Confirmation Emails: How to Build Loyalty
For retailers, confirmation emails can be an efficient tool in building loyalty and enticing people to buy from them. That’s because shoppers love such mails, often giving them priority among their other emails apart from checking them frequently or clicking on the links these mails have. Shopify has benefited from successfully customizing its order confirmation emails to win customer loyalty and boost revenue. A recent whitepaper from email service provider Listrack states confirmation emails to be the most valuable message in inboxes of as much as 64% of shoppers. No wonder these mails enjoy a high open rate of 114.30%, which may seem ridiculous when compared to the measly 13-14% rate of email marketing campaigns.
Ways to build loyalty using Confirmation Emails:
Strengthen Purchase Information
When customers offer their credit/debit card numbers to buy from you, they expect you to answer their questions and concerns, thus giving them peace of mind and some level of comfort. With an enhanced order confirmation email, you can do just that. Apart from letting your customers know that their order has been received and you will start processing it soon, such an email can also build customer loyalty. For example, by showing order number, description of the item(s) purchased, estimated delivery date, product images, item’s price and tax, shipping cost, link to your return policy etc, you can display how professional and reliable your store is.
Show brand uniqueness
You can show your brand’s unique identity by bringing some creativity in the text, formatting or graphics of your order conformation emails. Rather than sending a boring and bland confirmation email, make it interesting so that they engage your customers and make your brand memorable to them. For example, informing customers in your confirmation emails that they can rate products to make their next purchase better not only engages them but also ensure they return to buy more. At the same time, the primary focus should be on the purchase, which is why you need to highlight the order details before going creative.
Target on customer service
Your order confirmation email should have your business contact details (email, phone number, contact link etc.) to reassure your customers that they can reach you any time to get their questions/issues answered or addressed. This way, you can make customers rely on your brand and appreciate the effort you put into building relationships. In the long-run, this would breed loyalty and even help you get new customers based on the recommendation, referral or praise of your existing clientele.
Add a Tracking Link
Once your customers have placed an order, they eagerly wait for the items to be delivered. Give them the details of their order’s shipping by including a tracking link in your confirmation email. Make the links stand out so that customers can easily click and check how far their order has traveled and even see when it’s expected to reach them. If you have a Shopify ecommerce store, you can include a tracking link along with a real-time map in your confirmation emails to help your customers track their orders.
Recommend Related Products
Ecommerce sites earn 10-30% of their revenues through product recommendations. In your confirmation emails, you can recommend related products to help your customers find what they are looking for or cross-sell to them. If you have a Shopify ecommerce store, you can recommend related products using the Shopify theme with an in-built feature for the purpose, use third party apps, or create your own section, a link to which can then be included in your confirmation email. Instead of generic promotion of products, personalized recommendations based on your customers’ order or browsing history can encourage further purchases and make them feel more valued, thus creating brand loyalty.
Reward customers
Rewarding customers can not only pave way for better engagement but also encourage them to purchase more, leading the brand to enjoy added sales. From a special offer, gift, discount, promotional offer or loyalty program, brands can use various ways to reward their customers. For new customers, the chance to enjoy such rewards when they get their order conformation emails can be a delight and create a positive first experience with the brand.
Optimize emails for mobile
You should ideally use a single column design for your confirmation emails that’s easy to follow for readers and has a clear content hierarchy. Since almost 59% of emails were opened on mobiles and tablets during the first quarter of 2016 according to a report by Experian – the global information services group - it pays to keep mobile readability in mind. Though responsive design is the best way to ensure your emails are read without any problem by both your mobile and desktop readers, you can also opt for simple, mobile-friendly email designs in case a complete makeover to your emails isn’t possible right away.
Takeaway
Whether you have your online store on Shopify or any other platform, your order confirmation emails need not be boring. You can use the above ideas together with your own creativity to create order confirmation emails that elicit interest of receivers, encourage further engagement and above all, fuel your customers’ desire to make more purchases in the future.
A brand should protect and work on its branding at every stage. Confirmation emails can act as the ideal solution to help businesses create a brand connect with their target clientele. For a new customer, an order confirmation email is the first point of interaction with the brand. This is why it needs to be impressive to create a positive emotion in the customer and convince him/her to trust the brand again with future purchases. So, don’t forget to leverage confirmation emails for your Shopify ecommerce store or online store on other platforms.
