Get E-commerce Customers to Come Back

Getting a customer to make that initial purchase can be difficult enough, bringing them back to make an additional purchase can be just as hard. Bring on the emails. Audience focused emails are still one of the best approaches to getting users back to the site. Even with social media and SMS text messaging follow up emails still manage to get users engaged. These emails need to have specific goals and always be focused on who will be making the purchase, this list will help build the right outreach campaign.

Utilize Newsletters

One of the most important tools for digital marketers and ecommerce business owners is the email list. This list is often created by giving the option for users to sign up for the newsletter when visiting the site or automatically signing up when they make a purchase. Email continues to prove to be one of the lucrative efforts within digital marketing. 81% marketers believe email drives customer acquisition and retention, making it must have for any business.

By reaching out to users who have made a purchase, or at least signed up, it gives reminders of what the business offers. It keeps the business on the radar of the consumers. It reminds them what is for sale and shows how competitive the price is. These emails should be professionally designed and offer products that interest users. A clear call to action, links to information, and contact information should all be available within these emails. Not sure where to get started? These email marketing tools can help simplify the process of building, spending, and reporting on the email campaign.

Build a Loyalty Program

Rewarding customers that remain loyal to your company is one of the easiest ways to retain customers. Some of the simplest ways to get a loyalty program up and running is to offer discounts to users on their second purchase. This offer can be sent to them immediately, but typically works best after a designated time.

An additional approach is to reward users who spend a certain dollar amount. For instance, after a user has spent a certain amount of money they can use rewards for discounts or “cash back”. There are programs that automate this process, sending an email as soon as a user has hit a certain threshold or made a second purchase.

Send Out Reminders

Do you offer a product that needs refilling? Send out reminders to customers that have purchased one of these items in the past, reminding them it’s about to run out. This could also be for seasonal campaigns as well. If customers need a product or service for a specific season, send them a reminder and let them know the time is coming up. Customers are likely to take the opportunity to make the purchase before it’s too late. No one wants to be stuck without something they need.

“We Miss You”

Haven’t seen some users in a while? Reach out to them with a simple note mentioning you want them back and providing a coupon or discount. The bargain shopper loves any opportunity to save money and in many cases will purchase something just because they have a discount. To increase engagement these discounts can have a limited time offer which expire if not used quickly. These email campaigns should feature a quality image that catches the user’s eye. Next it should be straight-forward, here’s something free, or here’s 50% off. Simple call to action, where a user can click to get the item and discount. Say they open the coupon and download it, if they don’t use it in a given time frame send another email mentioning it is about to expire.

Ask for Reviews

After a customer has received your item or service, had time to see it in action, ask them for a review on it. Send a follow up email to them mentioning the specific item they purchased. Provide a link to that product where they can leave a review. Now it’s great if they leave a review, but mostly we want them to make another purchase. If they have ran out of the product, need a new, or want to send one to a friend this will give them the option to make another purchase. If your products are great users will always want another one. If they have told their friends about it they will make a purchase themselves and send it to them. Even if a customer leaves a review this is great in helping the next user, making it a win win situation. 90% of users read reviews before making a purchase, these reviews can help move users through the conversion funnel.

Reach Out to Users with Accounts

Many ecommerce sites offer a user the option to create an account before they make a purchase. This allows for their information to be stored, such as shipping and wish lists, and easily access previous orders. This also means they provide an email address where confirmations are sent. When a user signs up they can have the option to sign up for newsletters and offers. Now is the chance for businesses to reach out to users who have either made a purchase or yet to make a purchase. Tracking what users have purchased or looked at can help send targeted emails. As a user browses a specific item or category of items, but doesn’t make a purchase a follow up email can be sent to them. This reminds them what they were browsing and encourages them to take another look at it. As always don’t over do it with emails, this can drive customers away if they are receiving too many.