The better way to sell online

How to use email receipts to make more money

It’s a standard part of the checkout process: every time someone makes a purchase from your store you send them an email confirmation. But have you ever considered using that email as a way to connect with customers.

Email receipts are opened 70.90% of the time, whereas regular emails are opened only (on average) 17.19%. So it makes perfect sense to use your receipts not just to let customers know what they’ve purchased, but encourage them to come again. You already know that they’re interested, and the fact that they’ve spent money means they’ve already converted: it’s much easier to sell a second product than a first.

That said, here are three ways you can use email receipts to make more sales.

1. Seize the opportunity to upsell products.

Someone's just bought a pair of rain boots from you. Why not tell them about your amazing range of umbrellas on their email receipt?

It’s not a new tactic, and big businesses, like Amazon, have had great success using it as a tactic. In fact, email receipt recommendations net Amazon around 35% of its revenue. That’s huge!

Upselling in an email isn’t too complicated. It can look as simple as this:

You can either recommend certain products depending on what has been purchased (as has been done in the receipt above) or you can promote the same range or item to each customer, regardless of what they bought.

The best way to find out what works for you is to experiment!

There are also more ways to upsell than by selling other products. You can suggest the customer return to the store and buy the product again for a friend, or ask them to sign up for a subscription purchase.

2. Offer them a discount code to use for their next purchase.

If someone has bought from you once, and they’re happy with what they receive, chances are they’ll think of you when they decide to go shopping next.

A great way to ensure they return is by offering them a discount code after they’ve purchased their first product.

Research shows that 44% of people who receive an email with a coupon within it will redeem it. Those are a lot of potential return customers!

You also don’t need to offer a huge discount. You could offer 5% off, or even $1. For customers, any savings are good savings!

Pro tip: Include an expiry date on your coupon that’s soon. Creating a sense of urgency will prompt customers to act immediately, rather than ‘save it for later’.

3. Connect them to your social media accounts.

Every time someone engages with you on social media, their friends will notice. So connecting your existing customers to your social media accounts could give you the chance to net some new ones.

This is a super simple tactic: just include links to your social media accounts in your email receipts!

You can also find ways to activate your customers on your accounts: for instance, create a referral scheme. Every time your customers refer a friend who makes a purchase, they’ll receive 10%.

There are a number of ways you can encourage your customers to engage and refer. Be creative, and remember that people love the promise of a discount or saving.

Research shows that 44% of people who receive an email with a coupon within it will redeem it. Those are a lot of potential return customers!

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An email receipt doesn’t need to be just a receipt: it can be an invitation, a challenge, a recommendation or a discount code. Get creative!

Let us know which one of these tactics you’ll implement in your receipts, and if there are any other ways you can think of to engage customers. Good luck selling!

Lena Klein

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