Starting an Online Business All-in-One For Dummies®, 3rd Edition

Saying “Thank You”

One of the most overlooked customer rewards is the simple expression of thanks. As the owner of an online business, you can show appreciation to your customers in many ways:

• Post order landing pages. After your customer completes an order, send an entirely new page (or landing page) created specifically to say “thank you” for the order. Surprisingly, many sites still overlook this opportunity.
• Send automated thank-you notes. Use an autoresponder program to automatically send a thank-you e-mail to your customer immediately following each purchase.

  The option to send automated e-mail messages (and order confirmations) is already built into many shopping cart and e-commerce software programs.

• Send thank-you notes in shipments. Customers appreciate opening their shipments and finding thank-you notes right on top.
• Post delivery e-mail. After an order is scheduled to be delivered or a ship date is confirmed, send an e-mail expressing thanks. Sending the thank-you note after the order has arrived is also a good time to ask for feedback on your customer's shopping experience.
• Send personalized cards. Just because you run a Web site doesn't mean that you can't communicate the old-fashioned way. Send loyal customers a thank-you card by way of the U.S. Postal Service to seal your relationship.
• Make phone calls. Let your customer service department (even if it's just you!) ...