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Post-Purchase Email Marketing and Subject Line Examples
When it comes to post-purchase email marketing, it may just be the most underutilized yet powerful email marketing tactic there is. A strategic, well-thought-out series can help increase customer retention and help build brand loyalty and advocacy. The best part of all is that these messages are automated, generating revenue while you sleep.
Creating a series of messages designed to enhance the purchase experience is something every retailer should implement.
Post-purchase email marketing may be the most underutilized yet powerful email marketing tactic. A strategic, well-thought-out series can help increase customer retention and help build brand loyalty and advocacy. The best part of all is that these messages are automated, generating revenue while you sleep.
Creating a series of messages designed to enhance the purchase experience is something every retailer should implement. With each message and series sent, taking into consideration the individual's purchase history is important. After all, a loyal customer may not need the same nurturing or messaging as a first-time purchaser.
Post-Purchase Email Metrics
Order follow-up (2026)
Open rate: 47.63%
Click-to-sent: 4.01%
Conversion rate: 0.84%
Click-to-conversion: 20.87%
AOV: $129
Revenue per send: $1.08
Cross-sell (2026)
Open rate: 42.09%
Click-to-sent: 2.93%
Conversion rate: 0.75%
Click-to-conversion: 25.50%
AOV: $106
Revenue per send: $0.79
Feedback request/product review (2026)
Open rate: 50.70%
Click-to-sent: 3.66%
Conversion rate: 1.07%
Click-to-conversion: 29.16%
AOV: $131
Revenue per send: $1.40
For context, the average scheduled campaign email generates just $0.18 per send. Even the most modest post-purchase automation, cross-sell at $0.79, delivers more than 4 times that value. Order follow-up and feedback request emails both clear $1.00 per send, making them highly effective automated messages.
Types of Post-Purchase Email Messages
As you can see, post-purchase messages well outperform regular email campaigns, and there are no limits to the types of messages you could send in a post-purchase series, including:
“Thank you” message (w/ or w/o an incentive).
Product care/tips and tricks.
How-to resources.
Customer service info/guarantees.
Product recommendations or cross-selling opportunities.
Social invites or crowdsourcing (Share a photo with us!).
Manage preference request.
Product reviews.
Reorder reminders.
Gift-giving or date reminder requests.
Refer-a-friend invitations.
When building your automated post-purchase marketing program, have fun, be creative, and, most importantly, make your customers’ purchase experience better.
Post-Purchase Email Marketing Examples:
Post-Purchase email subject lines
Wow, thank you again! 💋
Seafood Grilling Tips That Set You Up for Succulent Success
Thanks For Your Order. Enjoy This Gift For You
Tips to make the most of your Bosch appliance
It’s happening – Your custom orthotics are on their way!
This is so exciting! Your impression kit is here.
Your personal exercise plan, Greg!
Thanks for your purchase – here’s a BONUS coupon to use the next time you shop!
Greg, read this before you set up your new TV.
Stick Up Cam 101: Tips and Tricks
How to Clean and Care for Your ______
Our Best Recipe(s) Ever!
Thank You!
Meet Your Perfect Pair 😍💕
Thank you for your recent purchase!
Thank you for shopping at _____!
[Video] Your Recent Coelho Purchase
Has anyone ever told you that you're incredible!
20% OFF | Our Thank You Gift To You 💕
Thanks again for your order
Thank you for making a LEGO® purchase. (message 1 of 4)
We hope yer hooked… (message 2 of 4)
Captain Brickbeard is ready for ya… (message 3 of 4)
1 month 'til you find the treasure... (message 4 of 4)
Other post-purchase articles:
Creating a Post-Purchase Email Strategy with Simple, Smart Segmentation
3 Ways to Cultivate Post-Holiday Customer Loyalty
Why Post-Purchase Marketing Is So Important
How to Create Post-Purchase Emails that Renew the Customer Journey
»» Have any questions about post-purchase email marketing? Let me know.
Why Post-Purchase Email Marketing Is So Important
Imagine walking into a car dealership. You browse the cars on the lot, exchange info with the salesperson and then leave without buying. You then drive down the road to another dealership and repeat the process, but this time, you actually purchase the car on the spot. The next morning you wake up to two emails in your inbox, one from each salesperson. How would you feel if the messages were identical? Would you feel truly valued as a customer? Wouldn’t you prefer to receive something a bit more personalized?
Imagine walking into a car dealership. You browse the cars on the lot, exchange info with the salesperson and then leave without buying. You then drive down the road to another dealership and repeat the process, but this time, you actually purchase the car on the spot. The next morning you wake up to two emails in your inbox, one from each salesperson. How would you feel if the messages were identical? Would you feel truly valued as a customer? Wouldn’t you prefer to receive something a bit more personalized?
Customers face this scenario on a daily basis. Many retailers don’t craft specific messages specifically for recent purchasers, or they fail to suppress them from receiving promotional messages after a purchase. But this post-purchase period is a time when consumers are likely to be most receptive to your messaging. So why waste this opportunity by sending the same standard messages? Instead, take the time to consider what the customer might want or need after the purchase and craft your messages accordingly.
When commerce marketers hear post-purchase, they immediately think of order and shipping confirmations, and product review messages. While these messages are OK, and in some cases necessary, I am talking about a different way to engage a customer – providing value, offering help, introducing resources, or asking to continue the conversation.
Getting Started
A post-purchase message sent 3-5 days after purchase, simply thanking the customer, is a great way to start. I’ve found these to be some of the best-performing messages from a revenue standpoint. The beauty of the message is its simplicity. It thanks the customer for the recent order and either incentivizes them to make another purchase or provides a customer service-oriented call to action (CTA), such as linking to your customer service portal or a resource center.
If the message is incentivized, you can always create a second, non-incentivized version that sends if the contact makes another purchase over the next set number of days. Using this approach keeps the customer from expecting an incentive every time, although some retailers are fine with this approach as long as it drives revenue.
Creating a Series
Subsequent messages can have a variety of themes, but each one should be used to convey some sort of value proposition, such as:
Product care/tips and tricks.
How-to resources.
Customer service info/guarantees.
Product recommendations or cross-selling opportunities.
Social invites or crowdsourcing (Share a photo with us!).
Manage preference request.
Product reviews.
Reorder reminders.
Gift-giving or date reminder requests.
Refer-a-friend invitations.
Social Engagement
While we talk about retailers enhancing the customer experience, it can be difficult to implement in an online world. However, social media is the great equalizer in that respect. It allows retailers to humanize their brands and actually create a dialogue with purchasers. Consider implementing socially-themed messages into your post-purchase messaging, such as:
Crowdsourcing/Share with us (e.g., Selfie submissions).
Social site introduction.
Facebook review requests.
User-generated content (UGC) contests based on products purchased (e.g., Post a photo wearing your new socks with our hashtag for a chance to win!).
Loyalty Programs
If you have a loyalty program, talk about it. Include loyalty points in each of your emails, or use specific messaging to ask people to sign up for the program. If your program is spend-based, consider messaging that introduces these tiers and triggers messages when contacts are close to reaching the next level. You can even include specific product recommendations to encourage the next purchase.
Balance Your Messages
When constructing your post-purchase messaging, be sure to balance promotional content that encourages another purchase with other useful content that offers value to the customer. For instance, product care tips and additional resources benefit the customer, whereas cross-sell and reorder reminder messages benefit you. Remember: If all of your messages ask customers to purchase from you, you’re not really providing that value to the subscriber. But if every message only benefits the consumer, you’re likely leaving money on the table. Aim for a 50/50 or 60/40 consumer-to-company ratio, so you both have something to gain in the process.
Complete the Experience
As mentioned earlier, while a customer is receiving this series of messages, it’s best to suppress them from your standard promotional messages. This way, you can control the purchase experience for the customer and ensure they receive messages relevant to them at that time. Since some of your post-purchase messaging will be promotional, you’ll still have opportunities to increase sales. Just keep in mind that if you’ve scheduled a product review message to send 45 days after a purchase, and your post-purchase series ends after 10 days, you don’t necessarily have to prevent the customer from receiving promotional messages after the 10-day mark. Just don’t overwhelm your subscribers. Use your best judgment.
Customer loyalty is no longer assumed; it must be earned. Consumers now view their interaction with a brand as part of an overall experience and expect relevant communications, which is why targeted post-purchase messaging is not only successful in driving revenue but is an essential component in creating customer loyalty.
This was originally published on Multichannel Merchant.