Delivering a smooth and frictionless post-purchase experience should be a top priority for every retailer. According to PwC, businesses that reduce friction for consumers and empower all employees to “make things right” — whether through returns, price adjustments or other policies — bring higher customer satisfaction and more forgiveness.
This point is critical because even when customers love a company or product, 59% of shoppers in the U.S. will walk away from a business after several bad experiences, and 17% will leave after just one bad experience. Loyalty is both real and fleeting. The experience doesn’t stop at checkout–that’s where it begins.
PwC also found that customers who feel appreciated are happy to pay a 16% price premium when purchasing products and services. These stats underscore the importance of taking a holistic approach to the customer experience, from pre- to post-purchase.
What Does the Post Purchase Experience Entail?
The post-purchase experience in retail refers to the interactions and elements that follow a customer’s completion of a transaction. It encompasses the period after the purchase is made, extending from order confirmation to product delivery and beyond. A positive post-purchase experience is crucial for customer loyalty and retention, brand trust and positive word-of-mouth. Key points of the post-purchase experience include:
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- Order communications: Includes updates on order status and shipping from an increasing number of fulfillment nodes;
- Delivery experience: Involves fast and reliable product delivery, packaging and perhaps even a personal touch;
- Customer support and assistance: Refers to available, responsive and helpful customer support to assist with inquiries, order issues, or post-purchase concerns;
- Returns and exchange: Requires a simple, user-friendly portal that streamlines returns and exchanges;
- Post purchase communications: May entail recommendations, promotions, rewards, loyalty program enrollment, customer referrals or other incentives to build customer loyalty – being personal between purchases, especially critical for retailers to fill these gaps with meaningful content; and
- Feedback and engagement: Includes product reviews, future product influence, refer-a-friend and customer surveys across an increasingly board spectrum of topics – loyal customers want to be more and more vested.
How can Retailers Improve Post-Purchase Using an Order Management System (OMS)?
An OMS is a software solution that simplifies the management of inventory, orders and fulfillment and plays a vital role in the post-purchase experience by ensuring timely communication, providing real-time updates, improving customer support and facilitating smooth returns and exchanges. And while CX matters foremost, to enable the ever-growing focus on post-purchase, including AI-based experiences, superior architecture and data management is almost as critical as the functions themselves!
A modern OMS provides real-time and accurate updates to customers regarding their orders. This includes real-time notifications for order status, shipping information, refund status and any potential delays.
Contact center support is critical as well. To provide post-purchase customer support, a customer service representative (CSR) must be empowered to solve a wide variety of issues that may arise. This ensures that CSRs have instant access to order information, which helps with quicker issue resolution.
Additionally, if there are customer service issues, such as when a discount is not applied or when the purchase experience is unsatisfactory, the CSR may need to provide some form of compensation to the customer. A feature like discretionary appeasements empower call center agents to offer personalized solutions that enhance customer satisfaction by addressing concerns and resolving issues quickly.
Even if the customer is not tech-savvy, or if they want to purchase an item immediately, or if the retailer wants to provide a higher level of customer service, there are certain situations in which a CSR will want to place an order for a customer. Whatever the reason, a modern OMS can allow a CSR to complete an order using a function called assisted order placement.
There are many instances when a transaction may not go through as intended and may require a CSR to modify or replace an order. A discretionary adjustment feature in an OMS allows for quick and easy price changes, ensuring flexibility in catering to customer needs and accommodating changes and preferences even after the initial purchase.
Conclusion
To craft an exceptional post-purchase experience today, retailers need order management software that boasts the necessary features, integrations and adaptability required to streamline operations, enhance communication and meet the needs of customers.
Jay Topper is Chief Customer Officer for fabric, Inc., a modern, modular and API-first enterprise ecommerce and omnichannel OMS platform company. Prior to fabric, he was the Chief Digital Officer of Chico’s FAS. While there, Topper oversaw the company’s Digital First strategy, end to end data and technology, customer service and the global supply chain. Prior to joining Chico’s FAS, Topper served as Chief Digital Officer at retailer FTD®, elevated from CIO and CTO.
