How to use Transactional Emails to Retain Customers and Increase Sales?

“70% of companies believe it is cheaper to retain an existing customer than acquiring a new one”.

“The probability of a repeat sale is 60-70%, on the other hand, the chances of converting a new sale are only 5-20%”.

“If you increase customer retention by 5%, you can increase the profits by 25% to 95%”.

“65% of a company’s business comes from existing customers”.

All the headlines reveal one essential thing: Existing customers are a goldmine for your business, and you should never ignore them, especially after the sales is over. Although e-commerce is known to digitize and automate the entire shopping process, it has also brought you closer to your customer than ever!

Amidst the automated world of shopping carts and online payment portals, you can use email marketing to keep the human touch alive and build a personalized communication channel with your customers. As a businessperson, you may think that once you achieve a sale, there is not much to communicate with your customer. But that is where you may go wrong.

Once a customer places a sales order on your website, it is when their anxiety sets in. They have paid for a product without getting the delivery. And, so you must take extra care to address all their concerns and keep them updated with the help of transactional emails. It will enable you to impress your customers and ensure that they remain so, for the entire business lifecycle.

What are the Benefits of Transactional Emails for Post Sales Satisfaction?

Transactional emails, after-sales emails, post-sales emails, or post-purchase emails are automated messages that vary depending on the duration of the purchase made by a customer. The emails enable customers to stay informed about their shopping. They also reiterate the point that they have made the right decision in choosing your business. You can use the email strategy to build brand awareness and loyalty among your target market.

If you play the cards right, the benefits of sending transactional emails can include:

1. Retain customers and encourage them to come back to your e-commerce store.

2. Win against competition and build a loyal base of customers.

3. Inspire them to make repeat purchases.

4. Seek feedback and review from customers to improve your offering.

5. Provide a unique and satisfying shopping experience to customers.

Examples of Transactional Emails to increase Post Sales Satisfaction

Let's find a few examples of follow-up/transactional emails that will enable you to increase post-sales satisfaction, allow you to retain customers, and ensure repeat sales.

1. Order Confirmation Email

An order confirmation email is the first type of transactional email post-purchase. It should be clear, concise, and provide all the details regarding the purchase such as order number, order summary, cost breakdown, payment method, payment confirmation, shipping address, shipping method, estimated shipping date, etc.

You must send the order confirmation email immediately after receiving an order. It is the perfect way to ensure the peace of mind of customers. It will help you to build trust and loyalty.

2. Shipping Confirmation Email

A shipping confirmation email is simply a notification that you have shipped the customer's order, and it will be reaching them soon. Although it may be simple, it acts as a positive reinforcement for your customers anticipating their purchases. It is for the same reason shipping confirmation emails have a high open-rate of approximately 85%.

You can include product: name/ picture/quantities, order ID, tracking link, billing summary, payment summary, shipping address, shipping method, and estimated delivery date.

3. Delivery Confirmation Email

With the delivery confirmation email, you intend to verify that the products have reached the customer in perfect condition. This type of email may seem unnecessary to you, especially after sending a shipping confirmation notification. However, it can exemplify your attention to detail. Also, it is essential especially when the customer wants you to ship the products to a third-party.

A well-curated delivery confirmation email will include the order number, order summary, billing information, shipping details, refunds and returns information, etc.

You can also add a feedback section to seek reviews from the customer. Additionally, including special care instructional manual for the products will also help in building trust.

4. Product Review Email

Product reviews are a great way to understand what product offerings work for your customers. You can find out which products need improvement and which ones to discontinue altogether. Customer feedback will also enable potential buyers to make a purchase decision. If you want to send a product review email, keep the email interactive with embedding surveys in the email body itself. Offering a reward in exchange of reviews and ratings is a good idea to increase customer reviews.

The best time to send a product review email depends on the kind of product you sell. You will want to send product review within a day or two if you sell perishable food items. For non-perishable items, you can wait up to a fortnight.

5. Purchase Encouragement Emails

Now, purchase encouragement emails can be of different types with a clear goal of enticing customers to place repeat orders. A few popular purchase encouragement emails include:

a) Replenishment Emails – Ideal to prompt customers to re-stock products that they have purchased in the past. For example, if you want to remind customers to re-stock their favorite face serum, you can send them a reminder a few weeks after the purchase.

b) Referral Emails – To encourage your existing customers to share their shopping experience with their circle of friends and seek more customers. You can invite them to be a part of a loyalty program and decide on a discount/reward points for every customer they send your way.

c)Product Recommendation Email – By analyzing the previous orders of your customer, you can up-sell and cross-sell several products of the catalog to enhance the customer’s experience. Include positive reviews of recommended products to encourage more purchases.

How to automate the Process of Sending Transactional Emails?

Are you sold on the benefits of sending transactional emails to your customers? When it comes to building a communication channel, the timing of the email matters equally. Instead of sending transactional emails manually, use a Magento Follow Up Email Extension to automate the process. You will be able to send several trigger-based emails on pre-decided criteria. The benefits of a Follow Up Email Extension include:

1. Option to personalize your message or ability to select from pre-existing templates.

2. Schedule emails beforehand and select a preferred time when recipients are most likely to respond to the email.

3. Include a Google Analytics tracking link to understand customer behavior in a better way.

4. Test emails beforehand with a testing mode.

5. Manage email queue and clear email logs automatically.

6. Add customer emails to blacklist for a specific set of customers.

Use Magento 2 Follow Up Email Extension to create meaningful transactional emails that deliver! Remember transactional emails do not have to be bland and boring. You can make them informative and interactive with the help of a well-built extension. This way you will be able to grab the mind share of your target market and thus, improve your market share.