If you run an online store, you might be under the impression that a sales transaction is over after the consumer checks out. While this may seem like the obvious final stage, that’s not the case.
Customer purchases are simply one step in the customer journey—albeit an extremely important one. However, online businesses cannot afford to neglect the steps after a purchase and their vital role in building brand loyalty and encouraging repeat customers.
Everything that happens between you and your consumer after a purchase is referred to as post-purchase behaviour.
It's the stage of the buyer's decision-making process when the buyer decides whether or not to take any further action based purely on their satisfaction or dissatisfaction with your online shop and customer service.
The Benefits of WooCommerce
While optimizing post-purchase behaviour is essential for all eCommerce websites, regardless of where your shop is hosted, this blog focuses on the benefits of using WooCommerce and how this platform helps businesses follow up with customers post-purchase.
WooCommerce is an open-source eCommerce WordPress plugin. Alongside Shopify, WooCommerce is one of the most popular options for online retailers, offering a number of essential features that allow you to oversee your inventory, track your orders and more.
In addition to these features, the platform also offers development services that allow you to manage customer engagement and analyze how consumers interact with your customer service, track their order progress and engage with your loyalty program.
What is the importance of post-purchase behaviour?
Post-buy behaviour refers to how a customer thinks, feels and behaves after making a purchase. Optimizing for positive post-purchase behaviour can have a tremendous impact on your eCommerce business.
Consumers that have been loyal to you for a long time are more beneficial than new customers. WooCommerce helps you to stay in touch with consumers after the purchase.
Post-purchase behaviour is frequently ignored, affecting customer retention rates, profitability, and revenue.
Customers that are engaged after their initial purchase are 90% more likely to become regular customers and spend 60% more on each purchase. WooCommerce SEO services help you increase sales and maximize profits.
Today, every business needs aftermarket support to address unpredictable post-purchase behaviour. There is a window of opportunity for a customer's complaints to be addressed. These factors ensure that the customer is satisfied and continues to back your company.
Whether or not customers continue to buy from your brand depends on how they feel after making a purchase.
Overall, perception and brand image will suffer if consumers are not satisfied with the features and functionality of your company.
As everyone knows, retaining existing customers is always more complicated than attracting new ones, yet loyal consumers are the foundation of a successful business.
As a result, post-purchase behaviour will keep your customers engaged with your company, leading to significant revenue. Here are some tips for optimizing WooCommerce for good post-purchase behaviour:
1. Send personalized post-purchase messages
Your WooCommerce development services track your customers' orders so you can customize and personalize the post-purchase emails you send.
When online stores send personalized messages, 86% of customers are encouraged to buy more. According to a study, personalized emails generate 6x more purchase rates. Here are a few examples of what you could include in an email:
- Address the consumer by their name in the email.
- Send them a unique discount code on their birth and a cute note.
- Thank them for recommending people to your company and offer a reward.
2. Customer support after the purchase
Customer support is extremely important if you have a small business and are working against larger companies.
Unlike other companies that suddenly disappear when a consumer makes a purchase, you can take advantage of this by ensuring that your consumers receive the support they require.
Provide customer support on all social media platforms where you are active, even if you already provide help on your website. WooCommerce benefits from taking advantage of it since it goes a long way toward establishing its loyalty.
3. The date and time of delivery
When customers receive their orders on time, their trust in a company's efficiency and customer service grows. The delivery time of things purchased from the WooCommerce online store is essential in optimizing the customer's post-purchase experience.
The ability to handle client orders and deliver them on time can substantially improve the post-purchase experience, so always ensure that the products arrive on time at your customer's door.
Estimated delivery dates are essential information your clients expect to see at the checkout, together with the price. Many consumers make decide whether or not to go through with an order after they see the delivery date.
Therefore, always make an extra effort to ensure that your product's delivery date is never postponed; a delivery delay is likely to negatively affect your customers and, in turn, their perception of your brand.
4. Send a coupon code for their next purchase
Everyone likes discounts, and receiving even a 5% discount on a product may influence consumers who were on the fence to follow through on their purchase. This is something all brands can take advantage of.
Coupons can be strategically used as an incentive to keep your customers engaged. You want to ensure you’re not missing out on opportunities to send discount codes or coupons but also make sure that you do not overdo it.
5. Send an email after the first purchase
The open rates of post-purchase emails are twice as high as those of typical email advertisements. After a recent purchase, customers are most responsive to emails from you.
You have to make customers feel good about their purchase by connecting post-purchase emails with your brand, including optimistic messages and making them feel good about the purchase they just completed.
After the purchase, share information or special offers and send your customers a simple after-purchase thank you for an email.
You can send your customers online newsletters using third-party WooCommerce plugins. As a result, you'll be able to keep in touch with your customers at all times, giving them a better post-purchase experience.
You can include these elements in your email-
- Involve them in the process of browsing new things.
- Provide suggestions for items they might enjoy.
- Ask them to share their shopping experiences on their social media platforms.
- Redirect them to all your social media platforms to increase your growth rate.
- Ask them to join your loyalty program.
- Invite them to sign up for your email newsletter to receive exclusive deals.
- Welcome buyers to your company and make them feel like they're a part of it.
6. Product suggestion
Product suggestions are a terrific method to engage your customers and encourage them to buy more in the future. Product recommendations can be given to customers based on the products they viewed and/or purchased. They will be able to browse new products that they might not have noticed during their past online purchases.
There is a greater chance of buying one of these products if it meets their needs or preferences.
WooCommerce offers built-in up-sell and cross-sells features that can be used, mentioned, and shown to customers while they are browsing, as well as including similar products in customer emails.
7. Timely and relevant post-purchase communication
A low-cost strategy to boost sales and win consumers' trust and loyalty for life is to develop a virtual relationship with them. Building post-purchase communication with your customers is important for you as a B2C brand because it can increase your customer loyalty and retention rate.
High client retention rates are influenced by effective, timely, and relevant post-purchase communications. It builds ties with your brand, engages customers long after they leave your store, and encourages brand loyalty.
Some well-known WooCommerce plugins are AutomateWoo and Conversio, which can assist you with timely and relevant post-purchase communication.
Bottom Line
Optimizing post-purchase behaviour directly impacts customer happiness, leading to more purchases, loyalty and brand advocates, revenue, and sales.
Customer experience is not one stop on a marketing funnel or customer journey, but instead, a holistic venture that involves how your customers feel before, during and after they purchase from you.
If your goal as a business owner is to increase customer retention and loyalty, it’s essential to understand that your job doesn’t end when you’ve made a successful conversion.
How you follow up with your customers after their purchase, keep them engaged with your brand and provide customer service influences how likely consumers are to become repeat customers.
If you’re interested in learning more about the benefits of optimizing post-purchase behaviour for eCommerce, get in touch with a TechWyse expert today.
