Most retailers are still underusing their confirmation page as a revenue stream. It’s one of the few moments where trust has just been established, buying intent is high, and attention is undivided. Shoppers already agree the moment matters. What’s missing is retailers utilising it to their full potential.
In our Post-Purchase Monetisation report, the first of its kind, we surveyed 1,000 consumers in the UK between the ages of 18-64 with RetailX to better understand how they experience post-purchase offers today, and the results point to a clear opportunity. Close to four in ten (39%) of respondents already see these offers as a genuinely helpful way to gain extra value or save money. The second largest response (35%) put it differently: a good idea that’s often poorly executed. That gap between “helpful” and “a good idea, that’s often poorly executed” is exactly where the opportunity sits – offers that are more relevant, better timed, and more clearly matched to what shoppers actually want.
Visibility Was Never the Issue
Most shoppers already notice post-purchase offers regularly. Discount codes for a future order are the most familiar of all, with 19% seeing them very often and 31% often, and a further 30% noticing them at least sometimes. Cashback incentives and subscription-style offers aren’t far behind, each recognised very often or often by around four in ten shoppers.
Confirmation pages have already earned their place as a marketing surface in shoppers’ minds – The real opportunity now is differentiation. 22% of consumers currently dismiss these placements as just more marketing to ignore, and that’s the number worth chasing: fewer offers, tied tightly to purchase context and demonstrated need, treating the confirmation page as a premium attention environment on par with any other piece of retail media inventory, rather than a spot to fill with whatever’s available.
Where the Real Gap Sits in Post-Purchase Marketing
Dig into relevance and clarity specifically, and the opportunity gets more precise. 58% of shoppers describe post-purchase offers as very or extremely relevant to them, and 64% call the information very or extremely clear. Both numbers are a strong foundation, and both are levers retailers can pull further. Sharpen the targeting and tighten the messaging, and the remaining share of shoppers currently only slightly engaged or less becomes the next wave of converted, loyal customers.
What happens when that gap gets closed?
This is where the scale of the opportunity really shows. 69% of shoppers have clicked on or accepted a post-purchase offer at least once – half once or twice, and a further 19% several times over. More than half (55%) say these offers make their overall shopping experience better, not worse, with only a small minority reporting the opposite. Well over six in ten say post-purchase rewards increase their likelihood of shopping with that retailer again, and a similarly strong share say the same about spending more overall. Done well, these offers even lift trust for just over half of shoppers, and more than half say they increase the likelihood of trying a new brand, product or service they wouldn’t otherwise have considered.
These types of offers are showing up consistently too. Discounts on a future purchase with the same retailer and loyalty rewards both generate the strongest appeal, with roughly 45% of shoppers rating each as very or extremely appealing. Cashback isn’t far behind, resonating with around 40%. These formats work because they reinforce a relationship the shopper already has, rather than shouting past it.
Consumers Have Set the bar, and it’s Easily Attainable
Asked directly how they feel about seeing offers at this stage, 48% said they welcome them when clearly explained and of good value, and a further 40% said they don’t mind them as long as they don’t slow things down. Combined, that’s close to nine in ten shoppers who are fundamentally open to post-purchase engagement under the right conditions. Clarity, relevance and speed are what separate genuine engagement from indifference – and all three are entirely within retailers’ control.
They’re also thinking about the benefit of these offers long-term, too. 75% of consumers say it’s important that post-purchase offers help them save money over time, not just from a single purchase. Considering the rising cost of living that continues to strain consumers’ wallets, saving money has never been more important than right now. This tells us that offers built around cumulative value, like ongoing rewards or ongoing cashback, are likely to resonate far more than isolated one-off promotions.
The Takeaway
When it comes to post-purchase offers, shoppers already notice them, engage with them, and respond well when they’re done properly. The gap between where retailers are and where they could be is precision, not permission: fewer offers, better matched, more clearly explained, and quicker to move past. The data shared in our latest report will provide everything retailers need to know on how to close that gap and gain more loyal, returning customers while utilising the confirmation page to its full potential.