Small Businesses Can Optimize Post-Purchase Experiences

August 13, 2020

by Ian Novack

Online purchases may happen at the click of a button, but ecommerce does not grant consumers instant (or constant) gratification — up to 60% of customers experience disappointment in their post-purchase experience. Lack of visibility into their shipment and damaged packages are common grievances amongst shoppers.

Only in rare cases do consumers go through a gratifying post-purchase experience from start to finish. According to Yonyx, “Research shows, surprisingly so, only about 16% companies actually have customer retention focus, despite the fact that it is at least 5-7 times costlier to acquire new customers.” Brands that leverage the post-purchase customer experience for retention have higher customer satisfaction rates and save on new customer acquisition costs.

A Customer-Centric Experience

What makes the post-purchase experience memorable? Branded tracking and branded packaging. Historically, the customer experience included advertisements, point-of-sale, and an order confirmation. From there, it was radio silence until a generic package eventually arrived on their door.

In the world of ecommerce, it’s paramount to keep customers engaged throughout the entire sales cycle. You have to own every step of the post-purchase process, including the transit time of the package. Enabling SMS and email tracking notifications, as well as branded tracking pages, can reduce WISMO inquiries while continuously marketing to your customers.

To make the wait worth it, improve the delivery experience with branded packaging. There are millions of brown boxes out there, but only one of your brand. Branded packaging allows businesses to stand out and improve brand perception amongst customers.

Here are 3 powerful statistics on why you should consider branded packaging:

40% of customers prefer premium packaging
68% of customers equate branded packaging with a brand being upscale
61% of customers are excited by branded packaging

Branded Experience for Small Businesses

To help small businesses and entrepreneurs deliver the best ecommerce experience for their customers, EasyPost and ARKA have teamed up to make the branded customer experience easy to achieve.

Tracking API and Webhooks: With EasyPost’s developer plan, small businesses have access to our Tracking API and webhooks for free! Our Tracking API helps to inform your business on the status of your shipment, which you can then pass on to your customers. Our webhooks can be utilized to send automated shipment updates via SMS or email to keep your customers informed.
Branded Tracking: Don’t have a web designer who can create custom tracking pages for your customers? Not a problem: EasyPost users can easily create branded tracking pages through our dashboard. Customize your page with logos, colors, and even special promotions to better market to your customers.
Custom Package: Offering eco-friendly material, quick turnaround in 10 days or less, and a dedicated dieline designer, getting custom made envelopes and boxes is easy. With ARKA, you’re able to order as little as 10 boxes — so no matter how small your business is, ARKA can help.

To quickly recap: branded tracking and branded packaging improve the post-purchase experience. Small businesses can take advantage of these strategies to improve customer satisfaction, retain customers, and strengthen sales. EasyPost helps small businesses with branded tracking through our API, webhooks, and tracking pages; ARKA helps small businesses by offering affordable, custom packaging with low minimum orders.

Want to learn more about packaging? Check out this course from Shopify Compass: Introduction to Packaging Your Products.

Branded Packaging FAQ

Do you have a promo code that I can use to get started with ARKA? Use EASYPOST10 for 10% off!

Can I see examples of ARKA’s work? Absolutely! ARKA has a gallery of examples on their Instagram page @arkapackaging.

I don’t need boxes for my shipments. I prefer to ship with poly mailers instead. How can I customize my shipments? ARKA offers both custom boxes and custom poly mailers in multiple sizes.

In order to qualify for Cubic pricing, my packaging needs to be a certain size. Can ARKA accommodate? Yes, ARKA is able to create custom sized boxes to best suit your order needs. Just request a custom quote and remember, the cubic volume must be less than 0.5 feet and no single dimension can surpass 18 inches.

I’m on a tight budget and USPS boxes are free. How can I make custom packaging more affordable? Custom tape is a great way to add branding to your packaging without breaking the bank. By applying branded tape into unbranded boxes, you’re still able to add your own unique touch to your shipments. The cost of a roll varies from $8.78 to $12.16 depending on your order quantity.

Sources:

Arka (2020)
Newman (2016)

Author Bio

Hey! Ian Novack here. I’m an ecommerce nerd. When I’m not working, I’m either at a dog park or playing golf with friends and family. I love to promote our partners and help our customers drive revenue through shipping operations.