How Post-purchase Experience Trends in 2022 Are Affecting Your Ecommerce Business
When it comes to customer experience trends, what worked in the ‘90s simply doesn’t cut it for today’s shoppers. People today are hungry for experiences that go far beyond a snazzy website, steeply discounted prices, or constant promos.
Instead, modern consumers want an authentic and engaging experience that stretches from brand discovery to safe delivery. People aren’t so keen to fall for surface-level gimmicks or tactics. Instead, they want to know they’ll be supported, valued, and delighted all the way from first awareness to post-purchase completion. Like a toddler turning into a teenager, you could say online shoppers have grown emotionally since the early days of ecommerce.
However, while most brands are eager to improve their overall customer experience, they forget about one of the most important aspects of the customer journey: the post-purchase experience (PPX). In fact, one report found that 56% of respondents were disappointed with the PPX they received from retailers and ecommerce stores. Additionally, Accenture found that a measly 17% of customers feel that modern businesses care about the post-purchase experience.
That teensy, tiny percentage means that the vast majority of people feel abandoned when it matters most—last-mile delivery and experience. If the PPX is so important to shoppers and is the key to things like loyalty and retention, why are so many brands not hitting the mark? Why does this dissonance still exist, despite the influx of marketing tools at their disposal?
In order to fix something right, you have to know what’s broken. Until recently, what happens after the online checkout has been a bit of a no man’s land. Brands let third-party carriers take control of the customer experience, and carriers point fingers at brands should something go wrong. And in the end, this wishy-washy experience simply hurts shoppers most.
So, what exactly is PPX? Why is it so important for your ecommerce store? What trends should you be taking advantage of to take control and mend what happens past purchase? Let’s dive in.
What Is the Post-purchase Experience?
The definition of this newly minted buzzword, post-purchase experience, is pretty much how it sounds. The PPX encompasses everything your customers experience after they complete their purchase with your store. This includes all communications, images, support, updates, upsells, and the whole of how you treat your customers after they’ve purchased your product or service. Ultimately, it’s a way for you to continue interacting with existing buyers and build a better relationship with them. It’s these existing customers—the ones that have looked at similar products, interacted with your brand, and purchased from you—that you should focus your efforts on.
Looking Back at the Post-purchase Experience and Ecommerce
Before we jump into what makes a good PPX and how it can benefit your business today, let’s chat about how this stage of the customer experience has changed over the years.
In the beginning, PPX was not considered part of the customer journey—it was more of a fleeting afterthought. Most businesses focused their attention on acquisition and conversion, paying little attention to what happened after checkout. If you’re at least an Elder Millennial, think back to the early days of ecommerce.
After battling the dial tone, navigating a sluggish World Wide Web, and trusting this new technology with your banking deets, you sat around for weeks hoping your purchase would make its way to you. And if you needed support after you bought? That 1-800 number on the website came in handy. As far as the brand was concerned, their job was done and the fate of your experience rested with the good ol’ USPS.
Today, PPX is one of the most (if not the very most) important parts of the customer journey when it comes to brand loyalty, retention, order value, and differentiation. After all, it’s the last touchpoint they have with your store, so it only makes sense that what they taste last is what they’ll remember most.
Customers notice when a brand’s PPX is bad—and when they do, they probably won’t be coming back. One survey found that 78% of customers say it’s important for a company's post-purchase experience to be positive. However, only 1% of consumers felt that vendors met expectations. The disparity between customer needs and what the customer gets has never been greater.
One bad delivery experience with your store can have devastating consequences. Customers have myriad products to choose from, so switching brands after a poor experience isn’t difficult. This is why it’s so important to take your PPX into your own hands. Unfortunately, third-party carriers like UPS, DHL, and FedEx, aren’t invested in your ecommerce brand—and don’t really care what happens to your store. When 73% of customers are unlikely to return after a bad delivery experience, brands have all the more motivation to ensure their PPX is flawless.
Customer acquisition, on-site, and conversion experiences have all evolved in step with the ecommerce industry and mounting customer expectations. What’s the deal with the PPX, and how can online brands bring it into the 21st century?
Post-purchase Experience Trends to Start up in 2022
Here’s the good news: There are accessible, affordable ways to establish and improve your existing (or non-existent?) PPX. Now that you know about the impact of this experience, let’s find how to get started. Here are the first trends to snap up when improving the experience your shoppers get after checkout:
Tapping into Experience Trends Beefs up Your Bottom Line and Loyalty
Optimizing PPX benefits your brand in a number of ways: Increased loyalty and customer retention, boosted brand recognition, industry trend-setter, higher-order values, greater differentiation among competitors being just a few.
By showing your customers you care about them even after they’ve made a purchase, you give them a reason to continue supporting you. Plus, a positive PPX contributes to their overall opinion of your business and increases the chance they’ll recommend you to friends and family.
Creating a positive PPX should be a top priority for your ecommerce business. This experience shows customers you recognize and understand their needs—and are committed to meeting them.
With Route, you can easily provide customers the transparency and visibility they’ve come to expect. Deliver an exceptional experience to your customers by trying Route today.
