Lexiconn offers 6 tips to improve repeat customer buying on your webstore. With the technology tools available to the merchants, there is no excuse for not following the suggestions mentioned there. To quote from the article –
- Send a comprehensive email receipt upon receiving the order
- Send the tracking number once the order ships
- Request a product review a couple of days after the shipment is received
- Offer a coupon for a second purchase
- Automate all the tasks above
- Call the customer personally
Another tip I would like to add is –
- If you are selling products that have predictable lifecycle (eg,. coffee, chocolates, shampoo), and you can roughly predict how long it will take before the customer will want to buy the product again, then you should follow up via email around that time. This too can be achieved via automated tools like the one mentioned in the post. This idea is closely related to the point “Offer a coupon for a second purchase”, but does not have to be limited to first time buyers.
However, I strongly recommend that you always provide an “unsubscribe” link in every follow-up email that you send (emails unrelated to the order that has been placed). Else you risk annoying the customer thus resulting in lower customer satisfaction.