Picture this: You’ve spent time and money preparing for the holiday shopping season, you’ve crafted your campaigns, chosen your holiday offers, you’ve competed for attention, and everything in between.
Black Friday, Christmas, Boxing Day, and New Years go by in a blur. The holiday rush is over.
Now what?
The rush might be over and the excitement may have died down, but your marketing efforts shouldn’t end when those initial sales do. What happens after the purchase can be just as important as everything that led up to it.
You’ve already done the work of getting someone to choose your brand, now there’s an opportunity to build on that first interaction and purchase, strengthen the relationship, and give them a reason to purchase again.
The post-purchase experience can turn your one-time holiday buyers into repeat customers, loyal supporters, and maybe even advocates for your brand.
Let’s talk about how you can do that!
Think about why someone might not repurchase after the holidays
Why is it that some holiday buyers don’t return? Maybe they were motivated by a discount or don’t typically splurge. Maybe the brand didn’t follow up in a relevant way… or at all.
Just because they made a one-time holiday purchase doesn’t mean they won’t purchase from you again, maybe they just need a reason to do so.
Rethink the post-purchase experience
What is your post-purchase routine?
What happens after the purchase is important, if you aren’t doing any follow up beyond order confirmations and delivery updates, there’s so much more you can do.
You can use this as an opportunity to build trust and to encourage repeat engagement.
Here are a few things to consider:
Follow-up: Share helpful product information, send a thank you note, etc.
Personalized recommendations: Rather than sharing generic suggestions, you can use their purchase behaviour to recommend complementary or similar products and services.
Loyalty incentives: Introduce rewards, exclusive offers, referral codes, or early access to special offers and products.
Feedback and engagement: People want to be heard and valued, customer feedback can also be great for your business, invite it in! Ask for reviews and testimonials, encourage User-Generated Content, and engage with customers online..
Explore ways to connect
Explore ways to connect with consumers and nurture ongoing relationships.
Here are a few ways to build on those connections:
Referral and rewards programs
Sharing User-generated content
Engagement on social media
Connection can help turn those one time buyers into ambassadors for your brand - someone who doesn’t just buy again and again, but also someone who recommends your brand!
The holiday season might bring customers through the door, but what you do after they check out can influence what they do next and whether they come back.
Make it count!