Community’s Important Role in the After-Purchase Period

It’s one of the most vital periods in any customer transaction, yet if we surveyed all of you right now, we bet it wouldn’t be the first answer you give. Or even the second. Nevertheless, it’s a crucial time that can make or break your relationship with a new customer.

We’re talking, of course, about the post-purchase period, that time after a new customer has committed to spending their hard-earned money on your product or service. You may think thank-you pages, confirmation emails, and satisfaction surveys are enough, but if you haven’t integrated your digital community with these initiatives, you may be missing the boat.

Think about your online community. These are the people whose experiences may have persuaded your latest customer to make their purchase. Why not work to turn that new customer into a similarly passionate brand advocate? If you’ve got a customer thinking about booking an overseas tour, the ability to read user testimonials from satisfied vacationers chatting on your message boards will go a long way toward making their decision.

Did you realize that it costs six to seven times more to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing one? Yet only 16 percent of all companies are focused on customer retention. By paying close attention to your community, you increase the likelihood one-time shoppers will become repeat customers.

Whether on social media or your own site, comments sections, message boards, reviews, and feedback on social media allow your customers to offer their thoughts and opinions about your products. You can engage with them in real-time in order to resolve issues and foster loyalty, as well as analyze their feedback as part of future market research.

Learning is another way to engage with customers post-purchase, offering features like how-to videos and tips that help them make the most of their purchase. If you’ve just bought an expensive SLR camera, you’d likely be delighted to find the site you bought it from offers a collection of online tutorials. And if there’s a dedicated community of shutterbugs ready to offer their wisdom to newcomers, that’s even better. The result is improved customer lifetime value, with 10-50 percent of those partaking in community experiences making related purchases with the company.

One recent study analyzed active product discussion boards and surveyed their members. It seems that increased communication boosted customer confidence, even if that communication was with another consumer and not the company itself. The more insight the consumer receives about a product, the more confident they are in their purchase, fostering positive feelings about the company overall.

Building a community of passionate advocates to help you achieve this goal should be a priority for most companies. It leaves much of the heavy lifting to fans, leaving you with the task of fostering, managing, and monitoring the community. If that’s not in your wheelhouse, turn to a specialized service provider in that space. Give your customers a place to shine, and you’ll be golden.