Why digital-only post-purchase marketing is failing your brand
It’s easy to believe that digital marketing is the be-all and end-all for customer engagement. From targeted ads to personalised email campaigns, brands have mastered the art of digital customer touchpoints. But, more recently, relying solely on digital post-purchase marketing may be hindering your brand’s growth potential and how many customers you retain.
It’s not that digital marketing doesn’t work – we all know very well it does. But a digital-only approach doesn’t give your customers the complete experience they crave, especially post-purchase. To stand out in a competitive marketplace, you must invest in a mix of online and offline marketing tactics to deliver a more complete and memorable post-purchase experience.
The digital fatigue problem: Why digital-only isn't enough
As consumers today are bombarded with digital marketing messages from every direction, they are becoming more selective about which digital interactions they engage with.
The digital fatigue problem is real, and it’s affecting the effectiveness of your post-purchase marketing efforts. Let’s break down the key factors contributing to this fatigue:
1. Ad blockers: The invisible wall 🧱
Consumers are fed up with invasive digital ads. A staggering 32.8% of internet users worldwide now use ad blockers to avoid unwanted ads. This means that a significant portion of your audience isn’t even seeing the digital ads you’ve carefully crafted.
Ad blockers have become the invisible wall that prevents many brands from reaching their target audience. With ads being automatically blocked across many browsers and devices, it’s increasingly challenging for ecommerce brands to rely on digital-only marketing strategies. Whether it’s Facebook ads, display ads, or Google retargeting, your messages risk never even making it to the consumer’s screen.
The issue is compounded by the fact that ad fatigue has become a widespread problem. Consumers are overwhelmed by repetitive, irrelevant ads that do little to capture their attention. Even if your ads do get through the wall, they may just be scrolled past or ignored.
2. The cookie crumbles: A cookieless future 🍪
The digital marketing landscape is undergoing a dramatic shift. We are quickly moving towards a cookieless future – and this is a game-changer for brands that have relied heavily on third-party cookies to track, retarget, and engage customers. According to research, 84% of leaders at cookie-dependent companies admit that at least 30% of their potential market is unreachable because of cookie limitations.
While Google has delayed its full cookie phase-out until 2025, the trend toward greater privacy regulations (like GDPR) and the growing use of privacy tools (such as Apple’s App Tracking Transparency) means that many of your retargeting campaigns are becoming less effective.
In fact, without third-party cookies, the ability to track consumer behaviour across websites and tailor your post-purchase marketing efforts becomes severely limited. This puts brands at risk of not reaching high-value customers or failing to retarget them with the personalised messages that once drove results.
3. Email deliverability and post-purchase overload: Why your messages aren’t getting through 👀
Email has long been a cornerstone of post-purchase marketing, but it faces two major challenges today: deliverability issues and the sheer volume of competition in customer inboxes. Research shows that only 8% of emails land in the intended inbox, with the rest being filtered into spam or promotional folders. Stricter data privacy laws like GDPR have also made customers more selective about what they open, while many never opt-in at all.
Even if your emails do make it to the inbox, they’re competing with hundreds of other brand messages, making it hard to stand out. 44% of businesses lack confidence that their emails are even delivered. And, even when they are, the chances of them being opened and engaged with are slim. Consumers are overwhelmed by the volume of marketing messages they receive, and even the most personalised or well-crafted content gets lost in the noise.
To cut through the digital clutter, brands should consider offline marketing tactics that create a more personal, tangible connection with customers. Personalised inserts, thank-you notes, discount cards or product samples in packaging make sure your message reaches 100% of your customers and creates a lasting impression. This offline engagement is far more likely to be noticed and interacted with, leading to higher customer retention and better conversion rates.
Why offline marketing tactics matter
In the face of digital overwhelm, offline marketing tactics are emerging as a powerful way to connect with your customers in a more personal, tangible way. Consumers are becoming more selective about what they engage with online, but they still crave physical experiences that offer a sense of novelty and emotional connection.
One such offline marketing tactic that has proven to be highly effective is “phygital marketing” – where brands blend physical and digital experiences by using your first-party customer data to personalise offline moments – like personalised inserts or hand-written notes.
When combined with the sophistication of digital data, offline marketing tactics elevate the post-purchase experience, meaning you can deliver personalisation at every touchpoint, both online and offline – building the loyalty and lifetime value of your customers.
Deep dive: How offline marketing tactics elevate your post-purchase strategy
Engagement you can count on
When it comes to post-purchase communications, the main problem with digital-only strategies is deliverability. With email deliverability rates as low as 8%, you risk your carefully crafted messages never reaching your customers. But with offline marketing tactics, like personalised inserts in your packaging, you can be sure that every customer receives your post-purchase marketing, guaranteeing that your customers feel valued and engaged with your brand.
Higher conversion rates
When offline touchpoints are integrated into your post-purchase journey, the results can be transformative. Research shows that conversions on a second purchase from personalised unboxing campaigns are 4.5x higher than those from emails. Why? Because the experience is direct, physical, and personal – it captures attention in a way that digital messages simply can’t.
Creating a consistent, cohesive journey
Customers today expect a seamless experience across every touchpoint, whether online or offline. By integrating your digital and offline marketing strategies, you can create a unified customer journey that reinforces your brand message and enhances customer satisfaction. This consistency fosters trust and helps cultivate long-term loyalty.
Improved customer lifetime value (CLTV)
By increasing engagement, conversions, and loyalty, offline marketing tactics directly impact your CLTV. As customers return to buy again and share their positive experiences of your offline personalisation, your brand secures a foundation for sustainable growth. Studies have shown that existing customers are 5x cheaper to retain than acquire new ones, and they spend more. By creating a 360-degree phygital customer experience, you’re increasing the chance you’ll retain customers with a high LTV more cost-effectively.
Moving beyond digital-only: How to blend digital and offline marketing strategies
With digital-only strategies losing their edge, you might be wondering, “How can I make my offline experience more impactful?” The key is embracing phygital post-purchase marketing. Here are some starter strategies to help you get started.
Personalised unboxing campaigns
One of the most impactful offline strategies is to personalise the unboxing experience. Using first-party data – such as product preferences or purchase history – you can create personalised unboxing campaigns with inserts or handwritten notes tailored to each customer’s journey. This ensures shoppers enjoy a unique, memorable experience every time they buy from you.
This thoughtful touch turns a routine delivery into an emotional connection, fostering long-term brand loyalty from the physical moment.
What’s more, including personalised discounts or product recommendations in the unboxing moment – one of the few channels with a 100% open rate – makes sure your investment delivers strong ROI as customers immediately come back and buy again.
Take the example of Bird & Blend Tea Co.. By incorporating QR codes in their post-purchase inserts, they encouraged customers to join their “Brew SocieTEA” community, where members received VIP perks. This simple offline element allowed Bird & Blend to track customer engagement and growth. Within just three months, their community grew by an impressive 600%, significantly boosting their customer lifetime value (CLTV).
Loyalty programs and referral incentives
Incorporating offline elements into your loyalty or referral programs is another powerful way to drive engagement. Hosting exclusive events or pop-ups for your most loyal customers or micro-influencers fosters deeper emotional connections, making them feel valued and more likely to become advocates for your brand. Real-world interactions strengthen these relationships, transforming loyal customers into enthusiastic promoters.
A thoughtful way to extend this connection is by adding a physical element to your loyalty program – like including a gift in the unboxing moment. This small gesture not only surprises and delights but also serves as a personal thank-you, reinforcing their status as a valued brand fan and encouraging continued loyalty.
Seamless integration with your digital campaigns
When setting up phygital campaigns, your offline tactics can’t exist in isolation. They need to be closely aligned with your digital marketing efforts to create a cohesive post-purchase brand experience. For instance, a personalised unboxing moment could be complemented with an email or SMS campaign that reinforces the message and offers additional value, like an exclusive deal or content tailored to the customer’s preferences. This kind of multi-channel approach ensures that your brand remains front and center in the customer’s mind, driving loyalty and repeat sales.
For example, SURI, a sustainable toothbrush brand, which utilized personalised unboxing campaigns to engage customers both on and offline. The brand’s Earth Day campaign featured inserts that encouraged customers to refer friends and share the benefits of sustainable living. This offline touch, combined with a digital follow-up, led to 20,000 referrals in just one month, far exceeding their previous email-only campaigns.
Conclusion: Embrace the phygital future
In a world overwhelmed by digital noise, relying solely on digital post-purchase marketing is no longer enough to engage and retain your customers. With ad blockers, email deliverability issues, and the post-purchase overload, brands are finding it harder than ever to reach their audience through digital channels alone.
To counteract this, savvy ecommerce brands are turning to offline marketing tactics that offer a physical, personal touch. By blending your digital insights with offline experiences – such as personalised unboxing moments or physical loyalty cards – you can break through the noise and create a post-purchase experience that’s memorable and effective.
Ultimately, offline marketing tactics are not just a nice-to-have – they’re essential for brands looking to enhance customer loyalty, increase conversion rates, and stand out in an increasingly competitive market. The future of post-purchase marketing lies in the phygital approach, where digital and offline strategies work hand-in-hand to deliver a truly engaging customer experience.