You’ve done everything you can to get a potential buyer to your website, you’ve been shortlisted against your competition and then, lo and behold, they submitted their payment details. Congratulations, you’ve had an order! You’ve done the hard work now, give yourself a pat on the back!
…but what if there was a way to get more from this customer? What if this one order could give you more in return on investment than an expensive pay per click campaign? Read on, my friend.
Stephen Fry has just placed an order on your site
Unlikely? Maybe. Possible? Yes. When you’re selling offline you get to meet everyone face to face, in the flesh. Say Stephen Fry walked into your shop to make a purchase? You’d treat him like royalty, giving him the 5 star treatment in the hope that his powerful influence over his vast number of connections will boost the reputation of your shop.
In the e-commerce world, everyone is anonymous at first. For all you know, Stephen Fry could have just placed an order. However, you’d only find out once you come to processing your orders and who’s to say he wouldn’t be using an alternate alias to remain anonymous anyway?
Your first order is precious, treat them like a celebrity
I’m not saying you should just treat the first order like this, but if you were to pick any time to go above and beyond with service then now is the time.
- Reassure the user that their order has been processed successfully. E-mail them with an invoice and details on how they can get in touch, with a link to your help section should they need it.
- Communicate with them every time there has been a change in the order process. Whether this is the items being picked or dispatched, it is important to let them know what is going on.
In addition, here is some things you can do to add value and really impress them:
- Upgrade their first order to priority/next day delivery and let them know
- Send them a free gift. Even something small such as a bag of sweets can have a big impact
- Pick up the phone and call to make sure they are 100% happy
- Keep a close eye out for contact and make sure you respond immediately
- Give them VIP status on your website, offering benefits such as exclusive deals, exclusive pricing and money off codes. Make sure this feels like it was done just for them
You’ve just earned yourself a hundred new customers
Not every order will result in a guaranteed return of investment, but every so often you will have a customer that is so happy they will tell their friends, tweet about it, facebook it or write on any of the social networks out there. For all you know, they could be highly influencial. They could be Stephen Fry. Imagine if he tweeted about his great experience with you? You’d be advertising to 2,607,976 customers – how small does your pay per click campaign feel now?
Word of mouth can be more powerful than any investment in marketing.
Love this post Nick – so obvious yet I can’t think of many that go anywhere near these lengths to add value. Loving the blog even if I don’t have time to comment sometimes, I always read it and learn something new each time. Keep it up :)
Al
Thanks for the kind comments Alastair, it’s great to hear it :)
So often I see online shops that don’t realise the importance of that first order and setting an impression
I particularly like the one about surprising them and upgrading their delivery or something. Imagine the good will that would generate and the potential buzz it would get in social media circles. Awesome idea :)
I am 100% behind what you have said here: Plus I belive that this is how you should treat the majority of customers as far as it is financially viable.
If you get a big spender in, they are a prime target for the VIP treatment and free sweeties (or lifetime discount code).
Word of warning: Be careful not to badger them if you get the impression they just want to be left alone!
Thanks for the comment Dan and yes, you have raised a very important point there.
The process should never be strictly one way and if a customer feels you’re just trying to get more money out of them, it can have the opposite effect.