This guide shares best practices for creating impactful post-purchase emails and outlines the steps for crafting them. We’ll explore practical examples and optimization tips to strengthen your marketing skills.
Post-purchase emails are the aftertaste of online shopping, yet they are often underrated. With nearly 361.6 billion emails sent daily, marketers face some questions: How do you create captivating emails? Is it even worth the effort? With good practices up your sleeve — yes, and that’s our task for today!
We’ll explore best practices to maximize the value of post-purchase emails, improve customer experience, and simplify email design with no coding skills. Let’s get into it!
About post-purchase emails
Post-purchase emails are a series of messages sent once a person places an order. When crafted right, they can nurture customer relationships, drive repeat purchases, and foster trust, so they fairly deserve the attention.
If you’re still in doubt, post-purchase emails have a 217% higher open rate than an average email campaign, giving you more chances to turn leads into loyal customers.
Types of post-purchase emails
Now that we have covered the odds and definitions, let’s differentiate post-purchase emails based on their goal:
- Transactional emails: These have all the details about the customer's order — a purchase confirmation message, invoice, receipt, or shipping confirmation email are examples you may see.
- Marketing emails: These are promotional messages with discounts, surveys, new products, or review requests. They are not as tightly linked to the transaction and do not focus on the order details.
With all the differences between post-purchase emails in mind, we may move to the best practices.
10 best practices for post-purchase emails
Placing an order is just the beginning of the customer experience. As a seller, you need to ensure your post-purchase email flow naturally leads to customer satisfaction.
To help you reach that point, I have gathered 10 best tips for post-purchase email campaigns from travel and eCommerce businesses. We’ll explore examples and what makes them effective. Let’s dive in!
1. Show gratitude
What is the first thing you do once the order is placed? Do you scan your inbox for an order confirmation email immediately, or just move on? Personally, I look for proof of purchase, and seeing a “Thank you” email is a simple but sweet gesture.
I could not be the only one who spotted the heart emoji with warm wishes in the email below. It shows the seller’s interest in my experience, which is a great start.
(Source: Email from KLR Bus)
2. Add gamification elements
Post-purchase emails are no exception to implementing gamification. In addition to increasing click-to-open rates by 220%, it can make your message fun.
One of the post-purchase messages I received had a “What will you put in the suitcase?” quiz. After choosing the correct variant, a traveler gets a discount for the next trip, and there’s no way to resist.
(Source: Email from KLR Bus)
How to create a game with Stripo
It’s unfair to discuss the benefits of gamification without showing how to create it, so let’s get into it. Here are the steps you need to follow:
- Go to the Interactive module generator.
- Select any game from the list (I chose a Scratcher).
- Fill in the Setting section: text area, button name.
- Set up a Response Storage and Merge Tags if needed.
- Create a fallback message or use an automatic one.
This is it! Now, you can save the module to your Stripo account or send it to your email.
3. Add action-driven elements
Post-purchase messages are not solemnly informational, and properly crafted email buttons can boost clicks. In numbers, a good click-through rate in email falls between 3% and 5%, and action language can improve these metrics even more.
The travel company I have chosen for analysis uses button-shaped calls to action and red as its color. From the color psychology, word choice, and contrast point of view, this combination is powerful and had me click within seconds.
(Source: Email from KLR Bus)
4. Build anticipation with tips and checklists
When an item is en route or a trip is coming, you may tease new customers with how-to information emails or useful checklists to remind them of the value. Why is this important?
Recent research shows that 47% of subscribers open brand emails only if they are valuable.
Imagine you are waiting for the trip, and as it gets closer, the company gives packing tips or reminds you of mandatory travel documents. The excitement and value skyrocket, and the company name is at the top of your mind.
(Source: Email from KLR Bus)
eCommerce alternatives may include user-generated content, how-to information emails, and usage tips — anything that could educate customers and increase anticipation.
5. Keep customers updated
Frustrated, lost, and stressed — that’s how customers feel when the delivery day comes, and no package arrives or is not even sent out. Providing users with shipping confirmation emails and order changes in eCommerce post-purchase emails is a must.
Moreover, it appears that 59% of shoppers would like to get updates, so not only do you inform them of purchase status, but you also avoid a negative customer experience.
(Source: Stripo template)
6. Ask for reviews thoughtfully
Do you motivate your existing customers to share a few words or just request feedback? It may be a good time to re-assess your approach, and I have ideas for inspiration!
There’s one post-purchase review email that has been on my mind for days. Instead of a standard message, Ryanair teased recipients with a chance to win a gift card. As a customer, I saw personal value in sharing feedback, so needless to say, my hesitation faded away.
(Source: Email from Ryanair)
Such motivational elements encourage existing customers to talk and publish reviews, which builds trust in your brand and attracts new leads.
7. Use hyper-personalization
Approximately 72% of digital retailers think that AI-driven personalization has the most impact on their business, and they are not wrong. Personalized messages set your post-purchase email campaigns apart from the static competition.
Each order gives you more customer data — preferences or geographics — and the more details you have, the better you can segment your audience and adjust post-purchase emails.
(Source: Email from Ordinary)
8. Plan email sequences for long-term
Planning email sequences in advance ensures consistency and shows a customer lifetime value. While some businesses solemnly focus on attracting new prospects, I’d like to highlight the importance of customer retention.
Recent studies show that repeat customers bring in 72% of revenue. Moreover, customer-centered businesses reported a 41% faster revenue increase. So not only does this post-purchase flow boost your profits, but also speeds the growth.
Travel email sequence example
We’ve discussed the importance of long-term customer relations, but how do they look in practice? Let’s check an actionable example where each step of customer journey preparations is accompanied by an email:
- Order confirmation with details in a PDF, along with action-driven words.
- An offer to purchase a return ticket with upsells.
- An informational email on what to pack for the road with gamification elements and a discount for participation.
- A checklist with mandatory travel information.
- Tips for travelers with pets.
- A review request email with a discount for the next trip.
9. Remain eco-friendly
With tons of flash sales, promotions, or new arrivals, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, but sustainability can save the day. Implementing eco-friendly practices improves content efficiency and reduces negative environmental impact.
So, how do you make sure your post-purchase emails are optimized? Let’s have a look at my findings:
- optimized design: Using compressed images, GIFs, and lightweight visuals reduces reading and loading times;
- email frequency: Sending emails too often appears spammy and increases one’s carbon footprint. The ten countries — China, Brazil, UK, USA, India, Netherlands, Vietnam, Italy, Germany, and Morocco — generate 2,184 metric tonnes of CO2 daily or 797,160 annually solemnly from spam;
- dark mode adjustment: Designing emails compatible with dark mode can save energy on screens, thus making messages sustainable.
With these tips, your business may contribute to environmental sustainability and improve customer experience.
10. Foster community
I’ll start with the facts. Approximately 78.2% of shippers believe that interacting with the community raises brand awareness and keeps it top of mind. Communities are an opportunity to let existing customers share their expertise and thus feel important and involved.
Post-purchase emails are a great place to embed community invitations and perks for members, celebrate the most active repeat customers, and encourage participation.
Create post-purchase emails with Stripo
10 pillars of the post-purchase emails are covered, so it’s time to learn how to speed up and ease template creation and how Stripo can be of help.
Find a best-fitting template
If you are taking your first steps in crafting post-purchase campaigns, Stripo templates can simplify the process. Here is how you can navigate the tab and find the template to work with:
- use filters: You may search for templates based on industry, season, features, types, or integrations;
- try keyword search: If you are unsure which feature or type you need but know the topic, try searching by keywords to find the best matches;
- order a custom template: You don’t have to set up for less! If you have an idea, our team would be happy to create a custom template for you through an ordering feature.
Improve CTA buttons
The hardest part is behind you! Now that you have picked a post-purchase email template, you may adjust it to the brand's needs.
Call to action buttons are a crucial email layout element, so we’ll start with them. Here is where you may customize the email buttons:
- settings tab: The button block has its own settings with an option to add a link, set up button text, alignment, margins, or height;
- styles tab: This section is all about how the button looks: font, font size, font family, button color, border radius, and padding.
Optimize for mobile devices
Once all the essential elements are set up, we can move to the next step — mobile device optimization. Only 39% of recipients check their email on desktops, so targeting these means losing a significant portion of potential customers.
Post-purchase emails are no exception, so testing the final message's look on mobiles is a must. Luckily, it only takes a click in Stripo:
- Find the phone icon in the upper right corner and click on it.
- Check the template design.
- Remove some elements for mobiles to free up space (if needed), and it’s done.
Add contact details
Social media links and support emails encourage customers to engage with the brand and let them easily get help.
There’s no need to manually search for social media icons, as we have pre-made modules:
- Click on Structures & Modules on your left.
- Find the needed module using filters or scrolling.
- Drag-n-drop it, and it’s done!
Test your template
With Stripo’s integrated testing tool, you do not need third-party apps or platforms to run email client checks and dark mode previews.
There’s no need to leave the tab, and all the steps to follow are listed below:
- Click on the Test icon.
- Select the Email Clients option in the Testing Template window.
- Click Run a Test.
- Check the results and edit where needed.
There’s also an option to download preview images to quickly approve the templates and proceed with the post-purchase email design.
Post-purchase email examples
With all the tips and steps in mind, it is time to add a cherry on top of the cake and discuss post-purchase email examples. Let’s dive into them!
Airbnb trip reminder
This precise and light-colored reminder email teases you with an upcoming trip and reservation details. With information on the house, safety rules, and an option to manage booking, Airbnb fully equips you for the journey.
There is no cross-selling or promotions on other experiences for this location — the email is informational in nature, and it does its job well. With a few action words, it educates and builds anticipation for the traveler, making the message a good example of the reminder emails.
(Source: Email from Airbnb)
Booking payment confirmation
Post-purchase confirmation emails from Booking feel quite the opposite of those from Airbnb. They are formal, straight-to-the-point, with no images, just bare text.
It’s a good example of an eco-friendly email — the design is simplified to the maximum, yet I have everything I need right in front of me.
(Source: Email from Booking)
GymBeam NPS survey
Implementing NPS surveys in post-purchase emails is a good thing, but making them interactive can generate up to 520% more customer feedback. With no need to follow any links, a recipient can take a survey without leaving the email.
The post-purchase email example with an NPS below is minimalistic and straightforward but serves its purpose well. Needless to say, it got its response.
(Source: Email from GymBeam)
Wrapping up
To sum this up, I’d like to say that properly crafted post-purchase email series are a ticket to repeat purchases. With elements of gamification, hyper-personalization, action words, and eco-friendly practices, your messages catch an eye even in the crowded inbox.
And while you focus on content and design, Stripo handles the rest and ensures your emails function properly across all email providers.
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