Post-purchase

Design shipping, returns, loyalty, and re-engagement so each order raises the odds of the next. The wins are timing and sincerity: a reminder sent too early does worse than no reminder, and a coupon attached to a thank-you note cancels the note's benefit.

When to use

• Reviewing a post-purchase or retention plan
• Abandoned-cart timing, return/refund/shipping policy, packaging inserts, loyalty program

When not to use

• Cart layout, checkout fields, wallets, or payment-step errors → checkout-ux (this skill owns abandonment email timing, not the checkout surface)
• Asking for reviews or handling complaints → the reviews skill
• Referral mechanics → the referrals skill
• Site-wide trust signals (warranties, cost transparency) → the store-audit skill

Inputs

Collect, or state your assumption:

• Abandonment-email timing; what's in the box (inserts, codes)
• Return policy: who pays, when refunded, drop-off options; whether items need inspection
• Loyalty structure (tiers, opt-in vs automatic, reward type)
• Average order value; free-shipping threshold

Procedure

1. Abandoned-cart reminder at 24–72 hours. Never within the first hour: that soon, people become less likely to buy than with no reminder. The motive fades over days and is gone within a week, so 24–72 h is the window.
2. Handwritten thank-you note, nothing attached. A handwritten note in every order (photocopy works; personalization optional). No discount code or promotion on or with it — that reads as a sales tactic and cancels the effect. Strongest on loyal customers. Optionally scent the packaging for memorability.
3. Free-shipping subscription with a minimum order. If order frequency supports it, sell a membership for free delivery (members spent more and bought a wider range; a separate uncited report puts it at over 3× †). Require a minimum order (e.g. $20), or members split purchases into many small orders.
4. Free, easy returns. Customers expect free, no-questions returns; the long-term result is higher spend per order and broader baskets. Include a label (or print-at-home), accept the original packaging, offer drop-off points. Shoppers benchmark you against Amazon, and returns/refunds are where others fall short. †
5. Instant refund when the return ships. Refund on the carrier scan, not after inspection: satisfaction and loyalty rise, return rates don't. If abuse is a concern, limit to items that don't need inspection (books, sealed consumables, low-value goods) and keep the inspection step for items that must be checked for use or damage (electronics, cosmetics, apparel).
6. Loyalty: automatic, single tier, threshold reward. Enroll everyone automatically. One rule ("buy 10, get 1 free") is enough — the study didn't test tiers, so don't add them for their own sake: +29.5% customer value over five years, showing up in retention, not the next quarter. Making the reward variable ("your 11th purchase is 20% or 80% off") drove more repeat behavior in a separate opt-in study — its "fewer sign up" trade-off doesn't arise under auto-enrollment, and the combination of the two designs is untested.

Output

The user's plan as a table: element, keep/change, replacement, rule + number. Then the sequence in order (confirmation → box contents → return policy text → loyalty enrollment → abandonment timing).

Common mistakes

• A 30-minute abandoned-cart email as "standard" — under an hour it backfires.
• A 10% code on the thank-you card — it undermines the note's sincerity; send offers separately.
• Free returns as "something to test" — they're the expected standard.
• Refund after inspection — refund on ship-back; inspect only where needed.
• Tiers because they look sophisticated — the evidence is for one automatic threshold reward; tiers weren't tested.
• Free shipping with no minimum — members fragment orders.

Quick reference

† No primary citation on file for this rule — a practitioner tip, not a measured finding.

Evidence and effect sizes: see reference.md.