Transaction Complete. The Dangers in Waiting to Send that eReceipt
According to Retail touchpoints, 94% of retail sales are still generated in physical stores. Statistics like these, however, do not reflect the growing challenges brick-and-mortar retailers face as they compete with online giants like Amazon. In the retail blog, Vend, author Francesca Nicasio outlines the advantages of physical stores. Nicasio notes that brick-and-mortar retailers have an advantage when they optimize for service, even when that same retailer simultaneously competes online. Digital receipts, shopping apps, and loyalty programs often serve as connection points between physical and digital stores.
The Omnichannel Impact When eReceipts Are Delayed
BRP Consulting in their 2017 POS/Customer Engagement Survey point to the importance of integrating digital and physical commerce by providing a “personal, mobile and seamless” omnichannel experience. As outlined in our 11 Ereceipt Best Practices, when digital follow-up is delayed, it can negatively impact the buying experience, since many customers inspect their receipts immediately after the sale. The absence of prompt thank you messages or loyalty status notifications, as well as the customers’ inability to review their purchase reflects poorly on the brick-and-mortar retailer.
According to Experian Marketing Services, “Customers engage with transactional emails…at much higher rates than they do with promotional and branding-focused campaigns.” In fact, retailers sending flexReceipts boast open rates between 45-80%, with these emails being opened an average of 3 to 5 times. Experian reports that “buyers are eager to view” information about their purchase and that dynamic ereceipts “optimize engagement by including information and images pertaining to…related products and services”.
eReceipt Delays Result in Missed Opportunities
When it comes to digital receipts, the issue of latency (the time between a purchase and the delivery of the receipt) continues to be a central factor in the success or failure of ereceipt programs. Dynamic digital receipts that arrive within seconds and include personalized messages, loyalty reward notifications, shopper surveys, bounce back offers and complimentary product recommendations are able to leverage a peak in consumer attention that exists immediately after the sale. On the other hand, digital receipts that arrive after several minutes, even days later, not only negatively affect the shopping experience but equate to missed opportunities for retailers.