With customer acquisition costs at unprecedented highs, the real battleground for growth now lies beyond the checkout. Post-purchase presents an exciting opportunity: transform first-time buyers into loyal advocates by marrying smart tech, streamlined returns and memorable experiences that stick.
Let’s examine the trends shaping post-purchase success and highlight leading retailers setting the standard today. Take these insights to the next level by applying for CommerceNext’s Post-Purchase Forum, October 15th in NYC.
Trends & Best Practices Shaping Post-Purchase
AI-Powered Personalization & Communication
From tailored product recommendations to virtual shopping assistants, AI is transforming how brands engage with customers after a purchase. The 2024 holiday season showed just how impactful this can be. According to Reuters, AI-driven chatbots contributed to a 4% increase in U.S. online sales.
Customers are also increasingly utilizing AI chatbots themselves for guidance on product support or troubleshooting. This shift toward agentic commerce underscores the importance for retailers to integrate AI into post-purchase engagement to strengthen loyalty.
Loyalty Programs for Retention & Growth
Loyalty programs have become one of the most powerful levers in post-purchase strategy. According to Accenture, loyalty members contribute 12–18% more revenue growth per year. With acquisition costs rising, loyalty programs are proving to be both cost-efficient and highly profitable for retailers. Learn how to build a successful loyalty program here.
Positive consumer sentiment towards loyalty programs is also undeniable. 72% of consumers report buying more often from companies they’re enrolled in loyalty programs with, according to Okendo.
Benefits of loyalty programs include:
- Strengthened emotional connections
- Increased customer referrals
- Encouraged product exploration
- Improved customer retention
- Higher lifetime value
Customer Service that Drives Loyalty & Advocacy
Customer support remains one of the most powerful post-purchase touchpoints. When it’s satisfactory, it drives both loyalty and advocacy. According to PwC, 93% of customers say they’re more likely to make repeat purchases from companies that deliver excellent customer service.
Companies also offering omnichannel support see significantly better results. When service agents know a customer’s past interactions and preferences, each encounter becomes an opportunity to strengthen retention and drive repeat purchases.
Flexible & Streamlined Returns
Customers who experience an easy and flexible return process are not only more likely to feel satisfied with their purchase journey, but they’re also more inclined to shop with the brand again. Retailers are starting to turn returns into a moment to build trust. Some are even incentivizing in-store returns with perks or credits, creating a positive experience that often leads to additional purchases.
However, it is best to avoid returns altogether. Business Insider reports that return rates hover around 17% of all goods sold, spiking even higher during the holidays. Ultimately, the real opportunity lies in striking the right balance: making returns seamless when necessary, while investing in strategies that minimize them in the first place.
Brands Leading the Way
Pandora’s My Pandora Loyalty Program
Pandora’s loyalty program offers a tiered rewards system, alongside discounts, personalized picks and customizable perks.
Pandora’s My Pandora program allows members to enjoy immediate benefits like a 10% welcome discount, a free birthday gift and access to exclusive offers and early product launches. Beyond perks, the program creates a personalized post-purchase ecosystem—customers can build wishlists, track favorites and receive tailored communications that inspire repeat shopping.
By linking rewards to milestones and ongoing interactions, Pandora transforms its jewelry purchases into relationship-building moments, making each transaction the start of a longer brand journey.
Learn more about Pandora’s post-purchase strategies at the Post-Purchase Forum in a panel: “Unlocking Post-Purchase Potential: Monetization, Loyalty & the Rise of Commerce Media.”
Chewy’s Customer Care
Chewy has built one of the strongest reputations in retail by turning customer service into a differentiator, rather than a cost center. Its 24/7 customer support is staffed by empathetic representatives who are empowered to solve problems quickly, often going beyond scripts to deliver real human care.
Beyond speed and convenience, Chewy invests in gestures that strengthen emotional connection. Its well-known practices—sending condolence flowers when a pet passes away, including handwritten notes or even custom pet portraits—transform ordinary transactions into deeply personal experiences. These moments are not easily scalable, but they generate extraordinary customer advocacy and word-of-mouth amplification.
This UGC on TikTok features a Chewy customer receiving a custom pet portrait and showcases their loyalty to the brand.
Unlock more of Chewy’s customer care success stories at the Post-Purchase Forum with a keynote “Compassion at Scale: How Chewy Built the Gold Standard in Customer Care” with Shiv Menon, Chief Customer Care Officer, Chewy.
Nordstrom’s Flexible Returns
Nordstrom’s returns page offers customers flexible and simple options for completing returns.
Nordstrom has long treated returns as a cornerstone of its customer experience promise. The company’s flexible policy allows returns without strict timelines or receipts, handled on a case-by-case basis. This approach signals trust in the customer, reducing purchase hesitation. For customers, the policy removes friction and risk; for Nordstrom, it becomes a loyalty engine that strengthens long-term relationships.
The retailer has also evolved its return process to match modern omnichannel behaviors. Shoppers can return items in-store, via mail or through curbside drop-off, and Nordstrom Rack stores also accept returns for broader convenience. This integration reduces operational friction while encouraging customers to re-engage with the brand during the return process.
The brands that will lead retail’s next chapter are those that treat post-purchase not as the end of the journey, but as the foundation for sustained growth and loyalty. Want to learn how? Join CommerceNext’s Post-Purchase Forum on October 15th in NYC to learn the secrets behind post-purchase success.
