Just because you got the sale, it doesn’t mean your job is done. The experience your customer has after they hit “place order” is what decides whether they leave you a positive review, come back for round two, and tell their friends about you. Or whether they ghost you forever.
In this post I’m breaking down what a post-purchase education email is, why it matters way more than most store owners think, and how to set one up for your store. This is the email that turns a one-time buyer into a repeat customer, and most stores aren’t sending it.
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What is a Post-Purchase Education Email?
A post-purchase education email is a separate email sent a day or so after the order confirmation that teaches your customer how to actually use the product they bought so they have a great experience with it.
It’s not the order confirmation. It’s its own email with its own job, and that job is making sure your customer gets the result they were hoping for when they hit checkout.
Why a Great First Experience Matters More Than the Sale
The customer who has a great first experience with your product is the customer who comes back, leaves the review, and tells their friends. That’s the whole game.
A few years back at my previous day job, there was a new product on the market. New technology, the industry was raving about it, and it was selling like hot cakes both in our brick and mortar stores and online. The problem was that online we were getting a shit ton of return requests.
When I started digging in, I learned two really important things. First, we were not having this problem in stores. Second, after my customer service team chatted with the customers who wanted to return the item, they figured out it was mostly human error, not an actual problem with the product. Once the customer service agent talked through how to properly use it with the customer, they ended up keeping the product.
But here’s the part most people miss. Those return requests were the people who actually reached out. How many other people had a bad experience and just never said anything? They didn’t ask for a refund. They just quietly decided your brand wasn’t for them, told their friend it wasn’t great, and never bought again.
That’s the real cost. Not the returns. The customers you lose forever because their first experience sucked.
A Real Example of How This Plays Out Online
I recently came across a TikTok video about a self-tanning brand. They released something called a face tanning mist. Apparently, customers were using it as a mist but without actually rubbing it into their skin for an even distribution.
Instead of getting an all over glow, it looked more like they used an aggressive faux freckle product.
When I first came across the video I immediately thought, well obviously you were supposed to rub that in, and figured it was a one-off occurrence with someone who didn’t follow the directions. Then I opened the comments. There was a flood of people sharing their own photos of a similar experience. There was even a comment from the brand apologizing and saying they updated their packaging, but they were going back to the team for a better solution. When I went to their website, the product had been pulled while they figured things out.
Now obviously, there’s no way to prevent user error 100%. And it’s unfortunate that someone can hop on social media and a bad experience can spread like wildfire. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to limit this.
That whole situation? Bad reviews, public complaints, no repeat customers, product pulled from the site. All because customers didn’t know one simple thing about how to use it.
Should You Send a Post-Purchase Education Email in Addition to Your Order Confirmation?
Yes. The post-purchase education email is in addition to the standard order confirmation, and it should be sent as its own separate email.
The first question I usually get about this is whether this is in addition to the order confirmation, and the answer is yes.
While the order confirmation email is a highly opened email, it’s also something that can be easily ignored because the shopper already knows they placed an order and is expecting that email. If on the other hand they get another email from you a day later that says important information about your order, that’s going to catch a lot of attention.
So I prefer to send this educational email separately.
What Should Go in a Post-Purchase Education Email?
When it comes to what goes in this email, there’s one question I want you to ask yourself.
What does the customer need to know and understand to have a good experience with your product and leave you a positive review?
That’s the whole filter. Run everything through it.
In the example from my previous day job, it was all about the proper way to use the product, which was different from any other similar product they had used in the past. If you know what I used to sell, you know why I’m being so cryptic.
For the self-tanner brand, it would be about the very important step of rubbing the product in for even distribution vs. just spraying on the mist as is.
For your business it might be something completely different. The point is to think through what would actually help your customer get the best result, not what’s nice to know.
How Should You Format a Post-Purchase Education Email?
Then it’s all about how you present the information and how often you send it. This is going to depend highly on the product you sell, how important the information is, how often they buy from you, etc.
The format is going to be different for different businesses. For some it’s gonna be a quick text email. For others you’re going to need video. It might even need to be more than one email. You have to think through what makes the most sense for your product and customers.
I’ve implemented this differently for different clients, businesses, and products. Here are a few real examples:
- DIY mix-your-own nail polish kit: We sent customers to a playlist of YouTube videos that were specific to the color of the kit they purchased. The content was dynamic in the same email, so if they bought two different color kits in the same transaction, they would get the links for both.
- Car cleaning brand selling chemicals and microfiber towels: We broke this out into separate flows. For the chemicals, because the information was so important to ensure safe use, we had that educational flow trigger every time they purchased. For the microfiber towel care, we only sent that the first time they bought from us.
Same concept, totally different execution. That’s the part you have to figure out for your own products.
“But This Information Is Already on My Website and Packaging”
A lot of times I get questions like, well this information is already on my website, on an insert in the shipment, or on my product packaging.
Well, so did the self-tanner brand, and the product I sold at my previous day job.
The point is that customers engage with content differently. And you honestly can’t repeat yourself too much when it comes to educating your customers on getting the best experience from your product. I promise you that.
If you have to tell them three different times in three different places to get the lightbulb to go off, that’s a worthwhile trade for a positive review and a repeat purchase.
How Post-Purchase Education Fits Into Customer Retention
The post-purchase education email is the foundation, but it’s not the only thing that turns a one-time buyer into a repeat customer.
Retention is a longer game. It’s about continuing to show up in their inbox with content that’s actually useful, not just promotion after promotion. It’s about making the second purchase easier than the first. And it’s about treating your existing customers like they matter more than the new ones you’re spending money to acquire.
We could do a whole series on retention alone, and maybe we will. But for today, just know that the post-purchase education email is your starting point. Get that piece in place and you’re already doing more than most stores ever do.
The Bottom Line
Just because you got the sale, your job isn’t done. In a lot of ways, it’s just getting started.
The customer who has a great first experience with your product is the customer who comes back, leaves the review, and tells their friends. And that all starts with making sure they actually know how to use what they bought.
So here’s your homework. Pick one product. Figure out what your customer needs to know to have a great experience with it. Build the email. Turn it on. That’s it.
Additional Badass Basics Series Episodes
- Badass Basics Episode #1: Your eCommerce Home Page
- Badass Basics Episode #2: Your Navigation & Filters
- Badass Basics Episode #3: Your eCommerce Product Page
- Badass Basics Episode #4: Increase Your eCommerce Average Order Value
- Badass Basics Episode #5: Building Trust on Your eCommerce Website
Additional Resources:
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the post-purchase experience in ecommerce?
The post-purchase experience is everything that happens after a customer checks out, including the order confirmation, shipping updates, product education, and follow-up communication. Optimizing it is what turns one-time buyers into repeat customers who leave positive reviews.
What is a post-purchase education email?
A post-purchase education email is a separate email sent a day or so after the order confirmation that teaches your customer how to use the product they bought so they have a great experience with it. It’s its own email with its own job.
Is a post-purchase education email the same as the order confirmation email?
No. They do two different jobs and should be sent as two separate emails. The order confirmation tells the customer their order was placed. The post-purchase education email teaches them how to actually use the product so they get a good result.
When should a post-purchase education email be sent?
Usually a day or so after the order confirmation. The order confirmation gets opened immediately but easily ignored because the shopper is expecting it. A separate email a day later catches more attention and feels more important.
What should be in a post-purchase education email?
Whatever your customer needs to know to have a good experience with your product and leave you a positive review. Run every piece of content through that filter. Skip the nice-to-knows and focus on the things that, if missed, will lead to a bad first experience.
Should a post-purchase education email be sent every time a customer buys, or only the first time?
It depends on the product. For high-stakes products like chemicals or anything where safe use matters, send it every time. For lower-stakes products like care instructions for a basic item, the first purchase is usually enough.
What format should a post-purchase education email be?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Some products need a quick text email. Others need video. Others need a multi-email sequence spaced out over several days. Pick the format that actually helps your customer get the best result with your specific product.
Do I still need a post-purchase email if the information is already on my website and product packaging?
Yes. Customers engage with content differently across different channels. Some skim packaging. Some only read email. Some need to be told something three times before it sticks. You can’t repeat yourself too much when it comes to product education.
How do I optimize my post-purchase experience?
Start with a post-purchase education email that teaches your customer how to actually use the product they bought. From there, layer in shipping updates, review requests, and ongoing email content that’s actually useful instead of just promotional. The education email is the foundation. Everything else builds on top of it.
