The day has finally arrived! I have access to brands’ post-purchase emails, which can only mean one thing:
Post purchase flow breakdowns!
That’s right…
I’ve always felt the email marketing industry has been missing a database for transactional emails and automations, so for the next month, I’m giving Inboox a try.
Why am I doing this?
Running an eCommerce store is, by default, a high-churn business model. You’re lucky if 25–30% of customers ever come back for a second purchase.
Just take a look at this graph here:
The biggest churn happens from the 1st to 2nd purchase (around 70-80%).
And the best way to reduce it?
Well, there are many variables that go into it, but one of the ways to get customers to come back is with strategic post-purchase marketing.
Your post-purchase flow is the most important email automation you have.
Unlike the welcome sequence (which targets mostly pre-sold customers who would buy from you anyway), the post-purchase flow solves a real problem: the one-time buyer problem.
If you can create an effective post-purchase marketing program, and convert a customer to a second purchase, you’ve unlocked real growth opportunities and profitability.
The first brand we’re looking at is Loop.
What is Loop?
Loop sells neat-looking earplugs. I chose this brand for the first breakdown because it’s a fascinating mix between a problem-solution product (made for noise relief), which also has visual appeal.
Since it’s a non-consumable product, converting customers to a second purchase will naturally be more difficult. It’ll be fascinating to see which items they cross-sell, and what offers they use.
Zero-party data collection
Before we get into the emails, I have one thing to point out. Loop has noise-reducing earplugs for different use cases: sleep, focus, parenting, and live events.
Problem-solution brands (or any ecom brands) should collect zero-party data to learn more about customer’s shopping intent. If you know what problem your website visitors are trying to solve, you can then personalize your post-purchase emails and send more relevant offers.
At the time I’m writing this breakdown, it’s Black Friday, so Loop is running a limited-time pop-up. I didn’t see them collecting zero party data, but this is something which can be easily set up with Alia.
Email #1 Order confirmation
This is a pretty standard order confirmation email. If there’s anything I’d change, it’s to make it more personal. Especially for customers with a high first-purchase AOV, it’s better to give them the VIP treatment from the beginning. A plain text email from the founder or team member with a slightly warmer tone would work well here.
Email #2 Shipping update
Shipping updates are important. You don’t want the buyer to have any bad surprises (and risk losing them for good). Managing expectations is key here.
You should also give easy access to your CS team, and ensure when a customer reaches out, they’re actually talking to a person rather than searching up answers from an FAQ page, or talking to a robot.
Same thing applies here: the more personal your transactional emails feel, the better.
Email #3: Product usage tips
I really like this email. If possible, you should include an email where you give product usage tips in your post-purchase marketing sequence. It’s a simple way to build goodwill with the customer while they’re waiting for the package to arrive.
Also, notice how the vibe changed from corporate to slightly more personal? The steps are easy to follow and understand, and the how-to video adds a nice touch.
Email #4: Review collection
Great email marketers find ways to support the brand’s entire marketing strategy, and collecting social proof is one of the ways to do that. Not only will it help with website CRO, but you can also use these reviews in future Meta ads.
I like that they’ve made it super simple to leave a testimonial inside the email. I’ve seen brands direct users back to their website, which makes the whole process high effort and confusing.
A higher level tactic here would be to ask your high AOV shoppers to leave a video testimonial. But for that, you probably need to incentivize them (and lay some ground rules).
Email #5: Insurance
This is another email that makes the customer feel good about their purchase. You can’t really go wrong with these, but I still think it could’ve been sent from a CS team member to make it feel a little more personal.
Email #6: Cross-selling
Now we’re getting into the fun part: cross-selling. Unfortunately, this is the only post-purchase cross-selling email I found from Loop.
What stands out about this email is the offer. A 15% discount is probably the minimum offer you could make if you want to see a second conversion. Anything less, and it kind of loses its appeal (especially if they can get higher discounts from flash sale promos).
Some other offers which could work here are buy one, get one % off; or spend more, get more — anything that encourages volume shopping.
Since earplugs are a problem-solution product, using first-party data here to make personalized offers would make a substantial difference.
For example, for concert goers who bought Loop Experience, could you cross-sell the same item in another color, or with a different use case (like better sleep).
OR can you cross-sell a kids bundle to parents who bought earplugs to be more present with their children?
Usually, you’ll find answers to these questions by looking at your retention data.
Email #7: Winback
Now we’re getting into churn territory. These are winback campaigns aimed at customers who haven’t bought in a long time.
What stands out to me here is the buy 3, save 20% offer. This can definitely be appealing to big spenders, but since these customers are at risk of churning, it’s not something I’d offer first. Percentage discounts (with no minimum AOV), or even a free gift
I like that they’ve introduced products here with different use cases. You can also offer best-sellers (safe choice) or the same item in a different color/design.
Email #8: Winback
The final campaign is aimed at subscribers who haven’t been engaging with emails for an X amount of days. If you’ve read my article on sneaky Klaviyo segments, you know this is something you should have set up.
You’d usually send this type of email just before you’re about to clean your email list. It has to be pattern breaking for it to work though — with curiosity based subject lines, and completely different from your weekly sends.
Final thoughts
Overall, this is a solid post-purchase email flow.
A few things to think about — if you’re selling a problem-solution product, can you send buyers a free info product? This is something I’ve seen work across many brands. For instance, Loop is endorsed by sleep scientist Matthew Walker, which would make it easy to send a new sleep routine guide PDF to new customers.
Also, since audiences for problem-solution products tend to be more skeptical (since they’ve probably tried many solutions), you should re-assure new buyers with strong social proof, including testimonials from authority figures and before and after stories.
Key takeaways:
Takeaway #1: Collect zero-party data to personalize your post-purchase flow. It’s a low effort, high ROI tactic.
Takeaway #2: Make your transactional emails feel personal and human.
Takeaway #3: Give product usage tips to build goodwill before the shipment arrives.
Takeaway #4: Make leaving a review effortless.
Takeaway #5: Use purchase intent and AOV tiers to tailor your cross-sell offers — not all buyers respond to the same incentives.
Takeaway #6: Winback emails need strong value props (10% discount is not a strong value prop).
Takeaway #7: Use pattern-breaking re-engagement emails before list cleaning.
Takeaway #8: Try sending free educational assets (PDF guides, eBooks, checklists) to new customers.
Takeaway #9: Strong social proof and before/after stories help reassure skeptical or first-time buyers.
What’s next
If you enjoyed this breakdown, chances are you’ll also enjoy my retention newsletter. Made for eCommerce operators who want to increase customer retention without blasting more email/SMS campaigns. Goes out every Friday (and sometimes more).
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