Post-Purchase Guide to Help You Win Repeat Customers

Great job! You have sold your first few products and received positive reviews. That calls for a celebration, and now you can take it easy and chill out. Right?

You can certainly celebrate the small victories, but it’s a no-no to loosen up and rest on your laurels for now. Selling a few dozens or a few hundred of your products is not the end. You’ve only just begun.

Your next goal should be to retain those who have already purchased, make them repeat customers or loyal clients, and become your brand ambassadors to attract future clients. 

Thus, as a business owner, you have to be mindful and strategic in maintaining top-quality customer service, flawless shipping, and an impeccable supply chain to preserve your brand’s original name.

Establishing a system that meets customers’ requirements will create an environment that will build long-lasting business relationships. Here are a few hacks to make a killing in post-purchase follow-through.

Perfection is Completion 

Upon receiving an order, it’s crucial to assess the customer’s requirements carefully.

During this phase, you must not only focus on the process of shipping out the product and cashing in.

In order to truly complete the sales, you must also take this as an opportunity to deal the knockout blow and effectively nail that post-purchase victory. 

Customer Control

Don’t we all like to be in control? The more control we can exercise, the more secure and comfortable we get, and we tend to go back to the place or activity that allows us to have control.

The same goes for our purchasing habits. We are inclined to use the same products and return to the same store where we feel more in control.

Setting up features that allow customers to have control and customize their product of choice is the way to go.

Examples of these features are as follows:

• Inventory tracking
• Color customization
• Size customization
• Change of courier of choice
• Choosing shipping schedule of choice
• Return and Refund made easy

Personalization

Determine the reason for the purchase. You can set up a user-friendly post-purchase evaluation/survey system to better get to know your customers. You can also reach out to them via email or chat, or have a customer service agent send them a message to know their thoughts.

The next time they purchase, you will already have a concept of who they are as a person and not only as a purchaser. Then you can do the following to raise the bar.

• Customized giveaways
• Insert a note of appreciation
• Personalized packaging
• Special promos

Be Responsive & Empathize

One of the most infuriating situations for customers is an unresponsive sales or customer service rep. A chat feature that takes ages to reach a live agent, an email address that takes days to receive a reply, and after finally reaching a live person, the rep is completely apathetic and uses canned expressions.

Try to set up an automated chat with friendly and witty lines to put your customers at ease. As a business owner, also try to help the queue and not only rely on your hired customer service agents.

If the sheer volume of customers waiting in line gets a bit too high as expected, be courteous and gracious once they finally get a hold of a live person.

Just like you, your customers are probably drained and frustrated. Treat them the way you want to be treated as a paying customer.

He Who Fails to Prepare, Prepares to Fail

Let’s be realistic! It’s not always going to be roses and chocolates in business. There will be booms and busts. Set up safety nets and be exceptionally clear and amiable about your policies.

Put it on your website for returns and exchanges and make it easy to understand to avoid confusion. Make the return and exchange seamless and hassle-free. Do not make the process multi-layered to ruin the idea of good customer service completely.

Before launching your website, make sure that its design is simple enough to not frustrate the customers without sacrificing aesthetics.

Have a sure supplier that won’t negatively affect your inventory and logistics. Choose an eCommerce platform that provides reliable inventory management, like Shopify and Shoplazza. You can also use third-party services powered by WordPress.

Expect complaints and dissatisfied customers. Be wise and gentle in handling it.

Conclusion

Top-quality products, a fantastic website, and a seamless system are all compelling reasons that make customers purchase and become loyal clients.

However, another reason that possibly outweighs the reasons mentioned above is to make customers feel important and meet their required preferences.

Being able to communicate professionally and respectfully is already a game-changer in itself.

(Contributed by Renz Moralde & Hermes Fang)