Imagine this …
Your customer just clicked “Buy Now,” and within seconds, they feel cared for.
Why? Because your automated system is already keeping them in the loop with real-time updates.
When you automate order tracking, updates, and follow-ups, you’re deeply considering the customer experience. You’re being intentional about supporting them!
This is what’s missing in business today. Helping customers feel seen and genuinely supported.
Let’s take a closer look at what post-purchase excellence is, why it matters, and how it works. We’ll also break down 11 ways you can start using it to build stronger customer relationships.
What is post-purchase excellence?
Post-purchase excellence means making customers happy after they buy something. You do this by using tools to send them updates about their order automatically.
Basically, you keep customers in the loop (like “your order has shipped!”) using software, so they feel good about their purchase and know what’s happening.
There’s a bit more to it, though. Keep reading.
Why does post-purchase excellence matter?
It matters because people want to know what’s going on with their order. If they’re left in the dark, they get anxious, annoyed, or lose trust in your brand.
They wonder if their order went through.
They wonder if it’s lost.
Worse, they start picturing the dreaded phone call or chat with your customer support team to see what happened.
Using marketing automation to send updates (like tracking info, shipping alerts, or delivery confirmation) keeps them informed without you having to do it manually every time. It builds trust, reduces customer service questions, and makes people more likely to buy from you again.
How to enhance order tracking with automation tools?
AI-driven marketing solutions connect to your store and shipping system and automatically send messages for you. They’re an incredible asset for supporting your sales funnel.
Here’s an overview of how marketing automation tools work:
- Set up triggers. Example: When someone places an order, it triggers the email campaign: “Thanks for your order!” with a quick recap of what they paid for.
- Use integrations. Connect your store (like Shopify or WooCommerce) with your automation tool (like Klaviyo, Mailchimp, or ActiveCampaign). It’ll pull in order and shipping info automatically.
- Customize messages. Make updates fun, helpful, or branded. Instead of saying “Your order shipped,” try it in your brand voice, like: “Great news! Your candles are on their way.”
- Add links to tracking. Include a button that says “Track Your Order” that links to the live tracking page.
- Keep them in the loop post-delivery. After delivery, send a follow-up email like “Hope you love it! Let us know if you need help.” (With custom upsell offers and maybe a surprise discount for their next order.)
Those are the basics!
But let’s see how far you can take this. Hint: You can scale these automations to the moon and get sales on repeat if you do it right.
Keep reading to learn more. 👇
11 ways to enhance purchase excellence with order tracking and marketing automation
Have your marketing team set up the following automated marketing processes for your customers’ orders:
1. Automatically send order confirmation emails
As soon as someone buys from you, they should get a clear, friendly email confirming the order. No delays. This tells them, “Hey, we got your order, and we’re on it.”
Set up your store to send this message automatically using a tool like Mailchimp or Klaviyo.
Add their name, what they ordered, expected delivery dates, and a tracking link if possible. You can also recommend relevant products or services in this email as upsells. More on this in a bit!
2. Keep customers in the loop with real-time tracking updates
No one likes wondering where their stuff is.
With automation tools, you can send updates every step of the way, like: “Your order has shipped,” “It’s on the truck,” “It’s out for delivery,” and “Delivered!”
Use ParcelPanel to make this happen. They connect with your shipping provider and fire off automatic texts, emails, or app alerts so your customer never has to reach out or wonder where their order is.
If you sell perishable products or items that MUST get to your customers immediately, you might need to partner with a courier service that offers 24/7 deliveries.
For example, if you sell medical supplies, don’t try to take care of shipping on your own. Consider linking up with medical courier services that are trained to handle your medical deliveries.
3. Proactively alert customers if there’s a delay
Sometimes, shipping delays happen. What’s the worst thing you can do? Stay silent and hope the customer doesn’t notice.
Instead, let automation step in.
Set up tools to watch for status changes like “Delayed” or “Exception.” When they happen, the system can automatically send a quick note to the customer explaining the delay and offering support.
This can help prevent customer frustration — and a flood of angry emails.
➜ If it’s going to be massively delayed or returned to sender, consider giving your customers a small gift for their patience. Maybe a discount on their next order. Or a complimentary add-on for the product they purchased.
Also, if it’s getting returned to the sender for any reason, you need to make sure the next shipment won’t!
Set up a rush re-delivery automation flow, and don’t make the customer reach out to you to re-purchase. It just wastes their time. (Looking at you, Amazon! 😩)
4. Send follow-up emails for a personalized experience after the order arrives
Once a customer gets their order, it’s the perfect moment to check in. Ask how things went. Offer help. Or suggest another product they might also love.
You can also prompt them to leave a review or give them a coupon for their next purchase.
You can use ParcelPanel this powerful Shopify app to deal with these stuff, or you can also use tools like HubSpot or Mailchimp to schedule these emails a few days after the order is marked “delivered.”
You’ll stay top of mind without being too pushy.
5. Segment your customers so you can talk to them differently
Some customers buy regularly. Some only order one type of product. And some hate waiting more than two days for delivery.
They’re all different! And they buy different products.
Use your order and shipping data to group people into segments — like “fast shipping fans,” “frequent buyers,” or “new customers.” (This is also called audience segmentation, for reference.) Then, tailor your marketing messages to each group.
Sales and marketing tools like Klaviyo or Salesforce make this easy, and your email automations will feel way more relevant.
6. Recommend related products after the sale
You know when Amazon says …
“People who bought this also bought…”?
You can do that, too.
After someone places an order, automatically send a message suggesting something that goes with what they bought. For example, if someone bought a camera, suggest a memory card, carrying case, or tripod. Tools like Shopify’s automated flows or Klaviyo make this simple to set up and run in the background.
You can also try our Channelwill Upsell Cross Sell app to show upsell and cross-sell offers on store pages or through email flows. Pictured above!
7. Tie your loyalty program to your tracking system
Make your loyalty program feel seamless by connecting it with your shipping and order tracking.
You can reward people for:
- Sticking with you for a certain time period.
- Making multiple purchases.
- Buying seasonal offers.
- Buying anything.
Or other specific customer behaviors.
Tools like Loloyal or Yotpo let you do this automatically. Customers earn points, and your system can send them updates like “You just earned 50 points!”— which keeps them engaged and coming back.
8. Let people track orders directly on your site
Sometimes, customers don’t want to dig through emails. They just want to go to your site and check their order.
Give them this convenience by adding a real-time tracking widget to your site using tools like ParcelPanel. This gives customers an easy way to see exactly where their order is without needing to reach out to you. It also reinforces trust in your brand.
9. Ask for feedback automatically after delivery
The best time to ask “How did we do?” is right after delivery, when the experience is still fresh.
Set up a quick automated survey to go out once an order is delivered.
Automated survey example with Trustoo.io.
You can use Trustoo.io, Google Forms, or even a simple thumbs-up/thumbs-down tool for this. Then connect it with Zapier or integrate it with Dynamics 365 Business Central so it sends automatically. If something goes wrong, you’ll know and can fix it before they leave a bad review.
10. Use tracking data to spot patterns and fix issues
Order tracking is a golden opportunity for you, too.
If you’re seeing late deliveries in a certain region or with a certain carrier, your system can alert you. Feed that data into a tool like Google Analytics, Tableau, or even a basic spreadsheet.
Look at it monthly and ask: What keeps going wrong, and how can we fix it?
Then, automate alerts and reports so you’re always in the loop. (Obviously, make sure to correct any errors you come across.)
11. Keep testing and tweaking your automations
Speaking of errors …
Even the best workflows can get stale or glitchy. Make it a habit to regularly test them. (Click the links, read the emails, check the timing, etc.)
You can also run email marketing automation A/B tests. Test your subject lines, try different send times, or test text messages vs. emails.
See what your customers actually respond to. Tools like Klaviyo, Mailchimp, or even your SMS platform will show you what’s working so you can keep improving your flows.
Wrap up
Post-purchase excellence helps your customers feel appreciated well after they’ve clicked “Buy Now.” When you set up real-time tracking updates, timely follow-ups, and easy communication, you support the entire customer journey. And remove countless repetitive tasks off your marketing and sales teams’ plates.
This keeps customers informed AND builds their trust in your brand.
It’s also a straightforward way to:
- Build your sales pipeline with more potential customers. (Happy customers will gladly forward your emails to their friends!).
- Reduce customer support inquiries.
- Increase customer satisfaction.
- Encourage repeat sales.
Don’t let your post-purchase process be an afterthought.
See how Channelwill’s marketing apps can streamline your order tracking, automate your marketing strategies, and improve customer loyalty today.
BOOK A DEMO WITH OUR SALES TEAM NOW.
Ioana Wilkinson
Business Strategist
Ioana is a business strategist and content writer for B2B tech and SaaS brands. She also helps aspiring entrepreneurs build remote businesses. Born in Transylvania and raised in Texas, Ioana has been living the digital nomad life since 2016. When she’s not writing, you can catch her snorkeling, exploring, or enjoying a café con leche in Barcelona!
