Many ecommerce business owners mistakenly believe that getting their target audience to complete their first purchases is enough marketing. While it certainly doesn’t hurt, securing that initial purchase doesn’t guarantee customer loyalty. This is especially true when there are competing ecommerce brands in your niche.
You need to elevate your post-purchase experience to secure repeat customers and purchases. This is where post-purchase text sequences become valuable.
They help maintain engagement after a purchase, boosting customer satisfaction and strengthening relationships. This can reduce your churn rate and increase your customer lifetime value.
In this post, we look at post-purchase text sequences and give you some examples to elevate your marketing strategy.
What are post-purchase text sequences?
Post-purchase text sequences are a series of messages that engage customers after they complete transactions. They include order confirmations, delivery updates, customer appreciation messages, review incentives, and loyalty program invites.
They differ from other forms of communication, like promotional and pre-purchase text messages. Instead, they focus on enhancing customers’ experiences more than getting them to buy products. Don’t get us wrong—post-purchase engagement SMS marketing still aims to drive sales through cross-selling and upselling, but it provides more personalized and elevated experiences.
Post-purchase text sequences are also different from text flows. Text sequences are the scheduled messages your brand sends customers after a purchase. They typically have a defined start and end as well as specific goals, like confirming orders, providing shipping updates, asking for reviews, and cross-selling products.
Alternatively, a text flow is a longer-term automation. It contains a planned series of messages sent to a customer throughout their journey with a brand. Additionally, message flows will often include multiple message sequences.
Benefits of using post-purchase texts in ecommerce
Post-purchase texts are a key ingredient in the cocktail that keeps ecommerce businesses operational. When they’re effectively structured and implemented, they can offer benefits such as:
- Better customer experiences: They provide valuable communication for customers, such as delivery updates and product recommendations, which can enhance their experiences.
- More repeat purchases: Post-purchase texts often incentivize customers with special deals and offers, driving sales. Further, better experiences translate to continuous purchases.
- Greater customer loyalty: These text messages keep your brand at the top of existing customers’ minds, hence their impact on retention. Higher customer loyalty could mean lower marketing spending since the cost of retaining customers is five times less than the cost of acquiring new ones.
- Valuable opportunities to gather valuable feedback and insights: Post-purchase texts allow you to collect reviews from customers who have experienced your products. This can lead to well-informed product and service improvements.
6 examples of post-purchase text sequences for any ecommerce brand
Initially, it’s normal for text sequences to seem a bit daunting. To make it easier for you to create your own, here are some sample promotional text messages to send post-purchase:
Remember, the sequence is the series of messages, and the flow is the entire post-purchase process, which may involve multiple sequences (sets of messages).
1. Order confirmation and follow-up sequence
This is typically the first text sequence in any post-purchase engagement strategy. It lets customers know you’ve received their order and are grateful for their business. Some messages to include here are:
- Message 1 (order confirmation and thank you): Ease customers’ post-purchase anxiety by sending a confirmation text with their order details and number immediately after their purchase. Also include a warm, personalized thank you note and a small discount on their next purchase to make them feel appreciated and encourage future buys.
- Message 2 (shipping confirmation and tracking information): Send this message immediately after a customer’s products leave your warehouse for shipping. Include the expected delivery date and a link to your tracking page so they can monitor the movement of their items.
Use Bitly’s URL shortener to ensure the link doesn’t occupy too much text space. Also, add branding elements like your domain and the purpose of the link at the back half for clarity and recognition.
- Message 3 (post delivery check-in): Send the customer a follow-up message after their expected delivery date, asking if they received the products and if they arrived in good condition. Include a link to a survey so they can give a quick review of your product and delivery process, as well as report issues or concerns. Again, leverage Bitly’s URL shortener for cleaner branded links.
2. Product care and engagement sequence
This sequence shows customers you care about their satisfaction. It contains various messages, including:
- Message 1 (thank you and product care tips): After confirming delivery, thank the customer for choosing your business and share some care tips or usage instructions to help them get the most out of your product. If the instructions are lengthy, use a link to direct them to a detailed tutorial. This message enhances the customer experience and shows buyers you care about more than just closing a sale.
- Message 2 (cross-sell or upsell related products): Follow up the product care message with another one, recommending related or complementary products or accessories to strengthen customer satisfaction. Check the customer’s recent purchase history to make sure you suggest products they are likely to buy. Doing so can increase your SMS click-through rate (CTR) and average order value.
- Message 3 (customer community invitation): Encourage the buyer to join your community by sending them links to your rewards program or social media groups. This can help you build a long-term customer relationship and boost loyalty.
3. Review and feedback collection sequence
Since 99.5% of new customers check online reviews before they buy products, this isn’t a sequence you want to skip. Customer feedback requests let shoppers give honest opinions of your brand, which can help you improve products and build trust. The messages here include:
- Message 1 (thank you message with a review request): Wait a few days after delivery and ask the customer for feedback. But don’t just jump straight to the request—thank them for their purchase, let them know what you plan to do with their feedback, and offer an incentive like a coupon or discount.
- Message 2 (follow-up reminder for feedback): Sometimes, the customer may miss your review message or forget about it. Remind them and send another one a few days after your initial request. To encourage a response, incentivize them by offering a better deal. For example, you could give them 10% off their next order if the initial discount was 5%.
- Message 3 (appreciation message with personalized product recommendations): Let the shopper know you value their product review by sending a personalized thank you text with recommendations based on their purchase history. Not only does it show appreciation, but it also allows you to upsell.
4. Replenishment reminder and loyalty sequence
If you sell products that require regular or frequent reordering, a replenishment reminder and loyalty sequence are must-haves. It keeps your ecommerce store in customers’ minds, increasing the likelihood of earning their repeat business. Key messages to include in this sequence are:
- Message 1 (replenishment reminder): Text the customer to remind them it’s almost time to reorder. Consider the product lifecycle to time your message appropriately. For example, if you sell something with a one-month lifecycle, send this message a few days before the one-month mark. Around this time, the product is probably at the top of the customer’s mind, and they’re more likely to reorder.
- Message 2 (limited-time offer to reorder): Create a sense of urgency by offering a time-sensitive special offer, like a discount that expires in three days. This can drive conversions from customers who enjoy a good deal.
- Message 3 (loyalty program invitation): Encourage customers to join your loyalty program by texting them about perks like exclusive offers, event invites, and early access to new products. Joining your program can encourage brand loyalty and increase your customer lifetime value.
5. Post-purchase engagement and education sequence
This sequence focuses on teaching shoppers about your products to help them get the most out of each one. It can improve customer satisfaction and consequently drive future purchases. Here are the messages to include:
- Message 1 (order confirmation and educational content): After confirming the customer’s order, send a link that directs them to a video tutorial or blog post detailing how to use or assemble the product. Providing value-added content that engages customers beyond the purchase can help you build trust and stronger relationships.
- Message 2 (survey or poll for customer preferences): Share a link to a survey or poll asking about their preferences and interests. This will give you valuable insights.
- Message 3 (personalized product recommendations based on preferences): Don’t just store the data collected from your previous message. Use it to tailor product recommendations in future marketing campaigns to increase sales.
6. Win-back campaign sequence (for inactive customers)
This sequence can enhance the impact of SMS marketing during slow seasons by encouraging inactive buyers to make purchases. It could include the following texts:
- Message 1 (re-engagement message): Text customers who haven’t bought from you in a while to remind them about your brand and products. A good rule of thumb is to send a win-back message after three months of inactivity. Use a friendly tone, personalize the message (you can refer to the customer by name or remind them about past purchases), and include a special offer to encourage purchases.
- Message 2 (exclusive offer reminder): If the customer doesn’t engage with your message, send a follow-up reminding them of your limited-time incentive. This creates a sense of urgency.
- Message 3 (last-chance offer or survey): Make a final attempt by sending a last-chance limited-time offer. Also, include a link to a survey asking the customer why they haven’t engaged with your brand recently. This can reveal inefficiencies in your product or ordering process. Ultimately, it can help you understand evolving consumer needs so you can refine your customer retention strategies.
Turn one-time buyers into loyal customers with post-purchase sequences
Post-purchase SMS sequences can improve customer experiences and satisfaction, allowing you to create long-term relationships, build loyalty, and drive repeat purchases. Of course, their success depends on how you implement them—make sure your messages are well-timed, personalized, and contain clear subject lines and calls to action (CTAs).
Bitly can help improve your post-purchase text sequences by providing short, branded links to direct customers to everything from your order tracking page to your online survey. Shortened branded links provide easier access to desired destinations and enhance brand recognition, reducing the skepticism around post-purchase communications.
Sign up for Bitly today to create short, custom URLs that elevate your ecommerce brand’s post-purchase engagement strategy!
