How to Write a Great Post Purchase Email Sequence
I know that the straight up sales focused emails tend to get all the love…the whole ATM make it rain cash register thing, but…
Transactional emails are emails triggered by a direct action taken by your customer. And while their primary purpose is to convey information, written correctly, they can convey so much more.
Since these emails have some of the highest open and read rates, you don’t want to blow this opportunity to put some real sparkle on your company or brand image and start creating a legion of raving fans.
Order Confirmation Emails
Imagine how your customer feels when they make a purchase from your bright, funny, and engaging keto ice cream website…only to get a dull order confirmation message that sounds like it was written by a bored robot 🤖.
It’s a disconnect for them and a missed opportunity for you.
Sure, an order confirmation email provides order information. That’s a no brainer. But it also gives you an opportunity to start a meaningful relationship with your customer. Not only can you provide key information they need (How exactly is my keto ice cream going to survive being delivered in the summer heat?) you can also suggest potentially related products (Hey, if you like ice cream, we bet you might like our cookies too!).
If your ordering process allows for correcting ordering mistakes? Make sure you make it easy to reach the Lords of Customer Service who can make things right.
To recap, the key elements to an order confirmation email that delights:
ditch the templates and write emails that sound like they came from a human, not a chatbot
use a relevant subject line…don’t make them hunt around in their inbox
give them what they want first (the details of their order/receipt of purchase)
start building a relationship by being personable, excited, and helpful.
Shipping Confirmation Emails
The time between middle of the night online shopping and the subsequent delivery of their new Widget 1000 can be a serious cooling off period for your customers.
That’s why you want to remind your customer of what they saw in you at 3 a.m. when you send out their shipping confirmation email.
Again, your customers are looking for these emails so you want relevant subject lines they don’t have to noodle through. You want your subject line to be clear enough they stop the scroll and get the information they want: “ 🚚 Hey, the delivery truck with your Widget 1000 is on its way!”
While that tracking number is great, and you should lead with their shipping details, you also want to build excitement their purchase is finally on its way. Branding and tone can do the heavy lifting here to get your customers dancing around in their living room about their purchase’s imminent arrival (and jazzed about continuing to be your customer).
If you have any special delivery rules - like signature required - make this super clear in your shipping confirmation email. If you can link to the delivery company’s website to assist customers in rescheduling a delivery to a more convenient time? Do it.
Always make everything easier on your customer.
If making another offer - like a discount on a future purchase - makes sense (and there’s never a good reason to send any email out without a good call to action) feel free to make the ask.
If you have FAQ or something else that will assist your customer in having a better unboxing experience, it’s a great idea to introduce it in your delivery confirmation.
Remember, the key elements of shipping confirmations that get people looking for the delivery truck (and eager to buy from you again):
are personalized and personable
use a clear subject line so your customer knows an important detail has been emailed to them
opens with the facts: tracking number, ETA
if they are going to need to be there to accept delivery…please, I beg of you, make this SUPER CLEAR and make it easy for them to modify the delivery date with the carrier if you can
a relevant call to action (either a new offer or a link to tips to get the most from the product)
Delivery Confirmation
Are those angels I hear singing from my inbox? Ah yes. It’s delivery day! But…I also just got a Ring video alert from two streets over that a roving band of porch pirates are picking up parcels as soon as the delivery drivers are putting them down! A timely delivery confirmation not only gets me excited, it also gives me the opportunity to protect my package from being stolen, lost, or damaged while it chills on the porch.
It goes without saying that you want to use a clear subject line so your customer can find this critical delivery information quickly.
Inside the email, you want to kick it off with the relevant details: delivery date, time, and address. Should the worst happen, and your customer comes home to an empty porch, you want them to have the information at their fingertips to launch an inquiry with the carrier.
Once you have the basics out of the way, it’s time to reinforce how excited you are for them and to start fostering their membership in your community of satisfied customers. Invite them to share some user generated content on social media, have them check out reviews and testimonials, and begin to introduce them to other relevant products in your line up. This invitation to engage reinforces why they purchased in the first place and gets them deeper into a relationship with your company.
If in your shipping confirmation, you added in tips and tricks to make their first impression fabulous? Prioritize sending those again.
Do be mindful of how many competing calls to action you’re making in a single email. A good rule to follow in a user experience focused transactional email, is to ask “Who benefits most from someone clicking on this?”. To create an exceptional customer experience the answer is always the customer.
If you are sending them in too many different directions? Pick the strongest call to action that focuses on the customer’s immediate need.
Delivery confirmations designed to get people on the porch and into a relationship with your company:
are written by people, for people
hit their inbox with clear subject line
kick off with the delivery details
have a customer focused call to action that invites them to connect or enhances their experience with your product…if you have another relevant call to action that merits another email, by all means, drop another email in the post purchase sequence.
Customer Feedback and Review Requests
It can be so tempting to make a feedback or review request all about your company. Or to fire off a terrible, impersonal templated request form because you feel weird asking for a review.
Don’t do that.
Yes, the goal of this email is to get reviews, but it is also a golden opportunity to encourage product use and reinforce what is in it for the customer to use what they purchased. Your goal here is to offer maximum benefit to them.
Good feedback and review request emails are always focused on making it a delight for your customer to provide this information to you. One of the best ways to do that is to use language in your email body copy to make them feel like an insider. People love to recommend things to people because of that feeling of being there first. Tap into that. Use it to build a true community spirit.
You can also create surveys that are fun to fill out and shine with brand personality. Benefit here is that you can gather data that will help you make better offers to your warm audience in the future or to improve a process.
Remember, this is also a prime opportunity for them to ask questions and to feel heard. And whether they are delighted or defeated, you need to respond. If you invite them to share their thoughts…acknowledge them.
Feedback and review requests are also emails you can schedule again or in the future. There are customers who, and with good reason, won’t give you immediate feedback or a review on a purchase. Don’t dismiss the cautious buyer. Reconnect with them on a timeline that makes sense for your product’s useful lifespan. If it feels more logical, you can even separate the feedback request from the review request.
However you ask for reviews and feedback, make your request fun, clear, and customer focused.
For feedback and review gathering emails that get the results you want:
don’t use a templated request form
make it easy and fun to give feedback - try a survey
use copy that creates a feeling of them being an insider
if customers are invited to share their thoughts, acknowledge them
time these requests in a way that makes sense for your product and how people use it
Every business needs strong, well written transactional emails. While the focus of these emails is on function, savvy brands and businesses know they can - and should - be fun. Your goal is to be clear, lead with what the customer wants, and to do it with personality. With less pressure on coming up with clever subject lines designed to get your email opened in an overstuffed inbox, you can put all your writing energy toward making your brand voice come alive and be delightfully human.
Let’s make a promise here and now…no more robotic or templated transactional emails. Your customers and your business deserve better!
Have you recently gotten a transactional email in your inbox that made you smile? I’d love to see it!
Forward it to my inbox at lisa@copywritingbylisa.com