Featured from our latest report with RetailX, Webloyalty UK’s Senior Business Development Director, Richard Piper, shares his thoughts on the current retail landscape and why it is essential to double down on the right post-purchase marketing strategy.
Sometimes the stars align and it becomes clear where retailers should be focusing their attention when it comes to driving revenue growth. Right now, the stars are showing us there’s an obvious goldmine for retailers putting a dedicated strategy together around post-purchase marketing. But as it stands, retailers are not seizing the full opportunity.
Why now is the time for post-purchase marketing
Retailers don’t need reminding its tough out there, but it’s potentially going to get tougher in terms of operational costs as geopolitical turmoil continues to play havoc with the UK economy. Consumer finances have been tight for some time though, and against such a backdrop adding net new customers is an ongoing challenge – so doubling down on the more cost-effective tactics of driving loyalty and retention from their existing audience remains an attractive option.
Our latest research tells us consumers are more than willing to hear from brands in the form of post-purchase marketing. Awareness of special offers presented at this stage is already high, with 40% of consumers saying they are a helpful way to gain additional value or save money.
Only a very small minority (2%) actively dislike or avoid this form of communication, while 19% said they have engaged with this form of ad several times in the last year. The rapid rise of retail media in the past five years – becoming an industry in itself – means partnerships between retailers and their suppliers have morphed into strategic tie-ups fuelled by creative thinking and sophisticated commercial tools. There is now more content and more willingness to share after a transaction – not to mention more powerful and tailored ways to distribute such messaging.
How to do post-purchase marketing well
Some 35% of the consumers describe post-purchase offers as a helpful idea that is often poorly executed – this is what I mean when I say that retailers are currently missing a trick. Discounts on a future purchase with the same retailer and loyalty rewards both generate the highest levels of strong appeal, with roughly 45% of consumers rating each as very or extremely appealing.
Modern commerce dictates brands and retailers must capture roaming eyeballs that are attracted to the next shiny platform, but post-purchase is one of the few channels where consumers are engaged and in ‘buying mode’. They are already invested, presenting an opportunity to upsell or convert again with special offers. But, crucially, post-purchase will only gain traction if the offers are good, relevant and a valuable fit for the shopper who receives them. It can’t impair the consumer journey and successful proponents of post-purchase marketing do it in a way that seems natural, avoids friction and shows an understanding of the recipient. Cashback propositions perform well, with 40% of consumers positive about this genre of post-purchase offering. Clarity of any offer being presented is key – and our research shows retailers are getting better in this regard, but there’s still work to do.
Where Webloyalty fits into all this
Webloyalty works with 200-plus online retailers internationally, such as Secret Sales, Wowcher, ODEON, National Express and more, offering online retailers the opportunity to monetise their post-purchase space. Through its membership programmes, Webloyalty helps online retail partners’ customers save hundreds of pounds a year – all while generating an additional secondary revenue stream for the retailer in the form of referral commission. A win for the business and a win for the end consumer.
Download the full report
The full Post-Purchase Monetisation report explores how leading retailers are turning confirmation pages into high-performing revenue and retention channels.
Download the report to discover:
- The latest consumer research and engagement trends
- Which post-purchase strategies are delivering the strongest results
- Real-world examples from retailers successfully monetising the confirmation moment
- Practical insights on how to optimise relevance, value and performance