Strategies to turn one-time buyers into loyal customers in 60 days

That window after a customer’s first purchase is crucial. This is your opportunity to turn that single sale into a lifetime value. Approximately 20-30% of customers will make a repeat purchase, but you must make the difference and convince them to do so.

Unfortunately, it’s also a bad time for marketers to get too pushy and prompt customers to unsubscribe, block, and move on.

Instead of giving shoppers the ick, here’s how you can cultivate their loyalty from one-time buyers to long-time customers.

The 60-day window: Cutting the time between the first and second purchase

If you want shoppers with higher CLTV, they need more brand touchpoints fast. The good news is they already like you — that’s why they took a chance and hit “Check Out.”

The repurchase rate varies by industry and product type, but you can expect a loyal e-commerce customer to repurchase between 1.5 and 2.5 times a year. If customers subscribe to your email, see your ads in the wild, and interact with your content, there’s a higher chance they’ll be part of that figure.

These are the quick-win strategies marketers use to bring customers back; the staples of any marketer’s diet. After we review them, we’ll piece them together into campaign flows for nurturing customers and create recipes for post-purchase engagement.

Quick-win loyalty tactics

These are the tactics we can weave into campaigns to achieve higher CLTV. Think of these as LEGOs to build a customer loyalty masterpiece. In the next step, we’ll help you put them together.

Loyalty-building promotions

• Time-sensitive offers: Send a promo for 10% off if you reorder within 7 days, or upsell additional products at a discount immediately after purchase.

• In-package promos: Offer discount codes, surprise samples, and personalized thank-you notes to incentivize the following order.
• Incentivized reviews: “Leave a review, get 15% off your next order” is the siren call of repurchase incentive.

Upsells, cross-sells, and retargeting

• Product bundles and upgrades based on purchases: Recommend relevant, similar products to “upgrade” a purchase.

• Cart Abandonment Follow-up: Invite them to revisit their abandoned cart.

• Retargeting ads: Use other platforms like search and social to present unpurchased products to shoppers.

Loyalty programs that start early

• Introduce your loyalty program: Launch it to a first-time customer in the post-purchase email.

• Offer instant points: Show them how many points they’ve earned after their first purchase.

• Create VIP tier messaging: Make shoppers feel like they're part of an exclusive club for buying your product.

Campaign flows for customer nurturing

Let’s piece this together into your customer loyalty strategy, from day one to 60.

Welcome series structure (Days 1–14)

Congrats! A customer purchased your product. But we can’t rest on that success. Here’s how you can structure an email welcome sequence that motivates action but isn’t pushy.

• Day 1: The order complete email. Slide in a plug for your loyalty program, OR recommend purchase upgrades – but don’t make this email a novel by choosing both. Test both options and see which one yields the best results.
• Days 2–7: Shipment update emails. Let the customer know when their purchase has shipped, including its tracking information, and when it’s expected to be delivered. These emails keep customers excited for their product, rather than seeing the package in the mail with no memory of their impulse buy.
• Upon product arrival: Congratulate them on their product and use genuine excitement! Consider a guide on how to use/care for their product
• Day 10: Ask for a review! Bonus if your review gives them a reason to make another purchase. Have their number? Consider asking them this one on the go!
  

Stuck on what to say? We have templates for the whole sequence!

Engagement sequence (Days 15–45)

Your customer hasn’t come clamoring back? That’s okay! As we mentioned, even loyal customers typically only make a purchase a few times a year, unless you offer a subscription service. 

The good news is, if they’ve made it to this sequence, they didn’t swiftly unsubscribe from your post-purchase emails. Let’s keep them engaged; that’s why another word for this funnel stage is “delight.”

• Educational content related to their purchase: This is an ideal opportunity to teach! Provide users with an overview of your product or industry. Because many platforms prioritize zero-click content, consider giving a preview of your educational assets in your email nurture.
• Product spotlight or bundle suggestion: You can start promoting products again at this stage. Spotlight bestsellers or new releases to drum up excitement for a new purchase.
• Invite the shopper to other channels: Bring in content from your other channels like social or blog. This gives you more touchpoints with a user, and it’s far enough along in the customer journey that it’s an invitation to someone you know, rather than inviting a stranger out to coffee.
  

Winback & FOMO series (Days 46–60)

By this point, you might be twiddling your thumbs, wondering if this whole nurture sequence is working. Patience for a second purchase is key. 

Here’s what you can do in the final stint of 60 days to keep customers loyal. Even if they don’t purchase again, they’ll see your brand as a valuable resource whose name belongs in their inbox.

• "We miss you" + small incentive: Now it’s okay to invite customers to look at your catalogue again. Consider offering an incentive to return — 90% of consumers agree they’re more likely to engage with a brand if it offers incentives.
• Remind them of products they viewed or left behind: Get into retargeting. If you notice first-time buyers revisiting your site, set up your retargeting to send them email reminders or ads.
• Loyalty points reminder: Did your shopper earn loyalty points? Are those points just…sitting there? Remind them of the benefits they can earn with their points, especially if those points are about to expire.

Metrics for successful second purchase conversion

What’s all the customer nurturing for? Ultimately, it enhances customer lifetime value. These metrics help gauge whether your 60-day customer engagement boot camp is on the right track.

• Time to second purchase: If you successfully decrease time to second purchase, this is an indication customer engagement is working.
• Email/SMS open and click-through rates: Are you seeing higher interaction with content? Less bounces and unsubscribes? If your SMS and email campaigns improve through a customer engagement rehaul, use this metric as proof.
• Conversion rate of post-purchase flows: Customer engagement programs are designed to increase overall engagement. Post-purchase flows in general should see an uptick.
• ROI of promos and loyalty initiatives: The holy grail — ROI. For the lifetime of a customer, we calculate their value as CLTV. You can also track ROI of loyalty initiatives overall, or specific promos aimed only at returning customers.

Conclusion

When a customer nominates you as worthy of their money, you better have an acceptance speech ready!

Have a strong post-purchase plan that goes into effect on day one. You can’t be there to personally send every email or text, so personalize your message with a platform that automates the dirty work.

Simon Data is a CDP that helps brands activate their customer data in real-time, making dynamic, personalized content a cinch. Learn more about launching campaigns for each audience segment with Simon.