Shortly after learning to pronounce our very own names, we are taught to say “thank you.” However, in eCommerce, a thank you page goes way beyond good manners. In fact, they’re one of the most valuable methods for establishing with shoppers a foundation of trust and increasing eCommerce retention rates. Today, we’ll discuss six specific ways you can build customer loyalty with a thank you page.
How to Use a Thank You Page to Increase Customer Loyalty
Thank you pages are most often — and most effectively — displayed after a customer makes a purchase, signs up for an email list, or completes a form. Highly successful online companies utilize a combination of the following methods to increase engagement on these pages:
- Display an Enticing Offer
- Funnel to Additional Calls-To-Action (CTAs)
- Incentivize Referrals
- Prepare and Set Users’ Expectations
- Provide Valuable Resources
- Show Social Proof
Keep in mind, simplicity often earns the best results. Like any other page on your site, too many distracting paths or an overabundance of information can confuse a shopper and cause them to exit before completing any action at all.
So review the following thank you page methods, selecting a few that resonate with your brand and seem most appropriate after certain actions. You may choose to display different loyalty methods in different areas on your site, like after signing up for emails versus making a purchase.
Then, create two different thank you pages for each area, testing them against each other for some time to ascertain which provides the best results. For the most effective thank you page, periodically run new tests. That way, you can consistently increase their effectiveness and improve your customer retention rates.
1. Display an Enticing Offer
Once a customer has completed an action on your site, studies show they are more comfortable and likely to do so again. You can make great use of this psychology by displaying to customers enticing shopping offers on a thank you page. However, doing so most effectively requires some strategy.
Consider this: Shoppers convert 42% more often in regards to personalized content over generic offers. The statistic makes sense, as necessity and desire are two of the most motivating factors when making a purchase. So, how can you entice customers with a personalized offer?
Use customer data and, if applicable, purchase history to display related products that will capture their interest. Think about your up-sell, cross-sell, or down-sell opportunities to provide customers with something that is useful or valuable to them. You can elevate their interest further by offering a small discount code if the customer makes a purchase directly from the thank you page.
2. Funnel to an Additional Call-To-Action (CTA)
Another effective thank you page strategy is the implementation of a non-purchase-related CTA. Different actions help familiarize customers with your brand which establishes a solid foundation of trust — one that leads to loyalty.
Simply use a form-builder or an eCommerce app (like our favorite, Klaviyo) to design a simple, yet eye-catching popup thank you page. Depending on your brand and industry, there are plenty of CTA options. Give some thought to your goals and choose what you think will best engage your customers. Here are some ideas:
- Create a customer account for easier checkout/tracking/shopping next time
- Fill out a satisfaction/feedback form
- Sign up for an email list or SMS marketing
- Enroll in a webinar or class
- Get on a waiting list for future products/services
- Social media shares/follows/mentions/tags
3. Incentivize Referrals
Thank you pages make a great place to promote loyalty program perks and offer customers the option to enroll. By doing so, you not only transform your shoppers into brand advocates but you incentivize buyers to shop again.
Could you begin by offering a small discount on another purchase, as long as the shopper emails your store link to their friends? If you do have the means to set up a full loyalty program, be sure to clearly show the benefits of immediate sign-up so that users don’t navigate away from the page and forget to follow up later on.
By incentivizing referrals while the customer still has their mind on your brand, you gain the loyalty of each one of them — and, potentially, their entire network of associates, too.
4. Prepare and Set Users’ Expectations
As mentioned earlier, clarity is extremely important when it comes to customer loyalty. No shopper likes to feel confused, unsure, or otherwise unsettled after taking an action online. Therefore, it’s essential to let your users know what they can expect. Usually, it’s most effective to do so before you continue with other thank you page content, and after any additional CTAs.
Here are a few ways to set proper user expectations by instance:
- Purchases
- Processing time
- Shipping estimates
- Tracking numbers
- Email or SMS sign-ups
- Delivery schedule and cadence
- Typical content topics
- Form Submission
- Estimated response time
- Follow-up protocol
- User next steps
By providing site users with pertinent information and preemptive answers to FAQs, you allay any doubts or worries in their minds. That facilitates a smoother transition to another loyalty-building action.
5. Provide Valuable Resources
Actions on your site indicate a customer’s interest in your niche, product, service, or expertise. To illustrate, a customer purchasing a baseball mitt is usually a fan of the sport, while someone who signs up for a weekly outfit inspiration newsletter most likely has an affinity for fashion. No matter your industry, capitalize on a customer’s interest by using your thank you page to show them other related resources that you have to offer.
However, keep in mind, the key to gaining a customer’s loyalty, in this case, lies in providing them with value. Your thank you page might pose an industry-related question you find intriguing, but if most of your customers know the answer to it, they aren’t going to click and read more.
Instead, try to direct site visitors to your blog, playlist, or another well-managed resource bank where they can explore their interests further and find truly helpful information. When your customers are impressed by the continuing education you provide, they’ll become loyal, long-term fans.
6. Show Social Proof
Most online store owners understand the value of social proof, but some entrepreneurs overlook its power on thank you pages. However, social proof does more than encourage shoppers to make a purchase — it instills a deep sense of trust in the customer with regards to a brand. Secondarily, it can increase the sense of FOMO, or, fear of missing out. The psychology behind that is simple: humans don’t want to miss out on something that everyone else is enjoying.
So what types of social proof can you use to increase customer loyalty on your thank you pages, no matter if they made a purchase, signed up for a newsletter, or completed another action? Here are just a few examples:
- “As Seen In…” content
- Endorsements (from celebrities, larger brands, influencers, etc)
- Testimonials
- Reviews
- Statistics (number of customers, years of experience, etc.)
- UGC (user-generated content like social media posts)
Increase Customer Loyalty with an Effective Thank You Page
To conclude, keep this reality in mind: some of the tips above lead to immediate, quantifiable results (enticing offer, CTA, resources.) On the other hand, the efforts of others may go unnoticed for a while longer (expectations, social proof.) Loyalty is long-term, and, like any relationship, it takes time to develop.
However, whether you see growth right away or it takes a while to gain speed, one thing is certain: by employing the most brand-appropriate tips from the list above, you’ll boost customer retention and gain a head-start on building a loyal customer base. As a result, you can expect sustainable business growth and profitable, rewarding results.
That said, a well-designed thank you page is only the beginning. Continue to increase loyalty with these six tips for customer retention in a competitive 2022 eCommerce market. By doing so, you’ll place your company on the path to unlimited growth and success.
