Communicating with a customer directly after a sale could be the key to ensuring repeat purchases, a new study has indicated, while unexpected third party communications leave customers feeling ‘catfished’.
Independent research from Narvar shows that 60 percent of consumers are more likely to repeat-purchase from a brand or retailer that communicates with them directly after a sale. When a customer is expecting to hear from the brand or retailer after a sale but they are passed along to a different business, such as a third-party delivery company or carrier, they feel ‘catfished’.
In Narvar’s Hierarchy of Needs Report, 80 percent of consumers feel that consistent post-purchase communication is fundamental to their desire to repeat-purchase. Many brands and retailers currently delegate these communications to third-parties, which means losing control and visibility of the Customer Experience beyond the buy button.
However, these moments are critical to customer satisfaction: post-purchase issues like poor delivery communications are responsible for 74.4 percent of all one-star reviews on TrustPilot. Brands and retailers have an opportunity to turn customers into “core repeaters” by taking back control of their post-purchase communications, and turning these moments into experiences which delight customers.
The report also shows that 50 percent of online shoppers said they are more likely to shop regularly with brands or retailers which they have an emotional connection with. In fact, 25 percent of UK shoppers were found to be more loyal to brands that they had a good experience with than they are to other major relationships in their life – to their partner (four percent), their friends (six percent), their hometown (seven percent) or their current job (eight percent). Twenty percent of British consumers are more loyal to these brands and retailers than they are to the Royal Family.
Anthony Gavin, EMEA Regional Director at Narvar said: “Consumers have been clear that they don’t want to be ‘catfished’ by brands and retailers. We know that consumers expect to receive proactive communications about their order and delivery after a sale. We now also understand that they expect that these communications to come directly from the brand or retailer that they just bought from, and not a third-party.
“When these communications aesthetically reflect the brand too, customers are even more emotionally engaged. This is so important as brands and retailers look to differentiate and build genuine loyalty in a highly competitive environment.”