

6- Win back emails

Losing loyal customers can drastically decrease your sales, by sending them win-back emails, you can regain their attention. This type of mail should include an incentive like a discount on their next purchase or a new loyalty program. Here we have Sephora using win-back emails with a soft tone to show their special deals to old customers.

7- How to emails

Customers sometimes get confused about how to manage your products and need extra help from you. For instance, Dossier sells luxurious perfumes, and they realized that customers needed more information about their products. So, they began sending emails with helpful content like how to preserve their perfumes and a full guide to your purchase.

8- Loyalty emails

Loyal customers have to be rewarded for their continuous loyalty with exclusive perks. In the following example, Nook Vibrant Kitchen, a plant-based meals delivery business, sends an outstanding example of loyalty emails. It contains a detailed guide on how their customers can earn and redeem points. In addition, it ended with a strong call to action urging customers to join the loyalty program.

9- User-generated content emails

User-generated content gives your brand authenticity that you can never get from your own content. Therefore, you can ask some of your loyal customers through a post-purchase email to share their favorite products from your brand on their social media accounts. For example, Lush Cosmetics once made its customers promote their products by sharing pictures with their products using a hashtag in exchange for a discount.

10- Special occasions emails 

Using the data you have on your customers, you can send them emails to celebrate special occasions. The easiest thing you can do in that category is send out emails on your customers’ birthdays. You can also include a small gift or coupon, this will go a long way in your retention efforts. 

Using a vibrant design, Camper wishes its customer a happy birthday with a 10% coupon. By doing that, they established a stronger bond with the customer, and thanks to the coupon, they encouraged them to make a purchase. 

All of this might seem a bit overwhelming, and yes your concerns are true. To send the best post-purchase emails to your customer you will need to dedicate a lot of resources and effort. Of course, that’s only for the folks who still like to send out their emails manually. However, if you are thinking of automating your email campaigns, then you came to the right place!

How Can Automation Help You Send the Best Post Purchase Emails?

By using marketing operating systems like ConvertedIn you will be able to:

• Automate your post-purchase campaign 
• Personalize your emails 
• Use the product recommendation engine to send cross-selling emails that convert

It’s time for you to take your post-purchase emails to the next level. Request a demo now, and let us help you step up your game!