{"id":7037,"date":"2019-11-22T11:51:14","date_gmt":"2019-11-22T11:51:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/?p=7037"},"modified":"2026-01-29T10:21:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T10:21:07","slug":"retailers-keep-customers-informed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/retailers-keep-customers-informed\/","title":{"rendered":"How retailers can keep customers informed from purchase to delivery"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--generic\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/category\/money-matters\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">Money Matters<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tHow retailers can keep customers informed from purchase to delivery\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2019-11-22T11:51:14+00:00\">22 November, 2019<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"How retailers can keep customers informed from purchase to delivery\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/retailers-keep-customers-informed\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/header>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/author\/alfiesell\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2019\/07\/Alfie-Sell-350x350.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" alt=\"Alfie Sell\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Alfie Sell<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The world of commerce is rapidly changing.&nbsp;More so now than ever before, the shopping experience needs to be on the terms of the customer or your business risks losing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We are in the \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/www.raconteur.net\/sponsored\/evolution-of-payments-in-the-now-economy\">now economy<\/a>\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And once a customer has made their online purchase, they want to know where it is at any given moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Read on below to find out how you can keep your customers reassured and informed at every step of the purchase journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-understand-the-wants-and-needs-of-your-ecommerce-customer\">Understand the wants and needs of your ecommerce customer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When designing elements of your online retail experience, it\u2019s important that you understand the wants and needs of your customer. After all, consumers want their purchasing to be on their terms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With new innovation ploughing ahead at the rate it is, why shouldn\u2019t they? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/cart-abandonment-close-crucial-sales\/\">One-click purchasing<\/a>, mobile payments and payment wallets are just some of the developments in recent years that have further shifted retail in favour of the consumer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Using a good <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sagepay.co.uk\/\">payment provider<\/a> can help you to keep up with these tech advancements as you do your best to keep your customers happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But before you worry about despatch, delivery and customer surveys, you need to make it as easy as possible for your customers to make their purchases. And once a payment has been made, it\u2019s important they know where their goods are \u2013 at every step of the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-send-a-confirmation-email-post-purchase\">Send a confirmation email post-purchase<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s always an element of trust associated with purchasing goods online, as a lot of the control a customer would have at an in-store environment has been relinquished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the key things you need to send to your customer once they\u2019ve made their purchase \u2013 if you aren\u2019t already \u2013 is a confirmation email. This is essentially standard industry practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your confirmation email should contain:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A salutation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A breakdown of your customer\u2019s order (including total cost)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A thank you message<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Their order reference number.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This email will do a great deal towards dispersing any worries a customer may have about your business, especially if they are new to your online store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your email should also contain a customer service contact number, so if anything needs to be changed, altered or cancelled, your customer doesn\u2019t have to spend time searching for contact details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During busy sales periods such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/black-friday-how-retailers-can-prepare\/\">Black Friday<\/a> or the Christmas and new year sales, your customers are likely to be making lots of purchases. Having confirmation emails sent to them will help them to keep track of the things they&#8217;ve bought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-and-send-despatch-notices-to-your-customer\">And send despatch notices to your customer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>An equally important part of the customer journey after the purchase stage is sending out a despatch notice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sadly, these emails aren\u2019t yet considered standard practice like the confirmation email is. However, they provide you with a great opportunity to get in touch with your customer and let them know their order is being processed in a timely fashion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An effective despatch notice should be consistent with the design of your confirmation email and contain similar information, including a salutation, brief order breakdown and the total cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The key difference is that this email is only sent when the order has been shipped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ideally, the extra information it should contain would be an estimated delivery date and a link to parcel tracking if the shipping service you\u2019ve used offers that as a feature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-don-t-forget-customer-feedback-surveys\">Don&#8217;t forget customer feedback surveys<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The best way to understand how your customer feels about their experience is simply to ask them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Arguably, the easiest way to ask your customers for feedback is sending them a survey. There are a handful of effective and free email survey design and distribution software tools that will do most of the hard work for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All you have to do is plug your questions in and send the email. It\u2019s best to keep your surveys short and sweet \u2013 and you may consider incentivising people to fill them in too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Closed questions are key in these surveys, as simplicity is the best tactic to ensure that customers are stay engaged and complete it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As you\u2019ll be asking fewer questions, it\u2019s imperative you extract information that will be of use to you. You want to understand how easy the purchasing process was for your customer and how well optimised your site is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-conclusion\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Customers are in control of modern retail. By getting in touch with them at every given opportunity, you can improve the chances of offering them a positive experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This will, in turn, likely lead them to become regular customers as they form a strong relationship with your business.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Subscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Join more than 500,000 UK readers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-b1a63862-3fa0-4a5e-bb67-c76b88bbc6b8\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Subscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The world of commerce is rapidly changing.&nbsp;More so now than ever before, the shopping experience needs to be on the terms of the customer or your business risks losing them. We are in the \u2018now economy\u2019. And once a customer has made their online purchase, they want to know where it is at any given [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":868,"featured_media":2948,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,11],"tags":[162],"business_type":[4],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[73,74],"imagine_tag":[108,109],"coauthors":[509],"class_list":["post-7037","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-money-matters","category-technology-innovation","tag-retail","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-gb","author_name":"Alfie Sell","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2017\/02\/GettyImages-610813865_super.jpg","imagine_tags":{"108":"Retail","109":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice UK","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7037","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/868"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7037"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7037\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/2948"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7037"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7037"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7037"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=7037"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=7037"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=7037"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=7037"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=7037"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=7037"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=7037"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}