How you handle your returns can significantly impact customer satisfaction, retention, and brand loyalty.

The Importance of Improving the Returns Experience

Before diving into the actionable tips, let’s take a closer look at why improving the returns experience matters so much for your eCommerce store:

Boost Customer Satisfaction and Retention 

An efficient and hassle-free returns process can work wonders in improving customer satisfaction. When customers know they can easily return items they aren’t satisfied with, it builds trust and enables them to shop with confidence. 

88% of customers say that the experience a company provides is as important as its products or services.

Satisfied customers are more likely to become repeat buyers, leading to increased customer retention rates and higher customer loyalty.

Reduce Customer Support Queries 

A well-structured and transparent returns process can significantly reduce the number of queries to your customer service team. 

By providing clear return instructions and a self-service return portal, customers can request a return on their own, without the need for extensive support, freeing up your customer service team’s time for more complex issues.

Increase Brand Loyalty and Repeat Purchases 

A smooth and positive returns experience contributes to improved brand loyalty. When customers have a positive experience during the returns process, they are more likely to trust your brand and make repeat purchases. 

Conversely, a frustrating returns experience can drive customers away and hurt your store’s reputation.

18 Ways to Improve the Returns Experience

Now, let’s explore some actionable tips to improve the customer return experience and create a more customer-centric approach to returns:

Before the Return

The return experience starts before the customer even asks for a return. Set the right expectations up front to prepare customers for what’s ahead and avoid surprises.

1. Set a Clear Return Policy

Your return policy serves as a foundation for the entire returns process. Make sure it’s easily accessible and prominently displayed on your website, product pages, checkout process, and order confirmation emails. 

Clearly state the conditions for returns, such as time frames, eligible items, and any restocking fees. A transparent return policy instills confidence in customers, knowing what to expect when they initiate a return.

2. Provide Self-Service Returns

Implement a user-friendly self-service return portal that allows customers to initiate returns online without the need to contact customer support. 

81% of customers say that they want more self-service options. Providing customers with the ability to handle their returns independently adds convenience and speed to the process. 

With a self-service portal, customers can easily initiate returns, track the progress of their return, and receive real-time updates.

3. Encourage Exchanges

Incentivize customers to opt for exchanges instead of refunds when returning items. Offer benefits such as free return shipping or a bonus credit for exchanges. 

By encouraging exchanges, you can retain revenue while at the same time ensuring your customers get a product they’ll like.

4. Offer Free Shipping on Returns

Offering free return shipping to customers, using a pre-paid return shipping label, is a powerful way to remove a common barrier to returns. 

Covering the cost of return shipping demonstrates your commitment to customer satisfaction and makes the returns process hassle-free for your customers.

5. Provide a Pre-Paid Return Shipping Label

Integrate with shipping carriers to automatically generate pre-paid return shipping labels. Customers receive the label via email and in the portal, making it easy for them to print and attach it to the return package. 

Pre-paid labels simplify the returns process for customers and ensure consistent and reliable return shipping.

6. Offer Multiple Options for Returns

Offer a choice of return methods to cater to your customers’ preferences, making the returns process more convenient for them. 

For example, you can integrate with Happy Returns or similar services to offer convenient drop-off return locations.

7. Set Realistic Expectations

Transparency is key when it comes to the returns process. Clearly communicate the expected time for processing returns and issuing refunds or exchanges. 

Underpromising and overdelivering on return timelines can pleasantly surprise customers and enhance their experience.

8. Communicate Return Status Updates

Keeping customers informed about the status of their returns is essential for a positive return experience. Regularly update them when the return package is received, when the return is processed, and when a refund or exchange is issued. 

Timely communication provides customers with peace of mind and demonstrates your commitment to resolving their return quickly.

9. Make the Process Easy to Understand

Simplicity and clarity are vital for a smooth returns process. Provide clear and concise return instructions, explaining the steps, conditions, and timelines involved. 

Use plain language and visual aids to guide customers through the process and minimize any potential confusion.

10. Automate Your Workflow

Use a returns management system like ReturnGO to automate the entire returns process. This can help you efficiently route returns to the correct locations, integrate with other systems, and automate the approval of return requests, refunds, and exchanges. 

Automation reduces the need for manual intervention, cutting overhead costs and speeding up the entire process.

During the Return Process

The real work begins once the customer asks for a return. Now’s your chance to wow them with simple, convenient options and rapid resolutions. 

11. Provide Detailed Return Instructions

Offer comprehensive instructions on how to package items for return and what to include in the return package. 

Clear instructions reduce the risk of customers making mistakes during the return process. Include any necessary packaging materials, such as bubble wrap or packing tape, to ensure the items return safely.

12. Issue Refunds Quickly

Speed is of the essence when it comes to processing refunds. As soon as the return is received and approved, aim to process the refund promptly. 

You can use ReturnGO’s advanced automation rules to automatically issue a refund or release an exchange based on custom trigger events. 

Customers appreciate a swift resolution to their return requests, with 65% of customers saying that the speed and ease of refunds affect where they choose to shop. 

Quick refunds demonstrate that you value your customers’ time and effort.

13. Constantly Communicate

Throughout the return process, make sure to maintain regular communication with customers. 

Send status updates via email or SMS, and let them know you’re actively working on their return and what the status is. This proactive approach reassures customers that their return is being handled efficiently and with care.

After the Return

Continuous improvement is the key to preventing returns and perfecting the customer experience.

Analyze your data and communicate with your customers to discover pain points and continually improve your processes and policies. 

14. Make Reordering Seamless

After the return process is complete, send customers a link encouraging them to reorder similar items with ease. This simple gesture encourages customers to buy again from your store, increasing customer retention and building brand loyalty.

15. Follow Up with Recent Returners

Reach out to customers who recently made returns to gather valuable feedback directly from customers. 

Asking about their return experience, product concerns, or expectations can provide insights into areas for improvement.

16. Analyze Data to Reduce Returns

Use ReturnGO’s advanced data analytics dashboard to identify patterns and trends in returns. Analyzing return data can help you identify common problems and areas for optimization, such as product quality, the shipping process, or product descriptions. 

With data-driven insights, you can proactively address recurring issues and make informed decisions to minimize returns in the future. 

17. Provide a Feedback Mechanism

Offer an online survey or follow-up email to gather feedback directly from customers about their return experience. Listening to your customers’ suggestions and concerns can offer valuable insights into areas for improvement. 

Ask questions about the ease of the returns process, the reasons for the return, and suggestions for how you can enhance the experience. This feedback mechanism demonstrates that you value your customers’ opinions and are committed to meeting their needs.

18. Continuously Optimize Your Policy and Process

Returns are a dynamic aspect of your eCommerce business, and your return policy may need to evolve over time. 

Regularly review your return policy and processes to ensure it aligns with customer expectations and industry standards. Test potential tweaks and improvements based on customer feedback and data analysis. 

By remaining adaptable and open to change, you can create a return policy that maximizes customer satisfaction and improves efficiency.

Create a Customer-Centric Returns Experience

Remember, the returns experience is a reflection of your commitment to customer satisfaction and plays a significant role in shaping your brand’s reputation.

Implement these tips, leverage ReturnGO’s cutting-edge solution, and listen to your customers to create a returns experience that delights and retains your customers, setting your eCommerce store apart from the competition. 

Your dedication to providing a positive returns experience will lead to happier customers and drive long-term success for your online business.

What is the Anchoring Effect?

The anchoring effect is a cognitive bias that makes people rely on the first piece of information they encounter when making decisions. This information, called an anchor, serves as a reference point that affects how people perceive and evaluate other information. The anchor can be any number, word, image, or emotion related to the decision at hand.

A person’s perception and evaluation of products, prices, and outcomes are affected by the anchoring effect. It can also influence how customers feel and behave after making a purchase, including whether they decide to keep or return the item. 

In order to simplify complex decisions and save time and effort, people tend to use mental shortcuts or heuristics. However, these heuristics can also lead to errors and biases that limit the information people consider and distort their judgments. 

The anchoring effect is one of these biases: it makes people focus too much on the anchor and adjust their estimates or opinions based on it, rather than on other factors or evidence.

When shopping both online and in-store, customers are likely to be influenced by the prices they see first or by other cues such as labels, ratings, reviews, or discounts.

How the Anchoring Effect Shapes Customer Expectations

The anchoring effect influences how customers perceive and evaluate products before making a purchase. It affects their subsequent judgments and comparisons, their information processing, and their beliefs and attitudes.

Anchoring can impact:

Subsequent Judgments and Comparisons

One of the main effects of anchoring is that it creates reference points that provide a basis for comparison that makes other options seem more or less attractive. 

For example, when customers see a product with a high price tag, they may think that it is more valuable and desirable than a product with a low price tag. Conversely, when customers see a product with a low price tag, they may think that it is less valuable and desirable than a product with a high price tag.

Reference points can be manipulated to influence customer perceptions and preferences. For example:

• Comparison – By showing the original price and the discounted price of a product (e.g. $100/$50), you can create an anchor that makes customers think that they are getting a great deal and increase their willingness to buy.
• Display order – Displaying a higher-priced product before a lower-priced one (e.g. $200/$100), can create an anchor that makes customers think that the lower-priced one is more affordable and reasonable and increase their likelihood to choose it.
• Relativity – Showing a decoy product or option that is slightly worse or more expensive than the target product or option (e.g. $150/$100/$90), you can create an anchor that makes customers think that the target one is more attractive and valuable and increase their preference for it.

How Customers Process New Information

Another effect of anchoring is that it influences how customers select, organize, and evaluate information to form impressions and opinions about products.

Information processing can be biased by anchoring in several ways:

• Exposure bias – People are more likely to look for information that supports their preconceived notions about a product.
• Attention bias – Customers tend to focus their attention on information that aligns with their anchor. 
• Interpretation bias – People often interpret information in a way that’s consistent with their anchor, shaping their perception of the product.

How Customers Form Beliefs and Attitudes

The anchoring effect influences how customers form beliefs and attitudes about products. 

• Expectation – Customers may create a mental image or a standard of a product based on their anchor. For example, if customers see a high price tag for a product, they expect it to be high-quality or luxurious.
• Preference – Customers are likely to have a preference for a certain product based on their anchor. Low prices, for example, may entice customers to purchase cheap products.
• Attachment – Customers often create a commitment to or an attachment to a product based on their anchor. An example is if a product has a high price tag, customers may feel the need to justify their purchase.

How the Anchoring Effect Impacts Customer Satisfaction and Returns

The anchoring effect influences how customers feel and behave after making a purchase. It affects their post-purchase evaluation, their post-purchase regret, and their post-purchase dissonance.

Post-Purchase Evaluation

Anchoring creates a standard that influences how customers assess their purchase outcomes. Customer satisfaction is determined by comparing actual results with expected results.

Post-purchase evaluation can be affected by anchoring in several ways:

• Expectations – Customers may experience a gap between their expectations and reality based on their anchor.
• Value – There may be a discrepancy between the customer’s perceived value and actual value.
• Quality – The actual quality might not match the perceived quality perceived by the customer.

Post-Purchase Regret

Another effect of anchoring is that it creates a commitment that affects how customers feel about their purchase decisions. Post-purchase regret is a negative emotion that arises from thinking that a different decision would have been better.

Post-purchase regret can be triggered by several factors:

• Finding a lower price elsewhere – If customers discover that they could have purchased the same product at a lower price or found a better deal at a different store, they may regret their purchase.
• Product not meeting expectations – Customers might regret purchasing a product if it doesn’t meet their expectations once they get it.
• Lack of post-purchase support – Difficulty in contacting customer support or receiving unhelpful responses can contribute to post-purchase regret.

Post-Purchase Dissonance

Anchoring creates a conflict that affects how customers cope with their purchase decisions. 

Post-purchase dissonance is a cognitive strategy that aims to reduce or resolve the inconsistency between beliefs, attitudes, or actions.

Ways post-purchase dissonance may occur:

• Defend – The customer may rationalize or defend their purchase decision based on their anchor.
• Change – An anchor might make customers change or modify their beliefs or attitudes about the product. 
• Return – Customers may return or exchange the product if they are not satisfied with it based on their anchor.

How to Reduce the Impact of the Anchoring Effect on Returns

Reducing returns is important for any business, as returns can incur costs, waste resources, and damage customer relationships. Here are some tips on how to reduce the negative impact of the anchoring effect on returns:

Offer Free and Easy Returns

Free and easy returns let customers change their minds and return items without paying extra fees or going through complicated processes. This can increase customer satisfaction and loyalty and reduce post-purchase regret.

When customers know they can easily return items without too much hassle, they’re more likely to go through with their purchase.

Use a self-service return portal and automate as much of the returns process as possible to make returns smooth and easy.

Provide Detailed Product Information

Detailed product information helps customers make informed and confident decisions based on relevant information.

Providing a clear description of the product along with images, specifications, and dimensions can help prevent misleading customers or setting false expectations.

Make sure you organize and present your product information in a way that is easy to understand and access:

• Simple wording – Use simple and clear language appropriate to your audience.
• Clear layout – Highlight key features and benefits with bullet points, numbered lists, tables, charts, or icons.
• Multiple visuals – Include zoomable images, videos, 360-degree views, or virtual try-ons to show different angles and perspectives.
• Social proof – Show customer reviews, ratings, testimonials, and other social proof that shows the real opinions and experiences of your customers.

Understand and Use the Anchoring Effect

The anchoring effect can have positive or negative effects on your business depending on how you use it. Take advantage of it by creating reference points that make your products more attractive and setting standards that will make your customers more satisfied with your products.

By implementing effective strategies you can reduce the negative impact of the anchoring effect on returns while improving customer retention and loyalty.

Automating the returns process makes returns faster, easier, and more convenient for your customers, leading to higher satisfaction and retention.

Let’s explore how returns automation can improve the customer experience while streamlining your workflow. 

Understanding Returns Automation

Returns automation is the process of using technology to automate the returns process. It means that the entire returns process, from initiating a return to processing the refund or exchange, is streamlined and can be managed automatically.

Automating your returns process can greatly improve the customer returns experience. It enables customers to easily initiate a return, track its status in real-time, and choose from various return options and resolutions that suit their preferences and needs.

Compared to manually handling returns, returns automation provides a more efficient and reliable returns process, reducing the time and effort required to process returns.

Let’s dive into how automating your returns process can help you provide a better returns experience for your customers, resulting in higher customer satisfaction and loyalty.

How Returns Automation Improves the Customer Experience

Automating your returns process can improve the customer experience by reducing confusion and frustration, empowering customers to initiate returns in a self-service manner, and keeping them updated in real-time.

Here are some of the ways automated returns improve the customer experience:

Faster Resolution Times

It can be frustrating for customers to wait a long time for a refund or exchange. That’s why automating your returns can be a game-changer. It can speed up the entire returns process and streamline your resolution times.

With an automated returns process, customers can start a return with just a few clicks, without having to contact your customer service or fill out any forms. They can easily initiate a return online from wherever they are, on whatever device they prefer.

Automated returns also help you process and approve returns faster. Instead of having to manually check and approve each return, you can use automation to speed up tasks such as approving returns, issuing refunds, and releasing exchange orders. You can even set up eligibility rules to automatically accept or reject returns based on your return policy.

By automating your returns process, instead of waiting for weeks or months, customers can receive their refund or exchange in just a few days or even hours. This can make a huge difference in the customer experience and increase customer satisfaction.

When customers know they can rely on you for fast and efficient returns, they’re more likely to choose your store over competitors.

Real-Time Updates

With returns automation, your customers can track their returns in real-time without having to wonder or worry about what’s happening with their return. 

An automated returns system can send automatic notifications to customers via email or SMS, providing them with timely updates and alerts. This eliminates the need for customers to constantly check their email or phone for updates, as they’ll be notified when something important happens.

Customers can see when their return has been received, processed, approved, or rejected, and when their refund or exchange has been issued. 

By providing your customers with real-time updates, you can build trust and reduce uncertainty, improving customer satisfaction while reducing customer service queries and issues.

Convenience and Flexibility

One of the biggest benefits of returns automation is the increased convenience and flexibility it offers to customers. 

With an automated returns process, customers won’t have to wait on hold for customer service or visit a physical store location to initiate a return – instead, they can easily initiate a return at any time and from any device. This level of flexibility means customers can initiate returns on their own terms, whenever and however is most convenient for them.

97% of customers have backed out of a purchase because it was inconvenient to them, and 94% are more likely to choose a store to buy from based on convenience.

Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach to returns, with an automated returns process, you can have customers choose the resolution that works best for them, whether it’s a refund, exchange, or store credit. 

They can also choose the return method that suits their needs and preferences, whether it’s a pre-paid shipping label, drop-off location, or another method.

Empowering your customers by giving them more control over their returns process makes them more likely to feel valued and satisfied with their returns experience.

Personalized Experience

Returns automation can be a game-changer in providing a personalized returns experience that meets the unique needs and preferences of each customer.

By automating returns, you can create a customized returns process for each customer based on their purchase history, behavior, and feedback. For example, you can offer different return options and methods based on the reason and category of their return. 

Personalizing the returns process can save customers time and hassle, and show that you understand their needs. 80% of customers are more likely to make a purchase when they receive a personalized experience.

Returns automation can be used to personalize the return process in several ways:

• Provide incentives or discounts – Encourage customers to keep their purchases or exchange them for something else instead of receiving a refund, making sure they end up with something they love.

• Showcase testimonials or reviews – Highlight the benefits of your products or services to reassure customers that they made the right choice and help them feel good about their purchase, even if they need to return it.

• Offer loyalty rewards – Motivate customers to make repeat purchases by offering loyalty rewards or points on their return. This can help build long-term relationships with your customers and keep them coming back for more.

By personalizing the returns process through automation, you can create a positive and memorable returns experience for your customers. They’ll appreciate the attention to detail and the effort you put into making their returns process as smooth and convenient as possible.

Self-Service Returns

Self-service return portals have become increasingly popular recently in eCommerce due to their ability to improve the customer experience. 

Customers increasingly expect more convenience and flexibility when it comes to the returns process, and eCommerce stores are responding by implementing automated solutions that provide greater control and visibility over their returns.

Here are some ways a self-service return portal can improve the customer experience:

• User-friendly experience – Customers can initiate a return from anywhere, anytime, without having to contact customer service or visit a physical store, they can simply go to your return portal and request a return or exchange in a few clicks.

• Clear return policy – With a self-service return portal, customers can only return eligible items, helping prevent customers from trying to return items that don’t comply with your return policy.

• Easy-to-follow process – Customers are walked through the returns process, step by step, which can help customers feel empowered and informed, reducing the chances of errors or misunderstandings.

• Flexible options – Giving customers a choice of return methods and resolutions can increase the chances of customer satisfaction by giving them control over their return. 

81% of customers say they want more self-service options, so providing a self-service return portal and automated returns process will greatly improve your customers’ returns experience.

Customer Behavior Analytics

Automating your returns process can also help you improve your customer experience by providing you with valuable insights into customer behavior and preferences. 

By tracking your returns data you can measure various aspects of your returns process, such as return rates, reasons for returns, return processing time and costs, and the impact of returns on your repeat purchase rate.

Analyzing this data will enable you to identify patterns and trends that can help you optimize your returns process for a better customer experience. 

For example, you can reduce your return rates by improving your product quality, descriptions, images, reviews, and sizing guides, and increase customer retention by optimizing the returns process to provide faster refunds or exchanges, personalized recommendations, or loyalty rewards.

Return analytics help you segment your customers based on their return behavior and preferences.

To identify different types of customers, you can segment your customers into:

• Most profitable customers – Customers who spend a lot and rarely return items.
• Least profitable customers – Customers who spend a lot but request a lot of refunds.
• Average customers – Customers whose behavior and profitability are within the median range of all customers.

By segmenting your customers, you can tailor your marketing and sales strategies to meet their needs and expectations. 

For example, you can target frequent returners with offers or discounts that encourage them to keep their purchases, or target infrequent returners with loyalty rewards or cross-selling campaigns.

Tracking your return analytics through an automated returns management system can help you understand your customers better and provide them with an even more personalized and relevant returns experience.

How to Implement Automated Returns for a Better Customer Experience

To automate your returns process and improve the customer experience, you’ll need to set up a returns management system. Here are some steps to get started:

1. Choose an RMS That Suits Your Needs

There are various returns management systems (RMS) available that can help you automate your returns process. 

Compare features, pricing, integrations, support, etc., read reviews, and then choose the one that best fits your business goals and requirements.

When choosing an RMS, consider how it will integrate with your existing systems and workflows to provide a smooth returns process for both you and your customers.

2. Set up Your Return Policy and Resolutions

Create a clearly-defined return policy, that includes information such as eligibility criteria, return window, shipping costs, and refund methods. Make sure your return policy is easy to find on your website, emails, and product pages.

Offer various return resolutions that customers can choose from, such as refund, exchange, or store credit, and return methods such as pre-paid shipping labels, QR codes, or drop-off locations.

3. Integrate With Your eCommerce Store and Other Tools

Integrate your RMS with your eCommerce store and connect it with other tools that you use for your business, such as warehouse management systems (WMS), helpdesks, shipping carriers, etc.

With a cohesive integration of all your systems and channels, you can ensure smooth, consistent, and seamless data flow and make it easier to process returns and exchanges.

4. Test and Launch Your Automated Returns Process

Before launching your automated returns process to your customers, you should test it thoroughly to ensure that it works properly and meets your expectations. 

Test your automated returns process using real-life scenarios, such as initiating returns with different resolutions and methods, as well as in different situations, like when items are damaged, incorrect, or missing.

By testing your automated returns process, you can ensure that it’s user-friendly, intuitive, and meets your customers’ expectations. You can also test the integration between your RMS and other tools, such as your WMS and shipping carriers, to ensure seamless communication and data flow.

Once you’ve thoroughly tested your automated returns process, you can launch it to your customers with confidence, knowing that it will provide a better customer experience and improve your returns management process.

5. Educate Customers About Your Automated Returns Process 

After launching your automated returns process, promote it to your customers and educate them about its features and benefits. 

Highlight how easy and convenient it is to initiate and complete a return through your self-service return portal. 

Make sure to provide clear instructions and guidance on how to request a return, and provide customer service and support in case of any questions or issues.

By following these steps and best practices, you can implement an automated returns process in your eCommerce store and provide a better customer experience.

Automate Your Returns to Improve the Returns Experience 

As technology continues to evolve, it’s clear that returns automation is becoming more prevalent in the eCommerce industry. By implementing an automated returns process, you can provide their customers with a smoother and more convenient returns experience.

Returns automation makes it easier for customers to initiate and track a return in real-time. This reduces uncertainty and builds customer trust while improving customer satisfaction.

Automate your returns with ReturnGO to streamline the returns process, providing a smooth and convenient returns experience for your customers.

Here are some of the main cultural differences that affect eCommerce returns and how you can adjust your returns management strategy accordingly.

The Role of Culture in eCommerce Returns

Culture is the set of assumptions, traditions, and values that a community develops over time. It influences how people perceive and evaluate customer service, how they communicate, and how they behave as customers.

While this diversity is a valuable aspect of business, it can also present challenges when it comes to managing returns.

Let’s look at some examples of how culture affects these aspects of eCommerce returns.

Cultural Differences in Perception of Customer Service

Customer service is a crucial factor in customer satisfaction and loyalty, and different cultures have different standards and expectations for what constitutes good customer service.

For example, Russians and Japanese customers tend to expect to get better and more personal attention, as in those cultures customers are seen as a “king”.

On the other hand, Finnish culture is highly individualistic, meaning that Finnish customers value their time highly, making them unwilling to spend a lot of time shopping and waiting. Moreover, they plan what they’ll buy in advance, so they don’t expect assistance while shopping.

This means that your customer service representatives need to adjust their tone of voice and attitude depending on the country they serve.

Cultural Differences in Attitudes Towards Returns

Customers from different cultures are likely to have different attitudes toward product returns. 

In some cultures, returning a product is seen as a loss of face, and customers may be reluctant to return products, even if they are dissatisfied with them. In other cultures, returning products is considered a normal part of the shopping process, and customers may be more likely to return products.

One place you can see cultural differences regarding returns is in the attitude toward return policies. 

For example, in the pre-purchase stage, Chinese customers often show a limited interest in return policies since they usually prefer not to return products. 

By contrast, Italian customers are more concerned with the return policy since they want to feel protected against making a wrong purchase. 

Make sure you understand the return behavior and preferences of your target markets and adjust your return policies accordingly.

It’s important to provide accurate and detailed product descriptions, images, and reviews on your website to reduce the likelihood of misunderstandings and false expectations.

Cultural Differences in Communication Styles

Communication is essential for building trust and rapport with your customers. However, different cultures have different ways of expressing themselves and interpreting messages.

Some cultures are more direct and explicit in their communication style, while others are more indirect and implicit. 

For example, American and British cultures have a high level of trustworthiness, meaning that they expect everything said by sales and customer service representatives to be true, as they believe they have a high level of expertise and knowledge. 

These cultural differences mean that you need to tailor your communication style to match the preferences and expectations of your customers and use clear and simple language that avoids ambiguity and confusion.

How to Cater to Different Cultural Preferences in eCommerce Returns

Now that you have a better understanding of how cultural differences affect eCommerce returns, you may be wondering how to adapt your returns management strategy to cater to different cultural preferences. Here are some tips to help you do that.

Multilingual Customer Support

One of the best ways to cater to customers from diverse cultural backgrounds is by offering multilingual customer support. This means providing customer service in different languages to ensure that all customers can communicate effectively with your eCommerce store.

75% of customers are more likely to purchase from the same store again if customer service is in their native language.

To implement multilingual customer support, you can hire multilingual customer service representatives, use AI translation software, or hire professional translators. 

You can also provide translated versions of your website and return portal in different languages.

By offering multilingual customer support, you can create a more inclusive and welcoming shopping experience for customers, which can increase customer loyalty and reduce returns due to language barriers.

Localized Return Policies

When you understand the expectations of customers from different cultural backgrounds, you can customize your return policies according to the expectations and behaviors of your target markets.

For example, you can offer different return periods, conditions, fees, or methods for different countries or regions.

To determine the best approach, research the return practices and standards of your target markets and tailor your return policy accordingly. By doing so, you can minimize misunderstandings and reduce the likelihood of returns due to cultural differences.

When creating localized return policies, make sure to:

• Clearly communicate your return policy on your website and in your confirmation emails.
• Update your return policy according to changes in the market or customer feedback.
• Automate your returns process for different policies and scenarios.

A returns management system like ReturnGO can help you overcome the challenges of receiving returns from all over the world and create, manage, and optimize your return policies for different markets. 

Personalized Customer Service

Personalized customer service can help your store cater to different communication styles and build stronger relationships with customers. 

By understanding the preferences of customers from different cultural backgrounds, you can adjust your customer service team’s communication strategies to create a more personalized and effective experience.

Go beyond language translation and tailor your communication style, tone of voice, emotions, humor, and gestures to match the expectations and norms of your customers.

Train your customer service team on how to provide personalized customer service for different cultures to build trust, reduce misunderstandings, and create a more positive shopping experience.

Bridging the Gap: Cultural Awareness Improves the Returns Experience

In order to provide a great customer experience for your international customers, it’s important to understand how culture affects their perception of customer service, their attitudes towards returns, and their communication styles.

Catering to different cultures when it comes to eCommerce returns requires a flexible and culturally sensitive approach. 

Offer multilingual customer support, localized return policies, and personalized customer service to reduce the impact of cultural differences on returns and build stronger relationships with your customers. 

With ReturnGO, you can streamline your returns process, set up location-based return policies, and offer a multilingual return portal to provide the best possible customer experience for customers all over the world.

But what if we told you that product returns could actually be a chance for you to create a positive customer experience?

By automating your Magento returns process, you can make your returns management more efficient and improve the customer experience at the same time.

Why Having an Efficient Returns Process is Important

Having an efficient returns process is important because customers appreciate a simple and fast returns process that gives them options and flexibility, and they are more likely to shop from you again if they have a positive return experience.

Automating the returns process is one of the most effective ways to improve the customer experience.

Picture this – your customer wants to return a product they bought from your store. They initiate the return online and immediately receive a confirmation email with details on the next steps. They pack up the product, attach a prepaid shipping label, and send it back to you.

Beyond making the returns process easy and efficient for your customers, this also saves you time and resources. Your team doesn’t have to manually process each return, freeing them up to focus on other tasks.

Streamline your returns management and improve the customer experience by automating your Magento returns process.

How Automating Magento Returns Improves the Customer Experience

By automating your Magento store’s returns process, you can create a positive customer experience that will encourage repeat business and boost customer loyalty. 

Use a returns management system to automate your returns and improve the customer experience with a self-service return portal and advanced automation rules. 

Having a hassle-free returns process sets your store apart from competitors and shows your customers that you value their business. 

Provides a Self-Service Returns Experience 

Providing a self-service return portal for your customers makes it easy for them to initiate returns on their own. 

By offering customers the ability to initiate returns by themselves, you give them control over the process and enable them to take action at their convenience, so that customers can initiate returns at any time without needing to contact customer support.

With an automated returns process, customers can quickly and easily initiate returns and receive timely updates on the status of their return. They can receive email notifications at each stage of the return process, from the moment they initiate the return to when their refund is processed. 

This level of transparency helps build trust with customers, keeping them in the loop throughout the entire process. 

Reduces Confusion and Frustration Around Returns

Confusion and frustration around returns can quickly lead to unhappy customers, negative reviews, and lost sales. 

Streamlining the returns process and making it easy for customers to understand the return policy eliminates a lot of the guesswork and ensures that customers have a positive experience.

Offering easy returns shows your commitment to providing an excellent customer experience and ensuring that customers feel valued and supported throughout the returns process. This can help build long-term customer loyalty and drive more sales for your Magento store.

Speeds Up the Returns Process

Automating many of the steps involved in returns makes the process faster and more efficient for both you and your customers.

Customers can initiate a return and generate a return label in just a few clicks, and receive their refund or exchange faster.

With an automated returns process, it’s easier for you to offer faster refunds, as your team no longer needs to spend as much time manually processing returns. 

Reduces Errors and Improves Accuracy

Manually processing returns can be prone to errors and inaccuracies. This can lead to frustration for customers and additional work for your team. Automating your Magento store’s returns process can reduce errors and improve accuracy.

A returns management system can help you collect all necessary information from the customer, such as the reason for the return and the condition of the item, to prevent misunderstandings and disputes later on. Automation can also help ensure refunds are issued accurately and promptly.

By providing a transparent, personalized, and accurate returns process, you can create a positive experience that sets your Magento store apart from competitors and builds customer loyalty.

Analyzing the Impact of Returns

To ensure that your returns process is as efficient and effective as possible, it’s important to track your returns data and improve your returns process as needed. 

Some key metrics to track include:

• Return rates – Monitoring your return rates shows you the percentage of items that are being returned by customers and helps you identify which products or categories are returned most frequently. 

• Return reasons – Understanding the reasons behind customer returns can help you identify recurring issues with your products, shipping process, or customer service and improve them.

• Customer behavior – Analyzing customer behavior during the returns process can provide valuable insights into how you can improve your customer experience. 

Monitoring these metrics and optimizing your returns process over time helps you provide a better customer experience, increase customer satisfaction and loyalty, and ultimately improve your bottom line.

The Impact of Returns on Customer Loyalty

Customer loyalty is crucial for the long-term success of your business. Loyal customers are more likely to make repeat purchases and spend more money per transaction than new customers.

Loyal customers spend an average of 67% more per purchase than new customers, so retaining existing customers is much more cost-effective than acquiring new ones.

When you provide an easy returns process, you can increase customer satisfaction and loyalty, because when customers feel their needs are being met and that your Magento store values their business, they’ll be more likely to come back and buy again.

Customers are more likely to be loyal to a store that provides an effortless and enjoyable shopping experience, including a hassle-free returns process.

Take Control of Your Returns Process Now

Automating your returns process can be a game-changer for your Magento store. By offering a more convenient, transparent, and accurate experience for your customers you can improve customer loyalty and drive repeat business.

By making returns hassle-free and seamless, you can show customers that you value their time and satisfaction, and differentiate your store from competitors.

If you’re looking to improve the customer experience in your Magento store, automate your returns process to create a customer-centric experience that drives sales and builds long-term relationships.

By understanding the different attachment styles and how they can impact customer behavior in returns, you can optimize your returns process and better serve your customers.

Just a heads up before we dive into this topic – while we enjoy exploring psychology-related ideas, we’re not licensed psychologists or experts in the field; we simply find it to be a fascinating subject to discuss. So while we may not have all the answers, we hope this provides some food for thought.

Attachment Theory and Customer Behavior in Returns

Attachment theory is a psychological theory that explains how humans form emotional bonds with others and how they manage their relationships.

Just like any other relationship, the relationship between a customer and an eCommerce store involves interactions, communication, and a level of trust.

When it comes to online product returns, customers’ attachment styles can play a role in their behavior and emotional responses to the returns process.

The four main attachment styles in attachment theory are anxious, avoidant, disorganized, and secure.

Each of these attachment styles can impact how customers behave when they return an item, and attachment theory has been shown to predict important marketing metrics such as repurchase intention, loyalty, trust, and positive word-of-mouth. 

By understanding how attachment styles manifest in your customers, you can tailor your returns process to better serve their needs and ultimately build stronger and longer-lasting customer relationships. 

Attachment Styles and How They Relate to Returns

Most adults are considered to be securely attached, meaning that it is relatively easy to find relationship partners, develop trust, and form close relationships characterized by stability, intimacy, and satisfaction.

However, there are customers who may have other attachment styles that impact their behavior when it comes to returns. 

By understanding the different attachment styles and how they can impact customer behavior in returns, you can tailor your returns process to better accommodate the needs of all customers and improve their overall experience.

Let’s break down each attachment style and how it manifests in returns, and see how you can adjust your returns process to suit each style.

Anxious Attachment (Preoccupied)

Anxious attachment is characterized by a fear of abandonment and a need for constant reassurance. 

People with an anxious attachment style tend to have a high need for validation and reassurance in relationships. They may worry about being rejected or abandoned and seek constant contact and closeness with their partners. 

Customers with an anxious attachment style may have similar needs for validation and reassurance. They’re more likely to seek out customer service support and need clear communication throughout the returns process to feel secure. 

Anxious customers are also more likely to experience anxiety or distress when returning a product, as it may trigger feelings of rejection or abandonment.

Steph Anya, a licensed marriage and family therapist, says “When I see adults who have this anxious attachment style, those are typically adults where if a person hasn’t texted them back they’re freaking out, they’re anxious, they’re thinking that person is going to abandon them. 

They’re the kind of person that really tries to read between the lines. They might be easily hurt or offended, and sensitive, because they’re always looking for cues that a person might reject them or reject their needs.”

So too, in eCommerce, customers with an anxious attachment style may be worried that their return won’t be approved, and might need additional reassurance from customer support.

This can include sending automated emails to confirm receipt of the returned product, providing regular updates on the status of the return, and offering personalized support and reassurance. 

Avoidant Attachment (Dismissive)

People with an avoidant attachment style tend to prioritize independence and self-sufficiency in relationships. They may have difficulty with emotional intimacy and may withdraw or become distant when faced with conflict or emotional expression. 

Customers with an avoidant attachment style may be less likely to seek out customer service support and may prefer a more self-service approach to returns. They may also be more likely to avoid returning products altogether and may prioritize finding alternative solutions on their own.

Provide a self-service returns process to make customers with an avoidant attachment style feel more comfortable, enabling them to go through the whole returns process on their own, using a self-service return portal and automated notifications.

By respecting the customer’s need for independence and self-sufficiency, you can help customers with an avoidant attachment style feel more empowered and in control.

Disorganized Attachment (Fearful-Avoidant)

People with a disorganized attachment style tend to have conflicting or inconsistent patterns of behavior in relationships. They may experience fear or distrust of their partners, while also seeking out their closeness and affection. 

Customers with a disorganized attachment style may have difficulty navigating the returns process and may experience mixed emotions about returning a product. 

They may need more personalized support and reassurance throughout the process to feel secure and may have a higher likelihood of experiencing anxiety or distress when returning a product.

They may also struggle to communicate their needs and concerns, which can lead to more misunderstandings and conflicts.

It’s important to provide personalized support and reassurance throughout the returns process for customers with a disorganized attachment style. 

This can include assigning a dedicated customer service representative to handle the return, offering flexible options for return shipping, and providing clear instructions and expectations for the process. It may also be helpful to follow up with the customer after the return has been processed to ensure that they are satisfied with the outcome. 

By demonstrating consistency and reliability, you can help customers with a disorganized attachment style feel more secure and confident.

Secure Attachment

People with a secure attachment style tend to have a strong sense of self-worth and value healthy relationships based on mutual respect and trust. They are comfortable with emotional intimacy and have effective communication skills in relationships. 

Securely attached customers have been found to show a strong desire for close relationships with companies and can be effectively targeted with social relationship programs.

When it comes to returns, customers with a secure attachment style are more likely to be more optimistic and trusting. They value clear and consistent communication and are more likely to seek out customer service support if needed. 

Customers with a secure attachment style are more likely to find it easy to navigate and complete the returns process with minimal issues. It is also more likely that they will have a positive experience in general, making them great candidates for leaving reviews and providing feedback.

The Role of Trust and Connection in Reducing Returns

Trust and connection are crucial components of any relationship, including the relationship 

between stores and customers. 

Building trust and connection can help reduce return rates by encouraging customers to feel more comfortable with initiating a return, and making them less likely to have a negative experience.

You can cultivate trust and connection with customers through returns management strategies such as offering personalized support, transparent communication, and an easy-to-use returns process.

“Attachment styles are valid predictors of important marketing measures, such as repurchase intention, loyal behavior, commitment, trust, and positive word-of-mouth. 

Additionally, there are indications that high levels of attachment anxiety and avoidance lead to negative consumer behavior after a consumer-firm relationship comes to an end.” 

– The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research, Volume 33, 2023 – Issue 1

Applying Attachment Theory to Returns Management

Apply attachment theory to your returns management strategies by tailoring them to the different attachment styles. 

For example, you can use data analysis to identify patterns in return behavior and offer personalized support and communication to customers with attachment styles that need extra support and reassurance. 

Ideally, you want to focus mostly on targetting customers with a secure attachment style, as they’re more likely to form social bonds and trust in relationships, making them valuable assets for your eCommerce store.

To effectively target this customer segment, identify customers who have a secure attachment style. This can help you create an efficient returns process, as these customers are most likely to have a positive return experience and maintain long-term relationships with your store.

Store attachment, or attachment to a store, has a big influence on people’s interactions with a store. Attached customers are more likely to return to the store, spend more, and are more likely to be proactive.

Take the time to assess your customers’ attachment styles and adjust your products and services accordingly, to create a loyal customer base and drive sustainable growth for your business.

Use Attachment Styles to Improve Your Returns Process

By understanding these different attachment styles, you can better anticipate and manage customer behavior in product returns.

Now that you know how attachment theory can impact customer behavior in returns, and the role of trust and connection in reducing returns, you can apply attachment theory to your returns management strategy and be more effective in your communications.

The relationship between a customer and an eCommerce store is multifaceted, involving interactions, communication, and a level of trust. By prioritizing the customer’s experience, communicating effectively, and building trust, you can foster strong relationships with customers and ultimately drive long-term business success.

How Exclusivity Enhances the Returns Experience

Exclusivity can play a big role in your customers’ return experience, especially in the luxury industry. 

Customers who buy luxury products often have higher expectations and lower tolerance for dissatisfaction than customers who buy mass-market products.

Providing an exclusive, luxury return experience can help differentiate your store from competitors and boost the customer experience. 

By focusing on exclusivity, you can transform returns from a dreaded process to an opportunity to create a positive connection with customers.

“Customers are rarely buying just the luxury product. They are purchasing the entire experience and they expect that same experience at every touch point – in-store, in the call center, in the call center chat room and online.”

– Perry Kramer, Vice President, BRM

Exclusivity vs. Convenience: Balancing Customer Needs

While eCommerce has made purchasing luxury products easier and more convenient, it has challenged the idea of exclusivity. 

As a luxury brand, you need to consider how to keep your exclusive status when in the world of eCommerce. It’s a balancing act that requires you to be conscious of the importance of both convenience and exclusivity.

While trying to create a perception of exclusivity helps meet customer expectations, exclusivity makes it harder to manage your inventory and logistics when dealing with returns. 

For example, if a customer returns a custom-made handbag made with rare leather and unique colors, you may not be able to find another customer who wants exactly the same item, so you’ll likely have to modify or dispose of it at an additional cost.

In addition to the logistical challenges of exclusive returns, keep in mind that you still want to make returns convenient for all your customers. 

Maintain a balance by providing tiered benefits with exclusive benefits to VIP customers while maintaining a convenient returns process for everyone.

How to Create a Luxury Returns Experience Using Exclusivity

When it comes to creating a luxury returns experience, one of the most important things you can offer is a sense of exclusivity. 

By creating a unique and personalized experience for customers who are returning items, you can build your reputation as a luxury brand and keep your customers coming back again and again.

Here are a few ways you can create an exclusive, luxury returns experience:

Free Returns

Offering free returns for VIP customers is a great way to create an exclusive returns experience. 

Define what constitutes a VIP customer and create a custom return policy that applies only to this customer segment. For example, you might define a VIP customer as someone who has spent over a certain amount in your store or has made a certain number of purchases. 

Once you’ve defined your VIP customer segment, create a custom return policy rule that offers free returns for these customers, which will help to make them feel valued and appreciated.

Automated Refunds

Another way to offer an exclusive returns experience is to offer automated refunds for certain types of returns. 

For example, you might offer automatic refunds for returns of a certain value or for items that meet certain conditions.

By automating the refund process, you can offer a faster and more convenient returns experience for your customers, helping you build customer loyalty and satisfaction.

Personalized Communication

Personalize your communications with your customers for a more luxurious experience.

For example, you can send personalized emails to customers who have returned items, thanking them for their business and offering them exclusive promotions or discounts. 

71% of customers expect companies to deliver personalized interactions, and companies that are good at personalization generate 40% more revenue from such activities than average companies.

By communicating with your customers in a more personalized and exclusive way, you can create a stronger connection with your customers and build customer loyalty over time.

Extended Return Windows

Another way to create a luxury experience is to offer an extended return window for high-value customers. 

To offer an extended return window for high-value customers, define what constitutes a high-value customer, such as customers with a certain average order value (AOV), and set up a custom return policy rule that gives them a longer amount of time to return products.

By offering a returns process that is tailored to different customer segments, you can create a more personalized and exclusive customer experience.

Perception vs. Reality: How Exclusivity Shapes the Luxury Returns Experience

When it comes to luxury returns, perception is everything. Customers who perceive a brand to be exclusive and high-end are likely to have higher expectations for the returns process. 

High-value customers expect a smooth and efficient returns process, and to be treated with the same level of exclusivity they received during the initial purchase.

The results can be dramatic when customers shopping at luxury eCommerce stores have a returns experience that doesn’t meet their expectations.

Therefore, a luxury customer experience should include a returns process that is aligned with the initial shopping experience.

Turn Returns into a Luxury Experience

Offering an exclusive returns experience using strategies such as free returns and extended return windows for high-value customers can have a significant impact on customer satisfaction, loyalty, and perception of your brand.

By providing exclusive benefits to certain customers, you make them feel valued and special.

Use the power of psychology and perception to provide a luxury returns experience that enhances customer satisfaction and builds brand loyalty.

It’s important to understand the impact of impulsivity on eCommerce returns and take steps to mitigate its effects.

What is the Impact of Impulsivity on eCommerce Returns?

Impulsive buying behavior can lead to more product returns because when customers make purchases without fully considering their options, they often end up with products that don’t meet their needs or expectations.

Some of the ways customer impulsivity increases return rates:

Not Considering the Return Policy

Impulsive buyers are more likely to make purchases without carefully considering the return policy, which can lead to confusion or frustration if the return policy is not clearly communicated or doesn’t align with the customer’s expectations.

Experiencing Buyer’s Remorse

Impulsive purchases are more likely to result in buyer’s remorse, which is the feeling of regret or anxiety after making a purchase. When customers experience buyer’s remorse, they are more likely to return the product, even if there’s nothing wrong with it. 

Not Planning Ahead

Impulsive purchases are often made without a plan or consideration for future needs or preferences. Ultimately, this can result in customer returns when they realize the product doesn’t fit their overall plans.

Engaging in Bracketing Fraud

Impulsive buyers are more likely to engage in bracketing return fraud, which is the act of buying multiple versions of the same item in different sizes, colors, or styles with the intention of returning those that don’t fit or don’t meet their needs.

Impulse Purchases Lead to High Return Rates

Impulse purchases lead to high return rates as customers are more likely to return items they bought impulsively.

A high return rate can have several negative impacts, including:

• Reduced Profit Margins – Every time an item is returned, your store loses revenue. High return rates can significantly impact your profit margins.

• Increased Costs – Returns lead to additional costs, such as restocking fees, return shipping costs, and reduced inventory value, which can add up quickly and reduce your store’s profitability.

• Decreased Customer Satisfaction – High return rates may be indicative of customer dissatisfaction, resulting in negative reviews and reduced customer loyalty.

• Increased Workload – Processing returns can be time-consuming and require additional resources. High return rates can increase your team’s workload, resulting in decreased efficiency and higher costs.

By understanding the impact of impulsivity on eCommerce returns and taking steps to mitigate its effects, you can improve your bottom line and provide a better customer experience.

Tips to Mitigate the Impact of Impulsivity on Returns

Here are a few practical steps you take to reduce the likelihood of impulsive purchases and subsequent returns:

Provide Clear Product Descriptions and Images

Providing detailed and accurate product descriptions and images can help customers make more informed purchasing decisions, reducing the likelihood of them making impulsive purchases that may not meet their needs or expectations. 

By using high-quality images and descriptive text, you can provide a more accurate representation of the product, which can reduce the chance of eCommerce returns and exchanges.

Display Reviews from Previous Customers

Customer reviews and ratings can provide valuable feedback and social proof for potential customers who are considering buying a certain product.

97% of customers typically read product reviews and look at ratings before making a purchase. Reviews can help build trust with potential customers and provide them with a more accurate representation of the product. 

By highlighting customer reviews, you can provide a more balanced perspective on products, which can help reduce the likelihood of impulsive purchases.

Communicate Your Return Policy Clearly

Reduce confusion and manage customer expectations by clearly communicating your return policy.

Customers want to know what to expect if they need to return a product, including any deadlines, requirements, and potential fees. Make sure your return policy includes everything customers need to know about the returns process.

By clearly communicating your return policy on your website, product pages, and post-purchase emails, customers can make more informed decisions about their purchases, reducing the likelihood of returns and exchanges.

Offer Personalized Product Recommendations

Personalized product recommendations can help customers find products that meet their specific needs and preferences, reducing the likelihood of them making impulsive purchases that may not be a good fit.

By using customer data to personalize messaging and promotions, you can create a sense of exclusivity and relevance that can help reduce impulsive purchases. 

80% of customers are more likely to make a purchase if they receive a personalized experience, and that purchase is more likely to meet their expectations.

Address Impulse Purchases to Reduce Return Rates

The impact of impulsivity on eCommerce returns is something many people fail to consider, and it should be taken seriously. 

By taking steps to mitigate the effects of impulsive buying behavior, you can help customers make more informed decisions and reduce the likelihood of impulsivity-related returns.

What are Post-Purchase Emails?

Post-purchase emails are emails that are sent after a customer has completed their purchase. Post-purchase emails can include transactional emails (order confirmations, return request updates, etc) and marketing emails (upsells, loyalty program promotion, etc).

The purpose of post-purchase emails is to keep customers engaged and informed after checkout and to continue the customer relationship.

Why are Post-Purchase Emails Important?

Post-purchase emails are a great way to boost customer loyalty and build brand awareness, as well as to keep customers coming back and increase their lifetime value.

Increase Customer Lifetime Value

Post-purchase emails can be a powerful tool to help increase customer lifetime value (LTV) and can be used as an effective marketing tool to drive future sales. 

Maintaining customer engagement post-purchase is a great way to increase sales, and utilizing post-purchase emails to upsell and cross-sell is an effective way to maximize customer lifetime value.

Build Customer Trust and Brand Awareness

Sending branded and personalized post-purchase emails is one of the most effective ways to create a consistent brand experience throughout the customer journey. 

Create brand awareness and customer trust by providing branded post-purchase emails, so customers recognize your store’s emails immediately and know what to expect since it matches the rest of their shopping experience.

Boost Customer Loyalty and Retention

Keeping customers engaged after the purchase is a key component of customer retention. Sending post-purchase emails is an effective way to engage customers and keep them coming back.

By providing customers with engaging content and timely shipping updates, post-purchase emails can help to build an ongoing customer relationship that leads to repeat purchases and increased customer loyalty and retention. 

10 Post-Purchase Emails to Keep Customers Coming Back

Post-purchase emails can be used to build customer relationships, remind them of the value of their purchase, and encourage them to continue shopping with your business. 

From discount offers to product recommendations, there are a variety of post-purchase emails you can use to keep customers engaged. Knowing which to send and when can help ensure that your post-purchase emails are effective. 

Keep your customers engaged with these post-purchase emails.

Transactional Emails

Transactional emails such as shipping, order, and return emails are the most basic kind of post-purchase emails sent after a customer places an order. 

Post-purchase transactional emails are informative and typically contain details such as the customers’ order and product details. 

Providing timely and accurate updates about the status of customers’ orders builds trust and makes customers feel valued, helping to create a positive customer experience.

1. Order Confirmation Emails

Order confirmation emails inform customers that their order has been processed, confirm the details of the order, and lets them know what to expect next.

More than just confirming product details, order confirmation emails represent your brand and are often the first emails that your customers receive after making a purchase.

Send branded, personalized order confirmation emails to provide customers with peace of mind about their purchase and create strong and lasting customer relationships.

2. Shipping Updates Emails

Keep your customers informed by sending them email updates regarding their shipments and return shipments. Update your customers about the progress of their orders by sending shipping confirmations, delivery notifications, and tracking information.

3. Return Request Emails

Notify your customers throughout each stage of the return process, from when they request the return to the point when the refund or exchange is approved and issued. 

Keeping your customers informed about the status of their return requests in real-time by including return notification emails in your post-purchase flow will help provide a smooth return process.

ReturnGO makes it easy to customize your return emails according to your brand’s colors, voice, and style, and automate your return update emails to keep your customers informed throughout the entire return process.

4. Return Shipping Update Emails

Provide customers with real-time updates on the status of their return shipments. Let them know when their returned items are in transit, received, and processed.

Keeping your customers in the loop reduces the number of customer support queries your team has to handle.

Marketing Emails

You can use post-purchase marketing emails to increase customer retention and lifetime value, upsell and cross-sell, and establish your store as a trustworthy brand.

5. Thank You Emails

Demonstrate your appreciation for your customers by sending them a dedicated thank-you email in addition to transactional emails.

Send a separate thank-you email to promote your brand, provide more information about your products, remind them of your return policy, and reassure customers that they made the right choice by buying from your store. 

6. Educational or How-To Emails

With post-purchase educational or how-to emails, you can provide tips on how to care for, use, and assemble your store’s products.

Educating customers about how to use the products they bought can increase your repeat purchase rate and decrease the number of returns. Your how-to emails are also a great opportunity to reassure customers that they can return their purchased items if necessary.

7. Loyalty Program or Loyalty Rewards Emails

Send post-purchase loyalty rewards emails inviting customers to your loyalty rewards program if you have one, or sending them a special discount for their next purchase. 

Customer loyalty is important as loyal customers are more likely to recommend your business to others and make repeat purchases, which helps increase sales and revenue

Loyalty rewards give you the opportunity to demonstrate your appreciation for your customers. Having customers earn rewards for their purchases is a great way to capture their interest and keep them coming back.

8. Review Request Emails  

The best way to get more reviews is to ask for them. Send a clear review request email to your customers, asking them to leave a review of the products they bought.

86% of customers see reviews as an essential factor in their purchase decisions. Reviews increase conversion by helping your customers make more confident purchases, leading to an average of 65% conversion increase.

Keep your review request emails short and to the point. Include a direct call to action to leave a review, and avoid other marketing elements, links, or banners that might distract customers from writing a review.

When sending review request emails, it’s important to get the timing right – before your customers’ excitement over their new purchase has worn off, but after they’ve had time to use the products.

Combining asking for feedback with asking for a review can help you gain insights into your products, website, and return process. See how your products and customer experience can be improved by getting a sense of what your customers think and how their experience was.

The more frequently customers interact with your store, whether by purchasing, returning, or repeat purchases, the more opportunities you have to ask them for feedback and reviews, and the more loyal they are likely to become.

9. Cross-Sell or Upsell Emails

Post-purchase emails are an effective way to cross-sell or upsell to customers. 

For example, a certain amount of time after a customer has placed an order, you can suggest that it might be time to reorder, or suggest a related product or an upgraded version of the product they bought. These emails can increase sales and customer loyalty by encouraging customers to purchase more from your store.

Personalizing your cross-sell and upsell emails to each customer is key to creating a positive customer experience. Show your appreciation by sending them emails that are relevant to their interests, based on their purchase history.

10. Product Recommendation Emails

Send personalized product recommendation emails to customers after their purchase to increase customer loyalty, boost brand awareness and drive sales.

Use your customers’ purchase history and demographics to personalize their product recommendations.

5 Tips for Writing Effective Post-Purchase Emails

After customers make a purchase, keeping them engaged is key to providing an exceptional customer experience and keeping them coming back to buy again. To ensure your post-purchase emails are effective and successful, here are some practical tips to keep in mind.

1. Get Creative With Your Copy

Don’t let your emails get lost in customers’ inboxes – make them stand out by investing in good copywriting.

From your subject lines to your calls to action, your email copy should be engaging, creative, and most importantly, in line with your brand voice. 

2. Include Personalized Information

Personalizing your post-purchase emails is an effective way to boost customer retention and satisfaction.

Include the customer’s name in the subject line and body of the email, information relevant to their recent purchase, or offers tailored to the customer’s interests to create a personalized experience.

By personalizing all your post-purchase emails, you can see up to 81% increase in click rates, 133% increase in conversion rates, and 22% increase in open rates compared to only sending static, generic emails. 

3. Consider the Timing of Your Emails

Creating a positive post-purchase experience that anticipates customer needs and questions is dependent on getting the timing of the different emails right. 

Consider when to send each type of email in relation to the purchase, delivery, and other emails.

4. Segment Customers Based on Behavior

Segmenting customers based on their behavior is an effective way to send relevant post-purchase emails. 

You can segment your customers by tracking data from customer interactions to identify patterns in behaviors and preferences. By segmenting customers into different groups, you can tailor your post-purchase emails to their interests. 

Customer segmentation can help your store provide a better customer experience, increase customer loyalty, and boost sales.

5. Automate Your Post-Purchase Emails

Automating your post-purchase emails is a great way to streamline the post-purchase process and improve customer satisfaction. 

In addition to providing fast and accurate information about orders, shipment status, return requests, and more, automating your post-purchase emails will drastically reduce the amount of time spent manually managing your emails, enabling you and your team to spend more time on other tasks.

Additionally, automated emails make it easy to give customers a personalized post-purchase experience.

Create a post-purchase email flow with triggers for each email to create a positive customer experience and increase customer loyalty.

Use Post-Purchase Emails to Keep Customers Engaged

Post-purchase emails can be an effective way to engage with your customers even after checkout. 

From transactional emails updating customers on the status of their shipment or return to marketing emails thanking customers for their purchase, encouraging them to leave a review, or promoting other products, post-purchase emails can add value to customers and keep them in the loop even after they leave your site.

By continuing the customer relationship beyond the initial purchase, you can build customer loyalty and increase customer lifetime value.

What are Return Notification Emails? 

Return email notifications are automated emails that your customers get throughout the returns process, updating them on the status of their return requests.

Different actions trigger different email notifications. Email notifications that customers receive will depend on various actions taken by the store, customer, or automation rules during the returns process.

Notify your customers throughout each stage of the return process, from when they request the return to the point when the refund or exchange is approved and issued. ReturnGO makes it easy to customize your store’s return email notifications to match your brand colors, voice, and style.

Why are Return Notification Emails Important?

Return notification emails are an important part of the return process as they help to keep customers updated and informed, reducing customer support queries and improving the customer experience.

Customizing Return Notification Emails

When customizing ReturnGO return email notifications, the general structure of email notifications is maintained, while the subject and the middle section of the email body can be customized to fit your needs. 

ReturnGO automatically inserts your store and customer information into your notification emails, while all other texts can be edited manually.

You can customize the logo, colors, and text of return notification emails to make them match the rest of your eCommerce store’s brand style. This helps create a seamless brand experience for your customers and helps them instantly recognize emails with updates about their return status as coming from your store.

What Types of Return Notification Emails Are There?

During the return process, different types of return notification emails are sent to address the various stages of the return process, including notifications about the status of the customer’s return request, return shipment, and resolution.

Return Request Notifications

Once a customer has initiated a return request in your return portal, they receive an email updating them on the status of their request. 

Depending on your return automation rules, these emails may be sent automatically once they submit a return request, or once you have manually approved or rejected the request.

Pending Approval 

If a customer requests to return an item that requires manual approval, they will automatically receive an email notification letting them know that you have received the return request and will update them once it has been reviewed.

Request Approved 

Customers receive an email when their return request has been approved. This email includes instructions for what to do with the returned items, whether shipping them back or returning them in-store. If necessary, a pre-paid return shipping label will be included.

Request Rejected

When a return request is rejected for not fitting the return policy rules, customers receive an email letting them know that it has been rejected and why.

Return Shipment Notifications

Once a customer’s return request has been approved, they receive email notifications updating them on the status of their return shipment.

Shipment In-Transit

If the shipping carrier used offers live tracking, customers will receive an email once the return shipping label has been scanned and the shipment is in transit. This email usually includes a link to the shipment tracking page. 

Shipment Received

When you mark the return shipment as Received, the customer receives an email letting them know that their shipment has been received.

Return Resolution Notifications

Customers receive email notifications with the details of their return resolution, such as refund, store credit, or open invoice.

Refund to Payment Method 

When customers select the option of receiving a refund to the original payment method used at checkout, they get an email confirming that they have received the refund. This email comes directly from Shopify and includes the refunded amount and order summary.

Store Credit

When customers select the option of receiving store credit, they get an email confirming that they have received the store credit. This email includes the store credit amount, discount code, and redemption instructions.

Gift Card

When customers select the option of receiving a refund as a gift card, they receive an email that includes the gift card amount, which triggers Shopify to send a separate email with the gift card information and the next steps to take – whether that’s shipping, keeping, or donating the items.

Order Canceled 

When customers request to cancel an order, they receive an email confirming the cancellation request, followed by a separate email from Shopify confirming that the order has been canceled.

Invoice for Exchange Price Difference

When customers request a product exchange that has a price difference (exchanging one product for a more expensive one), they receive an email from Shopify with an invoice for the amount to be settled and a link to pay the remaining balance.

Tips for Setting Up Return Email Notifications

Set up effective return email notifications by following these tips.

Personalized eCommerce Emails Get Opened More

Personalization is essential to email marketing because customers want to be seen as individuals, and 71% of customers expect businesses to provide personalized interactions.

Sending personalized emails can:

• Help you stand out in your customer’s inbox.
• Make your emails more likely to be opened and clicked on.
• Improve the customer experience.
• Build customer trust and loyalty.

When sending return notification emails, always use the customer’s name and make sure the content is personalized, relevant, and has a clear purpose. You can make each email more personal by including direct links to the customer’s account page, wishlist, or recent orders.

Personalized emails can lead to an 81% increase in click rates, a 133% increase in conversion rates, and a 22% increase in open rates compared to only sending static, generic emails. 

Consistency is Key

Email notifications are important for conveying a consistent brand experience across every customer touchpoint.

By keeping your branding consistent, you create a seamless customer experience that boosts customer trust and loyalty. In addition, branded email notifications help you stay top-of-mind with your customers, keeping them engaged with your store.

Use Return Notification Emails to Keep Customers Updated

Including return notification eCommerce emails as part of your return process is a great way to keep your customers updated on the status of their return requests in real-time to provide a smooth return flow. 

Use ReturnGO to send effective return notification emails and show customers that your eCommerce store is dedicated to providing a positive customer experience.

Customer Expectations in Returns

The explosion of fast-fashion eCommerce with effective return services has increased customer expectations when it comes to online returns.

In recent years, businesses such as Amazon, ASOS, and Zappos have set an exceptionally high standard when it comes to choice, delivery times, and easy returns.

Customers want a quick, easy, and flexible return process. 92% of customers say they’ll buy again if the return process is easy, which is why it’s important to optimize your returns in order to improve customer loyalty and retention.

How to Measure eCommerce Customer Loyalty and Retention

Loyal customers are one of the most valuable assets your eCommerce store can have. The average amount spent per purchase by loyal customers is 67% higher than by new customers.

Keep your customers coming back to your business by focusing on their post-purchase experience. Retaining existing customers is much more cost-effective than looking for new ones.

What is Customer Loyalty?

Customer loyalty is what prompts people to buy over and over again from the same store, even when cheaper or more up-to-date alternatives are available.

Each time customers make a repeat purchase, they are more likely to feel confident that your business will deliver what it promises, leading to increased customer loyalty and increased lifetime value (LTV).

How do you measure customer loyalty? Loyalty is, after all, an emotion, a sense of belonging.

While customer loyalty isn’t directly measurable, tracking your customer retention rate is a good indicator of customer loyalty.

What is Customer Retention Rate?

Customer retention rate is the percentage of customers who continue to do business with your store after a specific timeframe (month, year, etc). Tracking this metric can help you understand what keeps customers loyal to your store, and identify opportunities to improve your customer experience.

To calculate your customer retention rate, subtract the number of new customers you acquired within the timeframe from the total number of customers you have at the end of the timeframe. Divide that number by the number of customers you started the timeframe with, and multiply by 100 to get the percentage.

Keeping track of your customer retention rate is a good place to start when it comes to measuring your customer loyalty and improving it.   

How to Optimize Your Returns to Improve Customer Loyalty

The ideal return experience keeps customers coming back to your store over and over again instead of looking for new stores to buy from. 

According to the Pareto principle, 20% of repeat customers generate up to 80% of your profits. This is why optimizing your returns process is essential for improving customer loyalty and increasing LTV.

Here are some ways you can improve your returns to boost customer loyalty.

Create a Return Policy That’s Easy to Understand

Make sure your store has a clearly-defined return policy so that customers know exactly what to expect before buying from you.

Your eCommerce return policy can have a big impact on customers’ purchasing decisions. 61% of customers check the return policy before buying, and customers are less likely to click ‘buy’ if they aren’t sure they’ll be able to return the items.

In your return policy, define clearly what you will and won’t accept as a return. How long do customers have to return items? Do customers have to pay for return shipping? What kind of return resolutions do you offer (refunds, exchanges, store credit, etc)?

Make sure your return policy is clearly displayed on your website and is easy to understand, with no confusing jargon. An easy-to-understand return policy builds customer loyalty by ensuring customers know what to expect before making a purchase.

Provide Flexible Returns Options

Providing easy and flexible return options will help improve customer loyalty and ensure that customers will buy from you again.

Complicated return methods can be frustrating for customers, so making the returns process as hassle-free as possible is important.

Keep in mind that not everyone has easy access to packing materials or a printer to print out shipping labels, so you may want to send customers pre-printed return labels with their order or partner with a third-party location for non-packaged items to be dropped off.

Different customers will want to return their items in different ways, so give your customers a choice of return methods. Most customers ship back their returned items, while a smaller percentage prefer to drop them off at a physical location, such as a drop-off point or brick-and-mortar store.

Offering flexible return options to your customers will increase customer loyalty and retention by making it easy for them to return items. Customers will be more likely to choose to buy from you regularly if they know they can easily return items if necessary.

Process Returns Quickly

Processing returns quickly will make your customers trust you more, increasing the likelihood that they will buy from you again in the future.

52% of customers say they would spend more if they knew they would receive a refund quickly. This plays out with customers spending an average of 23% more when offered faster refunds.

If the returns process is too long and complicated, customers may give up and keep the unwanted items, and simply not buy from your store again. 

Communicate clearly to your customers that they will receive a refund quickly – efficient handling of returns will improve customer loyalty.

Encourage Exchanges Over Refunds

By enabling customers to exchange their purchased products, you can keep the money they have already spent with your store while providing them with the product they need. This benefits your customers without impacting your profits. 

Incentivize your customers to ask for an exchange. Some ways to incentivize customers to request an exchange instead of a refund include offering coupons, discounts, or free shipping exclusively on exchanges.

Make exchanges easy for your customers to keep them coming back to your store instead of getting a refund and taking their business elsewhere. A hassle-free exchange process can turn a potential customer loss into a lifelong loyal customer.

Automate Your Returns

The most effective thing you can do to improve your returns experience and build eCommerce customer loyalty and retention is to use an automated returns management system like ReturnGO.

Automating your returns speeds up the returns process and enables you to resolve return requests in no time. 

Using a self-service return portal and a powerful setup of automation rules, eligibility conditions, and seamless integrations, you can process returns efficiently, accurately, and securely. 

Having an automated returns process makes it easier for customers to return products, making them more likely to buy again.

Improve Customer Loyalty Through Returns

Use the returns process as an opportunity to improve customer loyalty. Encourage customers to stay loyal to your store by making it easy to return products. 

Make returns easy by providing a flexible, fast, automated returns experience that will make your customers stay loyal to your eCommerce store, make repeat purchases, and recommend your store to family and friends.

By tracking the return reasons your customers provide when requesting a return, you can identify patterns and make changes in order to reduce the number of returns and improve the customer experience. 

Why Return Reasons Are Important

Return reasons are important to track for analytics purposes. By understanding why customers return products, you can learn from these insights and improve your products and services.

Have your customers answer follow-up questions and upload photos to give you an in-depth understanding of why your customers are returning items.

For example, if a certain product is frequently being returned because it does not meet customers’ expectations, you may need to improve the product description or images. If a product is regularly being returned due to size issues, you may want to add or improve sizing charts on the product page.

Setting Up Your Return Reasons

Set up an unlimited amount of return reasons. Your return portal comes with default return reasons that you can edit, add and remove as needed.

The return reasons you define can be used to create your return policy. You can establish eligibility conditions based on return reasons. 

For example, if you offer a full refund for items returned within 30 days, you could add a return reason for “changed my mind” and only refund those items if they are returned within 14 days. Use return reasons to make your return policy more relevant and specific.

Once you’ve defined your return reasons, you can customize which return reasons to display in your return portal, as well as how they are displayed and in what order. This will make it more convenient for customers when they need to request to return an item.

How Return Reasons Appear in Your Return Portal

When customers request to return a product, they are given the list of return reasons to choose from. Once they select a return reason, they are then asked follow-up questions related to that reason. This enables you to track and analyze the most common reasons for product returns, and take steps to address them.

Setting Follow-Up Questions

The ability to set up follow-up questions is a unique feature that ReturnGO offers. In addition to the standard return reasons, you can create follow-up questions to get more information and gather more accurate analytics about the reasons your customers are returning products.

For example, in addition to the standard return reason of “doesn’t fit,” you can follow up with questions such as “too small,” “too large,” “too long,” or “too short.” 

Alternatively, for the return reason of “damaged product,” you could follow up with questions such as “what part of the product was damaged?” and “upload images.”

Create sequences of follow-up questions – as many as you want and in any order you choose. Choose from 6 different types of follow-up questions, giving a lot of flexibility. Follow-up questions can be a combination of multiple-choice questions, free text questions, image uploads, and more.

Asking follow-up questions can help you further analyze your return reasons and collect additional information to identify specific issues with your products, processes, and customer experience.

Image Upload

The ability to request photos from customers when they select a certain return reason is a great advantage that ReturnGO offers.

For example, you can require customers to upload a photo of the product when they’re returning a product due to damage, or when they received the wrong product. 

The image upload feature helps to verify the return and prevent fraud, as well as identify product damage and other recurring issues. Use this information to improve your product quality and shipping processes to minimize these return reasons in the future.

View the images your customers uploaded in the RMA card, which includes all the details of their return request, including the return reason they selected, the answers to follow-up questions, and the images they uploaded. 

By having all the necessary information about the return request, you can make informed decisions about how to handle it.

Tracking Return Reasons Analytics

Return reasons can provide valuable insight into your customers’ experiences and your products, as well as how they can be improved.

Track your return reasons on your analytics dashboard to see which return reasons are most frequently given, and how return reasons vary by product.

Analyzing your store’s total return reason distribution can help you identify which return reasons are most common. The return analytics dashboard provides a clear visual representation of your return reasons. 

Get a deeper understanding of your return process by comparing the rates of different return reasons. Determine what causes the most returns for particular products, and address those reasons to reduce your return rates.

For example, if a product has a high rate of “does not fit: too small” returns, consider adjusting the sizing description or adding more detailed sizing charts. 

If a product has a high rate of “not what I expected: functionality is not what I expected” returns, it may be worth rewriting the product description to add more detailed information. This will help future customers know what to expect and make purchase decisions accordingly.

Use Return Reasons to Optimize Your Business

Track the reasons your customers provide for returning products to identify patterns and make improvements to your products and customer experience. 

By understanding the reasons behind returns, you can reduce your returns and optimize your returns process to make it as smooth and efficient as possible.

Why is it Important to Implement Personalization?

Offering a personalized shopping experience is important because customers like to feel seen, and to feel that your business knows and cares about them.

When customers have a positive interaction with an online business, they are more likely to seek out that experience again the next time they want to buy something. 80% of customers are more likely to make a purchase when provided with a customized experience.

Customers prefer shopping with eCommerce stores that recognize them as individuals at every step of their journey. 

When customers have personalized interactions they are more likely to spend more. Personalized shopping experiences drive impulse purchases and encourage customers to spend more. In fact, customers spend an average of 34% more when their shopping experience is personalized.

Only 15% of retailers have implemented personalization strategies, so now is the time to set up a personalized customer experience and stay ahead of the game. 

21 Ways to Implement Personalization in eCommerce

Personalizing your customer experience can be as simple as using the customer’s name in emails, or as advanced as offering AI-driven product recommendations.

Take advantage of eCommerce personalization by delivering personalized content throughout the customer journey. Here are a few ways you can personalize your online shopping experience.

1. Offer Tailored Product Education

Provide personalized product training and information for the specific products your customer purchased. 

If your customers don’t have all the information they need to use the product successfully, they will need to reach out to your support team for help or they might even turn to your competitors if they can’t easily figure out how to use your product.

Make sure your customers have all the content they need to succeed, from the ‘whys’ to the ‘hows’. Each of your customers should know how to best utilize your product for their specific needs.

When creating tailored products education, answer these questions:

• What challenges are customers having and how can your product help?
• What will customers be able to accomplish with your product?
• In what ways can your product be used?

Customer-facing knowledge bases and on-demand training material are the two most common forms of product education.

2. Automate Your Customer Experience

Automation can help provide a tailored, personalized customer experience while saving you time and money.

Many parts of the customer journey can be automated, from order fulfillment to customer service, to returns processes, and more.

Essential elements to automate:

Inventory

Inventory management is an integral part of eCommerce and automating your order tracking and stock management can make a huge difference to the customer experience.

Everything from generating and printing shipping labels to marking orders as dispatched to creating order tracking numbers can be automated. 

When you automate your inventory management and fulfillment process, you get your customers their orders faster and more efficiently, while giving them more options on shipping, payment, and stock.

Customer Service

Accelerate customer support with automatized personalization and self-service features.

Using an app like Gorgias, you can set up your live chat so that customers can track an order, initiate a return, or cancel their purchase, without ever chatting with a live agent. Set up personalized templates so that customers will feel like they’re speaking with a human.

Returns

Automate and personalize your returns process with an automated returns management system. 

Using a branded return portal, you can provide a convenient self-service way for customers to request a return or exchange. Customers input their order details and automatically see the items they purchased, and then they can select which items to return and why.

Using customizable eligibility conditions you can personalize the returns process and only show customers return options that are applicable to them.

Offering a convenient returns process makes customers more likely to come back and buy from you again.

3. Develop Customer Profiles

Customer profiles are created to represent the types of customers who would typically use your products and to help make customer-focused decisions.

One of the most important parts of delivering a personalized customer experience is taking the time to understand who your customers are. 

A popular way of defining customer profiles is by creating semi-fictional personas that represent your target audience’s shared characteristics. 

To develop customer profiles:

1. The first and most crucial step in creating customer profiles is fully understanding your own products, services, and your business mission. 

2. Survey your customers to get their feedback on your products and on their perception of your business.

3. Identify your customers’ demographics, psychological characteristics, and behaviors.

Once you have gathered all the information you can, it is important to document your findings in a database using an easy-to-read template. Your customer profile template should include sections for demographics, behaviors and habits, psychological characteristics, and environment. 

Developing customer profiles help you better understand the characteristics shared by your target customers, so that you can market to them more effectively and personalize their customer experience. 

4. Send Personalized Emails

Stores that send personalized emails have better performance across the board, including an 81% increase in click rates, a 133% increase in conversion rates, and a 142% increase in revenue per email compared to stores that send only static one-time emails. 

Make sure to send the right emails at the right times, depending on where the customer is in the customer journey.

Segment your email list based on factors such as:

• Demographics
• Purchase history
• Email opening times

Beyond using the customer’s name, make sure to provide personalized content, messaging, intent, and visuals. Incorporating direct links to the customer’s account page, wishlist, or recent orders is an easy way to instantly make each email more personal and relevant to each customer.

5. Offer Personalized Product Recommendations

Personalized product recommendations can help increase revenue and session time, and make you stand out from your competitors.

There are a number of places on your eCommerce site where product recommendations can be effective.

Homepage Recommendations

Your store’s homepage is the first thing that customers see when they visit your site. Homepage recommendations inform customers about the latest deals and discounts, display a selection of products, and provide personalized offers. 

Product Page Recommendations

Personalized product recommendations on your product pages entice customers to continue browsing, moving from one product they liked to another that complements it.

Shopping Cart Recommendations

Product recommendations in the shopping cart enable you to recommend accessories or products frequently bought together. Make it easy for customers to add recommended products directly to their cart so they don’t have second thoughts and abandon their cart.

Product Category Recommendations

Filters don’t help customers who aren’t sure what they need, especially when there are a large number of products in each product category. Product category recommendations can be used to direct customers towards what they might want to buy based on what you know about them.

Offering personalized product recommendations can be extremely valuable in driving more revenue, increasing average order value (AOV), and providing a positive customer experience.

6. Provide an Omnichannel Experience

Provide a personalized and consistent customer experience across all channels.

Providing an omnichannel customer experience means engaging customers through multiple channels, treating each touchpoint (e.g. social media, SMS, chatbots) as part of a single seamless, frictionless experience.

Whether it’s face-to-face or by phone, email, social media, or live chat – customers expect your business to be there when they need something. 

Using an omnichannel approach, your customers can start their experience on one channel and continue it seamlessly on another. 90% of customers use multiple channels to engage with a business throughout the process of placing an order. 

Businesses that use three or more channels have a 494% higher order rate than those using a single channel.

An omnichannel marketing strategy doesn’t have to mean being everywhere. It means being present and available where your target customers are and delivering a positive and personalized customer experience.

7. Develop a Self-Service Process

Offering a self-service customer experience reduces frustration by enabling customers to find the answers they need quickly and easily.

A self-service customer experience can include accessible information such as FAQs, guides, how-to videos, and a knowledge base. You can also include tips, hints, and best practices to help customers.

Benefits of offering a personalized self-service experience:

• Helping customers solve issues themselves by using their past data and automatically suggesting solutions and tools. 
• Providing easy problem resolutions, tools, and guidance strengthens brand loyalty and gives customers a positive shopping experience.
• Addressing each customer by name, keeping a record of their past purchases and using customer data to create relevant content makes customers feel cared for.

81% of customers want more self-service options. Customers who are able to solve issues on their own are usually more satisfied with their experience and give a high customer service rating. 

8. Follow Up on Cart Abandonment

Cart abandonment emails help re-engage customers who created but then abandoned online shopping carts. Abandoning online carts is pretty common – almost 70% of online shopping carts are abandoned before the customer completes the purchase. 

Ask yourself the 5 C’s when creating cart abandonment emails:

1. Customer – Is the email tailored to the customer using their name and other elements that make them feel seen and cared about?

2. Context – Does the content of the email address the reasons the customer might have abandoned their cart?

3. Customization – Does the email include personalized elements such as unique subject lines or product recommendations?

4. Concise – Is the email engaging, short, and to the point?

5. Call to Action – Is it easy to find a button or link to the checkout page?

Personalization adds flavor to cart abandonment emails – the trick is to make what may seem like an unwanted marketing message feel like a life-saving, last-ditch opportunity.

9. Speak Your Customers’ Language

To communicate effectively with your customers, you need to speak their language. Using technical jargon will confuse and deter them. Remember that while you may be an industry expert, your customers are not necessarily – so fit the language you use to how your customers think and speak.

Make sure your message doesn’t get lost in a sea of buzzwords and technical jargon. We often become so familiar with our products that we lose sight of the simpler terms that our customers are using. Build trust with your customers by communicating with them the way that they communicate with each other.

To better understand how your customers speak:

1. Read industry publications and see how situations are described. 

2. Attend customers’ events and listen to the phrases and words used to describe challenges.

3. Track current and potential customers on social media to see the phrasing they use. 

4. Join LinkedIn and Facebook groups relevant to your customers’ industries and monitor the discussions and the most commonly used words.

5. Follow industry blogs, online articles, and discussion boards, and see what people are writing about and what they care about.

The goal is to figure out how to communicate your products in terms and phrases that your target customers already use. 

10. Reward Loyal Customers

One of the best ways to keep your eCommerce customers coming back is to reward them for their loyalty. Offer discounts, free shipping, or exclusive access to new products. 

Let your loyal customers know that you appreciate their business and want to keep them coming back for more. 

Everyone loves presents, and your customers are no exception. While traditional loyalty programs are limited to points for purchase, you can add a level of personalization to your customer experience by offering points for social media sharing, uploading images, leaving reviews, and answering surveys. Offering a variety of options for earning points allows the customers to interact with your brand on their terms.

Ensure that you are offering relevant rewards by collecting customer feedback and checking in with your customers.

11. Identify Customer Needs and Motivations

Understanding what your customers want and need enables you to more effectively market to them and provide what they are looking for.

For example, fashion shoppers looking for dress shoes are more likely to want to filter by color than durability, whereas the opposite may apply to a factory worker looking for work shoes (prestige motivated vs safety motivated).

You can identify customer needs and motivations by running surveys, collecting feedback, performing competitor analysis, and doing other market research.

Analyze which pages your customers view the most and do A/B testing on marketing messages that target different customer motivations.

Turn insights into action by tailoring your eCommerce store’s visuals, navigation, and content according to the information you gathered about your customer needs and motivations.

12. Focus on Customer Segmentation

Customer segmentation involves grouping customers based on shared qualities, taken from existing data. 

Factors by which to segment your customers:

Demographic 

Group your customers by demographics such as age, gender, language, or occupation.

Geographic 

Use geographic information to segment your customers by location.

Behavior 

Leverage your customers’ behavior and product usage such as purchase frequency and login sessions per month to segment your customers.

Customer Journey

Your customers can be grouped by the stage of the customer journey they are in.

Segmenting your customers enables you to more easily communicate with customers in a way that resonates with them, and personalize their shopping experience in a way that suits them best.

13. Collect Customer Data

Making sure that personalization is respectful and helpful, and not unwanted or creepy depends on designing the right customer data foundation and strategy.

Your personalization experiences are only as good as your data. 

Look at it this way – a personalized customer experience is a meal that you serve, and customer data is the raw ingredients that you’re using in the kitchen. To deliver eCommerce personalization that drives business, you need to start with the right data foundation. 

There are 3 main types of customer data you can collect:

1. First-party data is provided directly by customers through your channels, such as your website or mobile app.

2. Second-party data is provided by an external source for whom that data is first-party.

3. Third-party data is bought, collected, and sold by a data aggregator.

Increased regulations over the last few years have made it more important to ensure that your personalization efforts are based on compliant customer data. 

As consent preferences of data from third-party sources can be unclear, it’s preferable to focus on collecting first-party customer data, which you can track.

Data-driven personalization in eCommerce requires a delicate balance between improving the relevance of the customer experience and respecting data privacy.

To find that balance, follow these rules:

• Collect customer data responsibly
• Keep a customer-centric focus
• Don’t overstep

14. Check In on Your Customers

Take the time to check in on your customers to send a clear message that you care about their experience with your business. This can go a long way in building customer loyalty and creating a positive reputation for your eCommerce store.

You can send customers personalized emails about delivery updates, special promotions, or product recommendations to remind them that you haven’t forgotten about them, that you’re available if they have questions, and that you’re committed to their satisfaction.

Ask your customers for a review after they receive their order or recommend similar or complementary products they may be interested in. Checking in on your customers reminds them that you care and that you see them as individuals. 

15. Be Available Around the Clock

Nowadays it is more important than ever to be available around the clock for your customers. With the click of a button, customers can purchase products and services at any time of day or night, and they expect the same level of customer service and support.

To meet these expectations, your eCommerce store needs to have customer service and support available 24/7. This can be accomplished by using a combination of live customer service representatives and automated systems.

By being available around the clock, you can provide your customers with an exceptional level of customer service, which helps build customer loyalty.

16. Gather Customer Feedback

Gathering customer feedback provides valuable insights into what is working well with your products and what can be done to improve the customer experience. 

Customer feedback is a great way to listen and learn from your customers. You can gain valuable insight into what customers feel is lacking in your business by collecting feedback in a systematic manner. 

When gathered effectively, customer feedback can be used to optimize your customer experience to make it more personalized. 

Methods for gathering customer feedback:

• Customer feedback surveys
• Email and customer contact forms
• Customer interviews
• Social media listening
• Website activity analytics

Think about your most important goals and start with one simple method for collecting customer feedback before branching out to more complex methods such as analytics.

Customer support channels are a great place to begin collecting customer feedback; you can approach every interaction as an opportunity to collect feedback.

17. Create a Customer-Focused Vision Statement

When creating a customer-focused vision statement, it is important to consider what your business wants to achieve and who your target customers are (based on your customer segmentation). Your vision statement should be aspirational yet attainable and should serve as a guide for your team as you work to grow your business. 

Keep your customers at the forefront of your mind as you develop your vision statement. With a customer-focused vision statement, you can ensure that your company is always working to meet the needs of your target market.

A good vision statement will be:

Ambitious

Great vision statements are aspirational and ambitious, conveying a sense of passion for the ideal future toward which the business is working.

Feasible

Your vision should be something that your business will have to strive for while still being achievable.

Broad

Zoom out and broaden the scope of your vision instead of making it finite or specific.

Strategic

Be strategic in selecting the ideas that feel the most relevant – your vision statement should focus on objectives that relate to your business’s mission and purpose.

A vision statement will adapt and change as your business achieves goals, grows, expands its offerings, and updates its mission. Once a year, review your vision statement to make sure it still accurately describes your business’s vision.

18. Offer Customer Support via Social Media

Social media is a customer support channel that is becoming increasingly popular in eCommerce.

1 in 3 social media users would rather use social media customer service than telephone or email customer service.

Social media has become key to multichannel initiatives because it provides a convenient way for customers to engage with eCommerce stores. 

Social channels provide a valuable source of information and insight that your business can use to personalize your online customer experience.

19. Regularly Evaluate Your Products and Services

It’s important to regularly evaluate your eCommerce products and customer service to make sure to keep offering a personalized experience. By understanding your customers’ needs and wants, you can make sure that you meet their expectations. 

Consistently review your customers’ preferences and seek feedback from every available source. Use the insights you gain to develop more customized customer interactions.

By taking the time to evaluate your eCommerce products and customer service, you can ensure that your customers have a more positive and personalized shopping experience.

20. Use AI for Real-Time Personalization

Real-time eCommerce personalization is now possible thanks to advances in artificial intelligence (AI).

AI can help recommend products that a customer might be interested in, using AI-based algorithms that heavily rely on real-time behavioral data of the user, providing them with hyper-personalized experiences.

In addition, AI can be used to provide customer support, by answering questions or resolving issues. As AI technology continues to advance, more and more businesses will use AI to create personalized customer shopping experiences.

By using AI for real-time eCommerce personalization, you can provide your customers with a better overall experience, which can lead to increased customer loyalty and higher sales.

21. Close the Personalization Loop with Returns

Provide a personalized online return process to create an overall positive customer experience.

Use data from your returns process to improve the customer experience. Look at which products are being returned and why, and then use those insights to improve the customer experience even more.

For example, if you notice that certain products are being returned frequently for the same reason, you can take steps to address the issue.

Give customers a choice in how they return or exchange products, and make the returns process as easy as possible. Use an automated return management system to provide a personalized return experience.

Personalizing Your Customer Experience Goes a Long Way

From the initial look through your site to the final checkout, an excellent customer experience must include personalized content that appeals to your customers’ wants and needs in order for them to be satisfied and come back and buy from you again.

Digital technology has paved the way for eCommerce businesses like yours to go the extra mile to make every customer feel special by implementing personalization.

Pick one element to personalize and get started on improving your eCommerce shopping experience and creating a competitive advantage.

Why is it Important to Improve Your Customer Experience?

Improving your eCommerce customer experience can increase your customer lifetime value, brand awareness, and revenue.

A good customer experience means your customers will spend more. In fact, 90% of buyers are willing to pay more for a great customer experience. With that in mind, it makes sense that customer experience has become the number one priority for eCommerce stores.

It’s essential to improve your customer experience in order to stay competitive in the eCommerce world.

10 Strategies to Improve Your eCommerce Customer Experience

Here are some hand-picked strategies you can implement to take your customer experience to the next level.

1. Create a Seamless Checkout Process

When customers decide to buy a product, the last thing they want is a long checkout process. Make sure your checkout process is streamlined and easy to navigate for an excellent eCommerce customer experience.

An average of 81% of customers abandon their carts before buying, and half of your customers are less likely to go through with the purchase if the checkout process takes longer than half a minute. 

Make the checkout experience seamless for your customers:

• Offer Guest Checkout

With the option to check out as a guest, customers can complete their purchase without 

entering extra information, making the checkout process faster and more accessible.

• Provide Multiple Payment Options

Customers like having options when shopping online. Offer multiple payment methods 

such as: 

• Debit and credit cards
• Shopping apps (i.e PayPal)
• Digital wallets (i.e Apple Pay or Google Pay)
• Buy now, pay later 

Having a seamless checkout process builds trust with your customers, gives them a better customer experience, and makes them more comfortable buying from your store.

2. Personalize Your Customer Experience

Give your customers what they want. 80% of customers are more likely to make a purchase when offered a personalized shopping experience. Personalization drives impulse purchases, leads to fewer product returns, and creates customer loyalty.

Personalize your customers’ eCommerce shopping experience based on different variables. Use recommendation engines for personalized product recommendations based on location, shopping, and browsing history.

You can also use exit pop-ups, discounts, and abandoned cart messages to make your customers feel seen and to keep them engaged.

Put effort into creating a personalized customer experience and customers will keep coming back to buy again and again.

3. Have a Clearly-Defined Return Policy

Customers like to know what to expect from the return process before making a purchase. Over 60% of customers read a return policy before placing an order, so it’s worth putting time and effort into creating a return policy that sets clear expectations and reflects your store’s values.

Your store’s return policy can make or break a sale, and turn a visitor into a customer for life.

When creating your return policy, take the time to brainstorm ideas, do your research, create drafts, and consult with others. 

A transparent and well-defined return policy gives customers confidence in your business and reassures them that they’re making the right choice by buying from your store. 

4. Craft Detailed Product Pages

Since your customers can’t physically hold your products before buying, your product pages become an important factor in whether or not they buy from your store. 87% of customers say that the content on product pages plays a significant role in their purchasing decision.

A compelling product page has engaging copy, compelling visuals, and clear navigation. Add validity by including user-generated content such as reviews and photos.

The goal is to show customers exactly what your products can do for them and be able to visualize themselves using the products.

5. Make Your Website Easy to Navigate

Your website is the face of your business. If your eCommerce site is well-designed, it will capture customers’ attention within a few seconds and entice them to stay.

Customers want easy-to-navigate pages that let them browse your products and find exactly what they need. 

• Organize your online store by categories, just like a physical store. 
• Make the search bar easy to find –  65% of site visitors use the site search box for consideration and purchase, and searchers are 3-5 times more likely to convert.
• All pages should have the same structure so customers can intuitively find their way to a new page or back to a previous page.

Keep your eCommerce website design clear, clean, and simple. Too many elements on a page (colors, banner ads, popups, etc) may take away from the focus which is closing the sale.

6. Offer a Self-Service Returns Process

Customers like being in control and having a choice. Give your customers the ability to request a return or exchange without needing to send an email or contact your support team.

A self-service return portal leaves little room for miscommunication, moves the returns process along faster, and gives your online store a competitive edge over others.

Returns can have a huge impact on customer loyalty. 92% of customers say they’ll buy again if the return process is easy. 

Clearly defining how your returns process works and providing a convenient returns experience makes your customers more confident to shop with you.

7. Provide Exceptional Customer Support

Just like customers ask a clerk for help in a brick-and-mortar store, they want to be able to talk to a live person about product questions.

In this digital-first world, eCommerce customer service is more than just nice to have – it’s essential in order to thrive in the competitive eCommerce industry. 96% of customers say that customer service is an important factor in their loyalty to a brand.  In the world of eCommerce, good online customer service is essential. Using customer service software like Tidio helps you deliver an excellent customer experience through live chat, chatbots, and automation.

Improve your customer service with:

• Self-service support (Help Center, FAQ, chatbot)
• Multi-channel customer service
• Fast response time

Giving customers easy access to top-notch customer service should be a top priority.

8. Utilize Customer Feedback

Collecting feedback from your customers can help you gain a deeper understanding of your customers’ pain points, their perception of your brand and products, and their experience from the moment they visit your site to the moment they receive their order.

Customer surveys are an effective way to collect opinions, insights, and information from your customers. Use the data you collect from your surveys to improve your customer experience, products, and services accordingly.

To get started, you don’t need to launch a big customer feedback campaign just yet. Start small by asking customers just a few questions, such as:

• How did you hear about us? 
• What did you think about your recent purchase? 
• What could we do to make the experience better? 

Start with a simple customer survey and grow from there.

9. Perfect Your Post-Purchase Emails

Post-purchase emails are an integral part of the customer journey, and they often make the difference between one-time customers and loyal customers. “Thank you for your order” isn’t the end of the customer journey – it’s just a step in the process. 

A few post-purchase emails you can use to improve the customer experience:

• Personalized thank you emails
• Review request emails
• Product recommendation emails
• Educational emails

The power of post-purchase emails is often underrated and they can be one of the most effective elements of your eCommerce strategy. 

Putting thought into your post-purchase emails can increase your revenue, boost your customer engagement, and reduce overall marketing expenses.

10. Focus on Your Loyal Customers

Loyal customers are your most valuable asset. The average amount spent per purchase by loyal customers is 67% higher than the average amount spent by new customers.

You are also more likely to get referrals from loyal customers. Having a high referral rate can increase your customer lifetime value by more than just the amount a customer spends with you.

In addition to direct referrals, simply increasing brand awareness can be extremely effective, since people are more likely to buy from a brand they are familiar with than one they are unfamiliar with.

Loyalty programs are a powerful tool for building customer loyalty. A customer loyalty program encourages customers to buy more in exchange for rewards. 

When creating a customer loyalty program, consider which customers you want to target and what type of loyalty you want to drive. What is it that you want your customers to do? Your loyalty program should align with your overall business strategy and brand messaging.

Give Your Customers an Experience They’ll Never Forget

Offer your customers a positive shopping experience, and they’ll keep coming back for more.

From how you communicate with customers to automating processes, focus on giving your customers an easy, personalized, comfortable buying experience.

The better your eCommerce customer experience, the more likely your customers will be to remain loyal to your brand – ultimately boosting your revenue and keeping you competitive.

There is just as much work to do post-purchase as there is before the purchase, because the experience that customers have after purchasing determines if they’ll become lifetime customers.

What is the Post-Purchase Customer Experience?

The customer journey is made up of two parts – pre-purchase and post-purchase. The post-purchase customer experience is the part of the customer journey that begins after a customer has purchased a product or service from your eCommerce store, and it encompasses all the interactions your customers have with your team and your products after the sale.

Providing a positive post-purchase customer experience is just as important, if not even more so, than the experience your customers leading up to a purchase. 

Whether your customers become repeat customers or disappear after one purchase depends on their experience after they submit their order.

Why is the Post-Purchase Experience Important for eCommerce Stores?

Focusing on the post-purchase customer experience is essential for keeping your customers coming back to buy from you again. Taking action to retain existing customers is way more cost-effective than looking for new ones.

After buying from your Shopify store, your customers have two options – buy from you again or switch to one of your competitors. Your customers’ decision depends largely on how you treat them and meet their needs. 

The ideal post-purchase experience creates a loyalty loop, keeping customers coming back to your store over and over again instead of looking for new stores to buy from. The Pareto principle says that 20% of repeat customers generate up to 80% of your profits.

5 Ways to Improve Your Post-Purchase Experience

The most effective post-purchase strategies focus on being helpful and offering value, not pushing for that next conversion. 

Here are 5 steps to creating a post-purchase experience that will improve your customer satisfaction and encourage repeat sales. 

1. Communicate With Your Customers

The primary purpose of post-purchase emails is to provide information about the order, but they can be so much more than that. 

You can use emails to tell your customers more about your brand and products, and affirm that they made the right decision to buy from you, which can help increase customer loyalty and lifetime value.

People have come to expect to receive emails with shipping details. They have not yet come to expect personal and educational emails. 

Here are just a few types of post-purchase emails you can send that add extra value:

• Thank-You Emails

Rather than simply saying thank you in your transactional emails, send a separate thank-you email to show customers how much you appreciate their business.

Sending a separate thank-you email also gives you an opportunity to talk more about your brand, go into more detail about how your product is special, and assure your customers they made the right choice buying from your store.

A simple thank you can go a long way in creating a long-term customer relationship.

• Educational Emails

Educational or how-to post-purchase emails can cover anything from how to best care for a product, to how to use it, to how to assemble it. Once your customers receive the products they ordered, you want to make sure they are able to use and enjoy them. 

Product care and how-to content can be recorded as a video, embedded as a downloadable file, or written directly in the email.

Including educational emails can make customers less likely to return their new items as well as encourage them to buy from you again.

• Review Request Emails

One way to improve the post-purchase experience is to find out what your customers actually think about your products. Send out an email after your customers have received their order, asking for a review or feedback. 

The more personalized this email is, the better. For example, ask them about the specific products they ordered.

User-generated content like reviews can help other customers with their decision to purchase when browsing your site, and asking for customer feedback is a great way to gather insights directly from your customers to see how you can improve your products or services. 

• Marketing Emails

Send out timed and personalized marketing emails according to the types of incentives you offer. 

After customers complete their purchase is the perfect time to promote your loyalty program, incentivize them to refer friends and family, and offer personalized product recommendations based on what they bought.

2. Provide the Best Customer Support

Post-purchase customer support is something many eCommerce stores have, but don’t advertise enough. When done right, good customer support can make customers feel that they are valued and encourages them to continue buying from you.

There’s nothing worse than receiving a brand new product and not knowing how to use it. Sure, you could work your way through the dry, boring manual included with the product, but who reads those anymore?

Customers need your support before, during, and after they buy from your store. Providing real-time customer support ensures that all of your customers’ questions are answered, leaving them to enjoy their new items.

3. Offer a Branded Loyalty Program

Part of building post-purchase customer loyalty involves creating a loyalty program that plays into these factors:

• Brand Image 

Let your customers get to know your brand. Give your loyalty program a name and a style that fits your brand. That could mean turning it into a game, focusing on sustainability, or coming up with a name that portrays that you’re a fun and approachable brand. Let your loyalty program reflect your brand values.

• Community

People like to feel that they’re part of a community. Create a brand community that goes beyond the purchasing experience. Bring customers together by rewarding them for things they enjoy doing in their daily life – working out, volunteering for a charity, or posting on social media. 

Strengthen your customers’ commitment to your brand by giving them a sense of belonging, making them feel connected to like-minded people, and keeping them engaged.

• Engagement

If you are all about increasing brand engagement, you can reward customers who watch your product videos, keep up a certain amount of logins per month, make frequent purchases, or follow and share social media content.

• Communication

When customers are hyped up about your products, engaged in your community, and in tune with your brand, communication becomes easy. 

When done right, loyalty programs can be the deciding factor to keep your customers loyal to your brand. So much so that over 70% of customers are more likely to recommend a brand if it has a good loyalty program.

4. Improve Your Returns Process

An incredibly important part of the post-purchase experience is how returns are handled. One of the best ways to improve the post-purchase experience is by automating your returns. Use an automated returns management system to simplify your returns handling process and provide a self-service return portal for your customers to easily issue return requests.

If the returns process is too long and complicated, customers are likely to give up and keep the unwanted items, and simply not buy from the same place again. Gain your customers’ trust by letting them know that if they need to return or exchange their order, they can do so easily and seamlessly.

5. Go Above and Beyond to Show You Care

Real post-purchase satisfaction depends on customers seeing that you care about them.

You can go above and beyond to show how much you value your customers by including some swag or a coupon in their package, creating unique packaging that can be reused, or checking in with your customers to ask if everything’s going well and if they have any questions.

The more you show you care, the more your customers will appreciate you for the steps you take, be confident about their purchasing choice, and recommend your Shopify store to their friends and family.

Make Your Post-Purchase Experience a Priority

Remember that clicking “Submit Order” isn’t the end of the customer journey. By continuing the conversation after the sale, providing amazing customer support, adding value through loyalty programs, improving your returns process, and showing how much you care, you can keep your customers happy and coming back again and again.

Use the post-purchase customer experience to create loyal brand advocates instead of one-time customers.

While it may seem counterintuitive that customers who want to return items would be likely to buy from you again, here’s what’s happening: providing an easy and reliable returns process shows your customers what to expect if they need to make a return again in the future. This makes your customers more confident to buy from you again.

Here are some tips for using your returns process to improve your repeat purchase rate.

What is the Repeat Purchase Rate?

Your repeat purchase rate (also referred to as repeat customer rate) is the percentage of your customers that have bought from you more than once. 

Tracking your repeat purchase rate helps you determine how to improve your customer experience and increase the likelihood of customers buying from you again.

How do you calculate your repeat purchase rate?

Divide the number of returning customers by the total number of customers, then multiply by 100 to get your percentage.

For example, say you have a total of 250 customers, of whom 36 have bought from you more than once. In this case, your repeat purchase rate would be 14.4%: 36 / 250 x 100 = 14.4.

What’s a good repeat purchase rate?

Every industry has different levels of what’s considered a “good” repeat purchase rate, depending on your products and which customer segments you’re targeting. That being said, a reasonable repeat purchase rate to aim for is 20-40%.

Repeat Customers are More Profitable

Getting your customers to come back and buy from your online store again is a key factor in long-term profitability. Loyal customers spend more and refer more people, making them way more profitable than one-time shoppers. 

When eCommerce stores focus on building customer retention, they’ll ultimately be more profitable than stores that focus only on transactional metrics such as number of site visitors, total number of shoppers, etc. 

So why exactly are repeat customers more profitable?

• Repeat customers are easier to sell to. Customers become increasingly more likely to buy from you again with each purchase they make. 
• Repeat customers spend more. They buy more frequently and spend more on each purchase. 
• Repeat customers refer more people. Word of mouth is the most effective and economical way to bring in more customers.

How to Use Returns to Boost Your Repeat Purchase Rate

Many eCommerce merchants view refunds and exchanges as costly and negative, when in fact, having your customers make returns can actually be better for your bottom line. 

A positive return experience can increase your customers’ confidence in purchasing from your store again. In short, the easier you make your online returns process, the more likely customers are to come back and buy again.

Let’s break down some key strategies for using returns to boost your repeat purchase rate.

Create a Customer-Friendly Return Policy

Your return policy is what helps customers decide whether to buy from your eCommerce store. In fact, over 60% of customers look at the return policy even before they make a purchase.

When customers read through your return policy, they are looking to see how easy it will be for them to request a return, and based on that, they’ll decide if it’s worth buying from your store.

Having a flexible, customer-friendly policy makes customers more likely to ask for returns, leading to more repeat customers.

Make it Easy to Return Items

Your customers want a fast and reliable returns experience. 92% of customers say they’ll buy from the same store again if returns are easy. 

Help your customers help themselves. The less they have to jump through hoops to initiate a return, the better.

With the right technology in place, you can automate many parts of the returns process. Using an automated returns system you can provide a self-service return portal where customers can easily request to make a return, saving time and energy and making returns easy.

A returns management system also helps you track and manage all your return requests in one place, decreasing the likelihood of return requests getting lost or forgotten along the way.

Automating your eCommerce returns helps you reduce the amount of time your team spends processing returns and increase the number of customers who will buy from you again.

Incentivize Exchanges Over Refunds

Exchanges are by far the best type of return option for customer retention. Exchanges keep the customer relationship going.

When customers choose an exchange over a refund, your store retains revenue, and you also build customer loyalty by putting the right product in the customers’ hands.

Ways to incentivize exchanges over refunds:

• Offer free return shipping for exchanges
• Extend the exchange return window
• Add bonus credit for exchanges
• Make exchanges easy

Prioritize turning as many of your refunds into exchanges as possible. You’ll keep your customers happy, retain revenue, and build customer loyalty. 

Increase Your Repeat Purchase Rate With Returns

Increasing your eCommerce store’s profitability starts with keeping the customers you already have. Repeat customers spend more at your store, and bring in new customers – making them a powerful tool. 

Streamlining your return and exchange process keeps customers coming back and buying from you again and again.

The more you know about your repeat purchase rate and strategies for increasing it, the faster your store can grow organically. Implement these strategies and watch your customers come back for more.

Retaining customers has never been more important. It’s more cost-effective to focus on keeping existing customers than to look for new customers. To keep your customers coming back, it’s essential to create a positive and personalized experience.

Tracking metrics can help you with customer retention when you know what you’re looking at and why.

Top 6 Customer Retention Metrics to Track

Here are some key metrics you can track in order to improve your customer retention rate and customer value.

1. Customer Churn Rate

Customer Churn Rate is the number of customers that order once and never return. Tracking your Customer Churn Rate can give you insight into trends and factors that affect your store’s relationship with your customers.

Calculate Your Customer Churn Rate

To calculate your Customer Churn Rate, take the number of existing customers at the beginning of the month, subtract the number of existing customers at the end of the month, and divide by the number of customers you have at the beginning of the month, then multiply by 100.

For example, say on the 1st of January you had 360 customers, but by the end of the month, you were left with only 345 customers. In this case, your Customer Churn Rate would be 4.17%: (360 – 345/360) x 100 = 4.17%.

How to Improve Your Customer Churn Rate

Offering rewards can be a great way to retain customers. Giving a loyalty bonus or points for repeat purchases or for signing up for a newsletter will make customers more likely to buy again because they know they’ll gain something extra when they visit your store again.

2. Repeat Customer Rate

Repeat Customer Rate is the percentage of customers who come back to buy from you again. By tracking this metric you can identify your most loyal customers who order from you again and again, and identify what portion of your revenue these customers are driving. 

Calculate Your Repeat Customer Rate

To calculate your Repeat Customer Rate, take the number of existing customers who came back to purchase again, divide it by the total number of customers you had within the period, and multiply it by 100.

For example, if out of your 1890 customers, 1245 of them make a repeat purchase with the quarter, your Repeat Customer Rate would be 65.87%: (1245/1890) x 100 = 65.87%

How to Improve Your Repeat Customer Rate

In your wallet, you’ve probably got a loyalty card from at least one major retailer. Loyalty programs are a great way to get people to buy again – and your store can use that as a tool to retain customers.

By offering customers loyalty points every time they place an order, customers are likely to revisit your store to build up their points for that extra reward, even if the product is cheaper elsewhere.

3. Average Order Value

Average Order Value is the average amount of money spent on each order. By understanding your Average Order Value you can see which customers are most valuable, and which products bring in the most revenue.

Calculate Your Average Order Value

To calculate your store’s Average Order Value, divide your total revenue for the time period by the number of orders in the time period.

For example, say that in the month of September, your store’s sales were $31,000 and you had a total of 1,000 orders. In this case, your Average Order Value would be $31: 31,000/1,000 = $31.

How to Improve Your Average Order Value

One way to get customers to spend more on each order is to encourage your customers to purchase products that are related to what is in their shopping cart or to purchase a more expensive alternative to their chosen product.

4. Customer Lifetime Value

Customer Lifetime Value is the total revenue generated by a single customer. This is one of the trickiest metrics to track, and one that should be continuously monitored. 

Calculate Your Customer Lifetime Value

Note: There are multiple definitions of Customer Lifetime Value, from basic calculations that only look at revenue to more complex equations that factor in gross margin and operational costs. We will use revenue to keep things simple.

To calculate the Customer Lifetime Value of a particular customer, multiply the Average Order Value of the customer and the average number of purchases they make within a specified time. Then multiply by the number of years that this customer stays with you.

For example, let’s say the typical customer spends $50 per purchase and buys an average of once every two weeks (26 times per year) over a seven-year relationship. Your Customer Lifetime Value would be $9,100: 50 x 26 x 7 = $9,100. 

How to Improve Your Customer Lifetime Value

Customer retention and customer satisfaction are the keys to increasing customer lifetime value. Provide targeted, personalized marketing campaigns and engage them with content that’s tailored to them.

Customers who feel a strong connection to your store are likely to spend more, buy more often, and recommend your store to friends and family.

5. Purchase Frequency

Purchase Frequency is the average number of times a customer makes a purchase within a set period of time. This metric provides you with insights on how to fit your marketing to suit your customers’ buying patterns. 

Calculate Your Purchase Frequency

To calculate your Purchase Frequency, divide the number of orders in a specific time frame by the number of unique customers in that same time frame.

For example, if you have 12,000 orders from 2,000 customers in a year, your purchase frequency is 6 per year: 12,000/2,000 = 6. 

How to Improve Your Purchase Frequency

The goal is to motivate your existing customers to buy more frequently. Email marketing is an effective way to increase your Purchase Frequency rate. 

Tips for using email marketing to improve purchase frequency:

• Re-engage customers who haven’t purchased in a while with “We Miss You” winback emails.
• Send emails with offers that are relevant to that particular customer. 
• Create a sense of urgency with phrases such as “Limited edition”, “flash sale”, and “this week only”.

Email marketing is a great way of getting customers to know you and vice versa. Track open and conversion rates to see how effective what you are putting out is, and keep adjusting and improving to find what works.

6. Product Return Rate

Product Return Rate is the percentage of products that customers return. Your Product Return Rate is an important metric as it has a large effect on customer satisfaction and revenue.

Calculate Your Product Return Rate

To calculate your Product Return Rate, divide the number of products returned by the number of total orders made within the given time frame.

For example, if you sent out 1000 products in the last year, and 200 of them were returned, your Product Return Rate would be 20%: (200/1000) x 100 = 20%.

How to Improve Your Product Return Rate

The best way to improve your Product Return Rate is by integrating an automated returns management system like ReturnGO into your store. ReturnGO works alongside your returns policy to help you resolve return requests, gain insights into why customers are looking to return products, and offer alternative solutions to simple refunds such as exchanges and store credit.

Invest in Customer Retention 

Due to the high value of returning and long-term customers, understanding and analyzing retention metrics is essential to your eCommerce success.

If putting together a comprehensive customer retention plan feels overwhelming right now, then start small. Start with one metric at a time. When you focus on one metric, the other metrics will follow. 

Understanding the relevant customer retention metrics enables you to have a better understanding of what’s going on with your store and your customers.

Start tracking a few of the metrics explained here and you’ll be well on your way to success.

1. Detailed Product Descriptions

Every product you are selling online should have an engaging, accurate description to go with it. This will help your customers to determine if they are buying the product that best suits their needs. Every product description should include important details without getting technical (re-member your customers aren’t going to be familiar with shop talk). This could include product features; design and shape; what sets it apart from similar products on the market? Be honest about what your product can achieve. You may have a quality product but promises of miracles it can’t perform will definitely send return figures rocketing.

2. Quality Photography = Accurate Representation

Your product imagery is what will catch the customer’s eye first so it has to be amazing. Figure out the aesthetic of your website and make sure your product imagery is consistent with it. Make sure you are representing all the features of your product that you want the customer to see. Quality photography provides high-resolution images that allow the customer to zoom in and reveal every part of the product. Figure out what makes your product look its best. That could mean trying different backgrounds; different lighting methods; accessorizing the layout differently. You will rarely get ‘the shot’ in the first

shot.

3. Honest Reviews

I know when I shop online I always look for reviews from other customers. If you can, try to incorporate a reviews page on your site, or perhaps add a reviews section on the product page. Honest reviews go a long way to helping people decide to make a purchase, especially if it’s a large amount of $$$$; purchase of an item they expect to not replace; when it’s something that will be used for a very specific purpose. Don’t worry if someone writes a negative review. Reply accordingly, and that gives you the opportunity to show future customers how you respond, and that you care about your customers.

4. Sizing and Specs

One of the primary reasons for product returns is improper sizing information for the product advertised. It is essential to give precise dimensions; measurements and size charts for the customer. For example, a fashion product. Provide a size chart including how and where to measure. It’s also a good idea to include international sizing if you intend to offer international shipping. Make sure your measurement application is relevant to the product. For example, a product that holds liquid is more likely to be measured in fluid ounces, rather than or swell its dimensions.

5. Package to Prevent Breakages

Another primary reason for returns is improper packaging and handling, leading to breakage or damaged products before they’ve even got to the customer. It goes without saying that fragile items need a good protective buffer. Test your product in different size boxes, with different

types of packing material to see which ones work best under stress. Make sure your box size is adequate to allow a snug fit with protective material so there’s less chance of damage or breakage when the box is moved. Use a courier service you trust. Do they have a good reputation? Do they treat your packages carefully? Do they go the extra mile when they know something valuable or fragile is inside? Do they offer different services and delivery options? The more options the courier service gives you, the more options you can give to your customer. 

One of the most important facets of maintaining a positive customer experience is how your store handles returns. 

6 Strategies for Increasing Customer Retention Through Returns

Returns can be a great opportunity to increase customer retention and loyalty by delivering a positive customer experience. 

Here are some strategies for increasing customer retention through the returns process.

1. Make Returns Easy

Make sure your returns process is simple and easy to navigate. No one wants to spend hours trying to figure out how to return something. The more complicated the process, the more likely your customers are to give up and never come back.

When your eCommerce store has a straightforward and simple returns process, customers are more likely to shop with you again. How do you simplify the returns process? Automating the returns process as much as possible can make a big difference. 

Use a returns management system like ReturnGO that enables customers to initiate a return through a self-service return portal and automatically generate a return shipping label. This way, they can request a return without having to contact customer service and wait for a response.

By making returns a stress-free experience for your customers, you increase the likelihood that they’ll return to your store in the future. They’ll remember the convenient experience they had returning items to your store, which helps with building customer retention and loyalty.

2. Communicate Clearly Throughout the Return Process

Communication is key to keeping your customers happy and informed. Make sure your customers understand exactly how to return an item and are kept up to date on the status of their return request.

Provide your customers with clear instructions on how to return products, as well as a clear timeline of when they can expect to receive their refund or replacement product. 

Once the return has been requested, keep your customer updated on the status of their return shipment and refund. Send post-purchase emails to keep customers in the loop about their return throughout the entire return process.

By communicating clearly throughout the returns process, you can reduce hassle and frustration and boost customer satisfaction and retention.

3. Personalize the Return Experience

One of the most underrated strategies you can use to increase customer retention is to personalize the returns process. 

The key to truly connecting with customers and creating loyalty is to provide a personalized experience. When customers feel that their returns process is tailored to them, they are more likely to return to your store for future purchases. 

In fact, 80% of customers are more likely to make a purchase when provided with a personalized experience.

Take the time to understand your customers’ individual needs and preferences, and personalize the returns process accordingly. For example, if a customer is returning an item because it didn’t fit well, you could offer them a discount on a replacement item that better fits their size. 

Utilize tools like live chat and customer feedback surveys to better understand what makes customers feel valued, and tailor the returns process to the individual customer to increase customer retention.

Making the effort to personalize the returns process shows your customers that you care about their individual needs and are willing to go the extra mile to ensure their satisfaction and keep them coming back.

4. Encourage Exchanges Over Refunds

A highly effective strategy to increase customer retention is to encourage exchanges rather than refunds. 

The idea is to offer customers to exchange for a similar product instead of getting a refund.

Exchanges can be a great way to keep customers happy and loyal to your store, as it keeps them happy by providing them with a product that better suits their needs.

It’s important to make sure that your customers are aware of your exchange policy and how it works. Make sure to clearly communicate the eligibility rules, such as the items that can be exchanged, the time limit, and any other conditions that may apply.

You can even offer incentives such as special discounts on the new product when they make an exchange.

When customers have a positive exchange experience, they’ll be more likely to turn into repeat customers.

5. Analyze Returns Data

Collecting and analyzing returns data is an essential part of ensuring customer retention through returns. 

ReturnGO helps you automatically collect and analyze your returns data and gain actionable insights into your products and return process so you can improve your store and the customer experience.

Track returns data such as return reasons, customer buying patterns, and product return rates.

Analyzing your returns can give you valuable insights that can help you boost customer retention. 

For instance, it can help you identify if customers are returning items due to sizing issues or because of misleading product descriptions. With this data, you can then take the necessary steps to address issues and improve the customer experience, helping you to increase customer retention and build long-term customer relationships.

6. Provide Fast Refunds

Providing fast refunds will make your customers trust you more, making them more likely to buy from you again.

52% of customers say they would spend more if they knew they would receive a refund quickly. In fact, customers spend an average of 23% more when offered faster refunds.

If the returns process is too long and complicated, customers may give up and keep the unwanted items, and simply not buy from your store again. 

Instant refunds are a great way to speed up the returns process. Instant refund providers such as Refundid enable you to refund customers immediately after a return request is made.

Communicate clearly to your customers when to expect to receive the refund. Getting a refund as quickly as possible will improve the customer experience and make them more likely to come back to buy from you again.

What is Customer Retention Rate?

Customer retention rate is the percentage of customers who continue to buy from your store after a certain timeframe (month, year, etc). By tracking this metric, you can identify what keeps customers loyal to your store and how to improve the customer experience.

To calculate your customer retention rate, subtract the number of new customers you acquired within the timeframe from the total number of customers you have at the end of the timeframe. Divide that by the number of customers you started the timeframe with, and multiply by 100 to get the percentage.

Retain Customers Through Returns

Customer retention should be a priority for eCommerce stores looking to build a loyal customer base and maintain a competitive edge. 

Returns can be a great opportunity to increase customer retention and loyalty by delivering a positive customer experience. By implementing the strategies discussed above, you can fulfill your customers’ expectations and keep them coming back to buy from your store again and again.

What is the Online Shopping Journey?

The online shopping journey refers to the series of steps a customer goes through from the moment they become aware of a product or service to the moment they decide to purchase it and beyond. 

An ideal online shopping journey is designed to meet the needs and expectations of customers, creating a seamless and satisfying customer experience.

1. Awareness 

The first stage of the online shopping journey is awareness. This is the stage when the customer becomes aware of your products, usually through channels such as search engines, social media, and online ads.

To capture customers’ attention in this stage, it’s important to have a strong online presence, with a well-designed website, active marketing, and clear, concise messaging. 

Focus on creating engaging and informative content that shows the benefits of your products and positions your store as a solution to your customers’ needs. 

2. Consideration 

In the consideration stage, the customer begins to gather more information about the product they’re interested in. They might research your product’s features, compare it with similar products, read customer reviews, and so on.

To effectively engage customers in the consideration stage, it’s important to provide detailed product information, including product details, photos, and reviews. 

You can also offer incentives such as special promotions, discounts, or loyalty programs to encourage customers to buy from your store and give you a competitive advantage.

Another important aspect of the consideration stage is making sure that customers can easily compare different products and competitors. A well-designed website with intuitive navigation and filtering options can make your customers’ decision-making process easier.

Comparison tables can also help customers compare products more easily. Amazon, for example, includes comparison tables on its product pages to make it easy to compare similar products and make a purchasing decision.

3. Acquisition 

Once customers have made their decision, they move on to the acquisition stage. This is where the customer makes the actual purchase. 

Your online shopping journey should make it easy for customers to complete the transaction, providing a short and clear path to purchase.

What is the Path to Purchase?

The path to purchase refers to the series of steps that customers go through to make a purchase. Your goal should be to make the purchasing process as easy as possible for customers. 

The typical path to purchase usually consists of around 4-6 stages: Going to the website, clicking through to the product page, adding to the cart, going to the cart, checkout, and receiving a confirmation email.

How to improve the path to purchase:

• Offer direct purchases – Don’t require customers to create an account on your site in order to buy.

• Use multi-channel eCommerce – Make it easy for customers to buy your products on multiple channels, such as directly from social media.

• Provide fast delivery – Deliver products in a timely manner and package them safely.

4. Retention 

Customer retention refers to keeping the customer engaged and satisfied with their experience once they made a purchase. This is an important step in the online shopping journey because it is what creates customer loyalty and repeat business.

At this stage, the customer has already made a purchase and has developed a relationship with your store. Retention is about creating loyal customers who come back to buy from your store again and again.

Loyal customers are one of the most valuable assets your eCommerce store can have as the average amount spent per purchase by loyal customers is 67% higher than by new customers.

Because retaining existing customers is much more cost-effective than looking for new ones, it’s important to keep your customers coming back to your store by providing an excellent post-purchase experience. 

Keep customers engaged after checkout with post-purchase emails, loyalty programs, and a convenient return process. 

By providing value to customers beyond the initial purchase, you can build strong, lasting relationships with your customers and increase the average customer lifetime value.

5. Advocacy 

The final stage of the online shopping journey is advocacy. By this stage, your customers have built a positive relationship with your store and are eager to tell others about it. 

Satisfied customers are likely to recommend your store to their friends and family, leading to organic growth and increased customer acquisition.

To boost customer advocacy, make sure to provide high-quality customer service and engage with customers on a regular basis. You can use incentives such as referral programs and discounts to encourage referrals.

It’s also important to be active on social media and other platforms where customers share their experiences. Encouraging customers to leave reviews, participate in sponsored events, and engage with your store online can help drive advocacy and increase brand awareness.

Why is the Online Shopping Journey Important?

The online shopping journey is important because it impacts customer satisfaction and loyalty, as well as the likelihood of customers buying from your store again or recommending it to others.

A well-designed online shopping journey can lead to increased customer satisfaction, loyalty, and repeat business, while a confusing or frustrating shopping journey can lead to customer churn and negatively impact your store’s reputation.

By understanding and improving the online shopping journey, you can tailor your customer experience to meet the needs of your customers at each stage.

How To Improve Your Online Shopping Journey

By understanding the current customer experience and visualizing its ideal state you can improve various customer touchpoints and improve the online shopping journey 

Here are a few strategies to provide a seamless online shopping experience for your customers, from pre-purchase through post-purchase.

Have Clear Calls to Action

Calls to action (CTAs) are an integral part of the online shopping journey, as they guide customers toward taking the next step. 

CTAs can be used to encourage customers to take actions such as add items to their cart, complete a purchase, or sign up for a newsletter. 

Make your calls to action clear, prominent, and easy to understand. 

Here are some tips for creating clear calls to action:

• Use action-oriented language – Use clear and action-oriented language, such as “Shop Now” or “Learn More”, to encourage customers to take action.

• Make them prominent – Place calls to action in noticeable areas of your website, such as the header or footer, and make sure they stand out visually.

• Offer multiple options – Provide customers with multiple options for taking action, such as “Add to Cart” and “Buy Now”, to cater to different preferences and needs.

By creating clear and effective calls to action, you can guide customers through the online shopping journey and increase conversion rates.

Write Detailed Product Descriptions

Providing detailed and accurate product descriptions can play a major role in the online shopping journey as they provide customers with the information they need to make informed purchasing decisions and reduce the likelihood of returns.

Product descriptions are particularly important in the awareness, consideration, and acquisition stages, where customers are looking for information about products to help them determine if they meet their needs and wants, evaluate different options, and make a confident and informed purchase. 

Here are some key factors to consider when writing product descriptions:

• Use clear and concise language – Product descriptions should be easy to read and understand. Avoid using technical jargon or complicated language that may confuse customers.

• Highlight unique features – Unique features and benefits of your products can help set them apart from others on the market.

• Include product details – Product details such as size, fit, and material, are important information that customers want to know before making a purchase.

• Use high-quality images – High-quality images can help customers better understand your products and their features. Use multiple images and videos from different angles to provide a full view of the product.

Optimize your product descriptions to improve your customers’ online shopping journey by reducing returns and increasing customer satisfaction.

Send Cart Abandonment Emails

Send cart abandonment emails to customers who have added items to their shopping cart but have not completed the purchase to remind them of the items left in their cart and encourage them to complete the purchase.

Almost 70% of online shopping carts are abandoned without completing the purchase. Cart abandonment emails are a great way to keep the conversation going with this valuable group of potential customers.

In order to be effective, cart abandonment emails should be well-designed, personalized, and timely. 

Include clear calls to action and a sense of urgency, reminding customers why they added the items to their cart in the first place and encouraging them to complete the purchase. 

Additionally, you can offer incentives such as discounts or special promotions to encourage customers to return and complete their purchase immediately.

Sending cart abandonment emails can help improve the online shopping journey by reducing the number of abandoned shopping carts, increasing sales, and improving customer satisfaction. 

By reaching out to customers who have shown interest in your products, you can provide them with the motivation and information they need to complete the purchase, enhancing their online shopping experience.

Improve Your Return Process

Returns are an essential and often-overlooked part of the online shopping journey.

Make the return process easy and stress-free for customers to improve the shopping journey and increase customer loyalty. 

To improve your return process:

• Create a clear return policy – Make your return policy easy to understand and easily accessible through your website, emails, and checkout page.

• Make it easy to return items – Provide a convenient return process to improve the online shopping journey. Customers are more likely to enjoy the customer experience if they know they can easily return or exchange items if needed.

• Provide a range of return methods – Give customers multiple options for their returns, including how they return the items, and what kind of refund or exchange they get. 

A well-designed return process can help increase customer satisfaction and encourage repeat business, as customers are more likely to shop with stores that offer a hassle-free return experience. 

By offering flexible return options, a clear return policy, and a convenient return process, you can help customers feel confident in their purchases and reduce the stress and uncertainty often associated with returning items.

Mapping the Online Shopping Journey

Mapping the online shopping journey is the process of identifying and understanding the steps a customer goes through when shopping online. With this information, you can improve your customer experience and grow your business.

What is a Shopping Journey Map?

A shopping journey map is a visual representation of the customer’s experience when shopping online at your store. 

It shows the different stages of the online shopping journey, customer pain points, the touchpoints they interact with along the way, and opportunities you have for moving them along in their shopping journey. 

Mapping your shopping journey is important because it helps you look at how your customers actually experience your store, and if you understand your customers better, you can better meet their needs.

Customer Journey Touchpoints

Customer journey touchpoints are the various points of interaction between your customers and your brand during the online shopping journey. These touchpoints can include website navigation, customer reviews, customer service interactions, and so on. 

Understanding customer touchpoints is essential for mapping the customer journey, as it enables you to identify opportunities to improve the customer experience.

How to Map Your Online Shopping Journey

Mapping your online shopping journey involves the following steps:

1. Define customer segments – Identify your target audience and their unique needs and expectations.

2. Gather data – Collect data from sources such as customer feedback, website analytics, and surveys to better understand the customer experience.

3. Identify touchpoints – Determine the various touchpoints along the customer journey, including website navigation, customer service interactions, etc.

4. Map the journey – Using the data collected, create a visual representation of the shopping journey, highlighting the different stages, touchpoints, and customer pain points.

5. Analyze your map – Analyze your online shopping journey map to pinpoint friction points and areas where the customer experience could be improved.

6. Implement improvements – Apply your insights to the customer journey, testing and refining as necessary.

By mapping the online shopping journey, you can gain a deeper understanding of the customer experience, identify opportunities for improvement, and create a more seamless shopping journey for your customers.

Optimize The Online Shopping Journey

The online shopping journey is a crucial aspect of eCommerce, as it directly affects customer satisfaction and loyalty. 

By mapping the online shopping journey and understanding the various customer journey touchpoints, you can identify areas for improvement and create a more personalized and seamless shopping experience. 

Implement strategies such as clear calls to action, detailed product descriptions, cart abandonment emails, and an improved return process to drive customer satisfaction and increase business growth. 

Keep monitoring and refining the online shopping journey to provide an excellent customer experience.

No matter how much you love Christmas, gift shopping is stressful. The lines, the crowds, the empty shelves… it’s a lot to take in. Thankfully the mulled wine, twinkling street lights, and carolers’ noise make it that little bit easier.

Online shopping is a breath of fresh air for a lot of us — it’s easy, smooth, and can be done from the comfort of our couches — but it lacks the Christmassy feel you get when shopping offline.

As an E-Commerce business, the rush doesn’t stop at Black Friday: It’s your responsibility to add a little festive spirit to the shopping experience and keep your customers feeling happy and organized throughout the holiday season.

Keeping Online Customers Happy This Season

Be Accessible

With more store visits, you’ll inevitably have more questions to answer. Prep your customer service team so that they all provide consistent, professional, and personal feedback, or integrate a Chatbot to help with the rush.

Chatbots are a great way to keep customers happy, as they can access help 24/7 — perfect for those doing a bit of secret, last-minute gift shopping in the middle of the night.

You’ll need to handle all your email accounts, contact forms, and social media channels so that you don’t miss any messages from potential customers.

Once orders have been placed or even delivered, you should take time to email customers to see if they are happy with their order or if they need any more assistance. This level of service will score you repeat customers and brand loyalty that sees you into the New Year.

Say Thank You to Special Customers

If you’ve got some repeat customers that really stand out, send them a Christmas card to say thank you for their support. This super personal finishing touch is such a lovely surprise and will secure the customer’s loyalty to your brand. Who doesn’t love unexpected Christmas cards?

If you don’t want to send a physical card, send them an email with a personalized discount — gift them while they gift others.

Use Nice Packaging

We’ve previously mentioned the importance of using more sustainable packaging, which is so essential at Christmas. The festive period sees around 3 billion tons of extra packaging waste than other times of the year.

Using branded packaging, or packaging that’s nicer than usual is great for making customers feel extra special about their purchase. According to Dotcom Distribution, 61% of online shoppers get more excited about receiving branded packaging, and 44% of customers believe branded packaging makes the product feel worth the cost.

Similarly, 40% of people have a better perception of brands if the packaging is gift-like, which influences them to buy from the brand again.

Those are some great stats, and they make total sense. If you’re an online business, you can even offer a ‘this item is a gift’ button on your order forms, so you can make their order look even more special. You’re not only saving the customer a job but also saving the need for more wastage. The customer can gift your product without unpacking it, bin the wrapping, and re-wrap it.

First impressions go a long way, so if this is the customer’s first order, using nice packaging will really leave a lasting impression.

Clear Up Your Returns Policy

Unlike other times of the year, orders are more likely to be gifts rather than for personal use. That means there’s a chance the receiver might not actually like the gift or need it in a different color, size, or style.

You’ll need to make sure your returns policy is clear and accessible. Make sure it’s easy to find on your site, and allow for a larger return window. January will likely be a busy month for returns, so ensure your returns policy is clear from the get-go to avoid disgruntled customers in the new year.

Offer Self Service: FAQ Pages, Order Tracking, Return Resolutions

It’s a busy time of year, so try to make as much as you can self-service. Allow customers to answer their own queries by planning out an FAQ page. Keep customers in the loop about their delivery by providing them a tracking number they can use themselves. Enable them to return items without having to ring or email.

ReturnGO is the perfect addition to your business’s holiday period. While you’re focusing on making your customers feel special and accommodated, our AI return resolution system can help customers looking to return items. ReturnGO will offer customers store credits to cancel their return request, so you have less to worry about. Customers can use the service without contacting your customer service team and can choose from a number of solutions that work for them.

That’s How to Keep Customers Happy!

So, there you have it. These are just a few ways of keeping your customers happy during the busiest time of the year. It’s easy to get caught up in discounts, marketing, and business strategy, but what matters is the customer. Customers are open-minded at Christmas and are much more open to switching their loyalty to new brands that offer the best service.