#marketing-cx-cs-retention
Thread
After diving deep into our customer journey’s for a number of our brands, we identified that a second purchase rate ranged between 9 and 14%.
Here is some of the key takeaway’s from the deep dive of one of the brands.
• 11.18% made a second purchase in a 12 month period.
• AOV $98
• Average discount 9%
• Average order per customer 1.15
• LTV $119.28
• 80% of second purchases were made within 120 days of their first purchase
• 40% in the first 30 days of their first purchase
We determined that by lifting the second purchase rates from 11.18% to 12.18% (8.94%) we would generate an additional $750K per year. So if there was 70000 customers in the 12 month period, you would need to get an additional 6000 odd customers to make that second purchase… I hope that makes sense.
We continued to deep dive into customer behaviours, purchasing patterns, successful email campaigns topic, reviews etc and then created a 90 day post purchase flow which was a series of 14 emails. The flow had a range of triggers based on the customers purchase, and then ran through a series of emails which included product information/FAQ’s, UGC+ reviews, discount offer (exclusive), complementary product recommendations, Founders note / and brand insights etc. ::Note that the time of the flow and offers for this PP flow was determined by all the data collected.
Here are some results. It has been running for 4 weeks today.
Revenue
Week 1 - $518
Week 2 - $2053
Week 3 - $2647
Week 4 - $6706
Customers are only at most 28 days through the 90 day email journey. If they make a second purchase they then move to another VIP flow where they begin another journey all together… can go into it another time.
I am yet to see how the second purchase rate is tracking as its still very early, but it appears to far so go without looking into the actual numbers.
I would welcome feedback from anyone that has done similar. Happy to also answer any questions.
Happy to hear more about how you set up a 14 email flow. How did you figure out what to create
Here is a breakdown
Audited Customer Lifecycle & Repeat Behavior
• Reviewed retention trends, LTV growth, and second purchase timing using order data and cohort analysis.
• Identified that improving the second purchase rate had a larger revenue impact than lowering CAC.
Created Product-Specific Post-Purchase Flows
• Replaced the generic post-purchase journey with tailored flows based on first item purchased (e.g. bedding, apparel, accessories).
• Each path included care education, complementary product suggestions, and timed promotional offers.
• The flows were extended across 60–90 days and evolved based on engagement.
Integrated Reviews at the Right Moment
• Strategically placed review-based content in Email #3 of the post-purchase sequence (Day 12–14), just before any strong discount offer.
• This email included:
◦ UGC and customer testimonials to reinforce product satisfaction
◦ Brand education and use tips to reduce hesitation
◦ Social proof to build trust before making a second offer
• Positioned as: “Here’s what others are saying about your product.”
Tested Bounce-Back Offers to Trigger Second Purchase
• Ran A/B split tests in Email #4 (Day 20) with either:
◦ X% off
◦ $X off
• Followed up with a Discount Reminder (Email #5) and complementary product push (Email #6 and #8).
• Offers were product-category specific and designed to convert within a short window.
Extended the Flow to 90 Days
• Added emails at Days 37, 50, 75, and 82 to re-engage customers who had not converted yet.
• Topics included: new product highlights, best sellers, and a final exclusive offer reminder.
Created a Dedicated Sunset Flow
• Triggered for customers who placed no order within 120+ days.
• Consisted of two emails:
◦ “We miss you + final offer”
◦ “Is this goodbye?”
• Designed to either reactivate the customer or suppress them cleanly from campaigns.
Built a Second-Purchase Loyalty Flow
• Triggered after someone made a second purchase.
• Included brand reinforcement, curated product pairings, and early access incentives.
• Designed to bridge the gap between bounce-back buyer and full VIP.
Aligned Email + Paid Ads
• Synced retargeting ads (Meta) with post-purchase timing (30–60 days, 60–90 days) and product paths.
• Ads mirrored email themes: “Complete Your Kit,” “You’re on Our List,” and “What Our Customers Love Most.”