Keeping Customers Hooked: The Power of Automated Customer Journeys

Picture this: you’ve just discovered a brilliant brand, you’ve filled your cart and maybe even bought a thing or two. Next thing you know, there’s a follow-up with your order details; a text when it’s out for delivery; a check-in after it’s arrived; and further personalised comms that make you feel like a VIP. It’s the perfect example of an automated customer journey ‒ a sneaky, strategic way to power up your customer engagement. 

Why bother with automation?

Behind the scenes, automation does the heavy lifting. Because keeping tabs on every lead, staying in touch with customers and nudging those who’ve gone quiet ‒ it’s a lot. And without a bit of structure (and tech), people start slipping through the cracks. Automated customer journeys help you stay front of mind, hit the right notes at the right time, inspire purchases and, most importantly, maintain customer retention.

Crafting a smooth journey

Delivering the right message at the right time is key. There’s some pretty clever automation journeys out there, but even the most basic ones can get customers sticking around for much longer. Here’s an example:

Stage 1 – The tease

Welcome emails

Here’s an appealing fact: brands that send a series of welcome emails typically see 51% more revenue compared to sending just one. 

Start strong with a warm welcome email and a little nudge ‒ like a discount coupon. Next up? Bring them into your world. Point them to your socials so they can see all the behind-the-scenes action. And if they’re not quite there yet? Send a gentle reminder about the discount. 

Abandoned cart emails

A little incentive or a timely reminder about a purchase can give customers a gentle poke to get them across the line, without being too pushy.

Tailored suggestions

What’s the secret to successful automation? Personalisation! If a customer’s been eyeing something, a personalised recommendation might just inspire a purchase or two. 

Stage 2 – The reassurance

Order confirmation

“Your order’s on its way” ‒ we’ve all seen this message after completing a purchase. Seems pretty standard, right? But keeping customers in the loop always adds an extra layer of trust to your brand. 

Delivery updates

We all track our deliveries like hawks ‒ so timely, effective updates are only going to keep customers excited about your brand.

Stage 3 – Building a relationship 

Check-in message  

Engaging customers post-sale keeps them coming back. A quick check-in to see how they’re getting on with their purchase adds another personalised touch.

Ask for feedback

Great reviews equal more purchases! A polite request for feedback can work wonders for credibility.

VIP perks and more offers

Rewarding loyalty with exclusive deals and early sale access means customers will keep coming back for more!

The importance of personalisation

The best automated journeys always feel personal. Which means:

Segmenting audiences

This means you’re not sending the same message to everyone ‒ because first-time buyers and loyal regulars aren’t on the same page. So, tailor the journey ‒ for example, warm welcomes for newbies and VIP perks for the seasoned shoppers. This way, customers will feel like you truly understand them.  

Getting the timing right

Send too many messages and you’ll end up in the unsubscribe pile. Instead, let customer behaviour do the talking ‒ use past purchases or actions to guide what you send and when.

Case Study – Meadow Bay Village’s Automation Journey

For Meadow Bay Villages, we use automation to make both holidays and holiday home sales feel seamless.

For holiday guests, a pre-arrival email journey via Mailchimp gives them all the info they need before they arrive ‒ think check-in times, what to pack and what to expect ‒ so they show up relaxed and ready.

On the sales side, we use Zapier to pass web leads straight into their CRM, tagging each one based on the campaign they came from. That means faster, more relevant follow-ups ‒ and no leads slipping through the cracks.

Need help with your automated journeys?

Automated customer journeys have so many possibilities; from the power of AI to advanced personalisation tools, businesses can meet the specific demands of their audiences like never before.

If you haven’t yet considered exploring automated journeys, or would like to supercharge your customer engagement, get in touch ‒ we’re ready to help!