Acquisition is costly business. What is costlier, is low retention.
What do you do with acquired consumers?
Purchase marks the end of courtship and the beginning of a relationship with your consumer. How you nurture that relationship here on determines its longevity and "happiness".
What happens post purchase?
- Post purchase anxiety - In case of a high involvement category, what the consumer didn't buy starts to feel more valuable than what she did, reassurance at this stage goes a long way
- Delivery experience - this is simple, #amazon sets the gold standard, try to come as close to it as possible
- Product Unboxing and Initial reaction - Imagine opening the package yourself and see if you deliver on the brand promise e.x if a brand talks about sustainability, is it using sustainable packaging
- Product Usage - this is make or break, without it, retention is a non starter
- Feedback - do you take feedback, not reviews and ratings but actual feedback, do you use it and acknowledge the feedback
- Conversation - do you have conversations with your consumer, e.x. if you sell coffee/ tea, can you send an email with 5 innovative recipes that the consumer can try with your product, notice how it's conversation and not one side communication
- Repeat Purchase - Understand your category, if it's variety seeking, offer the variety, if its habit, make the process of repeat purchase easier through subscription etc and offer value (note, value is not only discounts)
- Make the Consumer Feel Valued - Like relationships, not all relationships are the same, investing time and resources in the important ones (read loyalists) is the way to go
- Community - Give similar consumers a platform where they can exchange ideas, the brand is the gatekeeper of the community, the participants drive the engagement and the conversation
Start small, listen intently, communicate and be willing to change.
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