Everyone gets the same thank you…
When I audit a brand’s Klaviyo account, the post-purchase flow is one of the first things I open. And nine times out of ten it looks the same.
Thank you for your order. Here’s how to use it. Leave us a review. Here’s 10% off your next one.
Every customer gets it. The person who found you through a podcast, the one buying a gift for their mum, the one who’s tried three of your competitors already. Same emails, same order, same timing.
It works, sort of. But it’s a flow built on guesswork. And the frustrating bit? The answer to who these people are is sitting right there at checkout, if you ask.
One question at checkout
A post-purchase survey sits on the thank you page, right after the order goes through. One or two questions. Takes the customer a few seconds.
I use Fairing for this. It’s the post-purchase survey tool I work with, and the one I recommend. Most brands I speak to set it up to answer one thing… where did you hear about us? Great for attribution. Then the answers sit in a dashboard and get looked at once a month.
Here’s the bit most people miss. Fairing can send every answer straight into Klaviyo, onto that customer’s profile. So the moment someone tells you why they bought, your email platform knows it too.
And once Klaviyo knows, your post-purchase flow can do something with it.
Where I’d start
Start small. One question, one branch, see what happens. Here are the four I come back to most…
1. Who’s this for? Yourself or a gift? Simple question, huge difference. Your gift buyers don’t want a “how are you finding it?” email in week two. They want a nudge before the next birthday or Christmas. Split them off and talk to them like gift buyers.
2. Is this your first time trying something like this? First timers need hand holding. How to use it, what to expect, when they’ll notice a difference. The experienced folks already know all that. Skip the basics and show them why you’re better than what they used before.
3. What nearly stopped you buying today? My favourite question by a mile. Price, delivery, not sure it’ll work… whatever comes back, answer it in the first email after the order. You’re reassuring them before doubt creeps in. And every answer is a note for your product page too.
4. Where did you hear about us? You’re probably already asking this one. Now put it to work. Someone who found you through a podcast has already heard the founder story, so build on it. Someone from a Meta ad hasn’t heard it yet, so tell it.
In Klaviyo (the email platform I work with, and the one I recommend) each of these is just a conditional split on a profile property. Nothing fancy. If you’ve built a flow before, you can build this.
Then keep tuning it
Building the branch is the easy bit. The real gains come from coming back to it.
Check the repeat rate for each branch against your old one-size-fits-all flow. Whichever branch is lagging, change one email and look again next month. Sometimes the fix is the email. Sometimes it’s the question itself, and you’ll want to ask it differently.
Why I keep banging on about this
The first order is the expensive one. You’ve paid Meta or Google to get that customer through the door. The second order is where the profit starts.
And the post-purchase flow is the first conversation you have with them after they’ve trusted you with their money. It sets the tone for whether there’s a second order at all.
One question at checkout. A couple of branches in Klaviyo. Customers who feel like you actually know them. That’s the kind of small change that compounds… and it costs you nothing in ad spend.
More on this lever: The Retention Lever: How To Optimise Repeat Purchase Using Your Own Data.
Ian
