The Post-Purchase Nurture Flow maintains engagement by thanking customers, educating customers on how to use the product & sharing content relevant to their challenges. It targets recent buyers, fostering a post-purchase relationship that enhances customer loyalty and lays the groundwork for repeat business.

Post-Purchase Nurture Flow

What’s A Post-Purchase Nurture Flow?

A Post-Purchase Nurture Flow is the first few emails a customer gets after they make a purchase (besides transactional emails like an Order Confirmation). This is one of the most commonly underused but important emails for a DTC ecommerce brand because it builds brand loyalty with purchasers.

The best way to keep customers is to make sure they have a great experience of your brand and products, so they return to make future purchases.

That’s why building a great Post-Purchase Nurture flow is the first step to retaining more customers, getting more repeat purchases & increasing customer lifetime value (LTV). An effective Post-Purchase Nurture builds brand loyalty by thanking customers, educating them on how to get the most of your products.

# Of Emails: 5

Flow Length: 10-15 days

What’s the goal of a Post-Purchase Nurture Flow?

‍To nurture customers to become repeat customers & raving fans which:

  1. Increases your repeat purchase rate by getting more customers to return to make additional purchases
  2. Gets customers to return for their next purchase faster (ie. the amount of time it takes for a first time customer to place their second order, or a repeat customer to place their next order)
  3. Gets more customers onto a recurring subscription
  4. Gets customers to spend more over the lifetime with your brand (through increasing AOV, number of purchases, or upselling them into a subscription)
  5. Introduces customers to other products (ie. the number of different products a customer is purchasing)
  6. Generating word of mouth (ie. getting them to refer a friend, post on social media etc.)

Post-Purchase Nurture Flow Emails

Email #1: Thank You

‍Thank them for their purchase, share brand/product values & give them other ways to engage with your brand which can include:

  1. Thanking them for their purchase 
  2. Lightly introducing them to other products they might like and/or complement the product they bought 
  3. Sharing the brand/product story & values 
  4. Sharing social media accounts‍

Email #2: What To Expect

Build excitement for them to receive their product, sharing what to expect or unique elements of the product to look out for, and/or educating them on preparing to use the product which can include:

  1. Main benefits they can expect out of the product 
  2. Key features of the product to get excited for 
  3. How to use the product 
  4. How to take care of the product
  5. Social proof (eg. before/after images, customer stories, testimonials)‍

Email #3: Content + Light Cross-Sell

‍Share value that your customers would be interested in & introducing them to other products they might like which can include:‍

  1. Plain-text check-in email from a CX team member on how they’re liking the product so far 
  2. Info to contact for questions 
  3. FAQs 
  4. Tips on how to use the product 
  5. 3-5 blog posts they might like 
  6. 1-2 product recommendations
💡
Expert Tip

Do as much research on your customer as you can. Read reviews, jump into social comments, or interview customers to get their perspectives and use that data in your post purchase flow. 

Gather 3-5 common objections/complaints in 1-2 star reviews and use your post purchase flow to overcome those complaints and set expectations on how to use your product correctly. 

For example, customers who purchase our miracle balm and have oily skin might have a harder time using the product because it's a balm. In our post purchase flow, we reiterate to start with a little, and to use our lip and cheek stick if you want more pigment, instead of going in with more miracle balm. 

You can also build excitement by reiterating what customers love about your product, showing UGC or GIF's using the product.

Joanne Coffey
Retention Marketing Manager at Jones Road Beauty
@itsJoanneCoffey

Email #4: CX Check-In

‍A relationship-building email that is a check-in once they’ve received their product to make sure they get the most out of it which can include:

  1. Plain-text check-in email from a CX team member on how they’re liking the product so far 
  2. Info to contact for questions 
  3. FAQs 
  4. Tips on how to use the product 
  5. 3-5 blog posts they might like 
  6. 1-2 product recommendations

‍

Email #5: Cross-Sell

Building a brand relationship & why they should buy from you which can include:

  1. Introducing other products/collections they might like 
  2. In-depth product education on a specific product you’re recommending
  3. A roundup of products they haven’t tried
  4. A custom recommendation block to suggest other products they’ll like
  5. A simple email driving them to an on-site quiz to find the best product for them
  6. A quiz-style or product catalog email that recommends specific products based on their preferences

Cross-Sell Flow Email Examples