5 Post-Purchase Mistakes (and Solutions) In Ecommerce Growth

Interest acquired. Product page visited. Purchase considered. Transaction made. Fulfillment center notified and package en route. You’ve made it through the hard part of getting that first sale. Why risk future ones with an unnecessary post-purchase mistake?

It’s easy to lose focus on returning buyers as new customers come through the door. All too many growing brands fail to recognize something, though: retention is what ultimately makes the difference between short-term and long-term success.

You can set yourself up for the latter by first knowing what to avoid. In this article, we list five post-purchase mistakes and solutions worth keeping top of mind as demand scales. 

Why Post-Purchase Retention Efforts Matter

Unexpected growth is great, but it doesn’t last forever – at least not without a proper post-purchase experience. Every ecommerce business needs a reliable stream of sales in order to scale sustainably. Simply churning through opportunities as if they’re only valid once means eventually running out of people to sell to. You’ll have to reach farther and work harder for every new conversion, and at an increasing rate. New customer acquisition costs are reported to have climbed by 60% in the past five years alone. 

Brands that keep customers coming back enjoy natural growth from regular marketing efforts alongside loyalty-driven sales. Consumer psychology is simple: buying from the same business means being able to know what to expect. We as humans feel both emotionally and financially safer that way. 

Meanwhile, you reap the benefit of the habit. A Bain & Company and Harvard Business School report shows that increasing customer retention rates by only 5% can increase profits by 25% to as much as 95%. BIA Advisory further substantiates this theory in its report, ‘Achieving Big Customer Loyalty in a Small Business World,’ which estimates current customers spend 67% more on average than new ones.

Investments in building positive perceptions pay off beyond increased revenue from repeat purchases. When people are truly impressed by a brand, they’re inclined to talk about it. That’s a huge opportunity for further exposure, depending on how the praise is shared. Single recommendations to friends and family members tend to be perceived as especially trustworthy, while shoutouts on social media have the potential to spread globally. According to data published by XM Institute, 88% of customers would recommend a brand to a friend after a positive experience. 

Loyalty Starts with the First Purchase

Effective retention is a lot like human-to-human relationship building. The principles of perception, earned trust, and loyalty remain the same. In an ecommerce context, first-time order experiences equate to meeting someone for the first time. Buyers make subconscious interpretations based on what they immediately see and how they feel. Oracle study ‘One Size Doesn’t Fit All’ claims 43% of people blacklist brands that fail to meet their expectations

Consistency Is Key to Post-Purchase Retention

Demand changes from day to day, but the objective remains the same: literally and figuratively delivering a five-star experience to everyone who buys from your brand. That’s challenging enough when order volume is steady. Findings from Yotpo posit that it takes five or more purchases for 37% of consumers to consider themselves loyal to a brand.

5 Post-Purchase Mistakes That Hurt Retention

Retention goes two ways. You can improve it by making conscious efforts to get customer orders delivered intact and in a timely manner. But you can also harm it by making critical mistakes. We review five of the most common below.

1. Letting Data Go to Waste

Every order received by a brand offers value in terms of both revenue and insight. Don't let valuable data slip through your fingers – use it to bolster retention. Opportunities lie in everything from personalization to strategic planning.

For instance, something as simple as a first name can make emails more attention-grabbing with direct salutations. Wishlist saves, abandoned shopping carts, and purchase history can guide recommendations and special offers that align with buyers' specific interests. Analyzing customer behavior can also reveal patterns that inform inventory management and marketing strategies.

Consider segmenting your audience based on demographics or buying habits to tailor your approach. Don’t forget, there’s always an opportunity to acquire customer information post-checkout as well. 

Take this offer from Geller Gal, for instance:

2. Not Being Memorable

In an era where consumers receive dozens of packages yearly, forgettable deliveries represent missed retention opportunities. When your package arrives looking identical to competitors', you've surrendered a critical brand touchpoint. The difference between a returning customer and a one-time buyer often hinges on these seemingly minor details.

Custom packaging solutions, precision inserts based on customer profiles, and seasonal unboxing variations keep presentations fresh. These unexpected additions create moments of delight that customers spontaneously document on social media, transforming your shipping investment into organic marketing content.

3. Underinvesting In Customer Service

Customer service isn't just a cost center – it's a retention powerhouse that directly impacts your bottom line. You don't want to overlook customer service because it's the main channel through which buyers will identify problems and form lasting impressions of your brand. Even when mistakes are made, all forms of feedback are valuable in avoiding future ones and demonstrating your commitment to improvement.

Investing in comprehensive customer service means being available across multiple channels – email, phone, chat, and social media – where your customers prefer to communicate. Response time is critical; today's consumers expect swift resolution to their queries and concerns. Consider implementing service-level agreements (SLAs) for response times to ensure consistent quality interactions.

Training your customer service team goes beyond troubleshooting skills. Representatives should understand your products thoroughly and be empowered to make decisions that benefit the customer. When agents can offer solutions rather than excuses, customer satisfaction soars. A customer service platform will be able to help by centralizing customer information and purchase history.

See how IL MAKIAGE uses post-purchase surveys to gauge the quality of its shopping experience:

4. Forgetting to Follow Up

You have the means necessary to keep the lines of communication with customers open post-purchase. So why wouldn't you? Long-term relationships are only possible through consistent, ongoing interaction. Ones in business require particularly frequent follow-ups as buyers constantly discover new brands every day. Finding an excuse to stay at the top of people's minds makes it more likely that they will remember you the next time they need a relevant product.

Long-term, that's possible with a simple survey, regular newsletters, and personalized ads. Immediately, though, it can start in post-purchase shipping updates. More than a mere courtesy, consumers today want and expect to be kept up to date on the status of their orders. The successful completion of each step of the fulfillment process is a reason to reach out. 

This doesn't have to require extra work on your part – order management software can send automated emails day or night as packages are put together and handed off between carriers.

Proactive communication builds trust and reassures customers that their purchases are being handled with care. It also provides an opportunity to address any issues promptly, ensuring a smooth and satisfactory experience.

5. Making Returns Harder Than They Need to Be

Return requests aren’t a reason to give up on retention. People send items back for lots of reasons besides dissatisfaction. You’ll bolster your chances of future sales by keeping the reverse logistics process just as efficient as the forward-moving one. The easier you make it for customers to return items, the more likely they are to shop with you again.

Transparency builds trust and encourages future purchases, hence the importance of keeping customers informed throughout the return process. From the moment a return is initiated to when the refund or exchange is processed, you demonstrate a commitment to customer satisfaction. Clear, easy-to-follow instructions and a hassle-free return policy can turn a potentially negative experience into a positive one.

If the logistics are too cumbersome to deal with in-house, consider partnering with a third-party logistics provider (3PL) to handle returns. These experts specialize in managing the complexities of fulfillment and returns management on behalf of ecommerce businesses. Delegating to them keeps internal processes straightforward while opening the door to greater customer satisfaction through increased return options, faster turnaround times, and facilitated inspection and dispute resolution.

The Biggest Post-Purchase Mistake You Can Make? Not Working with a 3PL

3PLs can’t eliminate every risk of turning customers off post-purchase, but they can take on the most complicated logistics-related responsibilities. The flexibility of outsourced infrastructure pays off in its own way by making scaling up and down in response to demand changes commitment-free.

Instead of going through the trouble of hiring a logistics manager, leasing warehouse space, or paying for complex software, tap into networks and resources that require years of investment. A 3PL's tailored solutions can further support customer experience efforts, whether you're looking to wow first-time buyers with streamlined fulfillment or enhance loyalty with personalized packaging. 

Protect Yourself Against Logistics-Related Post-Purchase Mistakes

Wish there was a way to guarantee your customers get a stellar post-purchase experience, every time? There is – and it awaits at Shipfusion. With our professionals handling the logistics of picking, packing, and shipping orders, fulfillment-related post-purchase mistakes become one less thing to worry about. We maintain an industry-leading 99.9% accuracy rate that can be counted on year-round, even during peak demand periods. 

It’s time to scale with sales rather than let them hold you back from sustainable growth. Contact us today for a free shipping analysis.